Viking announced that its newest ocean ship, the 930-guest Viking Neptune, was floated out, marking a major construction milestone and the first time the ship has touched water. Set to debut in November 2022, Viking Neptune will spend her maiden season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean before embarking on the company’s 2023-2024 Viking World Cruise, a journey from Fort Lauderdale to London that spans 138 days, 28 countries and 57 ports, with overnight stays in 11 cities.
“It is always a special day when a new ship meets water for the first time, and we look forward to welcoming guests on board the Viking Neptune this fall,” said Tor Hagen, chairman of Viking. “Together with Fincantieri we have built the world’s most elegant vessels, which truly allow our guests to explore the world in comfort. We are marking several milestones in 2022, including our 25th anniversary and the 10th year since starting our ocean project. With the arrival of the Viking Neptune and her identical sister ship, the Viking Mars, this year—along with the debut of our two new expedition ships and new river ships—we are proud to firmly establish Viking as the leading small ship travel company.”
The traditional float out ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard and is significant because it denotes a ship moving into its final stage of construction. The float out of Viking Neptune began at approximately 11 a.m. local time when a member of the Viking team cut a cord that signaled water to begin flowing into the ship’s building dock. Following a two-day process that will set Viking Neptune afloat, she will then be moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.
Viking’s ocean ships displace 47,800 gross registered tons, have 465 staterooms that can host 930 guests double occupancy. Viking Neptune will join a fleet of identical sister ships, which includes Viking Star, Viking Sea, Viking Sky, Viking Orion, Viking Jupiter and Viking Venus. Viking Mars will be delivered in May 2022 and Viking Saturn will be delivered in early 2023.
Guests who sail with Viking experience the company’s industry-leading health and safety program. Grounded in scientific research, the Viking Health & Safety Program was developed in partnership with an international team of medical advisors, including Raquel C. Bono, M.D., Viking’s Chief Health Officer. Dr. Bono is a board-certified trauma surgeon and retired Vice Admiral of the United States Navy Medical Corps—and in 2020, led Washington State’s medical and healthcare systems response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Viking requires all guests and crew to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Viking also is the first and only cruise line with full-scale PCR laboratories installed on board its ocean and expedition ships. Utilizing the PCR laboratories on board Viking ocean and expedition ships—and a strong network of dedicated shoreside labs for Viking river ships in Europe—all guests and crew receive up to daily quick and easy non-invasive saliva PCR tests. The easy access to PCR testing also simplifies guests’ travel experience with a final COVID-19 test taken onboard that satisfies the requirement for pre-flight testing before arrival into the U.S.
New air purification technology has also been installed on all Viking ships, which have always featured independent air handling units for all guest staterooms. And additional health checks, sanitization and physical distancing measures provide further protection for Viking guests and crew at all points of the journey.