Set to Debut in December 2024, the Viking Vela Meets Water for First Time
Los Angeles (November 30, 2023) – Viking® (www.viking.com) today announced its newest ocean ship—the 998-guest Viking Vela®—was “floated out,” marking a major construction milestone and the first time the ship has touched water. Scheduled to debut in December 2024, the Viking Vela will spend her inaugural season sailing voyages in the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe.
Together with Fincantieri, we have built the world’s most elegant ocean vessels, and it is always a proud day when our newest ship meets water for the first time,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “Our small, elegant ocean ships are ranked #1 by both Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler. We are different than other lines because of all that we do, but Viking also stands apart for all that we do not do. No children. No casinos. No nickel and diming. We look forward to welcoming the Viking Vela to our award-winning fleet next year and introducing even more curious travelers to the Viking way of exploration.
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 the Viking Vela began at approximately 11:00 a.m. local time when the Viking team cut a cord that signaled water to flow into the ship’s building dock. Following a two-day process that will set the Viking Vela afloat, she will then be moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.
The Viking Vela
Classified as a small ship, the Viking Vela has a gross tonnage of 54,300 tons, with 499 staterooms that can host 998 guests. She will join the award-winning ocean fleet of sister ships, which includes the Viking Star®, the Viking Sea®, the Viking Sky®, the Viking Orion®, the Viking Jupiter®, the Viking Venus®, the Viking Mars®, the Viking Neptune® and the Viking Saturn®.
About Viking
Viking was founded in 1997 and provides destination-focused journeys on rivers, oceans and lakes around the world. Designed for curious travelers with interests in science, history, culture and cuisine, Chairman Torstein Hagen often says Viking offers experiences for The Thinking Person™. Viking has more than 250 awards to its name, including being rated #1 for Rivers, #1 for Oceans and #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler in the 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards. Viking is also rated at the top of its categories for rivers, oceans and expeditions by Travel + Leisure. No other travel company has simultaneously received the same honors by both publications. For additional information, contact Viking at 1-800-2-VIKING (1-800-284-5464) or visit https://www.viking.com/. For Viking’s award-winning enrichment channel, visit https://www.viking.tv/.