Viking Takes Delivery of Newest Ocean Ship

The New Viking Vela Joins Award-Winning Fleet of Sister Ships

 

Viking® (www.viking.com)  (NYSE: VIK) today announced it has taken delivery of the company's newest ocean ship, the Viking Vela®. The delivery ceremony took place this morning when the ship was presented at Fincantieri's shipyard in Ancona, Italy. Classified as a small ship, as are all Viking ocean ships, the Viking Vela has 499 staterooms that can host 998 guests. The Viking Vela joins the company's growing fleet of award-winning ocean ships and will spend her inaugural season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe.

"We are proud to welcome the newest sister ship to our award-winning ocean fleet," said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking. "Together with Fincantieri we have built the world's most elegant small ocean ships. With the arrival of our newest vessel, we look forward to introducing even more curious travellers to the Viking way of exploration."

Viking is working on a project for a partial hybrid propulsion system for future ocean ships based on liquid hydrogen and fuel cells, which could allow the company to operate at zero-emission in the Norwegian Fjords and other sensitive environments. While the Viking Vela has a traditional propulsion platform, she is considered hydrogen-ready and can be retrofitted in the future.

The delivery of the Viking Vela follows a string of recent accolades for the company. Viking was rated #1 for Oceans, #1 for Rivers and #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler in the 2024 Readers' Choice Awards for the second consecutive year. This achievement marked the first time a travel company won these three categories in back-to-back years. Viking was also named Best Luxury Line, Best Line for Couples and Best Line in the Mediterranean in U.S. News & World Report's 2025 Best Cruise Lines ranking for the fourth consecutive year. Viking's ocean ships have been rated and "Recommended" as part of the Forbes Travel Guide 2024 Star Awards, an annual independent evaluation for luxury travel brands. Additionally, Viking received seven awards at the 2023 Cruise Critic Editors' Picks Awards—more than any other line—across the luxury, river and expedition categories.

Ocean Cruising delights with Viking

OCEAN - Iconic Western Mediterranean

Explore France’s Riviera and Tuscany with Viking’s 8-day Iconic Western Mediterranean Voyage from Barcelona to Rome or vice versa. Pricing starts from $6,995 pp in a Deluxe Veranda Stateroom with savings of $1,600 per couple if booked before 18 December 2024. Past Viking guests are eligible for additional savings of $400 per couple.

Air Asia resumes Sydney to Bangkok flights

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The inaugural flight from Bangkok took off yesterday on 1 December 2024, and returned from Sydney to Bangkok today. The Bangkok-Sydney service offers a total of six weekly flights on sale now.

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Langham Kuala Lumpur to Enliven the City Skyline in 2027

Langham Hospitality Group (LHG) and Artisan Hospitality, a joint venture led by a subsidiary of Singapore’s Oxley Holdings, announced their planned opening of The Langham Kuala Lumpur in 2027. Part of the Oxley Towers KLCC complex, a premium property development situated in the city’s prestigious central business precinct, the luxury hotel will occupy the upper half of the development and will provide seamless access to the famous Petronas Twin Towers, the adjoining parklands, exciting lifestyle and retail malls, and the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Formula 1 driver confirmed as guest speaker on special Celestyal voyage

Formula 1 driver, entrepreneur, author and broadcaster David Coulthard will join Celestyal's 'Desert Days & Qatar Grand Prix' cruise, departing November 30, 2024.

 

The seven-night maiden voyage, sailing on the 1260-guest Celestyal Journey, begins with an overnight in Doha (Qatar). This will allow guests to attend the F1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand prix 2024 events, including sprint, qualifying and race days. The cruise then sails to Dubai (UAE), Khasab (Oman), Sir Bani Yas Island (UAE) and Abu Dhabi (UAE), before returning to Doha.

 

While onboard, guests will be invited to a speaker event with David Coulthard, who competed in Formula One from 1994 to 2008, winning 13 Grands Prix across 15 seasons, racing for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. His subsequent TV commentating career has seen him work for the BBC and Channel 4.

 

The voyage, which starts from A$719 per person twin share, marks the start of Celestyal's debut season in the Arabian Gulf. 

Sister ship Celestyal Discovery will join Celestyal Journey for her maiden Arabian Gulf season from December 2025. Celestyal Discovery will offer new three and four-night 'Iconic Arabia' sailings from Abu Dhabi, with prices starting from A$449 per person twin share.

For more information visit celestyal.com or call 1800 648 737.