Viking SUN - When and Where?

I've asked 3 different agents and got three different answers about the latest addition to the fleet, Viking Sun, so thought I would ask here :)

Does anyone know:

The 'maiden' is described as a 2018 World cruise, but there appear to be cruises in Europe for October/November.

Can this be right?

Can anyone say definitively which are the first paid for cruises?

If it was a mainstream line, I would avoid the first 2 or 3 cruises as the mass-market ships use these more of a training/shake-thru than a customer focussed cruise, but maybe Viking are different? I can't imagine them putting their super-high profile at risk for the sake of a few hundred thousands $ of revenue?

Please. Advice welcome and needed :)

I know that when a new ship is launched Viking staffs it with many key positions being filled by veteran employees. We were on the SKY this spring ( few months old) and already some of the crew knew they were moving to help launch the SUN!

So the crew and service will be fine. A brand new ship might encounter issues; I think I remember early on the SKY had to abbreviate a cruise from Barcelona in the Med and there were problems with the STAR early on if I remember.

I will be on the SUN for the world cruise and am very comfortable knowing that she will have completed some sea time in the Med, an Atlantic Crossing and few spins around the Caribbean before we board in LA for 4 months.

If you see an itinerary that looks good I would urge you to do it. A new ship if full of excited crew and passengers and Viking has successfully launched these ships! We loved our time on the SKY!

We've been on the Star and Sea right after they went into service . The service was just wonderful- it's the first cruise line that I can say -"The Crew Liked Being There" . They all had smiles and made you feel at home .

We also are going on the WC on the Sun and can't wait to see many of the crew from both the Sea and Sun !

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Thanks so much Dec and Eaches. Really good to know people have been on sister ships in similar circumstances and found the correct standards from day one.

We have our eye on a couple of options and waiting for agents to come back to us. Will come back if we book :)

Viking will be a good change from Princess . No Kids - Diner when you want it - quiet when you want it- a Spa that is Wonderful . 930 passengers instead of 3000+. Very Nice up to date cabins with beautiful Large Bathrooms , what more could you want . P

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Mother and I will be on the Sun's October trip (Italian Sojourn). Not sure if she sails anything before that? I can report back how that goes - although this will be our first cruise, so we don't have anything to compare to!

We will be trying her out in November, hopefully going to Cuba. All of the positive reviews have me looking forward to this trip!

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My friend and I are on the Sun for her first passenger paying voyage leaving Venice on 4th October. I booked Viking on a friends' recommendation and because the dates suited us. It was only after we booked that we realised it was her 'Maiden Voyage' - so every port we go into will be her first visit. My understanding is the Viking crew are well looked after and I am sure there will have been hot competition to get the contracts to work on the Sun. All the ships are identical so the experienced staff from the other ships will not have to worry too much about the layout - just hoping the engines are OK and that any glitches have been sorted out in sea trials and from experience of the others ships.

I am quite excited about voyage. I usually travel on the Cunard ships so will be interesting to compare the much more laid back style of Viking.

We will be trying her out in November, hopefully going to Cuba. All of the positive reviews have me looking forward to this trip!

 

 

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Not to hijack the thread, but we're hopefully going to Cuba December 1, probably right after you. I hope you'll be able to post a little while on the cruise or immediately after, as it will be a new itinerary in addition to being a fairly new ship for Viking. I don't know how internet service is in and near Havana, but in general, we found internet reception on Viking Star in Norway and the UK (and at sea) quite good. SO - if you have the time and inclination to post, I'd love to read it!

I looked on marinetraffic.com a few days ago to see where Sun was, but she's still showing up, and registered in, Italy. However, I think I also saw a picture of her out to sea, so at least she floats!!!!

I've asked 3 different agents and got three different answers about the latest addition to the fleet, Viking Sun, so thought I would ask here :)

 

Does anyone know:

 

The 'maiden' is described as a 2018 World cruise, but there appear to be cruises in Europe for October/November. Can this be right? Can anyone say definitively which are the first paid for cruises?

 

Advice welcome and needed :)

Sun is launched from the shipyard in Italy on Oct 4, 2017 starting with an 8 day sailing from Venice to Athens (Venice, Adriatic, Greece). After that it's 8 days Venice to Rome (Italian Sojourn), 13 days Rome to Lisbon (Western Mediterranean Explorer), 12 days Lisbon to Miami (Mid-Atlantic Crossing), and 8 days Miami to Miami (Central America Shores & Cuba) repeated 4 times starting Nov 16th. After that it's the beginning of the 141 day world cruise starting with a 22 day segment to LA (Cuba, Panama & Pacific) on Dec 15th.

An easy place to find this is cruisemapper.com, which doesn't always have the names of the cruises given on the Viking site. However it does provide a by-ship itinerary. Here's the one for the Sun:

http://www.cruisemapper.com/ships/Viking-Sun-975#itineraries

Thank you Char, that's great info!!!

I have also been stalking her position here:

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/VIKING-SUN-IMO-9725433-MMSI-247386500

 

An easy place to find this is cruisemapper.com, which doesn't always have the names of the cruises given on the Viking site. However it does provide a by-ship itinerary. Here's the one for the Sun:

http://www.cruisemapper.com/ships/Viking-Sun-975#itineraries

My beef with cruisemapper is that they don't always have it right and they aren't always up to date.

My beef with cruisemapper is that they don't always have it right and they aren't always up to date.

Agree. And why, when I made up that consolidated cruise schedule spreadsheet (link to in a different forum - Tips for new Viking Cruisers), I always validated what it said with the Viking site. I appreciated its easy to read by ship and by year itinerary.

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We are booked for an "Italian Sojourn " on the Sun October 18, from Venice to Rome. Near as I can tell, Viking has scheduled trips beginning October 4 and October 11 for the Sun.

Will definitely post toothy!

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Stupid auto correct roothy!

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Stupid auto correct roothy!

 

 

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No problem. I laughed when I saw "toothy."

Did you receive something today from your travel agent or Viking regarding the Cuba cruise? We did for our Dec. 1 cruise. We have to dock in Cienfuegos (spelling?) rather than Havana, but we can go to Havana on an excursion if we like. We get to choose one excursion, no charge, each day we're in Cuba. We give up Cozumel and Belize, which isn't all that bad for us, but will upset some people. We also get some shipboard credit.

Yes I can confirm the info from roothy123. Received the same info today (8/1) regarding the December 1st Cuba shores cruise.

I received the same info for the 11/24 sailing, and we are thrilled. Love this itinerary. We booked this cruise for Key West and Cuba (we have not been to Key West.) We have already been to Cozumel several times, and didn't even plan to get off the ship. We have also been to Belize, and I was struggling to even find anything I wanted to do there. So I am happy with an extra sea day, looking forward to enjoying the ship and relaxing. Just hope for great weather now. Did you understand this part?

In addition to the Shipboard Credit, all shore excursions in Cuba will be included complimentary, additionally, since we have extended your stay in Cuba and to maximize your experience, we are amending our INCLUDED shore excursion policy. Instead of a single included shore excursion in each port, we are pleased to offer you the opportunity to book an included shore excursion on each day in Cuba, depending on your choices.

Am I making a mistake in thinking that ALL shore excursions in Cuba are complimentary? Is that the reason the extra OBC can only be used for Key West? This would be too good to be true, but that's what the first line leads me to believe. Will let the dust settle before contacting Viking to clarify.

I received the same info for the 11/24 sailing, and we are thrilled. Love this itinerary. We booked this cruise for Key West and Cuba (we have not been to Key West.) We have already been to Cozumel several times, and didn't even plan to get off the ship. We have also been to Belize, and I was struggling to even find anything I wanted to do there. So I am happy with an extra sea day, looking forward to enjoying the ship and relaxing. Just hope for great weather now. Did you understand this part?

 

In addition to the Shipboard Credit, all shore excursions in Cuba will be included complimentary, additionally, since we have extended your stay in Cuba and to maximize your experience, we are amending our INCLUDED shore excursion policy. Instead of a single included shore excursion in each port, we are pleased to offer you the opportunity to book an included shore excursion on each day in Cuba, depending on your choices.

 

Am I making a mistake in thinking that ALL shore excursions in Cuba are complimentary? Is that the reason the extra OBC can only be used for Key West? This would be too good to be true, but that's what the first line leads me to believe. Will let the dust settle before contacting Viking to clarify.

I take that to mean we can take any excursion we want in Cuba each day (although perhaps just one, not two, even if timing allows taking two!), no charge. In other words, they're planning a bunch of excursions and we simply pick which one we want each day.

We've been to Cozumel and Belize once before, and while I wouldn't have minded going back to Belize (crummy city and port, but I did like the Mayan ruins), I can certainly live with the changes. I AM curious about the "why" but maybe I'll figure that out in time! I'm also curious if we'll have the freedom to go off on our own, and if we'll need to pay anything for a Cuban visa card or health insurance card like some posters have mentioned in the "Ports of Call" section.

haggie, see you on board!

But sorry for the diversion, and back to tips:

I make a list of things I'll need when I go ashore: excursion ticket (if applicable), keycard, ID or passport secured well, Quiet Vox if Viking Daily indicates I'll need it for my particular excursion, ear piece, camera, sunglasses, money (and small bills for tips if on a Viking excursion), small pad of paper and pen for notes, phone.

Sun is launched from the shipyard in Italy on Oct 4, 2017 starting with an 8 day sailing from Venice to Athens (Venice, Adriatic, Greece). After that it's 8 days Venice to Rome (Italian Sojourn), 13 days Rome to Lisbon (Western Mediterranean Explorer),

Viking Sun is scheduled Athens to Venice Oct 11-18, 2017 (Venice, the Adriatic and Greece) on what I understand to be her second cruise. That leg is left out of the above listing. I would love to be on it but have not gotten very far in convincing hubby. :(

Viking Sun is scheduled Athens to Venice Oct 11-18, 2017 (Venice, the Adriatic and Greece) on what I understand to be her second cruise. That leg is left out of the above listing. I would love to be on it but have not gotten very far in convincing hubby. :(

My bad. When I wrote that note I was looking at the spreadsheet I've made up that covers the cruise schedules (to the extent of data at hand and.comfirmed on the Viking site) for all 5 Viking ships thru 2019. And...forgot to note that the Sun leaves Venice on Oct 4th for Greece, then returns to Venice on Oct 11, and from there does the leg from Venice to Rome on Oct 18th. If you look for other postings I've made, you'll find where I've posted that spreadsheet to my DropBox (and provided a link to it).

Now back to doing "real work". I tend to take a break late in the afternoon doing things like checking this forum for a mental break. Not retired. [emoji3]

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For those on the Italian Sojourn, here is a Roll Call thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2512222

And don't forget to sign up for a Meet and Mingle while onboard! Link to Viking Sun (I hope): https://www.cruisecritic.com/rollcall/entry_cl.cfm?ship=1192

We are very excited to be on the Viking Sun's first voyage (Venice to Athens) on October 4th. It is upsetting to see all the info about the world cruise in December being the Viking Sun's initial voyage and other info about the Sun being "ready to sail in November 2017". Feel kind of overlooked like we'll be the guinea pigs to test everything on board for the later cruises.

One question I have for seasoned cruisers is how do you convert your $20 euros to smaller change for tipping tour guides, etc.

Again we are thrilled to be one of the first cruisers on the Viking Sun. When we booked we didn't know it was the first time out with paying passengers. We liked the early October date for the weather that time of year as well as fewer crowds in port.

We are very excited to be on the Viking Sun's first voyage (Venice to Athens) on October 4th. It is upsetting to see all the info about the world cruise in December being the Viking Sun's initial voyage and other info about the Sun being "ready to sail in November 2017". Feel kind of overlooked like we'll be the guinea pigs to test everything on board for the later cruises.

 

One question I have for seasoned cruisers is how do you convert your $20 euros to smaller change for tipping tour guides, etc.

 

Again we are thrilled to be one of the first cruisers on the Viking Sun. When we booked we didn't know it was the first time out with paying passengers. We liked the early October date for the weather that time of year as well as fewer crowds in port.

Yes I have to agree with you we are also concerned that nothing has been said about Viking Sun recently and it is now getting close to her first sail date (4.11.17) wonder if Viking are looking at this thread and comment on how the ship is progressing.

Thanks