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Expedition Ships?


Clay Clayton
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10 minutes ago, LeRenardrouge said:

 

Too bad you chose to ignore this paragraph:

 

”This is a private announcement in which we are making these journeys available exclusively to you, our most loyal guests.  While we put the finishing touches on these voyages, I kindly ask that you not share this information; we will release details in a public announcement early next year.” 

 

Of course Hagen should know that very statement would ensure someone just couldn’t resist leaking it. 😉 

 

Since Clay has posted the information given out onboard his present cruise, I guess the word is being given out by Viking.

 

There was no embargo mentioned during the presentation.  Though there is one typo on the arctic cruise schedule, it shows the first one in August 2020 rather than 2022. LOL 

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3 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

During the presentation they said eventually 4 ships are planned, one for Arctic and one for Antartica. She mentioned other parts of the world but didn’t say where. 

Hope they plan to re-position the ships during the respective winters. Wouldn't be much fun - continuous dark & cold.😢 

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I received an email as well as a beautiful packet in the mail from Viking, announcing the new Expedition ships. In the multiple pages inside the brochure, there were similar pages to those that Clayton took pictures of in his presentation.   The big surprise to me was how large the Expedition ships were - not that small than the current Ocean liners, but quite a bit fewer people.  Will be interesting to see the specific prices when they come out - and also how many people go for it.  My bet is that Viking is figuring that so many people have taken so many Viking cruises they are looking for the next new thing.  I would guess that a majority of the people on board would be repeat Viking cruisers.

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26 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

I received an email as well as a beautiful packet in the mail from Viking, announcing the new Expedition ships. In the multiple pages inside the brochure, there were similar pages to those that Clayton took pictures of in his presentation.   The big surprise to me was how large the Expedition ships were - not that small than the current Ocean liners, but quite a bit fewer people.  Will be interesting to see the specific prices when they come out - and also how many people go for it.  My bet is that Viking is figuring that so many people have taken so many Viking cruises they are looking for the next new thing.  I would guess that a majority of the people on board would be repeat Viking cruisers.

 

If you follow the link in the e-mail it will take you to a special section of the website with information including prices for the two itineraries that are currently available for Explorer Society members to choose from. I think it is two itineraries and 7 total sailings.

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3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Hope they plan to re-position the ships during the respective winters. Wouldn't be much fun - continuous dark & cold.😢 

Yes, I too was wondering where they would use them during the respective winters. 

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Has anyone (U.S.) gotten terms for making a booking for 2020? How much deposit and when is final payment due? This is just short of 3 years away for the Arctic cruises. If it's like the first summer on the Star, we'll be paying in full before there is one weld made on building the ship...

Enticing, though.

 

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9 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

...  I would guess that a majority of the people on board would be repeat Viking cruisers.

 

At the Captain’s toast for Explorer Society members on Viking Sky in July 2017, the Captain said 85% of the passengers were repeat cruisers.  So many that they no longer even check to see who has done “how many” cruises.  Not an exclusive group now.  No big deal.  

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We received both the email and snail mail information yesterday.  Exciting news but unfortunately neither itinerary will fit our schedules for now.  Still working with the traditional school calendar.  Hopefully as time goes by they will add itineraries ... especially for the summer months which are optimal for us ... Galapagos Islands, perhaps???  

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32 minutes ago, eaglewatchers said:

Has anyone (U.S.) gotten terms for making a booking for 2020? How much deposit and when is final payment due? This is just short of 3 years away for the Arctic cruises. If it's like the first summer on the Star, we'll be paying in full before there is one weld made on building the ship...

Enticing, though.

 

I cover this in my post at the bottom of page one. My TA shows $500 deposit.

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One of the things that surprised me is the number of passengers on these new expedition ships Viking is building. We went to Antarctica in 2018 on the Silversea Cloud, which is a luxury expedition cruise ship. There are only 200 passengers in the polar regions even though the ship can hold around 250 passengers in other locations. We were told they limit the number of people who can go on the landings in Antarctica.  How will Viking be able to do this with 378 passengers? We went off the ship twice per day to do the landings.  Times were staggered to allow for everyone to do two landings per day.  On Silversea the fare includes air, you get a much larger cabin, a butler, and liquor and gratuities are included. Their 10 day itinerary which is Ushuaia to Ushuaia includes a one-night hotel stay in Santiago, Chile and also includes the round trip charter flight from Santiago to Ushuaia.  Viking's prices seem high by comparison with almost double the number of passengers. We are currently booked on the new Scenic Eclipse for the Arctic in 2020.  This is a brand new luxury expedition cruise ship that also includes butlers, liquor, gratuities, amazing restaurants, and the standard cabin is much, much larger than the Viking standard cabin. Check out the Scenic Eclipse to see how amazing this ship is....there is absolutely no comparison between this ship and the new Viking expedition ships being built.  There are also only 200 passengers in the polar regions. We do like Viking very much (we just completed a cruise to Norway and Iceland) but think there are much better options for expedition cruises to the Arctic and Antarctica.    

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Edited by Carol From California
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Just finished Alaska with Silversea's Silver Muse, excellent ship.  I agree with the differences cited in the previous post.  

I would not consider Viking expeditions until they have experienced a few seasons in these new territories.  I'd pick Silversea for expeditions until then.

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5 hours ago, molymoo said:

We received both the email and snail mail information yesterday.  Exciting news but unfortunately neither itinerary will fit our schedules for now.  Still working with the traditional school calendar.  Hopefully as time goes by they will add itineraries ... especially for the summer months which are optimal for us ... Galapagos Islands, perhaps???  

 

I think Galapagos wouldn't be possible due to the size of these ship unless they plan to sail well under the overall capacity. Celebrity just launched a new all suite only (all inclusive) ship for the Galapagos which only holds 100 passengers. Silversea is also launching a new ship for the Galapagos next year which also only holds 100 passengers. The government places a strict limit on the number of passengers allowed at any one time. Celebrity actually ran into some trouble with this after the launch of their new ship and their older ship which also held 100 had to be reduced to 48 passengers last I read. I've been following along as its a bucket list trip for me as is Antarctica. Like the poster above though, I've read for Antarctica the smaller the ships are better due to the fact that only 100 people can disembark at any one landing site. It will be interesting to see what happens as the ships are built and start to sail.

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3 minutes ago, prim8keeper said:

 

I think Galapagos wouldn't be possible due to the size of these ship unless they plan to sail well under the overall capacity. Celebrity just launched a new all suite only (all inclusive) ship for the Galapagos which only holds 100 passengers. Silversea is also launching a new ship for the Galapagos next year which also only holds 100 passengers. The government places a strict limit on the number of passengers allowed at any one time. Celebrity actually ran into some trouble with this after the launch of their new ship and their older ship which also held 100 had to be reduced to 48 passengers last I read. I've been following along as its a bucket list trip for me as is Antarctica. Like the poster above though, I've read for Antarctica the smaller the ships are better due to the fact that only 100 people can disembark at any one landing site. It will be interesting to see what happens as the ships are built and start to sail.

We actually booked the Galapagos on the new Silversea Origin for 2020 (December).  As you pointed out this ship only has 100 passengers.  It is absolutely gorgeous!   

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34 minutes ago, idonthaveahobby said:

There was an article earlier this year that the boats would have submarines ("pods") on the ships.   Was there any info about that in the presentation?

I received something in the mail and was able to view the information on the Viking website by entering a code. There is no mention about whether there will be a helicopter. There are some renderings of the ship and I don't see where there would be a helipad, but it could be hidden from view. The Scenic Eclipse has two helicopters and a submarine. I booked it for next year for the Arctic. Someone I know was just on the ship and went in the helicopter and submarine. It does cost additional, and even with only 200 passengers it is not something everyone would be able to do based on the demand.  With 378 passengers it would seem to be even less likely to experience it (if they have it) unless you are booked into the higher category cabins. The first photo is the Scenic Eclipse.  The second photo is the rendering of the new Viking ship.

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Screenshot 2019-10-11 16.10.59.png

Edited by Carol From California
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On 10/9/2019 at 6:51 PM, sw2315 said:

Watch your mailbox.  Mailings are going out this week to Viking Explorer Society members.

 

On 10/9/2019 at 6:51 PM, sw2315 said:

Watch your mailbox.  Mailings are going out this week to Viking Explorer Society members.

Well, in the letter they ask you do not spread the news. 

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37 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

There was not. 

Thank you. I hope that is something that makes the final design. It would be amazing to see the wildlife and glaciers from the perspective of underwater. 

 

I never considered a helicopter being a necessity for exploration.  Maybe they will have something worked out to see these magnificent places from the sky. 

 

 

 

 

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Food for thought...  You might remember Viking sending out a survey a year or more ago gauging customer interest in Great Lakes cruises.  Interesting to note that this new class of ship will fit quite nicely through the St. Lawrence Seaway locks.

Edited by Donaghadee
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On 10/11/2019 at 10:28 PM, vnb2003 said:

 

Well, in the letter they ask you do not spread the news. 

 

If they don't want people to talk about it, then they should not have sent us the letter in the first place. Bad move on Viking's part if they truly want us to keep quiet about it. They can request but they cannot require and they have no recourse if we do talk about it.

 

But then again a secret is news you share one person at a time and what a better way to spread news than to say it is a secret. It is a marketing ploy -- and a bad one at that.

 

Even worse, what a bad move to announce when too many details have not been decided on.

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