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VIKING SUN joins new Chinese company in 2021

Cruise Wonderland

By Cruise Wonderland,
in Viking Ocean

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CharTrav

CharTrav

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, OceanPatter said:

Thanks for checking, Andy. To mitigate the language barrier, it may stand to reason that the staff will be predominantly Chinese. 

As I recall, when the joint venture was announced, this new cruise line will be for Chinese passengers. Thus, the crew will need to speak Chinese, notwithstanding the cabotage laws. Still I can’t help but wonder whether passengers from other Asian countries with disposable income, e.g., Japan and South Korea, will also be welcome. Just a wild hare thought. 

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Cruise Wonderland

Cruise Wonderland

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5 hours ago, CharTrav said:

Still I can’t help but wonder whether passengers from other Asian countries with disposable income, e.g., Japan and South Korea, will also be welcome.

 

Even if other nationalities are welcomed, but it is probably not easy to book these cruises. Just like the China sailings of Princess, Costa or MSC, they cannot be booked at the official website or any overseas travel agents. You may even not know the itineraries of the ship. The only way to book is to find a travel agent in China that accepts your reservation (but the procedures may be complicated).

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CharTrav

CharTrav

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4 hours ago, Cruise Wonderland said:

 

Even if other nationalities are welcomed, but it is probably not easy to book these cruises. Just like the China sailings of Princess, Costa or MSC, they cannot be booked at the official website or any overseas travel agents. You may even not know the itineraries of the ship. The only way to book is to find a travel agent in China that accepts your reservation (but the procedures may be complicated).

Yeah. Sounds reasonable. In any case,  not my problem. Was just wondering. 😃

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knoxclone Great Review Rare

knoxclone

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So sad to see...  Our first river cruise was the last roundtrip the Viking Sun made on the Rhine (not a longship) before the name was transferred to the Ocean side, and our first Viking Ocean (Homelands) was on the Sun. 

IMG_1308.jpg

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knoxclone Great Review Rare

knoxclone

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Yes, it was one of the last non longship Viking river boats to sail.  It was quite the farewell trip...I had never been on any type of cruise and was leery of the whole group travel idea, but this hooked us on Viking.  If you are interested, this is what it looked likehttps://www.rivercruiseadvisor.com/cruise-companies/viking-river-cruises/viking-sun/

 

 

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OceanPatter

OceanPatter

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Wow, awesome photos of the Sun alongside the impressive urban landscape of Shenzhen (particularly that captivating second photo). Thanks for following the Sun’s long journey, Cruise Wonderland.

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sunbrookgal

sunbrookgal

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On 3/6/2021 at 10:58 PM, CharTrav said:

As I recall, when the joint venture was announced, this new cruise line will be for Chinese passengers. Thus, the crew will need to speak Chinese, notwithstanding the cabotage laws. Still I can’t help but wonder whether passengers from other Asian countries with disposable income, e.g., Japan and South Korea, will also be welcome. Just a wild hare thought. 

Just me,, Japanese are not fans of Chinese

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sunbrookgal

sunbrookgal

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On 11/27/2020 at 12:32 PM, Cienfuegos said:

China is very conscious of its rise as a world power, so projecting its wealth and sophistication isn't unexpected. Viking is a widely respected, extremely competent player, and the Chinese government will learn a great deal from them.

 

The Viking decision is, in one sense, a strong vote of confidence in Viking.

 

 

 

 

Maybe, just maybe, this is a financial issue. As in you owe me, and pay up? 

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CharTrav

CharTrav

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31 minutes ago, sunbrookgal said:

Just me,, Japanese are not fans of Chinese

Yup. My bad. Forgot about some important events from WWII. (My previous post on this got blocked/hidden because I referred to exact event in Nanking)

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the_travel_locks

the_travel_locks

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 11/29/2020 at 6:46 AM, CharTrav said:

Fyi - I decided to dig into Chinese financing of Viking Ocean ships because I had a vague memory of a presentation by Mr Haugen a few years ago announcing that a number of new Viking Ocean ships would indeed be financed by China.  Came across this article from 2017

http://staging.seatrade-cruise.com/news/news-headlines/china-merchants-closes-500m-financing-deal-for-two-viking-newbuilds.html

Going by the launch date cited in the article (and checking Wikipedia),  I'll venture a guess that Viking Spirit is now called Viking Orion.  

Very keen to know more about the future of the Orion. It does seem that given the article mentions the deal with China was for financing Vikings '4th and 5th 930 passenger newbuilds' that it would involve the Orion (even though the article calls it the Spirit the dates do line up with the Orion as you mentioned)

We're booked for Tokyo to Vancouver in April 2023 on the Orion - long way out I know  from our original planned dates of April this year. Just hoping (Covid aside) that since Viking are still taking bookings for the Orion into 2023 that a transition of that vessel to China is not going to affect us.  But if it is,  I would hope that we hear well enough in advance  to better plan out alternatives for a similar route. I understand that bookings on the Viking Sun for late 2021 and into 2022 got cancelled to effect its transfer to Chinese operations, with no other ship taking over those particular itineraries.

 

The article's URL seems to have changed - it can now be found here:  https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news-headlines/china-merchants-closes-500m-financing-deal-two-viking-newbuilds

Edited by the_travel_locks
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Cruise Wonderland

Cruise Wonderland

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Posted (edited)

On Wednesday (7th April) there is some news from Chinese media about Viking Sun. In the Chinese version they mentioned about a new Chinese ship name (pronunciation similar to "Ee-den"), but in the English version I can't find this information.

 

After some research, I noticed an old P&O Line vessel named SS Aden in the mid 19th century. In 1872, China Merchant Steam Navigation Company purchased her from P&O, which made her to be the first Chinese merchant ship for international voyages, and the first steamship owned by a Chinese company.

 

Hence I believe the new name of Viking Sun will be Aden (or Viking Aden?). I am still looking for the official English press release.

 

****************************

 

http://www.szdaily.com/content/2021-04/09/content_24115393.htm

 

THE Viking Sun cruise ship officially docked at Shekou Cruise Homeport on Wednesday after completing customs clearance.

 

The cruise ship, built in 2017, is expected to officially transfer ownership to a Chinese-foreign joint venture, making it the first luxury cruise ship to fly the Chinese flag.  In November, China Merchants Shekou inked an agreement with Viking Cruises to develop cruise tourism in China, starting with Viking Sun. Viking Sun will be renamed after its ownship is officially transferred. Under the agreement, the two companies have set up a joint venture focusing on the Chinese source market, including operating a fleet of China-flagged ships offering coastal cruises.

 

The ship is a state-of-the-art ship designed to provide travelers with all comforts available. Built by the Italian Fincantieri S.p.A in 2017, Viking Sun is 228.2 meters long, 28.8 meters wide, and has a total weight capacity of 47,800 tons. It has nine decks, 465 cabins and a 930-passenger capacity.

The cruise ship uses energy-saving hybrid engines and is equipped with novel devices such as solar panels for river cruise ships.

 

Since the opening of the Shekou Cruise Homeport in 2016, more than 529 cruise ships have called at and left the homeport, serving nearly 1 million passenger trips.

 

The cruise ship industry in China is still in its nascent stages. The itineraries are mainly outbound tours. The domestic luxury cruise market has great potential, according to analysts. China Merchants Viking Cruise Co. Ltd., the joint venture, plans to optimize routes and explore the domestic and international markets while taking all the necessary precautions against COVID-19.

Edited by Cruise Wonderland
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Heidi13

Heidi13

Posted
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45 minutes ago, Cruise Wonderland said:

 

Yes she is now in shipyard (I think it is just a wetdock) according to Chinese media.

 

Thanks. A wetdock is what I would expect, as the 1st Special Survey shouldn't be due until next year.

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Cruise Wonderland

Cruise Wonderland

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Posted (edited)

Viking Sun is officially renamed as "Zhao Shang Yi Dun".

Flag changes from Norway to China.

 

For the meaning of her name in Chinese,

"Zhao Shang" = China Merchants Group, which is her owner

"Yi Dun" = the Chinese translation of "Aden" (pronouncing similarly), name of a steamship in the 19th century sailing in China.

 

image.png.c3c5fd4c0aa51717a7d2a87e1c9fab42.png

 

Related news from Chinese media:

http://www.eworldship.com/html/2021/OperatingShip_0426/170375.html

I google-translated it as below:

 

image.thumb.png.cfbb19e2497b4076f534134f15545b7d.png

Edited by Cruise Wonderland
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