Viking Vela
Former name: Fincantieri Ancona 6316
Cruise line
Viking Ocean (Viking Cruises)
Viking Vela current position
Viking Vela current location is at Adriatic Sea (coordinates 43.62681 N / 13.50269 E) cruising en route to TE. The AIS position was reported 6 minutes ago.
All Itineraries Current PositionCurrent itinerary of Viking Vela
Viking Vela current cruise is 7 days, one-way from Civitavecchia-Rome to Barcelona. Prices start from USD 2999 (double occupancy rates). The itinerary starts on 12 Dec, 2024 and ends on 19 Dec, 2024.
Date / Time | Port |
---|---|
12 Dec | Departing from Civitavecchia-Rome, Italy hotels |
13 Dec - 14 Dec | Livorno, Florence-Pisa, Italy |
15 Dec | Villefranche-sur-Mer, Nice, France Riviera |
16 Dec | Marseille, France Riviera |
17 Dec | Sete, France Riviera |
19 Dec | Arriving in Barcelona, Spain hotels |
Specifications of Viking Vela
Year of build | 2024 new ship |
Builder | Fincantieri (Ancona, Italy) |
Class | Viking OCEAN |
Building cost | EUR 410 million (USD 445 million) |
Engines (power) | MAN B&W (23.52 MW / 31541 hp) |
Speed | 20 kn / 37 km/h / 23 mph |
Length (LOA) | 238 m / 781 ft |
Beam (width) | 31 m / 102 ft |
Gross Tonnage | 54300 gt |
Passengers | 998 |
Crew | 465 |
Passengers-to-space ratio | 53 |
Decks | 10 |
Cabins | 499 |
Decks with cabins | 6 |
Sister-ships | Viking OCEAN ships (Vesta) |
Former names | Fincantieri Ancona 6316 |
Christened by | tba |
Owner | Viking Cruises Ltd |
Operator | Viking Ocean Cruises (USA) |
Viking Vela Itineraries
Date | Itinerary | Departure Port | Price from |
---|---|---|---|
2024 Dec 12 | 7 days, one-way from Civitavecchia-Rome to Barcelona | Civitavecchia-Rome | $2999 |
2024 Dec 19 | 15 days, round-trip New Malta, Morocco The Mediterranean | Barcelona | $8299 |
2025 Jan 03 | 7 days, one-way from Barcelona to London-Tilbury | Barcelona | $2799 |
2025 Jan 10 | 12 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Bergen | London-Tilbury | $6299 |
2025 Jan 22 | 12 days, one-way from Bergen to London-Tilbury | Bergen | $5899 |
2025 Feb 03 | 12 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Bergen | London-Tilbury | $6099 |
2025 Feb 15 | 12 days, one-way from Bergen to London-Tilbury | Bergen | $6099 |
2025 Feb 27 | 12 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Bergen | London-Tilbury | $6099 |
2025 Mar 11 | 12 days, one-way from Bergen to London-Tilbury | Bergen | $5999 |
2025 Mar 23 | 14 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Bergen | London-Tilbury | $7599 |
2025 Apr 06 | 14 days, one-way from Bergen to London-Tilbury | Bergen | $7999 |
2025 Apr 20 | 14 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Bergen | London-Tilbury | $7999 |
2025 Apr 20 | 28 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Stockholm | London-Tilbury | $19098 |
2025 May 04 | 14 days, one-way from Bergen to Stockholm | Bergen | $9099 |
2025 May 18 | 14 days, one-way from Stockholm to Bergen | Stockholm | $9099 |
2025 May 18 | 26 days, one-way from Stockholm to Reykjavik | Stockholm | |
2025 Jun 01 | 12 days, one-way from Bergen to Reykjavik | Bergen | $6499 |
2025 Jun 13 | 12 days, one-way from Reykjavik to Bergen | Reykjavik | $6299 |
2025 Jun 13 | 26 days, one-way from Reykjavik to London-Tilbury | Reykjavik | $16898 |
2025 Jun 25 | 14 days, one-way from Bergen to London-Tilbury | Bergen | $11999 |
2025 Jul 09 | 14 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Bergen | London-Tilbury | $8799 |
2025 Jul 09 | 28 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Stockholm | London-Tilbury | $18398 |
2025 Jul 23 | 14 days, one-way from Bergen to Stockholm | Bergen | $9399 |
2025 Aug 06 | 14 days, one-way from Stockholm to Bergen | Stockholm | $9099 |
2025 Aug 06 | 28 days, one-way from Stockholm to London-Tilbury | Stockholm | $19398 |
2025 Aug 20 | 14 days, one-way from Bergen to London-Tilbury | Bergen | $9399 |
2025 Sep 03 | 14 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Bergen | London-Tilbury | $9899 |
2025 Sep 17 | 14 days, one-way from Bergen to London-Tilbury | Bergen | $9699 |
2025 Oct 01 | 7 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Barcelona | London-Tilbury | $3099 |
2025 Oct 01 | 19 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Venice | London-Tilbury | $10698 |
2025 Oct 08 | 12 days, one-way from Barcelona to Venice | Barcelona | $7499 |
2025 Oct 20 | 9 days, one-way from Venice to Piraeus-Athens | Venice | $6699 |
2025 Oct 29 | 10 days, round-trip Greek Odyssey | Piraeus-Athens | $6999 |
2025 Nov 08 | 7 days, one-way from Piraeus-Athens to Venice | Piraeus-Athens | $3299 |
2025 Nov 08 | 14 days, one-way from Piraeus-Athens to Civitavecchia-Rome | Piraeus-Athens | $6598 |
2025 Nov 08 | 21 days, one-way from Piraeus-Athens to Barcelona | Piraeus-Athens | $9497 |
2025 Nov 15 | 7 days, one-way from Venice to Civitavecchia-Rome | Venice | $3299 |
2025 Nov 15 | 14 days, one-way from Venice to Barcelona | Venice | $6298 |
2025 Nov 22 | 7 days, one-way from Civitavecchia-Rome to Barcelona | Civitavecchia-Rome | $2999 |
2025 Nov 29 | 7 days, one-way from Barcelona to Civitavecchia-Rome | Barcelona | $2799 |
2025 Nov 29 | 14 days, one-way from Barcelona to Piraeus-Athens | Barcelona | $5598 |
2025 Nov 29 | 21 days, one-way from Barcelona to Istanbul | Barcelona | $8997 |
2025 Dec 06 | 7 days, one-way from Civitavecchia-Rome to Piraeus-Athens | Civitavecchia-Rome | $2999 |
2025 Dec 06 | 14 days, one-way from Civitavecchia-Rome to Istanbul | Civitavecchia-Rome | $5598 |
2025 Dec 13 | 7 days, one-way from Piraeus-Athens to Istanbul | Piraeus-Athens | $2849 |
2025 Dec 20 | 7 days, one-way from Istanbul to Piraeus-Athens | Istanbul | $2799 |
2025 Dec 20 | 14 days, one-way from Istanbul to Civitavecchia-Rome | Istanbul | $5598 |
2025 Dec 20 | 21 days, one-way from Istanbul to Barcelona | Istanbul | $7497 |
2025 Dec 27 | 7 days, one-way from Piraeus-Athens to Civitavecchia-Rome | Piraeus-Athens | $2799 |
2025 Dec 27 | 14 days, one-way from Piraeus-Athens to Barcelona | Piraeus-Athens | $4998 |
2026 Mar 06 | 12 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Bergen | London-Tilbury | $5299 |
2026 Mar 18 | 12 days, one-way from Bergen to London-Tilbury | Bergen | $5299 |
2026 Mar 30 | 14 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Bergen | London-Tilbury | $6999 |
2026 Apr 13 | 7 days, one-way from Bergen to Amsterdam | Bergen | $3999 |
2026 Apr 20 | 7 days, one-way from Amsterdam to Bergen | Amsterdam | $4299 |
2026 Apr 27 | 14 days, one-way from Bergen to Stockholm | Bergen | $7099 |
2026 May 11 | 14 days, one-way from Stockholm to Bergen | Stockholm | $7499 |
2026 May 11 | 28 days, one-way from Stockholm to London-Tilbury | Stockholm | $15498 |
2026 May 25 | 14 days, one-way from Bergen to London-Tilbury | Bergen | $7999 |
2026 Jun 08 | 14 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Bergen | London-Tilbury | $7999 |
2026 Jun 22 | 7 days, one-way from Bergen to Amsterdam | Bergen | $4499 |
2026 Jun 29 | 35 days, one-way from Amsterdam to New York | Amsterdam | $19897 |
2026 Jun 29 | 7 days, one-way from Amsterdam to Bergen | Amsterdam | $4499 |
2026 Jul 06 | 28 days, one-way from Bergen to New York | Bergen | $15498 |
2026 Jul 06 | 14 days, one-way from Bergen to Reykjavik | Bergen | $7499 |
2026 Jul 20 | 14 days, one-way from Reykjavik to New York | Reykjavik | $7999 |
2026 Aug 03 | 28 days, one-way from New York to Bergen | New York | $16498 |
2026 Aug 03 | 14 days, one-way from New York to Reykjavik | New York | $9399 |
2026 Aug 17 | 14 days, one-way from Reykjavik to Bergen | Reykjavik | $7499 |
2026 Aug 31 | 14 days, one-way from Bergen to London-Tilbury | Bergen | $7999 |
2026 Sep 14 | 14 days, one-way from London-Tilbury to Bergen | London-Tilbury | $7999 |
Viking Vela Review
Review of Viking Vela
The 2024-built MS Viking Vela cruise ship is the 11th (the 1st in the second 6-ship series) of 16 vessels built for Viking OCEAN Cruises. Viking Vela is currently scheduled for delivery and inauguration in June 2024, and to be followed by the sistership Viking Vesta (October 2025).
Unlike the preceding 10-ship series (Viking Star/2015 thru Viking Saturn/2023), the vessels from the second/6-ship series (starting with Viking Vela) are slightly larger (10 m longer, 2 m wider) and with more staterooms (499 vs 464) and bigger passenger capacity (998 vs 928).
Viking OCEAN's plans for a fleet of 16 sisterships was announced on March 6, 2018, when Viking entered an agreement with Fincantieri for 6x more ocean vessels, to be delivered in the period 2024-2027. In September 2022 Fincantieri and Viking entered into an agreement for 4x more vessels (based on the option in the 2018-signed contract) with total value ~EUR/USD 1,7 billion. Deliveries were scheduled for 2026 and 2027 (2x units) and 2028 (2x units).
As of 2023, Viking owned and operated 9x ocean ships, 2x expedition ships and 79x riverboats, with another 14x riverboats on order (slated to be operational by 2026) and 10x ocean ships ordered (to be operational by 2030).
The Viking Vela vessel (IMO number 9852432) is currently Norway-flagged (MMSI tba) and registered in Bergen.
History - construction and ownership
The 1000-passenger ship Viking Vela offers destination-oriented cruising experiences, with few at-sea days, long in-ports days and more exciting overnights in key spots. Onboard amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi, free shore excursions, wine and beer with no charge at dinner and lunch.
Each of the Viking Ocean ships offers many ticket price-inclusive / complimentary amenities and services, such as all shore excursions, transfers, Wi-Fi, wine and beer (at lunches and dinners), access to Nordic Spa (steam room, thalassotherapy pool, hot tub, snow room/grotto, sauna, cold plunge pool). The infinity pool (resistance swimming pool located aft on Deck 7 / at the ship's stern) is another unique and complimentary facility.
All Viking Ocean liners were built according to the latest maritime navigation regulations and equipped with latest marine safety systems, including "safe return to port". The ships also implement some of the maritime industry's latest technologies, including energy-saving hybrid engines (diesel generators and gas turbines), optimized hulls and bulbous bows for max fuel efficiency. Ship design also features the common for Viking River Cruises longships solar panels (installed on the Magradome pool cover) additionally minimizing the vessel's exhaust pollution.
Decks and Cabins
Viking Vela staterooms (499 total) include 49x Suites, 96x Penthouses and 348x Veranda/Balcony cabins in 16 grades.
All passenger cabins are balconied and offer all the industry's modern amenities and services, including King-size beds ("Viking Explorer", deluxe mattresses and linens, Cashmere blankets), en suite bathroom (heated floor, heated mirror, glass-door shower, hairdryer, premium bath products and toiletries /by Freyja, bathrobes, slippers, towel warmers), seating area (sofa, coffee table, vanity desk with chair, wardrobe, full-length mirror with mini lights), satellite phone, smart HDTV (3D, Infotainment / interactive TV system for Internet access, room service ordering, movies-on-demand, live webcams views, Viking Cruises channel for news, enrichment lectures and port talks), in-room binoculars, electronic safe box, individual air-conditioning, coffee machine, mini-bar (replenished daily with bottled water, soft drinks, snacks).
The boat has 10 decks, of which 6 are with passenger cabins.
Shipboard facilities and amenities
Viking Vela offers the following dining venues: Restaurant (dining room), buffets (Viking Deli, World Cafe), Aquavit Terrace (alfresco), specialty (Italian Grill, Chef's Table), Private Dining (2 rooms).
Viking OCEAN deals are inclusive of shore excursions, complimentary alcohol (wine and beer at lunch and dinner) and Wi-Fi.
Viking OCEAN's Vela ship has as signature facilities two swimming pools (Main Pool and Aft Infinity Pool), a covered pool deck (with Jacuzzi, Bar & Grill), Viking Living Room (Atrium Lobby Lounge), two Cinemas, a modern wellness complex (Spa & Fitness Center, Beauty Salon), Wintergarden (poolside area), Aquavit Terrace (aft outdoor bar lounge with Infinity Pool and Hot Tub), Piano Bar Lounge (Torshavn), dedicated sports deck (deck 9/with a Walking Track and Outdoor Gym/Yoga area), Theatre Lounge & Bar, Lobby Bar, various shops and brand boutiques.
The walk-around Lanai/Promenade Deck fully encircles the boat (deck 2). The two-deck Explorer's Lounge has a huge bow-facing observation area which is a unique feature that lots of modern cruise vessels lack. Many of the ship's features reflect a boutique hotel feel.
All Viking OCEAN ships have an onboard "snow room". Viking's "Snow Grotto" is a spa retreat with powdery snow falling down from the ceiling. The experience (touted as beneficial to the body's blood circulation) includes heating in a sauna (steam bath), then walking into this small room fitted with benches and with dark stone walls illuminated by blue light. The snow on the floor is kept at sub-freezing temperatures. This Arctic-themed facility is part of the ship's thermal suite (within the spa complex). This relaxation area has also 1 hot tub, sauna room, heated ceramic loungers, therapeutic showers, salt-water thermal pool. Snow Grotto access is complimentary to all passengers.
Itineraries
Viking Vela itinerary program was announced in June 2023. The Maiden Voyage was initially planned for June 2024 out of London (England UK) with the entire inaugural season to be based on deployment in Northern Europe.
However, the inaugural cruise was later postponed to January 10, 2025 (12-night/13-day "In Search of the Northern Lights" itinerary from London-Tilbury to Bergen) visiting Ijmuiden Holland, and Norway's ports Narvik, Tromso, Alta, Bergen.
Eventually, Viking Vela's first voyage was scheduled for December 12, 2024 (7-day Mediterranean itinerary from Civitavecchia-Rome to Barcelona).
The following itineraries were themed "Malta, Morocco and the Mediterranean" (15-night roundtrip Barcelona/Dec 19th), "Iberian Explorer" (7-night Barcelona to Tilbury-London/Jan 3, 2025), "In Search of Northern Lights" (12-night itineraries between Tilbury and Bergen/Jan-Mar 2025), "British Isles Explorer" (14-night itineraries between Tilbury and Bergen/March-September 2025).
The ship's canceled inaugural season included the following itineraries:
- 14-night/15-day "British Isles Explorer" between London-Greenwich and Bergen, visits 6 countries and includes 12 complimentary tours)
- 14-night/15-day "Viking Homelands" between Stockholm Sweden and Bergen/6 countries, 11 tours
- 12-night/13-day "Iceland’s Majestic Landscapes" between Bergen and Reykjavík Iceland/3 countries, 9 tours
- 12-night/13-day "In Search of the Northern Lights" between London-Tilbury and Bergen, 3 countries, 5 tours
- 28-night/29-day "Scandinavia and the British Isles" between Greenwich-London and Stockholm/13 countries, 22 tours
- 26-night/27-day "Viking Homelands and Majestic Iceland" North Atlantic crossing from Stockholm to Reykjavík/8 countries, 19 tours
Viking Vela's maiden season also included the new "British Isles and Iceland Explorer" itinerary (26-night/27-day from Reykjavík to London-Greenwich/departure June 13, 2025), visiting 8 countries and offering 20 land tours.
All Viking OCEAN ships offer destination-rich itineraries featuring the brand's new "small ship cruise" tour and onboard experience. Compared to similar class vessels operated by other companies, Viking OCEAN's itineraries feature fewer sea days and longer port days, with a lot of overnight port stays.
Viking Vela ship related cruise news
- Cruise Industry
Fincantieri Ancona floated out Viking's newest ship Viking Vesta
Viking Vesta, the latest cruise ship under construction by Fincantieri for Viking, was floated out at the Ancona shipyard on July 5th. The float-out...
July 6, 2024 - Cruise Industry
Viking OCEAN opens bookings for 2026 cruises amid strong demand
Viking OCEAN has commenced bookings for its 2026 cruise season in response to high demand, with numerous departure dates for 2024 already fully...
January 29, 2024 - Cruise Industry
Viking Vela floated out at Fincantieri's Ancona shipyard
Viking Vela, the first vessel in a new cruise ship series by the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for Viking Cruises, was launched/floated out from...
December 1, 2023 - Cruise Industry
Viking OCEAN's newest cruise ships to run on hydrogen
Viking OCEAN announced that the next couple of newbuilds being added to their fleet would run on hydrogen and carry more passengers than the...
April 19, 2022 - show more news
Other Viking Ocean cruise ships
Viking Vela Wiki
The vessel (Fincantieri Ancona yard/hull number 6316) has volume 54300 GT-tons, DWT-deadweight tonnage 5100 tons, max draught 6,7 m. The powerplant is based on MAN marine diesel engines (model 12V32/9L32/44) with combined output 23,52 MW (22000 hp). The registered shipowner is VIKING OCEAN CRUISES SHIP XI, while the registered manager is VIKING OCEAN CRUISES LTD.
The ship is named after the Vela constellation (with the Vela Supercluster in its center) whose brightest star system is Gamma Velorum.
Viking Vela was launched/floated out from drydock at Fincantieri's yard in Ancona on November 30, 2023. The ceremony was attended by Torstein Hagen (Viking's CEO and Chairman) and Gilberto Tobaldi (Fincantieri Ancona's Director).
Among the vessel's innovative marine technologies are its energy-saving hybrid engines, top-deck solar panels, and pollution-minimizing exhaust system. This ship also uses seawater as a lubricant for its propeller shaft bearings. This technology lowers the vessel's maintenance costs and also the risk of pollution. Replacing the biodegradable oils, the water is directly discharged into the ocean.
Viking OCEAN represents a "smaller ship" travel concept. Their relatively shallow draft (21 ft / 6,3 m), design (hull and superstructure) and technology allow direct access even to small ports and harbors. The ship's smaller size also guarantees an easy and faster passenger embarkation/debarkation process. Another unique feature for the "affordable luxury" ocean cruising market is that regardless of cabin categories, all Viking Ocean deals are price-inclusive of the shore excursions in all ports in the cruise ship itinerary.
All passenger cabins are with a private veranda and ~1/5th larger than average standard staterooms on the ocean cruising market. An interesting feature of the ship is the dining room. This venue could be transformed into an outdoor casual dining place thanks to its floor-to-ceiling sliding windows. For Viking Ocean ships' interiors were contracted SMC Design (London-based interior design company) and Rottet Studios (LA-based hotel design company).
Viking Cruises deals (on all river and ocean liners) are inclusive of shore excursions (land tours), onboard entertainment and dining (including at specialty restaurants), drinks and alcohol (beer, wine /at lunch and dinner), 24-hour room service, Wi-Fi.
In April 2018, Fincantieri contracted the Norwegian marine company Scanship to supply all the liner's cleaning systems - food waste processing, waste incineration, garbage handling, wastewater treatment plants. Scanship's wastewater purification system treats both greywater (sullage/sinks, showers, baths) and blackwater (toilets).
In February 2019, Fincantieri contracted the Canadian company Thordon Bearings Inc to provide newbuild's bearings for the propeller shaft. The ship's propeller shaft system (Thordon COMPAC) is seawater-lubricated and based on 100% grease-oil-free bearings. The innovative propeller shaft system was also ordered for all the following Viking OCEAN units (on order or under construction) with scheduled deliveries between 2021-2027. These systems are supplied and installed by Pedrotec (Thordon's authorized distributor in Italy).
Inaugural cruise (2024)
Announced in June 2023, Viking Vela's itinerary program was planned to start with the Maiden Voyage in June 2024 (out of London) with the entire inaugural season based on Northern European deployment.
However, the inaugural cruise was later postponed to January 10, 2025 (12-night/13-day "In Search of the Northern Lights" itinerary from London-Tilbury to Bergen) with call ports Ijmuiden Holland, and Norway's ports Narvik, Tromso, Alta, Bergen.
Eventually, Viking Vela's first voyage was scheduled for December 12, 2024 (7-day Mediterranean itinerary from Civitavecchia-Rome to Barcelona).
Date / Time | Port |
---|---|
12 Dec | Departing from Civitavecchia-Rome, Italy |
13-14 Dec (overnight) | Livorno/Florence-Pisa, Italy |
15 Dec | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
16 Dec | Marseille, France |
17 Dec | Sete, France |
19 Dec | Arriving in Barcelona, Spain |
Godspeed!