News about Viking Ocean Cruises

[ombugge]

This new Cruise line with Norwegian roots is likely to be of interest to many CVF members and visitors.
Here is a pretty positive article about this new Cruise line: http://www.travelpulse.com/opinions/...n-cruises.html

[pilotdane]

They lost us at the all inclusive. On board all inclusive I don't mind but I don't like it when shore excursions are included. My wife and are are too independent and have a limited patience for being herded onto a bus and taken on tours with hundreds of others. Let us walk the back streets with a small group finding the real, local food and were happy.

[nari]

I agree absolutely. On these sorts of tours one then gets no choice on where the bus stops for food, how good is the guide's knowledge and are the stops characteristic of unusual areas of potential interest?

[Seagull]

I have had so little chance to get out on a shipspotting day this Spring/Summer, but things eventually came together last Friday, 17^th June 2016 ...everything that is except a little sunshine! But I was not to be put off by the wet grey weather. After all, this was the Edinburgh maiden call of Viking Sea. She was at anchor in the Firth of Forth and tendering her cruise guests to Newhaven harbour.



Checking MarineTraffic while on the bus to Leith, I noted she had anchored some distance away, north east of the lock entrance to Western Harbour. On some of the foggy mornings there have been recently the ship would hardly have been visible. But even with fog replaced by drizzle and periods of heavier rain, it was impossible to see the far side of the Forth estuary. It would be a shame to have a photo of Viking Sea's first visit without any context of her surroundings, so I decided that I would go along the western breakwater and try for a photo with the island of Inchkeith in the background.

[Seagull]

Alighting from the bus at Newhaven, I scurried along the road past the hotel and sports club, avoiding the temporary port security area at the corner of the breakwater, and reached the path near the first block of apartments. Perfect! The ship was aligned with the island, and with zoom lens at its most telephoto, I took my desired photo. Well, actually I took several and here is the one without rain on the lens, with a little brighter lighting on the stern, and even with a tender visible!

[Seagull]

Next a general view from my location. It was raining heavily by this time, and as there was nothing to be gained from walking farther along, I returned to Newhaven harbour.
I must look like a ship type cruise visitor, for one of the port staff and two of the local tourist info volunteers tried to be helpful in directing me to the tour buses, the shopping centre, the Royal Yacht Britannia, and other amenities!




This was the arrangement in Newhaven Harbour for the tendering.

[Seagull]

It's four days later, 21^st June, and Viking Sea is back with a reverse itinerary and new cruise guests.



The weather is a little better - no rain at all, (and indeed the sun did eventually emerge in the late afternoon and evening). I decided to go to Ocean Terminal, and from the roof of the carpark at the end nearer the docks (known as the blue carpark), I had a good view with the tug Oxcar in the harbour, and, this time, a bow view of the cruise ship. You can even see across the estuary!




Another photo taken some time later, when Viking Sea had turned to show her port side.

I must admit that these new Vikings are perhaps the most likely (non-Hurtigruten) modern ships of this sort of size that I might just be tempted to sail on sometime!

[pakarang]

Awesome, Lady C! Even in weather not perfect for sunbathing she still strikes an impressive appearance... (for you).

I think the design of these ships are timeless and will stay modern for decades to come - just like the old Royal Viking ships (all of them).

[ombugge]

Viking Star had a small mishap on her first visit to the US: http://gcaptain.com/watch-viking-sta...drone-footage/

Nice drone video before that though

[Seagull]

Viking Sky’s Edinburgh cruise call, Newhaven, Leith, 4th July 2018.

It was a combination of a cruise ship call in Leith, my ship-related personal celebration of "Emperinda Day" (follow the link to the "My Ship" thread if you don't already know what that is!), and last but not least some summer sunshine, that resulted in a day out yesterday.



So here having alighted from the number 11 bus at Newhaven (a few stops before Ocean Terminal at the Western harbour of Leith), I can already see Viking Sky out in the Firth of Forth, and the coming and going of her tenders into Newhaven harbour.




A few steps adjustment to the left and camera at maximum zoom, and I have a nice photo of the ship.

[Seagull]

This is Newhaven harbour. Whilst there are still a few fishing boats, the harbour is increasingly home to leisure boats in recent times, and the location as a tender pier for cruises is encouraged. The harbour is tidal with considerable differences in water levels. The earlier arrangements can be seen with a quick scroll to my photo #6/2 in this thread, involving a floating platform vessel. Earlier still, this merely deposited cruise guests onto wet stonework and faced with potentially slippery stone steps (as seen in #22 in another thread from 2014).
Now there is a purpose built pier and ramp.

[Seagull]

Here are some of Viking Sky's tenders.



The cruise guests were checked out under the tent and offered bottled water.



At the top of the ramp, along with port security personnel, there were Viking staff directing guests to excursion and shuttle buses. the port cruise division "Capital Cruising" staff and tourist info office, and local volunteers wearing distinctive purple shirts are also available to answer questions.

[Seagull]

After a stroll and watching the tenders passing between the green and red buoys it was time for lunch at the nearby fish restaurant. Later in the afternoon I walked to Ocean Terminal and took more photos of Viking Sky from there.
If you again scroll back to the maiden call of Viking Sea in June 2016, you will see on the maps that she was anchored a little farther east, and so wouldn't have been visible from the bus stop, or even from the first bit of the breakwater before it bends round.

The difference in position is also very apparent from Ocean Terminal. My views of Viking Sea in #7 show the ship with the working port area in the foreground, taken from the east-most car park. In contrast this view of Viking Sky is looking across the width of Western Harbour's dam, from the end of the western breakwater on the left of the photo to the lock entrance and control building on the right.




I only had to zoom in to get one last photo of Viking Sky.

[pakarang]

NICE!

I have tendered to the EXACT same pier so many times - seeing the images, I clearly remember it too. We also tended to a dock further in as well, I remember. Viking Sky is a beautiful vessel - all of the Vikings!