The Viking Sky has set sail on its maiden voyage. It's the 3rd ship for Viking Ocean Cruises and a sister ship to Viking Star and Viking Sea.

The Viking Sky launched from Rome’s Civitavecchia port last week on her first cruise en route to Barcelona. Sister ship to the award-winning Viking Star and Viking Sea, Viking Sky begins her maiden season sailing itineraries throughout the Western and Eastern Mediterranean before heading north into Viking territory to sail Scandinavian and Baltic itineraries in the summer. Viking Sky crosses the Atlantic this fall and finishes out the year sailing itineraries in the Americas and the Caribbean.

Scandinavian Design

Considered a “small ship,” the all-veranda Viking Sky, like her sister ships, boasts 465 staterooms – that's less than a thousand passengers. Viking's ocean ships are designed by experienced nautical architects and engineers, as well as the same interior design team responsible for the award-winning fleet of Viking Longships.  On board, guests find serene Scandinavian spaces, where every room is beautiful and functional, quiet, and filled with light.

The 'Viking Way' of Exploration

Viking Sky, like all Viking's ocean ships, is deliberately small to get guests closer to your destination, with more time in port, more overnights and fewer days at sea. All-veranda design means that guests experience every day with a new, expansive vista. With the most al fresco dining at sea, Viking’s guests can truly dine in their destination. A focus on cultural enrichment brings immersive experiences onshore and on board, including these highlights in the destinations of the new Viking Sky's maiden year in service:

• The Hermitage Behind Closed Doors, St. Petersburg, Russia – Guests receive a Privileged Access view of the vaults of one of the world’s greatest art collections at the magnificent Hermitage Museum. 
• Vistas, Vikings & The Village Woodturner, Torshavn, Faroe Islands – Guests can gain insight into daily village life and the rich Viking heritage as they explore the village of Kvivik, site of a 10th-century Viking settlement.
• King Crab Safari, Honningsvåg, Norway – Guests can set off in a deep-sea raft into the pristine waters of Sarnesfjorden to catch their own king crab in this thrilling excursion.

The trio of ocean ships will become a quartet in late 2017, when Viking’s fourth ocean ship, Viking Sun, will be delivered in November.  The Viking Sun will spend her maiden season sailing the cruise line's first-ever World Cruise.

They'll be joined by the Viking Spirit in 2018 to sail itineraries in Australia, Asia and Alaska. A sixth, yet-to-be-named ship will be delivered in 2019.

With the arrival of the sixth ship, Viking will go from a river-only cruise line only a few years ago, to the largest small ship ocean cruise line.