[Worldtrippers home] [2025 Crystal-Viking]
On June 26, we checked out of our hotel and took an Uber to JFK airport. That evening, we took a red-eye flight from New York. When we woke up on June 27, we were in Venice, Italy. (To be clear, that’s when Russell woke up. Gail is never able to sleep on airplanes. This time in particular, her seat would not stay reclined – it kept popping back into an upright position.)
We had a very easy transit from the airport to the cruise ship terminal in nearby Fusina. (Venice no longer allows cruise ships to dock there.) Our destination was the brand-new Viking Vesta.
Vesta is part of the newest class of Viking ocean ships. While all Viking ocean ships are almost identical, there have been some differences over time. The newest class is 39 feet longer (784 feet) and 6 feet wider (101 feet). This is to accommodate new hydrogen fuel cell technology. As a result, Vesta can accommodate 68 more guests (998 guests).
We will be aboard Vesta for her first two guest sailings before we disembark on July 28. First, though, every new ship has a “shakedown” cruise. This is a very short cruise to make sure that everything is operating correctly. The launch crew is hand-picked from among Viking’s best workers. Most have already been aboard for a month or more, wearing hardhats, moving furniture and outfitting the ship.
Fincantieri, the construction company in Ancona, Italy, delivered Vesta to Viking yesterday. Tonight we set sail.
For the shakedown cruise, there is a unique group of guests. In addition to a full crew, we have:
This is one of only two times that guests under 18 years of age are allowed on a Viking ship. In fact, of the 300 or so guests, 100 are infants or children. It is a huge treat for us to see little ones running around on the ship.
The “shakedown” will be a working cruise for us. Although we have port visits every day, we don’t expect to see much. Gail has no contract aboard Vesta, but Russell will present three lectures in five days. This is our fifth time launching a new ship, and it is always one of our favorite sailings.
