Seatrade Cruise News is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Viking Cruises makes its first arrival to US shores

1973f6de3f89f571585cddf8c7407339_XL
Viking Star in New York Harbor
Viking Star arrived to New York Harbor Thursday, following its first stateside appearance in Boston on Tuesday. The ship docked at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal after sailing past the Statue of Liberty, greeted by fireboats.

This begins Viking Cruises' first Americas itineraries.

'To sail past Ellis Island and into New York for the first time is a proud moment for our entire Viking family. With the same spirit as the Vikings who originally sailed their longships across the Atlantic, arriving in North America signifies a new era of possibilities for our company and our guests,' Viking chairman Torstein Hagen said.

'As our fleet continues to grow, we will look for new ways to bring our unique destination-focused approach to more regions of the world,' he continued. 'There are no kids on board, and there are no umbrella drinks. Instead, our Caribbean itineraries are inspired by iconic 18th-century navigation routes and were developed to highlight the rich history and culture of the region.'

Viking Star is due to sail Friday for San Juan, Puerto Rico, which will serve as its homeport for the winter season. From San Juan, the ship will sail the 11-day 'West Indies Explorer' itinerary, which calls at ports in the British Virgin Islands, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts, St. Martin and the US Virgin Islands.

There are no sea days in the program, which Viking said will give passengers the opportunity to learn about the destinations from local experts, historians and lecturers on board, as well as through a variety of shore excursions, including optional visits to museums, gardens and historic sites.

Viking Star is scheduled to return to Europe in February 2017, via a trans-Atlantic sailing from San Juan to Barcelona.