Travel Maven Blog ...... David Molyneaux posts from TheTravelMavens.com

Cruising the seas on a newfangled Viking ship

When the chairman of Viking River Cruises set out to build his first ocean-going ship, he followed the theme song of many an aging free-thinker: Torstein Hagen did it his way.

Hagen’s new ship, the 930-passenger Viking Star, now is cruising to ports from Northern Europe to the Mediterranean Sea, following a May naming ceremony in Bergen, Norway.  

Celebration in Bergen, Norway

If you want to cruise on this ship during the next year, you will have to go to Europe, though a Viking spokeswoman said the company plans to bring its Star to North America.

The goal in building Viking Star, and at least two and perhaps as many as nine future siblings, was to produce a vessel different from the competition in the cruise business.

Cruising Viking Star with lessons on Viking history from the Bayeux Tapestry

                                             Christening a sophisticated new ship

Scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry

Several times a day, on a cruise in Europe aboard the new Viking Star, I paused at one of the landings on the fore or aft stairwells to gaze at a scene from the famed Bayeux Tapestry. 

Reproductions from this amazing work of art tell one of Europe’s great stories of conquest. It is no coincidence that a major Viking victory is represented as the core artwork on Viking Star, which is based in Bergen, Norway.

Eccentricities and itineraries on new Viking Star, cruising in Europe

Walking in the snow like a Viking

A cruise line that will remain nameless used to advertise its ships as opportunities to cruise like a Norwegian. Most people are not sure exactly what that meant. But on the new Viking Star, registered in Norway, passengers may cruise like a Viking -- by walking in snow.

In its impressive Nordic spa, Viking Star has a snow grotto.

Viking Star Snow Grotto (photo by USA Today)

Flakes fall and the floor provides a bit of shock to your tootsies when you walk in, especially if you have just left the sauna or steam room. That is the concept. The cold, after a major body heating, is supposed to be good for your blood circulation.

Cruising Europe's seas and ports on the new, sophisticated Viking Star

A new cruise line, starting with a new ship, seldom happens, perhaps once in a decade. Huge obstacles include vision and investment, design and itineraries, marketing and selling to new clients.

So, the debut of the Viking Ocean Cruises’ Star Viking is a big deal. That the ship’s home port is in Norway, where much of the modern cruise industry began, but left, is remarkable.

The 930-passenger Viking Star, now cruising on itineraries to Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and in between, is one of the prettiest cruise ships you will see.