Viking Releases Details of 2020-21 World Cruise

Viking released the details of its 2020-2021 world cruise, a 161-day voyage on its all-veranda Viking Sun. The sailing will visit 75 ports in 33 countries across six continents, including 13 overnights and six maiden calls.

New for this world cruise are port visits to Oahu and Kauai, Hawaii; Moorea, French Polynesia; and Hue, Vietnam. Other highlights of the new itinerary include Sydney, Mumbai and Istanbul.

The full journey begins December 14, 2020, launching from Miami and ending 161 days later in London. Current per-person fares start at $59,995, based on double occupancy, and they include free business-class air and transfers, a Silver Spirits Beverage Package, and shore and shipboard credits.

A shorter 140-day segment of the sailing departs from Los Angeles on January 4, 2021. It includes visits to 27 countries and 66 ports. Current per-person fares start at $52,995, based on double occupancy, including free business-class air, ground transfers to and from the ship, all onboard gratuities and service fees, and a Silver Spirits Beverage Package.

Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen said the 2020-21 world cruise highlights the company's commitment to offering "the most immersive and culturally enriching itineraries available.

"We are a destination-focused travel company, and it has always been our priority to help our guests connect to the destination," Hagen said. "It is evident in everything we do. It is why we offer an included excursion in every port, why we have the most extensive Resident Historian program in the industry and why our ships are smaller to bring travelers to more intimate ports."

Viking Sun can accommodate 930 passengers in 465 staterooms, the smallest of which starts at 270 square feet. Each also features a veranda. Decor reflects the company's Nordic heritage, featuring light wood grains, Swedish limestone and touches of slate and teak.

The ship has a fuel-efficient design, featuring energy-efficient hybrid engines that limit exhaust pollution.

The full 161-day itinerary starts in Miami and sails through the Caribbean to Cuba, Central America and Mexico. Once in the Pacific Ocean, the cruise will continue, visiting California and Hawaii before moving on to French Polynesia, New Zealand and Australia. Entering the Java Sea, the ship will stop in Indonesia before moving through the South China Sea to Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, China and Vietnam. The cruise will continue its southeast Asia stretch with calls on Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore before moving through the Bay of Bengal to Sri Lanka and India.

More than three months into the journey, cruisers will traverse the Arabian Sea to Oman and the Red Sea to Jordan and Egypt. The Suez Canal will speed the trip into the Mediterranean and allow for stops in Israel and Turkey. After sailing through the Aegean Sea for a stop in Greece, the cruise will continue through the Adriatic Sea for visits to Italy and Croatia. The final weeks of the trip feature travel north along the Italian coast, past Naples and Rome, to Monaco, France, Spain and, finally, England.