Viking Ocean Cruises has begun its first-ever Caribbean sailings with its Viking Star cruise ship.

Viking Star arrived in the Caribbean last week, beginning its new 11-day West Indies Explorer itinerary out of a winter homeport in San Juan.

The cruises will call on ports in British Virgin Islands, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts, St. Martin and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

“We have always had a vision to reinvent ocean cruising – to bring destinations back to the forefront of the itinerary and to build ships that are designed to help our guests better explore their destinations,” said Torstein Hagen, founder and chairman of Viking Cruises. “We launched our ocean cruises in Europe last year, and just as the Viking explorers before us, we are now pursuing new discoveries across the Atlantic. Our new itineraries in North America and the Caribbean offer traveler’s experiences that broaden their horizons both on and off the ship

Viking Star is the first of four additional ocean sister ships set to come on stream in the next few years, including Viking Sky, Viking Sun, Viking Spirit and an as-yet-unnamed ship.

Viking Star, which carriers 930 passengers, has all-veranda staterooms, along with 14 “Explorer” suites, which have two rooms and range from 757 to 1,163 square feet including wraparound private verandas.

The ship also includes two pools, a LivNordic spa and several food and beverage restaurants and lounges.

Viking Ocean Cruises is an expansion for Viking River Cruises, which is one of the premier river cruise companies in the world.

The small-ship line launched in the spring of 2015.

— Caribbean Journal staff