This was published 4 years ago
Viking Sun on world's longest cruise visits Australia
By Josh Dye
A cruise ship making its way around the planet on a Guinness World Record-breaking journey has arrived in Australia.
Viking Sun docked in Sydney on Monday as part of the Australian leg of its 245-day voyage around the world that began in London in September.
The ship is not the largest vessel sailing the seas - it sleeps 930 guests when other cruise ships carrying thousands of passengers.
Viking Sun has visited Sydney on its epic, 245-day world cruise.
A dozen Australians were among the 56 people who signed up to do the full eight-month journey, with the remaining guests joining for shorter segments.
Doing the entire voyage wasn't cheap; rates ranged from $118,000 (or $482 a day) to $342,000 (or $1398 a day).
After docking in Hobart on Friday, the ship skipped Melbourne due to bad weather before arriving in Sydney on Monday.
Already more than halfway through its epic voyage, the Viking Sun's final stops in Australia are Brisbane, the Whitsundays, Cairns, Thursday Island and Darwin.
So far passengers have visited North and South America, the Pacific and New Zealand. Next stop is Asia, followed by the Middle East and the Mediterranean before the ship returns to the UK on May 2.
Fears about coronavirus saw China and Hong Kong removed from the ship's itinerary.
Health experts last week reassured passengers about travelling on cruise ships in the Pacific amid fears about coronavirus spreading among passengers. Passengers on board the Diamond Princess docked in Japan have been quarantined after an outbreak of the virus on board.
Viking Sun will depart Sydney on Wednesday.
Previously a company focused exclusively on river cruises, Viking entered the ocean cruising market in 2015. The cruise line recently revealed plans for two new expedition ships, launching in 2022, that will cruise the Arctic and Antarctic.
More than 60 ships are visiting Australia during this year's summer cruising season. According to the Cruise Lines International Association, cruise ship visits contributed $5.2 billion to the Australian economy last financial year.
Viking Sun's record breaking cruise
245 days – the length of the cruise
111 ports – the number of stops
51 countries across six continents (Antarctica didn't make the cut)
23 overnight stays on land
55,700 nautical miles – the distance covered
680,000 – the number of meals served, with guests consuming up to 2300kg of ice cream, 10,000 bottles of champagne, 9000kg of coffee, 15,900kg of cheese and 900,000 eggs.
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.