The Viking Vela recently embarked on its maiden season after being delivered by the Fincantieri shipyard earlier this week.

For its inaugural cruise, the Viking ship is offering a seven-night cruise to the Western Mediterranean that features destinations in Spain, Italy and France.

After departing from Civitavecchia on Dec. 12, the itinerary includes visits to Livorno, Villefranche, Marseille and Sete before ending in Barcelona.

The cruise is highlighted by longer stays in ports, featuring overnight stays in two destinations: Livorno, for visits to Firenze and Tuscany, and Barcelona.

Continuing its maiden season, the Viking Vela is scheduled to offer winter cruises in the Mediterranean before repositioning to Northern Europe.

Starting in January, the ship offers a series of 12-night “In Search of the Northern Lights” voyages. Sailing to the Netherlands and Norway, the cruises offer guests opportunities to witness the Aurora Borealis.

From March, the 998-guest vessel offers additional itineraries in the region, including 14-night cruises to the British Isles and 12-night sailings to Iceland.

The Vela is also set to operate Viking’s signature “Viking Homelands” itinerary. Sailing between Norway and Sweden, the cruise offers a mix of destinations in the Baltic and Scandinavia, including Tallinn, Gdynia, Aalborg and Oslo.

As the eleventh in a series of vessels that started with the Viking Star in 2015, was built at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard in Central Italy.

Slightly larger than its predecessors, the luxury vessel is 10 meters longer and two meters wider than its sister ships.

Continuing its fleet expansion, Viking is set to take delivery of nine new oceangoing cruise ships through 2030.

Following the Vela, the company is welcoming the Viking Vesta in 2025 and the Viking Mira in 2026. A second newbuild is set to enter service that year, in addition to six l vessels between 2027 and 2030.