Service History
Viking XPRS made her maiden voyage between Helsinki and Tallinn on 27 April 2008 and entered regular service on the route the following day. Compared to MS Rosella that had sailed on the route the previous year the Viking XPRS attracted a notably larger number of passengers, with a 61% raise in passenger number and 74% raise in vehicles transported between Helsinki and Tallinn between June and August 2008 compared to the same months in 2007. During her first year in service the ship transported approximately 1,466,000 passengers, more than any other ship that has trafficked in the northern Baltic Sea.
In February 2009 the Viking XPRS was voted as one of the top 5 medium-sized cruise ships in the world by readers of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler guide, rating higher than the ships of Holland America Line amongst others. Viking XPRS gained top spot in the "shore excursions" category, despite the fact the ship offers no organised excursions. In addition to the fact that the Viking XPRS is not an actual cruise ship, this led to the proposition that the ship's high placement in the ranking was in fact the result of a hoax of some kind.
In October 2012, Viking Line announced that they have plans to re-flag Viking XPRS to Estonia since it would cut costs significantly. If so, Viking XPRS would be the first Viking Line ship to sail under Estonian flag.
Read more about this topic: MS Viking XPRS
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