Did any of you sail on Sun Viking?????

[mems]

Hello Everyone,

I just finished reading the poll re: your favorite RCCL ship. Our new favorite is Radiance but we truly loved Sun Viking. If any of you share our view lets share our rememberance with the CC people. I remember the port holes underneath the swimming pool with cabins across from the side of the pool. I remember invading the gents restroom (a female egged on by a guy) to check out the urinals electric eye urinal flusher. I remember getting a guest list at the end of the cruise with all the names of the cruisers. I remember the the costume party when a guy dressed up as "Sun Viking".

Do any of you have fond memories of SUN VIKING?????

[ondeckatsea]

That ship is our all-time favorite. We've been on ships of all the different sizes but remember that one as the best. I read in a review one time that "when you come on-board the Sun Viking "she seems to give you a big hug and doesn't let you go." My special memory was one morning at breakfast in the dining room we looked out the window and saw three whales swimming right alongside the ship. They followed us for a few minutes. It was a whole family and they put on quite a show. Also nice memory was that every evening as the ship pulled out of port there was a particular bunch of cruisers who went topside and watched the captain take the ship out. He always acknowledged us with a smile and a wave. He was Captain Ole Johan Grunhaug and was so friendly and nice. He had his family on board and would push his sons stroller to the Windjammer and eat lunch with the passengers. At the last nights show he thanked the folks on the top deck for helping him get the ship out of port each night. Later I found out it was also a favorite of Captain Bang and chatted with him briefly about it. We were all set to book again with it the next year but she had been sold.

Another thing I remember is that we bumped into our waiter two more times on other ships and he remembered us and made an effort to serve us. His name was Sebastian and we still look for him when we cruise RCI ships.

[abroad at sea]

We sailed on her in June of 1989, for 18days, Will always remember it was our first long cruise, and I was scared to death that it would be too long!!!Needles to say it wasn't. I loved the fact that there were under 900 passengers and by the end of the cruise everyone looked familer. It also was the first ship that had an outdoor cafe, that was spectacular!!! Regreted getting the list of passengers late in the cruise and trying to put names to faces .Really miss the small ships Thanks Mems for shaking that memory loose.

Betty

[MAYFIELD]

I remember the Sun Viking fondly. She was the first Royal Caribbean ship I'd sailed, back in 1984. We took the second leg of a 2 week cruise from Barbados to Miami. We flew into Barbados and the whole airport was shut down because they were all awaiting the Concorde to arrive. She was like our own private yacht. We sailed her 4 different times. Wasn't that climb to the Viking Crown lounge something. All outside.. We had sailed several different cruiselines before, but this ship was something special. By the end of the week you knew everyone. I miss her.

[ondeckatsea]

I'm glad other people feel the same way we do about the Sun Viking. I think when the cruise lines started building the megagiant ships they lost something special. We also loved the Song of America and sailed on her three times. We are hoping that the Empress will bring back that old small-ship feeling. I remember when we were pulling out of port in Martinique we were berthed next to the Monarch of the Seas and the crew onboard used a megaphone to call over to the Viking, "We love you, Sun Viking!" All the crews loved that little ship and at the time, they knew her days were numbered. She was the little baby of the fleet. What a super nice crew. How we miss her.

[Sinbadthecruiser]

The Sun Viking was also my favorite ship. By the second day the staff started calling you by name when they passed you, and when you left the ship, you felt like you were leaving old friends behind. It was also special to me, as my husband and I sailed on one of the first 12 day Med cruises for our honeymoon!

[onapea]

Sailed 1988, back in the good old days of cruising.

[sandrab]

My all time favourite ship.

 

We sailed on her in July 1987 to celebrate my sister's 21st birthday - our first cruise, and we've never looked back!

I have such fond memories of Captain Bang, Rene from Italy who was our waiter, Gabriel from Mallorca, our busboy.

We spent the day in Antigua on the beach with the crew - the Maitre d' bought us all beers (a first for my Mum!).

The friendliness, service and attention to detail were second to none.

 

 

Those were the days...

[Cruising6]

This was my first cruise, we did a 10-night Caribbean from Miami. I have been on 13 cruises since all on Royal Caribbean and I have to say Sun Viking remains my favorite! I kept in touch for years with passengers from this cruise and the crew did always remember your name or where you were from. I remember those stairs leading up to the Viking Crown and those real tiny staterooms. I had bought a hairdryer with me and everytime I used it, I must have blew a fuse and all of the rooms in the hallway we were in were out of power.. Also, boy did that ship rock from side to side!

[BEVGOO]

April or May of 1987 our third cruise. We changed to a large table of 12 I think. A couple from Switzerland than didn't speak English but French. My husband introduced himself in with his high school French and the couple talked to him all week BUT HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THEM, JUST SMILED AND NODDED. The couple on the other side of us was from Chicago and we stayed in touch for years. Yes, the walk to the lounge was brutual. No hairdo withstood the wind. We sail larger ships now but our first cruises are still some of our favorites.

 

Constellation 2003

Galaxy 2001

Granduer 2000

Horizon 2000

Song of Norway 1996

NCL Sea 1996

Festival 1995

Sun Viking 1987

Festival 1986

Southward 1985

[Ronn452]

My wife and I began cruising in 1981. A retired volunteer in the Emergency Room where I worked recommended RCCL and the Sun Viking for our honeymoon. We were impressed with the ship immediately. I loved the classic shape of the hull with the long pointed bow. I thought the Viking Crown Lounge looked really neat perched waaaaaayy up on the funnel. I enjoyed the opennes of the pool and upper deck. Inside, the ship was beautiful. I remember the wooden mosaic in one of the halls of the ship in New York harbor.

 

In those days, I was a bit thinner and had little hesitance eating whenever food was presented. I ate well on the day and evening of embarkation. The next morning, we ordered coffee and a light breakfast in the cabin. Not expecting quick service, I was still in bed when the steward knocked at the door. Jumping from the bed, I reached into the dresser (not a long reach, if you remember the size of the cabins) and retreived a pair of my khaki shorts. As I pulled them on, the stopped abrubtly at my thighs! They would go no higher. During this tug-fest, the steward was continually knocking at the door. Meanwhile, I'm dancing around the cabin attempting to get my shorts up and telling my wife, who is laughing hysterically, that there is no way I have gained this much weight in less than twenty-four hours. I'm having visions of spending my entire cruise in the cabin in my boxers because I can't fit into my clothes. Finally, between fits of laughter, my wife blurts out that those are her shorts. Mine are in the next drawer.

 

By today's standards, the Sun Viking is tiny. However, she was classy, elegant and warm. As was mentioned before, each cabin was given a list of guests onboard at the end of the cruise. I enjoy the balconies and the spacious centrums, but I miss the comraderie and community of the Sun Viking.

[mems]

Mayfield, We were also on the 2nd week of a back to back in 1984. Flew to Miami spent the night, then very early the next day boarding a tiny plane to Barbados. I remember the flight attendents instucted us to close our eyes as they sprayed the cabin with bug spray. When we got to Barbados it seemed like the plane stopped on a dime, the landing was soo abrupt.

When we boarded the ship everyone had horror stories to tell about the rough weather they had the week before. Storys of "barf bags" on all the stair cases. When we danced we sometimes took extra steps as the ship rocked us as the seas were still a little rough. That was a wonderful cruise. Wish I had kept in touch with the people we met.

[cruislovin]

We sailed on the Sun Viking for our honeymoon, leaving exactly 23 years ago today on October 11, 1981! It is so unbelievable that I came across this post today. We celebrated our wedding anniversary yesterday...

 

We loved the Sun Viking, the captain, the crew, AND cruising! Many years later we still talk about that ship and captain. That cruise was an experience of our lifetimes that we will always remember and cherrish!

 

Now we made the "mistake" of introducing our children to cruising and they are as addicted to the sea as we became on the day we embarked on the Sun Viking and still are addicted to cruising today! Thanks for sharing these very fond memories with us.

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

We cruised aboard the Sun Viking in June 1983. We did the first half of a fourteen day Caribbean cruise (we cruised from Miami to Barbados). This was our first cruise with Royal Caribbean and we LOVED this ship. The service in the dining room was outstanding. In fact, I have been on 44 cruises and this is one of the few cruises where I still remember the names of our waiter (Roger) and head waiter (Ernesto). Considering that this cruise was over 20 years ago, this gives you an idea of the impression that they made.

 

When we left Ocho Rios, a few passengers had missed the ship. They came out to the ship in a speed boat and climbed up a ladder on the side of the moving ship. I will always remember this.

 

Remember how small the cabins were? There were four of us in one of those tiny inside cabins. Still, this was a favorite cruise of mine.

 

Also, this was a very pretty ship. The exterior was sleek, modern, and perfectly proportioned.

 

I have cruised aboard many of Royal Caribbean's larger ships (Explorer, Voyager, Serenade, Vision, Splendour, Majesty, Sovereign, etc.), but still have very fond feelings for the Sun Viking. It was a wonderful ship with a great personality. The new ships are spectacular, but they lack the warmth of the Sun Viking.

[mems]

HAPPY 23rd ANNIVERSARY TO CRUYSLOVIN!!!!!!!

I am delighted so many of you have reminised with me. Sun Viking was a beauty with a wonderful crew. Looks like she is sorely missed by many. Does anyone know what happened to her? mems

[cruislovin]

HAPPY 23rd ANNIVERSARY TO CRUYSLOVIN!!!!!!!

 

I am delighted so many of you have reminised with me. Sun Viking was a beauty with a wonderful crew. Looks like she is sorely missed by many. Does anyone know what happened to her? mems

 

Thanks for the anniversary wishes!

 

On a cruise we were on in the past few years, one of the captains (at the Q&A for C&A) told us that the Sun Viking was being used as a ferry boat in the Far East. I don't remember the exact location. I wonder if she is still being used for that purpose? She is a grand old lady, that's for sure!

 

What a great post! Thanks for doing this...

[Snackdaddy]

The Sun Viking was our honeymoon ship and very first cruise twenty two years ago. We were in cabin 512 towards the front of the ship. We loved the experience and the intimacy of getting to know the crew very quickly. The crew was fantastic and very accomodating. Since the dining room was small, the Head Waiter was always visible and very interactive. In one of our ports we saw a shipment of avocados being loaded onto the ship. Later that evening we mentioned that to the Head Waiter, and a few moments later he appeared with a ripe avocado which he peeled and sliced table side. It was the little touches like that that made the Sun Viking very special for us...of course being on our honeymoon made it extra special too. ;)

[Joe Beach]

Took her a couple of times early 80's for the 10 dayers. Here's a picture that could be her or one of her sisters before they were stretched. Talk about an outdated picture, this was on a cruise site, tad old picture, huh?

 

Here's a better one, looks like she's in Curacao

 

 

Ah the good ole days at Miami, this pic has to be 1979 as the Nordic Prince in the foreground was stretched in 1980

 

[madforcruising]

HAPPY 23rd ANNIVERSARY TO CRUYSLOVIN!!!!!!!

 

I am delighted so many of you have reminised with me. Sun Viking was a beauty with a wonderful crew. Looks like she is sorely missed by many. Does anyone know what happened to her? mems

 

I did some web search for the Sun Viking. I don´t give any guarantee on the correctness of this information.

 

It looks like that the Sun Viking was named "HYUNDAI PONGNAE" for some time until she was sold to a company named "Kong Wing Shipping" and is now sailing under the name "OMAR III" on some short casino cruises in the Hong Kong area.

The following links are showing some pics of the OMAR III and an article about her. Be prepared for a different look. She is painted dark now.

 

http://www.fotop.net/Slava/Slava22

 

http://www.fotop.net/Slava/Slava48/Omar_III_15

 

http://www.newsgd.com/travel/transportations/200403110058.htm

 

http://members.tripod.com/ship_HK/images/OMAR_Oct.03.jpg

[Joe Beach]

more info

 

 

Due to start cruising in 1998 from Port Klang, Malaysia,she's just a baby, from Royal Caribbean came the SUPERSTAR SAGITTARIUS ex. SUN VIKING which was allowed to keep her trademark Viking Crown lounge.

 

...year 2000...At the same time Star sold the SUPERSTAR SAGITTARIUS to Hyundai Merchant Marine for cruises between North and South Korea

 

from a jan 04 post , I've updated link

Host Doug

Administrator

OMAR III, former SUN VIKING

 

For those not familiar with this ship, she was the third of the original three RCI ships (the others were SONG OF NORWAY and NORDIC PRINCE) and had a revised design incorporating lessons learned from the first two RCI ships. While the other two ships were "stretched" in the late 1970s, SUN VIKING was kept her original size and pioneered many new destinations for RCI. The last of those was Asia, and while there in 1998, she was sold to Star Cruises, the largest Asian cruise operator. She briefly became their SUPERSTAR SAGITTARIUS before being chartered to Hyundai Merchant Marine to become their HYUNDAI PONGNAE, making cruises from South Korea to Mt. Kumgang in the North. This venture did not last long and she was laid-up after it failed in 2001. She was sold earlier this year to Asia Cruise Club (http://www.asiacruiser.com/main.htm) and recently entered service on short cruises from Hong Kong.

 

pics

http://www.hkcruisehub.com/photos/local/omar3/intomar3/intomar3_e.htm

yes, that scaffolding-like structure around the sides of the funnel IS permanent (no, this is not a bad joke). I am told by the person who took these photos that it is intended to light up and change color (!) at night. Whatever it is it is a hideous addition to what had been the last unmolested version of the classic original Royal Caribbean funnel design.

 

click around on the chinese writings at asia cruise club to get to deck plans, looks like maybe a 3 or 4 day cruise, maybe. Lots of casino space. One pic looks like Hong Kong.

[llanning]

I'm sure it was the Sun Viking that we did our China cruise on. It was her next to last voyage. We had an older single lady at our table. She and her husband had been on the maiden voyage of the ship. She had a picture album of that cruise. When the Captain found out, he invited her to his table. She urged my husband and I to find a nice, quiet, dark place on deck and snuggle in memory of her and her husband.

[goodml]

What a fabulous thread this is. I can't participate because I'd never even heard of Sun Viking before today but I've enjoyed reading your stories and the pictures are great. She looks to be in excellent condition.

[mems]

Thank You, Joe Beach and Madforcruising for the pictures and the information. She looks different but still looks good. mems

[F858MM]

I was great reading everyone's story, That what cruising was all about. it's is a shame that things got so commercialized. Your where apart of a family for a week. Good Memories.

fran

[Jacque]

My first RCI was aboard the Sun Viking and although I've been on many cruises since then it remains my favorite.