It sails 21 rivers, 5 oceans, and all 7 continents with more ships than any other single cruise line in the world. And now, with the naming of nine new ships in one fell swoop, Viking has marked another milestone: the inauguration of its 100th ship!
During a simultaneous ceremony that spanned six countries, the river, ocean and expedition cruise line launched nine new river ships. The main celebration took place in Basel, Switzerland, on the Rhine River on board the Viking Honir, and was connected virtually to the eight other new ships located across five additional countries.
Of the nine just-inaugurated river ships that put Viking over the 100-ship mark:
- the Viking Annar, the Viking Dagur, the Viking Eldir and the Viking Honir will sail Viking’s most popular itineraries along the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers;
- the Viking Nerthus will sail France’s Seine River;
- the Viking Gyda, Portugal’s Douro River;
- the Viking Tonle will sail the Mekong River in Asia, while
the two other new ships named in the simultaneous ceremony —the Viking Thoth and the Viking Amun—sail the Nile River.
Laura Perlman, godmother of the Viking Tonle in Basel, Switzerland, as a monk offers a blessing for the ship via remote video from Mỹ Tho, Vietnam. Viking’s Chairman and CEO, Torstein Hagen, is seated on the far left of the image.
The nine ships were docked in their respective cruising destinations around the world, and connected virtually for the event. At the ceremony, Viking’s Chairman and CEO, Torstein Hagen, said, “We have always been quite a bit different from others in the travel industry—we like to be contrarian. Over the last 28 years, we have grown from four ships to more than 100—a fleet size that no other line has achieved—and we have done so because of our innovative approach. First, we modernized river voyages; then we reinvented ocean voyages and perfected the expedition experience.”
Renowned for its mantra of ‘no children and no casinos’, Viking says all of its river, ocean and expedition cruises are designed for ‘curious travelers with interests in science, history, culture and cuisine.’ Chairman and CEO Torstein Hagen often says Viking offers experiences ‘For The Thinking Person.’ In its over quarter of a century in business, travelers have come to agree: Viking has more than 450 awards to its name, including being simultaneously rated top cruise line for rivers and oceans five years in a row by one publication, and “World’s Best” by another – the only cruise line to be the recipient of those awards at the same time.
Watch this space! Viking’s founder says the company has more plans to lead a wave of yet more innovations in cruising the world’s seas, oceans and waterways.
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Images courtesy of Viking.
Top image: The Viking Honir, one of the nine Viking river ships named as part of the company’s 100th ship milestone celebration, pictured on the Rhine River in Basel, Switzerland, during the naming ceremony.
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