Viking River Cruises Christens Six New Ships

viking river cruises christening in amsterdam

Viking River Cruises has christened six new Viking Longships at a waterfront celebration in Amsterdam. The line also honored six key partners by naming them godmothers for the six new ships. 

Of the six new Longships, four will be deployed on Viking’s most popular itineraries on the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers; the remaining two will sail the Seine River on Viking’s Paris and the Heart of Normandy itinerary. Later this month, Viking will also debut a seventh new river ship for 2016, Viking Osfrid, which is inspired by the Longships design and specifically built for the Douro River, bringing the company’s total number of ships in Portugal to three.

The godmothers, who represent travel trade organizations from across North America and the United Kingdom, are:

  • Lisa Anciaux, Godmother of Viking Rolf, is the Director of Travel Products for AAA Washington.
  • Beth Butzlaff, Godmother of Viking Kadlin, is the Managing Director of Cruise Sales for Virtuoso.
  • Michelle Chimko, Godmother of Viking Alruna, is the Chief Operating Officer of Alberta Motor Association.
  • Jennifer Gasser, Godmother of Viking Egil, is the Vice President of Supplier Relations and Product Operations for World Travel Holdings.
  • Beryl Gibson, Godmother of Viking Vilhjalm, is the Joint Owner of Northumbria Travel Limited.
  • Sinead O’Connell, Godmother of Viking Tialfi, is the Director of Industry Relations for Vacation.com.

The event comes two years after the company set a second Guinness World Record for the most new ships launched in a single day, and one month before Viking Ocean Cruises launches its second ship, Viking Sea.

Visit www.vikingcruises.com