Viking
River Cruises christened six Longships in Amsterdam on
Tuesday, and six travel trade partners served as godmothers.
“River cruising remains one of the fastest-growing segments of
travel, and we would not be the leading river cruise line without the help of
travel agents,” Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking Cruises, said in a
statement.
The
six newest vessels come on top of the 46 Longships that Viking has launched in
Europe over the last four years for a total of 52 ships in five years. Of the
six new Longships, four will be deployed on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers
and two will sail the Seine from Paris to Normandy.
Later
this month, Viking will introduce a seventh new river ship for 2016, Viking
Osfrid, a smaller Longship-style vessel being built for Portugal’s
Douro River, bringing the company’s total number of ships in Portugal to three.
The
women who served as the godmothers on
Tuesday were: Lisa Anciaux, godmother of Viking Rolf, director of travel
products for AAA Washington; Beth Butzlaff, godmother of Viking Kadlin,
managing director of cruise sales for Virtuoso; Michelle Chimko, godmother of
Viking Alruna, COO of Alberta Motor Association; Jennifer Gasser, godmother of
Viking Egil, vice president of supplier relations and product operations for World Travel
Holdings; Beryl Gibson, godmother of Viking Vilhjalm, joint owner of
Northumbria Travel Limited; and Sinead O’Connell, godmother of Viking Tialfi,
director of industry relations for Vacation.com.
Viking
introduced its Longship class of vessels in 2011, when it first unveiled the
concept of a river cruise ship with an off-center corridor that allows for a
greater variety of cabin configurations. It also was the start of
Viking building balcony cabins.
The
190-passenger vessels are all outfitted in a sleek Scandinavian-style design,
and feature an Aquavit Terrace with retractable floor-to-ceiling glass doors
for dining inside or al fresco, depending on the weather.
There are two
445-square-foot Explorer Suites; seven 275-square-foot Veranda Suites; 39
Veranda Staterooms (205 square feet); and 22 French Balcony Staterooms (135
square feet). Staterooms include hotel-style beds, heated bathroom floors, a
mini-fridge, and U.S. and European outlets.