Viking Cruises has celebrated its new ocean vessel, Viking Venus. The cruise line held a naming ceremony in the English Channel as she set sail on her inaugural voyage. There is even more to celebrate as Viking is returning to service this weekend after 14 months on hold.
Viking Venus Naming Ceremony
The new ocean cruise ship has officially been named by godmother Anne Diamond, a British journalist, and broadcaster. The ceremony took place while the vessel was in the English Channel on Monday, and it was just a group of invited guests onboard to enjoy the festivities.
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There were performances by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world’s leading crossover sopranos and godmother of Viking Jupiter; violinist Tor Jaran Apold; and acclaimed English boys choir LIBERA. Diamond also assisted in the breaking of Norwegian aquavit on the ship’s hull—using an historic Viking broad axe to cut a ribbon that symbolically held the bottle in place.
Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking, said:
“Today is one of the proudest days in Viking’s nearly 24-year history. When we became the first cruise line to suspend operations in March 2020, we certainly did not know it would be 14 months before guests would be welcomed back on board. Now, we are among the first to set sail again—and with our industry-leading health and safety protocols in place, we believe there is no safer way to travel the world than on a Viking voyage.”
“On behalf of the entire Viking family, we are delighted to celebrate the naming of our newest ship in England. We are also grateful to her godmother, Anne Diamond, for her many journalistic and selfless contributions—as well as for her tireless efforts fostering a community on Viking.TV each week for more than a year.”
On Saturday, May 22, the new Viking Venus will begin sailing UK domestic cruises. Guests will embark in Portsmouth for the first of five roundtrip sailings of England’s Scenic Shores itinerary in May and June for fully vaccinated passengers.
The luxury vessel will be sailing 8-day voyages with calls to Liverpool, the Isles of Scilly, Falmouth, and Portland. She will then homeport out of Malta to offer cruises in the Mediterranean through the summer and fall.
Also Read: Viking Cruises to Begin UK Domestic Sailings in May
Delivered in April 2021 at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy, Viking Venus is the newest vessel to join Viking’s ocean fleet of identical sister ships, which also includes Viking Star, Viking Sea, Viking Sky, Viking Orion, and Viking Jupiter. the ships have a gross tonnage of 47,000 and have a guest capacity of 930.
