Gene Sloan accepted a free trip from Viking to attend the event. His opinions were not subject to review by the line.
On Friday, fast-growing Viking doubled down on its move into adventurous expedition cruising with the unveil of a second vessel specifically designed to explore far-off places likeAntarctica and theArctic.
The company officially welcomed the 378-passenger ship, Viking Polaris, with a short but upbeat naming ceremony along the waterfront of Amsterdam.
The first woman to ski solo to the North Pole used a ceremonial Norwegian spade to cut a red ribbon during the ceremony. The bottle of Aquavit was broken by the ribbon cutting.
A bottle of Aquavit instead of a bottle of Champagne was used to refer to Viking Polaris. The founder and chairman of Viking is from Norway.
Has anyone ever seen anything like this? At the afternoon event, which started in the ship's Aula lounge with a talk by Hagen, the bottle broke on its bow.
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In addition to being a hub for Viking river ships that sail on the Rhine River, Amsterdam is also a popular stop for ocean ships. When Viking was founded 25 years ago, it was there as well.
Friday's celebration for the arrival of Viking Polaris, which included a brief performance by Sissel, doubled as a celebration of the company's 25thanniversary.
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The 372-passenger Viking Octantis was the first expedition ship to debut this year.
Viking Octantis was officially named at the event via a live video feed. A video link was used to break the bottle at the event in Amsterdam, where Liv Arnesen was on stage.
The viking Polaris and viking Octantis are designed to take travelers to the most remote parts of the world.
These vessels have reinforced bows that allow them to navigate through ice and have extra tanks for fuel and food.
Each of the vessels has its own landing craft that can be used to bring people to remote locations. The latter has been added to expedition ships by upscale cruise brands.
Like other expedition ships, both Viking Polaris and Viking Octantis are designed to operate with a large and experienced expedition team.
There are many new and unusual features in each of the vessels. Passengers can transfer to 12-seat excursion craft from the protected interior of the ship with the help of The Hangar. This is the first expedition cruise ship that ITrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkia
There are three types of Viking ships.
In another first for a polar expedition cruise vessel, every cabin has floor toceiling glass walls that slide partially open from the top to create a balcony-like feel.
The Viking Polaris and Viking Octantis are upscale. The design of these vessels is similar to that of all Viking vessels. There is a version of Viking's signature Italian spot on the ships.
The Explorers' Lounge is one of the features that will be familiar to regular Viking customers.
During the downturn in the industry, Viking expanded its fleet quickly. The new vessels in the Viking fleet include Viking Polaris.
There is a guide to Viking cruises.
Viking now operates 80 river ships around the world and seven traditional ocean ships. There are six ocean ships and three river ships under construction.
When to invest is when bad times are. When we see them, we try to take advantage of them.
Viking had just four river vessels. The company operated just a few ships in the past. One of the fastest-growing cruise operators in history has been the privately owned brand. Since 2012 it has doubled in size and now carries half a million passengers a year.
There is a guide to picking a cruise line.
The current star that hovers over the North Pole is called Viking Polaris. The current "south star" that is hovering over the South Pole is called Viking Octantis.
Most of the expedition ships will spend their careers in the polar regions.
During the winter season, Viking Polaris will sail to the South Pole before heading to the Great Lakes.
Not including taxes and fees, the cost for a 12-night trip to the South Pole is $13,995 per person. Sailings on the Great Lakes start at $5,995 a person.
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