Viking celebrated the company's 25th anniversary with a historic event in Amsterdam. To commemorate the milestone, for the first time, three classes of Viking ships—a riverboat, an ocean-going vessel, and the company's newest expedition ship, the Viking Polaris—gathered in Amsterdam and sailed in a special convoy to IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
Along with the Viking Polaris, the Viking Longship, the Viking Mani and the ocean-going vessel Viking Mars participated in the convoy.
During the Amsterdam event, Viking also christened the Viking Polaris and the Viking Octantis, which is currently sailing its inaugural season on the Great Lakes. Both ships will spend the austral summer in Antarctica before traveling north to the Great Lakes for a series of voyages during the spring and summer.
“Today is a historic day for Viking: celebrating our 25th anniversary, having all classes of our ships sailing together for the first time, and naming our phenomenal new expedition ships,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.
Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft, godmothers of the Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, attended the ceremony in Amsterdam and offered a blessing of good luck and safe sailing for the new ships. During the ceremony, guests enjoyed performances by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world's leading sopranos and godmother of the Viking Jupiter, and violinist Tor Jaran Apold.
Viking's 25th anniversary celebration in Amsterdam is the latest event in a historic year in which the company has also welcomed eight new Viking Longships to its fleet on European rivers, as well as new vessels built specifically for the Mekong, Nile, and Mississippi rivers. By the end of 2022, two identical new ocean-going vessels will also have joined the Viking fleet.
In addition, Viking has released a new video about the company's history and some of the key partners who have contributed to its success, which was shared today on board all Viking ships as part of the 25th anniversary celebration.
The new polar-class Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris accommodate 378 guests in 189 cabins. These expedition-ready ships are ideally sized for safety and comfort in remote destinations. With more indoor and outdoor viewing areas than other expedition vessels, guests are as close as possible to some of Earth's most magnificent landscapes.
