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Viking Legend Christened

Viking River Cruises has officially christened its newest ship, Viking Legend, on the 23rd of November in Amsterdam. Stevi M. Tracas, Viking Legend’s godmother, broke the traditional bottle of champagne across the ship’s hull and delivered a heartfelt blessing: “May you sail the great rivers of Europe with impeccable style and with a special respect for our environment. May you be the setting for the delight and joy of travelers seeking new and enriching vistas, and may your journeys promote understanding and harmony amongst all cultures. I now christen this legendary ship Viking Legend. May you hold safe your dedicated crew and honored guests.”

Stevi Travas, a travel industry veteran, is married to Steve Tracas, president and CEO of Vacation.com, one of Viking’s marketing partners. “Stevi is the perfect choice as Viking Legend’s godmother,” said Michele Saegesser, Viking’s vice president of sales for North America and the South Pacific. “For three consecutive years, Vacation.com has recognized Viking River Cruises as Specialty Cruise Line of the Year during their annual Power of Partnership (POP) Awards. It seemed only fitting for us to honor the Vacation.com team for their ongoing support.”

Viking Legend carries 189 guests in 97 deluxe staterooms. “We have launched not only a beautiful new ship but a new era of European river cruise travel,” said company chairman Torstein Hagen. “This ‘green’ cruise ship, with its hybrid diesel engines and advanced emission control protocols, represents the future of cruise ships.” Viking Legend’s new diesel-electric hybrid engines use an estimated 20% less fuel. Her two engine rooms, one fore and one aft, are both completely noise-insulated, ensuring a very quiet ship. Viking Legend has additional features that help reduce its impact on the environment, including its own membrane water treatment plant, and it is among the first to be certified under new EU guidelines regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

Traveling With the Stars

Alex Trebek, the Emmy-winning host of the popular game show Jeopardy!, loves to travel. He was interviewed by USA Today about recent memorable trips he has taken, and had this to say about a China river cruise he took with Viking:

Q: What’s the most surprising/unexpected place you’ve ever visited?
A: China. I never had a desire in visiting China. Didn’t want to support that government. All of a sudden, a couple of years ago I arranged a trip to China with my family. We took a cruise on the Yangtze River and all of us thoroughly enjoyed it. Forget just about visiting the Great Wall of China. All tourists do that. But visit the digs at Xian, the Emperor’s Terracotta Army, and the Three Gorges Dam. One of the things I always enjoy doing was each day (when) the ship would stop in a different city we’d get off the boat and walk through the streets. We would usually go one street off the main drag to where the local folks shopped, particularly the food markets. I love the smells although some of them are unpleasant. But it’s fascinating.

Q: Can you offer an insider tip or recommendation for your favorite vacation place?
A: My family has become very enthusiastic boat travelers, but small boats. We don’t want to get on the big cruisers with 2,000 or 3,000 passengers. Jean and I have traveled on Seabourn (luxury cruise line) on a number of occasions and their ships have 200 passengers. Viking is also terrific. It’s an excellent way to travel because you unpack once and you’re in a different locale every day. You have great food and good guides and the boat people really look after you.

Viking Awards Go International

Viking River Cruises, the world’s leading river cruise line, is delighted to have been named World’s Leading River Cruise Operator in the prestigious World Travel Awards. Winners of the 16th Annual Awards were announced at a ceremony in London November 7. The awards were described by the Wall Street Journal as the “Oscars” of the global travel and tourism industry. World Travel Awards President Graham Cooke commented, “This year’s winners can display the official World Travel Awards symbol with pride on their sales and marketing literature, offering travelers a cast-iron assurance that what they are buying is a guarantee of travel excellence.”

In related news, Viking won the title of “Best River Cruise Line” at this year’s British Travel Awards ceremony. The 2010 awards were announced at a gala dinner, also held in London, on November 4. “In today’s competitive travel marketplace, we must always work harder to earn the trust of our valued passengers and their travel agents,” said Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen. “We always strive to deliver the best possible travel experience for every guest, every time they travel with us.”

Viking Recognized by Travel + Leisure Once Again

Viking River Cruises has been recognized by readers of top travel magazine Travel + Leisure as one of the “Top 10 Small-Ship Cruise Lines” in the periodical’s 14th annual “World’s Best” awards. “This is the fifth time we have appeared on this prestigious list,” stated Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking River Cruises, “and we are very pleased to be in the Top 10 once again.”

Nancy Novogrod, editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure, said, “This year’s results reflect our readers’ travel interests in this challenging economic reality—value, intimacy, service, and discovery are top priorities.”

Viking Announces 2010 Season

Viking River Cruises has announced its lineup of 2010 river cruise itineraries through northern and southern France, central and eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, China and Egypt. For the 2010 season, Viking is offering an unprecedented Early Booking Discount.

“Viking offers river cruises in four of the world’s regions, from 8 to 17 days in length, visiting anywhere from one to eight countries throughout the year. There is truly something for everyone,” declared Mr. Hagen. “And with this unprecedented Early Booking Discount, there has never been a better time to take a river cruise.”

The best river fleet gets even better

Our biggest news is the 2009 launch of Viking Legend on the popular Grand European Tour itinerary. This state-of-the-art and environmentally friendly vessel transports 189 guests in deluxe staterooms with either French balconies or large picture windows, both that open. Staterooms have hotel-style beds, a 26-inch flat-panel Sony television, refrigerator and 115v outlets.

Also in Europe, Viking Fontane is being renovated for the 2010 sailing season. The new AX stateroom category, with hotel-style beds, will enhance guests’ experience on our Cities of Light itinerary.

We have upgraded our Russian fleet. After full renovations, Viking Surkov and Viking Kirov offer deluxe staterooms throughout, plus suites and singles. These magnificent ships sail the Waterways of the Czars with staterooms featuring hotel-style beds, a flat-screen Sony television and a refrigerator.

Our China ship, Viking Century Sun, remains the best on the Yangtze. All staterooms have a balcony—so you never miss the view—and our Swiss hotel management brings the Viking standards of service, cleanliness and excellence to the Far East.

Recognition by the Trade Media

Viking River Cruises has once again been honored by the readers of two prestigious travel trade publications, Agent @ Home and Recommend. In the annual Agent @ Home Readers’ Choice Awards, Viking was named Best River Cruise Line, and in Recommend’s annual reader survey Viking was named Best Cruise Line – River Cruise for the third year running. “We are dedicated to supporting our valued travel agent partners, whether they are working in a large office or their home office,” said Torstein Hagen, Viking’s Chairman. “And we are grateful that they feel the same way about working with us.”

The Passionsspiele in Oberammergau

The year was 1633. The Thirty Years’ War, a religious conflict involving a great many European powers, was in its 15th year, and was being fought principally in Germany. Extensive destruction, famine and disease—including the dreaded bubonic plague—swept through the region.

Suffering heavily from the effects of war and illness, residents of the small Bavarian town of Oberammergau prayed for salvation. They made a promise to God that if their town were spared, they would perform a Passion Play—“the play of the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ”—every ten years, forever.

In 2010 you have a very special opportunity to witness the 41st Passionsspiele from the best seats in the house, and enjoy a Romantic Danube cruise as well. Click here for details.

The Shanghai World Expo/World’s Fair

Shanghai has become a dynamic, sophisticated world capital—and in 2010 it will host the World Expo/World’s Fair, whose theme is “Better City, Better Life,” from May through October. You can be there for 2 full days as an extension of your China’s Cultural Delights or Imperial Jewels of China itinerary (select departures). Your visit includes 2 extra nights at your Shanghai hotel, daily breakfasts, and two all-day passes plus transportation to and from the World’s Fair/Expo. See details here.

Yaroslavl’s 1,000th Birthday

Yaroslavl is one of Russia’s famed Golden Ring Cities—living museums of this fascinating country’s long and mysterious past. Stretching 18 miles along both banks of the Volga amidst a region of forests, Yaroslavl was founded in 1010 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise of Kiev. Now you can be there during its 1,000th anniversary year on a 2010 Waterways of the Czars cruise. Click here to learn more.

Viking’s 2010 catalog includes three new itineraries

• Danube Waltz, an 8-day Passau-to-Passau roundtrip sailing through Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia along the storied Danube River. Includes a tour of the 900-year-old baroque Benedictine abbey at Melk and an all-day excursion to the scenic city of Salzburg.

• China Discovery, a 10-day cruisetour featuring all the imperial treasures of Beijing plus a 6-day Yangtze River cruise through the Three Gorges. Guests on this itinerary enjoy a final afternoon and evening adjacent to Beijing's Olympic Village, where they can see some of the distinctive venues constructed for the 2008 Summer Games.

• Nile Explorer, a 9-day Egypt itinerary showcasing the highlights of Cairo plus a 5-day Aswan-to-Luxor cruise.

Viking has many advantages when it comes to quality, service and value, but we are always looking to improve your travel experience with us. For 2009, we have introduced a number of new programs and amenities to do just that, and here are a few.

Free Wireless Internet

For 2009, all Viking ships in Europe and Russia will have free shipwide wireless internet access. And in China, we have an internet café with computers for your use at a nominal fee.

Culture Curriculum

This new onboard lecture series takes you deeper into the culture and history of your destination. Depending upon your itinerary, you may discover works of painters inspired by France’s Seine region, learn about the fall of Communism in Russia, or explore the historical importance of China’s dynasties while sailing the Yangtze.

China’s Terra Cotta Warriors Travel to National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C.

The National Geographic Museum will be the final venue of the four-city U.S. tour of Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor. The exhibition includes 15 terra cotta figures, the largest number to travel to the U.S. from the tomb of China’s First Emperor. Emperor Qin Shihuangdi laid the foundation for modern China by defeating six neighboring warring states and declaring himself emperor of the unified territory in 221 B.C. Considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, the tomb complex contains thousands of terra cotta warriors intended to protect and serve Emperor Qin in the afterlife.

The National Geographic Museum features a variety of changing exhibitions as well as permanent and interactive displays that reflect the richness and diversity of our world. Founded in 1888 and one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations, National Geographic works to inspire people to care about the planet.

Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor is open November 19, 2009–March 31, 2010.