The climate was on Viking’s facet as godmother Nicole Stott christened the cruise line’s latest ship, the 930-passenger Viking Neptune, on the Los Angeles cruise terminal on January 8.
With a cover of dramatic clouds and the tranquil harbor waters offering a mirrorlike backdrop for the brilliantly lit Viking Neptune, the setting couldn’t have been extra very best. As throngs of visitors and onlookers lined the rails of the cruise terminal and the statement deck overlooking the ship’s bow, Viking chairman Torstein Hagen made an introductory speech, which was adopted by performances from Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø, godmother of Viking Jupiter (launched in 2020) and Norwegian violinist Tor Jaran Apold.
Wearing a standard Norwegian bunad, Sissel introduced the previous NASA astronaut, creator, artist and aquanaut with a historic Viking broad axe, which she used to sever a ribbon that despatched a bottle of Norwegian aquavit crashing into the ship’s hull.
With a protracted blast of Viking Neptune’s horn and a spherical of applause that echoed all through the harbor channel, Viking had formally welcomed its eighth Viking Star Class ship. A number of hours later, at midnight, Viking Neptune quietly sailed off to Honolulu, persevering with a bought out 138-night world cruise that started in Fort Lauderdale on December 22 and can conclude in London on Might 9.
