{"id":2854,"date":"2014-03-11T17:51:55","date_gmt":"2014-03-11T23:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livevoyagereports.com\/?page_id=2854"},"modified":"2017-09-06T14:36:54","modified_gmt":"2017-09-06T20:36:54","slug":"viking-longships-christening-2014","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/live-voyage-reports\/viking-longships-christening-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Viking Longships Christening 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aaron & Ralph head to France to witness river cruising history – again.<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s March, and for most of us, that means spring is here. But for those in the river cruise industry, March is special for another reason: it\u2019s historically when lines put their newest vessels into service for the very first time.<\/p>\n

This year is no exception; in fact, more new river cruise ships are scheduled to enter service this year than at any other point in history. An astonishing 14 ships are entering service with Viking River Cruises <\/b>alone \u2013 and we\u2019ll be bringing you all the latest updates as we travel to France<\/b> to witness the third consecutive year of Longship christenings.<\/p>\n

\"Viking<\/a>

Viking Odin arrives in Hoorn, Netherlands last year. This year, Viking will christen a total of 16 ships in a ceremony in Avignon, France. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

Beginning Monday, March 17<\/b>, we\u2019ll be reporting live from Avignon<\/b> as we embark Viking Heimdal<\/i><\/b> <\/i>for an overnight stay prior to the actual christening ceremonies on Tuesday, March 18. A total of 16 ships will be christened in the city, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site and famous for its imposing Palais des Papes<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Of the 16 ships, two are Viking Longships that entered service last summer but were never christened in last year\u2019s ceremonies in Amsterdam, while the remaining 14 are all brand-new. Obviously, the logistics of placing all 14 vessels in Avignon are prohibitive. Most likely, Viking will use a combination of ships physically present on-the-day, complemented by video uplinks from other parts of Europe, as the line has done in the past.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>

This year’s Viking Longships will be christened in the French port of Avignon. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia \/ Creative Commons<\/p><\/div>\n

Viking Heimdal<\/i>, Viking Buri, <\/i>and Viking Hermod<\/i> will all be operating Viking\u2019s Portraits of Southern France <\/i><\/b>itinerary in 2014, sailing between Avignon and Chalon-sur-Saone.<\/p>\n

From Avignon, we\u2019ll travel next to Bordeaux<\/b> for a mini-cruise aboard Viking Forseti<\/i><\/b>, which was christened last March, for a firsthand-preview of one of Viking\u2019s newest itineraries.<\/p>\n

Introduced just this year, Viking\u2019s Chateaux, Rivers & Wine <\/i><\/b>sailings are a week in duration and operate roundtrip from Bordeaux. Along the way, guests will have the opportunity to sail the Gironde and Garonne Rivers to Pauilac<\/b>, Blaye, Libourne, <\/b>and Cadillac<\/b>. No, not the monstrous North American car manufacturer \u2013 Cadillac, France, is a historic commune with roots that can be traced back to 1280. Today, sweet dessert wines are produced here.<\/p>\n

Viking\u2019s newest itinerary in France starts in earnest on March 22 and runs through December 20.<\/p>\n

\"By<\/a>

By the time Viking Baldur was launched in 2013, a number of changes had been made. Note the lack of a chandelier, and the change in the flooring on the upper story from carpet to tile. Lighting sources have also been modified. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

In addition to visiting these amazing French locales for the first time, we’re also interested to see what subtle changes Viking has incorporated into the next evolution of Longships. As I wrote late last year, each successive \u201cpair\u201d of Viking Longships has been a little different from the last, with continuous tweaks being made to the furnishings and features of staterooms and public areas.<\/p>\n

Viking has always put on a great show in the past, and this week will likely to be no exception.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aaron & Ralph head to France to witness river cruising history – again. It\u2019s March, and for most of us, that means spring is here. But for those in the river cruise industry, March is special for another reason: it\u2019s historically when lines put their newest vessels into service for the very first time. This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2678,"parent":15021,"menu_order":17,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2854"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2854\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15021"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}