When Viking named its seven newest river ships on Oct. 15, 2026, it gave every one of them a godparent from the travel trade. All seven are travel advisors or leaders of travel companies that sell Viking cruises. One of them is Viking's top-selling travel advisor in the world.
Viking held the naming ceremony in Amsterdam. It was linked by video to ships in France, Germany and Egypt, so all seven ships were named at the same time. You can read Viking's announcement in full.
The seven new ships and where they sail
According to Viking, here is where each new ship will sail:
| Ship | River |
|---|---|
| Viking Haki | Rhine, Main and Danube |
| Viking Halogi | Rhine, Main and Danube |
| Viking Sjofn | Rhine, Main and Danube |
| Viking Rota | Rhine, Main and Danube |
| Viking Ptah | Nile |
| Viking Sekhmet | Nile, from 2027 |
| Viking Fjolvar | Seine |
Viking says the four ships in Europe will sail its most popular routes on the Rhine, Main and Danube. Viking Ptah already sails the Nile, and Viking Sekhmet will start sailing there in 2027. Viking Fjolvar sails the Seine in France.
Viking Rota is one of the ships Viking took delivery of this month. We covered that in our story on Viking Rota's delivery.
Who the godparents are
Ship naming is an old sea custom. A godmother wishes the ship and everyone on board a safe voyage. Viking has stretched that custom to include godfathers too. It picks people who have made a difference in the world or in the company's own story.
This time, all seven were from the travel trade:
- Viking Fjolvar: Shelby Steudle, president of Pavlus Travel. Her firm has worked with Viking for more than 20 years.
- Viking Ptah: Michael Londregan, senior vice president of global markets at Virtuoso. Viking credits him with helping it grow in Australia and New Zealand.
- Viking Rota: Ealeen Wong, a senior director for Expedia Group's global cruise business. She has helped grow Viking's ties with Expedia Cruises in the U.S. and Canada.
- Viking Sekhmet: Michael Consoli, owner of Cruise Planners. Viking calls him its top-producing travel advisor in the world. He has backed Viking since 2010.
- Viking Haki: Carol Porter, co-owner of The Roaming Boomers. She and her husband are Viking's top sellers in the Virtuoso network.
- Viking Halogi: Carol Shaddix, owner of Imagine Going There Travel. Viking says she is its second-highest-producing advisor in the world.
- Viking Sjofn: Danielle "Dani" Galloway, a global managing director at Flight Centre Travel Group. Viking says she helped make it the No. 1 cruise line in Flight Centre's Travel Associates brand.
"It is a privilege to recognize seven of these exceptional partners as godparents in gratitude for their meaningful contributions to Viking's success," said Leah Talactac, Viking's president and CEO.
Inside the ceremony
The main event took place in Amsterdam, beside Viking Rota and Viking Haki. The other five ships joined by video from three countries:
- Les Andelys, France: Viking Fjolvar
- Rostock, Germany: Viking Halogi and Viking Sjofn
- Luxor, Egypt: Viking Ptah and Viking Sekhmet
Viking's executive chairman, Torstein Hagen, welcomed the guests. Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø sang. She is also the godmother of the ocean ship Viking Jupiter. Norwegian violinist Tor Jaran Apold played as well.
Why this matters to travelers
A naming ceremony does not change your cabin or your fare. But this one says a lot about how Viking sells its cruises.
By choosing seven advisors and agency leaders as godparents, Viking put the people who sell its trips on stage. It also said out loud which sellers move the most Viking cruises: Cruise Planners' Michael Consoli is No. 1 in the world, and Imagine Going There is No. 2.
The list also reads like a who's who of the travel trade: Virtuoso, Expedia Cruises, Cruise Planners and Flight Centre. If you book Viking through an agency in one of those networks, your advisor's company just had a ship named in its honor.
For travelers, the ships matter more than the godparents. Four of the seven sail Viking's most popular Rhine, Main and Danube routes, and two more sail the Nile.
The fleet keeps growing
Viking now has more than 100 ships, it says. It sails 21 rivers, five oceans and all seven continents.
Viking did not give new itineraries or fares in this release. You can browse its river ships on our Viking River Cruises page.
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