Viking Names Seven New River Ships in Amsterdam
Bottles of Norwegian aquavit were broken against the hulls, while Michael Londregan and Danielle Galloway became Viking’s first Australian ship godparents.
Viking named seven new river ships on October 15, 2026, in a ceremony led from Amsterdam, with travel advisors and industry executives serving as godparents. Held beside Viking Rota and Viking Haki, the event connected by video with five other vessels in Germany, France and Egypt.
The ships are assigned to three river regions: four to the Rhine, Main and Danube, one to France’s Seine and two to Egypt’s Nile.
“As we name our seven newest river ships, we are especially proud to honor travel advisor partners,” said Leah Talactac, Viking’s president and chief executive officer. She described those partners as “an integral part of our journey.”
Viking has extended the maritime custom of appointing godmothers to include godfathers. Each godparent offered wishes for passenger and crew safety, and the vessels were named with bottles of Norwegian aquavit broken against their hulls, a reference to the company’s Norwegian heritage.
Travel trade partners named as godparents
The appointments span agency owners, travel distribution businesses and travel industry networks. The seven godparents and their ships are:
- Shelby Steudle, president of Pavlus Travel, godmother of Viking Fjolvar.
- Michael Londregan, senior vice president at Virtuoso, godfather of Viking Ptah.
- Ealeen Wong, senior director of strategy, partnerships and sales for Expedia Group’s Global Cruise Business, godmother of Viking Rota.
- Michael Consoli, owner of Cruise Planners – Michael Consoli & Associates, godfather of Viking Sekhmet.
- Carol Porter, co-owner of The Roaming Boomers, godmother of Viking Haki.
- Carol Shaddix, owner of Imagine Going There Travel, godmother of Viking Halogi.
- Danielle Galloway, global managing director at Flight Centre Travel Group, godmother of Viking Sjofn.
Galloway and Londregan are the first Australians appointed as godparents of Viking ships. Consoli’s relationship with the line dates to 2010.
Longships for Europe, smaller ships for the Nile
Viking Haki, Viking Halogi, Viking Sjofn and Viking Rota will operate on the Rhine, Main and Danube. The standard European Longships measure 135 meters and accommodate up to 190 guests each. Two vessels participating remotely in the ceremony were completing construction at Neptun Werft in Rostock, Germany.
The Seine-bound Viking Fjolvar is a shorter Longship variant, measuring approximately 125 meters and carrying 168 guests. Built by Neptun Werft, it has 84 outside staterooms.
The two Nile sister ships, Viking Ptah and Viking Sekhmet, were built in Cairo and each accommodate 82 passengers in 41 outside staterooms. Ptah was delivered in August, while Viking announced Sekhmet’s delivery at Massara shipyard on September 29.
Ptah operates the 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids program, which combines hotel stays in Cairo with an eight-day Nile cruise beginning and ending in Luxor. Guests fly between Cairo and Luxor, and excursions include the temples at Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and sites around Aswan.
Sekhmet is also assigned to Pharaohs & Pyramids and the new 12-day Total Eclipse on the Nile itinerary in 2027. Both programs include three hotel nights in Cairo before the river portion and a final night in the capital after the cruise.
Fleet reaches 94 river ships
The seven-ship group brings Viking’s river fleet to 94 vessels, up from 29 in 2012.
In its September 29 fleet update, Viking projected delivery of 19 additional river ships by 2028 under its committed orderbook. At a media briefing before the naming ceremony, executives outlined a broader pipeline of 36 river ships on order or under option for delivery by 2032.
