Tag Archives: Croatia

Viking Names Vesta in Croatia

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Viking Names Vesta in Croatia

Viking named its newest ocean ship, the Viking Vesta, with a traditional ceremony in Split, Croatia, over the weekend. The vessel was recently delivered from Fincantieri to Viking.

Serving as ceremonial godmother of the Viking Vesta was the Norwegian journalist Lene Tangevald-Jensen, according to a press release.

The Viking Vesta will now continue her inaugural season sailing in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

“As we celebrate 10 years of ocean voyages in 2025, we are pleased to welcome the new Viking Vesta to our award-winning fleet of elegant sister ships,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking.

“We are also very grateful to Lene for serving as godmother. In addition to her personal and professional accomplishments, Lene embodies the values that are very important to me and to Viking—she is kind, honest, hardworking and, of course, curious. I am proud to count her as a friend and a valued member of the extended Viking family.”

In keeping with the naming tradition, during the ceremony, Lene used a Viking broad axe to cut a ribbon that allowed a bottle of Norwegian aquavit to break on the ship’s hull.

Guests also enjoyed performances by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world’s leading crossover sopranos and godmother of the Viking Jupiter, and Norwegian violinist Tor Jaran Apold.

Piraeus Welcomes First Ship of the Year, Costa Deliziosa

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The Port of Piraeus has welcomed its first cruise ship call of the new year with the arrival of the Costa Deliziosa on Tuesday, January 2, according to a press release.

To mark the occasion, the Management of Piraeus Port Authority hosted a special ceremony with the exchange of plaques and Christmas treats for all passengers.

The Costa Deliziosa arrived from Izmir, Turkey during its 14-night Mediterranean voyage sailing roundtrip from Trieste, Italy.

The ship then continued its trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia and will also call in Bari, Italy, before returning to Trieste on Saturday, January 6.

The port also reported historical records for cruise passengers in 2023, with approximately 1.5 million passengers, compared to 880,000 in 2022. Additionally, the total number of cruise ships that visited the port was 760.

The port expects record arrivals in 2024.

Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady Ready for Debut

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Virgin Voyages’ third ship, the Resilient Lady, will make its debut on May 14, 2023, when it embarks on its inaugural Greek Islands Glow voyage.

The ship will sail a roundtrip from Athens with stops in Santorini, Rhodes, Bodrum and an overnight call in Mykonos.

“Virgin Voyages’ delivers an amazing experience and has been recognized by hundreds of thousands of happy Sailors with the awards we’ve won for our service, food, design, entertainment and more,” said founder Richard Branson.

“We have shown the world all that we have to offer when it comes to having the holiday of your dreams, and I can’t wait to show off our lovely new Resilient Lady in one of the most magical places in the world as she sails around the Greek Isles, Croatia, Turkey and more.”

The ship will offer seven-night cruises to Greek Islands from May through October 2023. Upon completion of its inaugural season in Greece, the Resilient Lady will offer transcontinental voyages from Melbourne, Australia.

“I’m thrilled this day is finally here and that Resilient Lady has officially joined our award-winning fleet,” said Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages. “Since our launch just a few years ago, we have received the travel industry’s top awards and have experienced a very high rate of return with up to 40 per cent of our Sailors rebooking their next cruise while they’re still onboard with us. I know people are going to love voyaging with Resilient Lady as much as they have with Scarlet and Valiant Lady, and I look forward to sharing this five-star experience with even more Sailors this summer.”