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.
The MSC Preziosa is completing ten years this month. Built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, the 140,000-ton vessel was delivered to MSC Cruises on March 13, 2013.
After leaving the French facility, the vessel offered a pre-inaugural cruise to the Mediterranean. Sailing to Portugal, Spain, France, Morocco and Italy, the one-way voyage ended in Genoa – where the ship was christened before officially entering service.
The ship was joined by the MSC Lirica and the MSC Splendida during the ceremony, which took place on March 24, 2013, and was attended by Sophia Loren, the Italian actress that served as godmother of the Preziosa and most of MSC’s newbuilds.
According to MSC, the event also included a high-profile gala dinner, and entertainment from top Italian and international performers in the company of celebrities, media, authorities and the company’s top management.
Following the ceremony, the MSC Preziosa kicked off its inaugural season in the Western Mediterranean.
Sailing from Genoa through the end of the European summer, the vessel offered a series of weeklong cruises during its maiden program.
Visiting Italy, Tunisia, Spain and France, the itinerary featured Naples, Messina, La Goulette, Barcelona and Marseille as ports of call.
In November, the MSC Preziosa crossed the Atlantic for the first time ahead of a winter season in Brazil.
Sailing from the Port of Santos during the entire 2013-2014 season, the vessel became the biggest and one of the newest cruise ships ever to sail from the South American country.
Completing MSC’s Fantasia Class, the MSC Preziosa offers most of the amenities of its sister ships, including a three-deck theatre, three pool decks, five restaurants, a complete wellness centre and more.
Royal Caribbean International officially welcomed Wonder of the Seas into the family on Friday at Port Canaveral.
The cruise line’s latest ship was named by its Godmother and Wonder Mom Marie McCrea from Pennsylvania. The evening ceremony also marked the start of a new chapter for Wonder as it makes waves as Port Canaveral’s new, year-round family vacation, the company said.
Royal Caribbean executives and teams, families, friends, travel advisors, the cruise line’s partners and more came together on board the world’s largest cruise ship to celebrate the occasion.
In the time-honoured role of Godmother, Marie bestowed a blessing of safekeeping on Wonder, its crew and the millions of families who will make lifelong memories on board in the years to come. On stage with Marie were Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley, and her daughter, Allie, who nominated her mother for the role as part of a nationwide search started by Royal Caribbean on Mother’s Day.
“Wonder of the Seas exemplifies Royal Caribbean Group’s focus on unparalleled innovation, sustainable cruise ship design and our commitment to delivering world-class, memorable vacations, responsibly,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, of Royal Caribbean Group. “This milestone represents the culmination of millions of hours of work, from the most innovative minds in the industry, to deliver the world’s latest wonder.”
Designed for memory-making from end to end, Wonder inspires awe and adventure in kids and vacationers of all ages with feats and experiences across eight neighbourhoods – a first in the revolutionary Oasis Class. To find the Godmother to match, Royal Caribbean took to TikTok and launched the #SearchforWonderMom contest, which saw 16,000 videos posted and 10.6 billion hashtag views.
The search was complete when the cruise line heard Marie’s story, one of a devoted mother, wife and cancer survivor whose spirit inspired her family and those around her to set out on adventures and enjoy every moment together despite the hardships they faced.
“It was an honour to officially welcome Marie, and Wonder of the Seas, to the Royal Caribbean family,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, of Royal Caribbean International. “Marie’s story is one of incredible strength and family memories to last a lifetime, and those are the types of memories we’ve committed to creating with our guests and crew on every Royal Caribbean ship for more than 53 years. Wonder is the adventure of all adventures that combines what families know and love on our revolutionary Oasis Class ships with brand-new experiences, and it’s already delivered memorable vacations to more than 180,500 guests since first setting sail in March.”
“Carrying out my role as Godmother and a part of such an important moment for Royal Caribbean and Wonder of the Seas was such an honour,” said Marie McCrea, Godmother of Wonder of the Seas. “Having my family by my side to celebrate this incredible ship was yet another memory we’ve made together – and with our new Royal Caribbean family – that I’ll never forget.”
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