The new Viking Neptune has been appropriately christened and formally welcomed into the cruise line’s ocean fleet by a godmother with wonderful connections to each the ocean and to area, astronaut and aquanaut Nicole Stott. The ship is now charting wonderful new programs for friends on an epic 138-night world cruise.
Viking Neptune Named
Viking Neptune was formally named in Los Angeles, California, residence of the cruise line’s headquarters, on January 8, 2023. The ceremony included all the normal parts of maritime ceremonies to bless new ships to be able to ship Viking Neptune on her means with all applicable fanfare.
“Today is a proud day for the entire Viking family as we name our newest ocean ship in Los Angeles, the home of Viking’s U.S. office for more than 20 years,” stated Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.
In attendance on the occasion had been varied cruise line executives, ship officers, and different dignitaries, together with a number of “godsisters” representing different ships within the Viking fleet.
A Spacefaring and Seafaring Godmother
Doing the honors to formally christen the ship was Viking Neptune‘s godmother, astronaut and aquanaut Nicole Stott. The name “Neptune” references both space and sea, making Stott a superb choice as the ship’s godmother.
“The Viking Neptune is a ship named for both the furthest planet in our solar system and the god of the sea—and our newest Viking godmother, Nicole Stott, as a NASA astronaut and aquanaut, also has connections to space and the sea,” stated Hagen. “We are grateful for her many contributions to the scientific community and are proud to have her as part of the Viking family.”
Stott’s astronaut expertise consists of two spaceflights with 104 days in area on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS). She carried out one area stroll, was the primary particular person to fly the robotic arm to seize the free-flying HTV cargo automobile, the final crew member to fly to and from their ISS mission on a Space Shuttle, and a member of the ultimate flight crew of Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-133.
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Nicole can also be a NASA aquanaut who lived and labored on the Aquarius Undersea Habitat for 18 days, the one undersea laboratory on the planet. Currently, Aquarius is positioned 62 ft (19 meters) under the floor, 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) off Key Largo within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
“It is an honor and privilege to be the godmother of the new Viking Neptune. As someone who has been blessed to explore space, the ocean, and some of the otherworldly places on our planet, I understand the importance of broadening one’s horizons through travel,” stated Stott. “I am very excited for all those who journey around the world on this elegant vessel.”
For the naming ceremony, Stott was offered with an historic Viking broad axe by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of many world’s main crossover sopranos and godmother of Viking Jupiter, who used it when naming that ship in January 2020. Stott then used the identical axe to chop a ribbon that allowed a bottle of Norwegian aquavit to interrupt on Viking Neptune‘s hull.
A Remarkable World Cruise
Viking Neptune started its present crusing, a 138-night world cruise, from Fort Lauderdale on December 22, 2022. Prior to arriving in Los Angeles for the naming ceremony, the ship had already visited ports in Mexico, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, together with transiting the Panama Canal.
The voyage now continues and in complete, the brand new ship will go to 28 international locations and 57 ports, together with in a single day stays in 11 cities resembling Auckland, Sydney, Saigon, Singapore, Mumbai, Istanbul, and extra. The excellent journey will finish in London on May 8, 2023.
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Viking Neptune is basically similar to her sister ships, weighing in at 47,842 gross tons and capable of welcome 930 friends aboard, all of whom will take pleasure in verandah staterooms.
What units this ship aside is her small hydrogen gas system. Viking Neptune is the primary ship within the cruise trade to check hydrogen energy for onboard operations, and data from her engines will likely be instrumental in adapting the facility system for bigger future ships.
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