Anne Diamond will christen the ship in the UK on 17 May before it embarks on English coastal cruises
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Viking has taken delivery of Viking Venus, its new ocean cruise ship, at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy.
The 930-guest Viking Venus will now sail to the UK to prepare for her christening, which will take place on 17 May. The vessel will be named by godmother Anne Diamond, a British journalist and broadcaster who has been conducting weekly interviews for Viking’s new Viking.TV enrichment channel since it launched in March 2020.
“We are especially proud to welcome our newest ship to the fleet this year,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking. “Many of us have stayed close to home for months, so this is an especially important milestone as we begin to get back out into the world again. We look forward to celebrating the naming of Viking Venus by her esteemed godmother, Anne Diamond, and to welcoming our UK guests back onboard next month.”
Following the christening, Viking Venus will embark on a series of eight-day ‘England’s Scenic Shores’ roundtrips departing from Portsmouth, UK on 22 May, 29 May and 5 June. The voyages will be exclusively for UK residents and will operate in line with the UK Government’s decision to allow domestic cruises to resume in May 2021.