Viking changes name of fifth ship to Orion

Viking Cruises is to call its fifth ship Viking Orion, not Viking Spirit as originally planned. The vessel will still be launched in June 2018.

Anna Lee Fisher, a former astronaut, has been named as the ship’s godmother. Lee Fisher was the first mother in space.

The 930-passenger ship will join a fleet that includes Viking Sun, which will embark on its first cruise this month, Viking Star, Viking Sea and Viking Sky. A sixth ship will join the fleet in 2019.

Torstein Hagen, the company’s founder and chairman, told Cruise Adviser that “by 2020 we will be the biggest small-ship cruise line in the world. Our repeat booking rates are about 40 per cent.”

Viking Orion will sail in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Alaska.