Viking donates to charities at Viking Mars naming
The ship was blessed by its ceremonial godmother, Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Countess of Carnarvon
Viking named its newest ocean ship, the Viking Mars, on Tuesday (17 May), in a small naming ceremony where it donated £10,000 to 25 charities, which was matched by the ship’s godmother.
The celebration took place in Valletta’s Grand Harbour, and the ship’s ceremonial godmother Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Countess of Carnarvon, offered her blessing for the ship via video from Highclere Castle. The castle is best known for its starring role in Downton Abbey.
In lieu of a large-scale event, Viking and Lady Carnarvon jointly decided to celebrate the naming of the Viking Mars and Viking’s 25th anniversary by donating £10,000 each to 25 charities, covering a spectrum of causes “that are important to both Viking and the Carnarvon family”.
Viking ocean ships are registered in Bergen, Norway, and the event coincided with Norwegian Constitution Day. It featured a performance by Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø, who is the godmother of the Viking Jupiter, and a bottle of Norwegian aquavit was smashed on the ship’s hull.
This week the ship will begin its maiden season, sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Northern Europe, before repositioning at the end of the year for voyages around Australia and New Zealand.
Delivered last week at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Anconca, Italy, the 930-guest Viking Mars is the newest vessel to join Viking’s ocean fleet of identical sister ships, which also includes the Viking Star, the Viking Sea, the Viking Sky, the Viking Orion, the Viking Jupiter and the Viking Venus.
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