VIKING CRUISE ‘FAMILY’ ADDS THE JUPITER TO ITS RAPIDLY EXPANDING OCEAN FLEET, NOW A HALF DOZEN AND COUNTING
Viking Ocean’s newest addition, the Jupiter, bring’s the Viking Ocean fleet up to an even half dozen, but who is that furry float-out canine, Finse and why does she rate her own commemorative coin? As always, CruisinWithTed.com brings us his insider story, going beyond the headlines to give you the scoop!
Viking Cruises is now the largest small ship cruise line in the world with six ships in the water and ten more on the way. That happened recently as Viking celebrated the float-out of its sixth ship, Viking Jupiter set for an early 2019 delivery.
Named in honor of the planet Jupiter, the ship will spend her maiden season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. CruisinWithTed.com shares with his followers the inside story on the unbridled expansion of the Viking small ship ocean fleet and how a family canine became an integral part of the picture.
The Float-Out, A Shipbuilding Tradition
A steel-cutting ceremony signals the start of a cruise ship’s production. A keel-laying ceremony marks the first completed section being lowered by giant cranes onto the building dock. The float-out ceremony takes place when a ship first touches water.
Good luck coins are often involved. The coin tradition dates back to Roman times when coins were attached to a ship to provide “divine protection.” On modern ships they are typically on display on the radar mast. Next time you are aboard a ship, head up to the top deck to try and spot the coin or coins.
According to long-standing Italian ship building tradition, a Madrina or godmother carries out these duties at ‘Float- Out’ ceremonies.
Viking’s Jupiter Float Out and Finse The Labrador
At the Viking Jupiter float out celebration, on hand at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard were all the traditional elements, the ship’s madrina, was there as well as Viking executives, workers from the shipyard and press who cover such events. As part of the ceremony, the following were selected for the commemorative coins to be welded under the ship mast for good luck. In this case, there were four coins.
- Norwegian singer/crossover soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø, with her angelic voice, Viking Jupiter’s madrina.
- Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen
- Ragnhild “Mamsen” Hagen, the mother of Chairman Hagen
All three are significant to the Viking organization for obvious reasons. Not so obvious, a fourth perhaps more significant coin was added for Finse, Hagen’s ‘granddog’.
Who is Finse, and how did this golden labrador become heralded at these Viking float outs? Being the prized pet of Viking Senior Vice President and Torstein Hagen’s daughter, Karine certainly doesn’t hurt.
The Viking Family’s canine Finse, whose full name, is humorlousy given as “Queen of Snoreway Ninkompoop Finse Daisy Dunsmere”, is actually, the main character of Karine Hagen’s children’s books, ‘The World of Finse‘, an educational series that showcases the adventures of Karine’s dog, Finse, set mostly along the global destinations and routes of Viking’s cruise itineraries.
The Cruise Industry Remains Today A ‘Family’ Business
The cruise industry itself, remains today tight-knit family, and none more than Viking Cruise Lines. We bring this to your attention, not because as a curiosity, but more because it reveals a great deal about the brand. Consider this: Viking Cruises, a relatively new choice in the world of ocean cruising, is accelerating at a dizzying pace. Lost in the shuffle is perhaps an element that seems to be fueling this amazing success story: family.
We here at CruisinWithTed.com consider family to be a main theme of our own blossoming travel enterprise. Being a family business we consider these values to be at the core of our philosophy. Therefore, all our clients and growing throng of Facebook Followers, (Join Ted’s Famous FB Group, Friends Who Like Viking Cruises) (Like Ted’s Insightful Travel Facebook Page CruisinWithTed) are thought of as part of our family of friends. Just as Viking is clearly a family enterprise we believe that Viking cruise enthusiasts like you tend to appreciate the family and what it brings to our daily lives. And there is no more important member or our ‘family’ as Viking Cruise Lines and their global appeal of traveler around the world.
Read Ted’s Blog: Viking’s Chairman Orders Two New ‘Special’ Ocean Vessels, But Will They Be ‘Expedition’ Deployed?
As mentioned in Viking Cruises, Jupiter, float-out press release:
“Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø, who is widely considered one of the world’s top crossover sopranos and who has long been a cultural partner to Viking, served as Viking Jupiter’s madrina. She welded a commemorative coin representing her birth year, as well as the birth years for Chairman Hagen (1943) and Finse (2012), Hagen’s “grand dog.” A special coin, dated 1911, was also welded to represent Ragnhild “Mamsen” Hagen, the mother of Chairman Hagen and the woman after whom the onboard Norwegian deli Mamsen’s is named. Kyrkjebø then cut a cord to allow water to begin flowing into the ship’s building dock. Following a two-day process that will set Viking Jupiter afloat, the ship will then be moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.”
Read Ted’s Blog: The Best Of Viking River and Viking Ocean In One Easy Travel Package!
We hope that you will watch the full video of this amazing event, read the full Press Release from Viking and tell all your friends and family about Viking Cruises and make Cruisin’ With Ted, your next ticket to world adventure a true family journey.
Reach Out To Our ‘Family’ Of Small Ship Ocean and River Cruise Travel Experts For You Next Grand Adventure.
Please take a minute to pull up and save our exclusive Viking Cruises Website to your favorites and always use it to plan your next adventure.
Find how Small Ship Ocean and River Cruise Specialist, CruisinWithTed.com can assist you with his decades of providing world travelers like you with his special services on small ship and river cruising across the globe. Call Ted at 954-290-8626 or email hello@cruisinwithted.com
