|  In ,

Viking River Cruises and Uniworld to christen vessels in France

Viking River Cruises

If you’re a regular reader of my blogs, you may remember that I recently waxed lyrical about one of France’s real historic gems, Avignon and also not quite as recently, about another of its most ancient and enchanting destinations, Lyon.

Well, according to recent reports, it seems that two of the world’s leading river cruise lines share my enthusiasm. Viking River Cruises has just announced that it is to hold a christening ceremony in Avignon for the  14 Viking Longships due to launch next year, with Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection sailing closely in its wake, christening its newest river cruise ship in Lyon.

Viking River Cruises’ christening celebration is set to take place on March 17 and 18 next year. Viking River CruisesThough it’s not clear how many of the 14 new Viking Longships the line will unveil in Avignon, three of them are set to explore the region on a number of 2014 river cruises, namely Viking Buri, Viking Heimdal and Viking Hermod. In the past, when Viking River Cruises has christened multiple vessels at the same time, the line has set up a live video feed from where the vessels not attending the ceremony are being christened.

Just over a week later on March 26, 140 miles upriver, Uniworld is set to inaugurate its 159-passenger SS Catherine, which will be the line’s first new vessel since 2011, when the SS Antoinette first set sail. The SS Catherine will explore France’s Burgundy and Provence regions by way of the Saone and Rhone rivers and will boast such features as a mosaic-tiled pool and an al fresco dining terrace as part of the main restaurant.

As well as introducing new vessels, both Viking River Cruises and Uniworld are introducing new river cruises in France’s Bordeaux region in 2014. Uniworld will offer seven-night, round-trip voyages on-board the River Royale, while Viking River Cruises will explore the region with its 190-passenger Viking Forseti, one of the line’s newest Viking Longships which launched this year. Both of the line’s itineraries will start and end in Bordeaux.

By Simon Brotherton
Google

RiverVoyages_blog_deals_banner_2015_0403rivervoyages_blog_banner_newsletters_2015_0403

Share this:

mail
Emma Smith
Emma has more than seven years' experience as a writer and has been in the travel industry for nearly five years. She loves learning about new places and cruise ships coming to market, as well as discovering fun and exciting activities to do while you sail. She has cruised with Princess Cruises, Cunard, Celebrity Cruises, Virgin Voyages, Avalon Waterways and Royal Caribbean and is looking to get something in her diary for 2024! Her favourite things to see on a ship include excellent entertainment, a delicious cocktail menu and extraordinary dining venues.