Porthole Cruise News Briefs – Oct. 6, 2017

Porthole Cruise News Briefs – Oct. 6, 2017

• Viking Ocean Cruises is looking to the stars to welcome their fifth ship, Viking Orion. The vessel will be christened by chemist, emergency room physician and recently retired astronaut Dr. Anna Fisher in July 2018. The ship was named after the constellation, and after Fisher’s contributions to NASA’s Orion exploration vehicle project. The godmother-to-be attended Viking Orion’s float-out at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard with line chairman Torstein Hagen.
• Oceania Cruises has unveiled new amenities for Concierge Level guests, including free laundry and in-stateroom dining service from the Grand Dining Room for lunch and dinner.
• Baltic cruisers can look forward to a new cruise terminal in Copenhagen, designed for more than 5,000 passengers per call and allowing bigger ships to visit Denmark. The terminal will be located beyond the current Oceankaj in Ydre Nordhavn.
• Emerald Waterways welcomed a new Star Ship to its European river fleet with the christening of Emerald Liberté in Lyon, France. Australian travel industry veteran and long-time cruise director Maxine Collins served as godmother to the ship, which will cruise the south of France.
• River operator AmaWaterways has announced more than 50 itineraries for its 2018 wine cruises, hosted by North American winemakers, winery owners and expert oenologists, including Martin and Megan Clubb, of L’Ecole No. 41; Anthony Bell, of Bell Wine Cellars; Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo, of Messina Hof Winery; Sally and Fred Schweiger, of the Schweiger Estate; and Amelia Ceja, of Ceja Vineyards.

^{Photos: Viking Ocean Cruises, AmaWaterways}