Celebrating Viking’s Longstanding Relationships with Valued Travel Advisors, Godparents Will Officially Welcome Ships to Award-Winning Fleet This Fall

Viking^® announced that seven distinguished travel advisors will serve as godparents of its newest river ships. Selected in recognition of their longstanding partnership with Viking and contributions to the travel industry, the seven advisors and industry leaders represent some of the company’s most valued relationships across the global travel advisor community.

Of the seven new river ships, the Viking Haki, the Viking Halogi, the Viking Sjofn and the Viking Rota will sail Viking’s most popular itineraries along the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. The Viking Sekhmet and the Viking Ptah will sail the Nile River, while the Viking Fjolvar will sail itineraries on the Seine River. These vessels will join Viking’s award-winning fleet of more than 100 ships.

“For nearly 30 years, our travel advisor partners have helped curious travelers explore the world with Viking,” said Leah Talactac, President and Chief Executive Officer of Viking. “These seven individuals represent the strength of those longstanding relationships, and we are proud to honor them as godparents of our newest river ships.”

Viking Godparents

The maritime tradition of appointing a ceremonial godmother for each new ship dates back thousands of years. Viking has adapted this custom and extended it to include godfathers. Viking’s tradition is to appoint individuals who have made an impact—either in the world or in the life of Viking. For its newest ships, the company invited the following valued travel advisor partners to serve as godparents:

• Shelby Steudle, President, Pavlus Travel – Godmother of the Viking Fjolvar – A valued partner whose relationship with Viking spans more than 20 years, Shelby has helped strengthen the longstanding bond between Viking and Pavlus Travel while driving continued business growth.
• Carol Porter, Co-Owner, The Roaming Boomers – Godmother of the Viking Haki – A Viking partner since 2014, Carol and her husband, Dave, have grown their travel services business into the #1 advisors for Viking within the Virtuoso network.
• Carol Shaddix, Owner, Imagine Going There – Godmother of the Viking Halogi – A longtime Viking supporter, Carol has built her business through a dedicated focus on Viking and has become Viking’s #2 global travel advisor.
• Michael Londregan, Senior Vice President, Global Operations, Virtuoso – Godfather of the Viking Ptah – A passionate Viking advocate since the partnership began in 2017, Michael has played a significant role in strengthening Viking’s presence within the Virtuoso network across Australia and New Zealand.
• Ealeen Wong, Senior Director, Strategy, Partnership and Sales, Expedia Cruises – Godmother of the Viking Rota – A strategic and valued partner, Ealeen has helped develop Viking’s relationship with Expedia Cruises and strengthen the business across the Canadian and U.S. markets.
• Michael Consoli, Owner, Cruise Planners – Godfather of the Viking Sekhmet – Viking’s #1 global producing travel advisor, Michael has been a dedicated partner and advocate for the company since 2010, playing an important role in Viking’s growth over the past 15 years.
• Danielle “Dani” Galloway, Global Managing Director, Premium Leisure and Independents, Flight Centre Travel Group – Godmother of the Viking Sjofn – One of Australia and New Zealand’s most respected luxury travel leaders and a longtime advocate for Viking, Dani has been instrumental in helping Viking become the number one cruise line within Flight Centre Travel Group’s luxury travel advisor brand, Travel Associates.

Viking plans to celebrate the official naming of the seven new river ships during a ceremony in Amsterdam on October 15. During the event, the godparents will officially name their ships and welcome them to Viking’s award-winning river fleet.