Nicolas C. Solari: August 2006

Captain log August 22nd, Cruising the mighty water of the Yangtze

Upon receiving the fleet (24 ships) mid-season results:

Viking Century SKY Best Overall Results
Viking Century SKY No1 Guest Satisfaction Ratings
Viking Century SKY Highest Revenue
Viking Century SKY Highest Avg.. Check per guest
Viking Century SKY Best Cross-selling program
Viking Century SKY Best Cabin Upgrade Sales program

!!WOW!!

Well so many good result needed to be celebrated and Hotel General Manager, Nicolas C. Solari decided to Invite his hard working crew for a BBQ.

Location was choosen a Maoping port at the entrance of the famous Three gorges Dam and the chefs (or is it Thomas the cruise mgr.)got the fire running.

Delicious ribs, assorted sausages, spicy chicken wing corn on the cob and others salad were on the menu of this festive events.

All the officier helped following the lead of Nicolas Solari (Hotel General Manager).

Lashing of fresh local beer and fruit punch for toasting and the party was a success.

The Celebration for the birthday of the month was held at this occasion hosted by Captain Guo and Hotel Mgr. Nicolas Solari.

Another b’day girl ( Sophia Solari daughter of Hotel GM Nicolas)
can you find her on the picture

After a last toast cleaning was done and by midnight everybody was on board with good memories

Leading River Cruise Line Named “Top 10”

LOS ANGELES (August 1, 2006) – For the third consecutive year, Viking River Cruises was honored by readers of top travel publication Travel + Leisure as one of the “Top 10 Small Ship Cruise Lines” in their 11th annual “World’s Best Awards.” Travel + Leisure magazine’s annual “World’s Best Awards” allows its readers to provide insights on their favorite cities, hotels and cruise lines

“We are extremely honored to be included on the 2006 list, and for the past three years,” said Torstein Hagen, Founding Chairman, Viking River Cruises. “As the world’s largest river cruise line, we provide our passengers with diverse and in-depth experiences on the majestic rivers of Europe, Russia and China. Our inclusion on the list indicates that we’re doing something right …and we’re committed to continuing to surpass our customers’ expectations.”

2007 European Offerings

Viking River Cruises offers 14 different itineraries in 2007 ranging from seven to 14 nights along the Rhine, Main, Danube, Seine, Saône, Rhône, and Elbe Rivers, plus Russia’s Waterways of the Czars and Ukraine’s Dnieper River. Various itineraries highlight Amsterdam, Vienna, Paris, Budapest, Berlin, Prague plus quaint small European towns and villages along the rivers. All feature included tours with English-speaking guides, non-smoking shipboard environments, gourmet food, and an English-speaking crew.

2007 China Offerings

Viking Century Sun and Viking Century Sky, 5-star sister ships each carrying 306 passengers, are the newest and most deluxe ships on the Yangtze River. Viking River Cruises offers three different China cruisetour itineraries, each including a Yangtze River cruise plus overnight five-star hotel stays in Beijing, Xian (home of the Terra Cotta Warriors) and cosmopolitan Shanghai.

From favorite cities and islands to favorite domestic airlines and car-rental agencies, Travel + Leisure uncovers the best in travel. For each category in the “World’s Best Awards,” readers weighed in on their travel experiences and provided feedback in a number of areas. Cruise lines in particular are rated on cabins, food, service, itineraries/destinations, activities, and value. Cruise lines are also divided into two categories based on passenger capacity. The majority of small cruise lines have a maximum capacity of 400 per ship. Viking River Cruises falls into this category, with a typical passenger capacity of 150 passengers in an intimate, comfortable setting.

“The World’s Best” list appears in the August issue of Travel + Leisure, and is also available online at www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest.

About Viking River Cruises

Viking River Cruises, the world leader in river cruising, offers quality service, gourmet cuisine and comfortable scenic cruising along Europe, Russia and China’s majestic rivers. The company is a multiple-time winner of the Condé Nast Traveler’s “Gold List” Award and Travel & Leisure’s “World’s Best” Awards. TravelAge West’s travel agent readers also recently recognized Viking River Cruises with the 2006 “WAVE” Award for “Best Overall Cruise Line for River Cruising.” Additionally, Viking River Cruises was named “Best River Cruise” by CruiseReport.com. Since its 1997 inception, the company has grown to a fleet of 23 vessels, and provides a unique, affordable vacation to experienced travelers with an interest in geography, culture and history.
For additional information, contact Viking River Cruises at 1-877-66VIKING (1-877-668-4546) toll-free or visit the company online at vikingrivercruises.com

Press releases:

VIKING RIVER CRUISES RECOGNIZED AS WORLD BEST