Explore More - 2019

TORSTEIN HAGEN Viking

TORSTEIN HAGEN Viking Chairman explains how he has brought casual elegance back to ocean cruising and reveals his vision for the future ur cruises are for guests who want to learn. We want to stimulate their minds and their conversations with their experiences both on board and on shore. We lead the river cruise industry, and with our ocean sailings, we have transported the intimacy of a river cruise onto the open seas. The arrival of our sixth ocean ship in 2019 will make us the largest small ship ocean cruise line, and we look forward to introducing more guests to The Viking Way of travel. What makes Viking different from other cruise lines is that we include a lot more in the overall price of the cruise. We have overnight stays in the ports at the beginning and end of many cruises and every port includes an excursion. So many lines get passengers on board and then charge them for anything additional. We offer great value. We have free Wi-Fi and the self-service launderettes are free. Likewise, our Spa does not put sales pressure on our guests and we have many positive comments about this. All the staterooms on our ocean ships have verandas and there is no casino on board. There is a good variety of dining options on board, but the best food is served in the main dining room, The Restaurant. Our alternative restaurants do not have fees. Also, since dining is part of a destination-oriented experience, we convey this by including local delicacies on many of our menus. Mamsen’s®, the Scandinavian deli on board Viking ocean ships, serves dishes my mother used to cook when I was a little boy. There is a picture of her on skis pulling my daughter, Karine, in a traditional pulk. A quirky detail is that the china in Mamsen’s is the same design as the set we used at home when I was growing up; coincidentally, it was called Tor Viking. In the Explorers’ Lounge, there is a model of the Stella Polaris, whose yacht-style bow was the inspiration for both Viking Star® and Royal Viking Line ships. Viking will be sailing the Nile River in Egypt. For more than two decades, we have led the industry in river cruising with our innovative ship design and itineraries that bring our guests closer to the cultures of the world, and Egypt is one of the most intriguing countries in the world. Our forthcoming HAGEN FAMILY ALBUM Egypt vessel, Viking Ra® , has our signature Scandinavian design but with local influences, and has space for 52 guests. When we launched our first river cruises in Russia and Europe, what had been a relatively small travel niche became the fastest growing segment of the travel industry. Now we have 60-plus river vessels; we carry 300,000 guests every year and sail to more than 100 countries. Main picture: Torstein Hagen Family album, clockwise from top left: Ragnhild “Mamsen” Hagen; the Chairman’s father, Torstein Hagen, Sr.; sister, Marit Hagen; a childhood photo 8 VIKING.COM EXPLORE MORE 2019

INTERVIEW DR. ANNA FISHER The former NASA astronaut and first mother in space discusses her career highs and becoming godmother to Viking Orion ® ou were one of the first six female NASA astronauts; when did you know you wanted to be an astronaut? Well, when I was a little girl, there were no astronauts, such a thing did not exist. My father was in the military and we were stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. I was 12 years old, in seventh grade. It was Alan Shepard’s first suborbital launch and our teacher had a little transistor radio. We all crowded around her, listening to him talk to mission control. That is when I said, “I want do that.” In 1984 on board Discovery, you became the first mother in space when your daughter was nine months old. Can you describe what happened in those crucial first minutes after liftoff? If anyone says it is not scary, then they are lying to you, but you have to make your peace with what is going to happen. I was the flight engineer, so if we lost an engine at two minutes, my job was to decide what kind of an abort we were going to do. All I can remember is looking at altitude, air speed, main engines—I was just watching those engine lights like crazy. I wanted to come back to my daughter. You spent 192 hours in space overall, but what do the first moments in space feel like? You know, your first moments in space are not always your best. You are at 3 Gs for at least two minutes or so and you lay on your back. Then, the engines shut off and “boof,” you are weightless; I could feel the blood rushing about. I was extremely thankful I ate nothing for breakfast so I did not throw up, because if you think throwing up is bad here on the ground, it is really bad when you are weightless. How did you become godmother to Viking Orion? Well, it is a funny story. One of my friends really wanted to go on a cruise, and we arranged a Rhine Getaway cruise from Amsterdam to Basel with Viking. About midway through, Viking found out I was an astronaut. Afterward, I received a call from Karine Hagen asking if I would like to be godmother to their next ship. It was an incredible honor and so unexpected. Above: Former NASA astronaut Dr. Anna Fisher Below: Dr. Fisher admires the new ship alongside Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen How did you choose the name? Viking wanted to have a space theme and was talking about planets, stars and constellations. I said, “Wait a minute, Orion is a constellation, very important in navigation pointing to the North Star, and my last job at NASA was working on the Orion capsule.” So, we decided to go with Orion. The next thing, I arrive at the port in Ancona and there is this big, beautiful ship that says Orion. It was amazing, a real experience. EXPLORE MORE 2019 | VIKING.COM 9