Royal Viking Line News

The Seattle-based Holland America Line said its small ship  835-passenger Prinsendam had been sold to a company that would put it in service with a German cruise operator Phoenix Reisen. Holland America said the ship will leave the Holland America fleet on July 1, 2019. For sailings after July 1, 2019 Holland America Line says it is reaching out to booked passengers and their travel professionals to re-accommodate guests. At 37,983 tons, Prinsendam is more than 30% smaller than the next smallest vessel in the Holland America fleet. It's the only Holland America ship to carry fewer than 1,000 passengers — a level often seen as the threshold between a small and mid-size ship in the cruise world.

Christian Sauleau has rejoined Silversea Cruises as executive vice president of fleet operations, overseeing marine, technical, hotel, crewing, entertainment and land programs. He reports to the company's CEO, Amerigo Perasso. Sauleau was the line's senior vice president of operations in the mid-1990s, and was instrumental in developing the award-winning company's exceptional reputation for personalized service and hospitality. He will be based in the office. Sauleau was recently the executive vice president of operations at Regent Seven Seas Cruises, where he played an integral role in the expansion of their fleet, overseeing construction of new vessels. His career also includes several years at Royal Viking Line in both shipboard and shoreside capacities.

A new concept in luxury living and travel has been brought to realization with the completion of the much-vaunted ResidenSea ship, The World, which made its service debut at European ports during April. The unique vessel, home to a resort community continuously circumnavigating the globe, is the brainchild of Knut U. Kloster Jr., and is a testament to the Nordic maritime sector's propensity for innovation. Mr. Kloster was former chairman of Royal Viking Line and Norwegian Cruise Lines, and his father was a pioneer in the cruise industry, operating vessels out of Miami in the early 1960s. Several prominent cruise, shipping and hospitality industry investors have joined Kloster in funding the company ResidenSea, registered at Freeport, Bahamas.

American Classic Voyages Co. has appointed Scott G. McGinnis vice president of marketing for its Delta Queen product group, which includes Delta Queen Steamboat Company and Delta Queen Coastal Voyages. McGinnis is responsible for all marketing activity on behalf of Delta Queen Steamboat Company's four riverboats, which cruise throughout the U.S. Heartland, South and Pacific Northwest, and Delta Queen Coastal Voyages' two ships, inaugurating 12 coastal vacation itineraries throughout the Americas this year. McGinnis joins AMCV after six years with the travel agency consortium Virtuoso, where he most recently served as the managing director for member relations.