Viking River Cruises Names Travel Industry Executive as Godmother for New Vessel Viking Fjolvar

## Viking Names Travel Executive Godmother of New River Vessel Viking has selected Shelby Steudle, President of Albuquerque-based Pavlus Travel & Cruise, as the godmother of its latest river vessel, Viking Fjolvar, with the official christening ceremony set to take place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on October 15, 2026. The appointment, announced via PR Newswire, follows a longstanding maritime tradition in which a godmother — typically a figure of distinction connected to the vessel's mission or commercial partners — formally blesses a ship at its christening, symbolising safe passage and good fortune for the vessel and its passengers. Steudle, a prominent figure in the luxury travel and cruise retail sector, is preparing to preside over the ceremony in Amsterdam, one of Europe's principal river cruise hubs and a key embarkation point for Seine and Rhine itineraries. Viking Fjolvar is expected to operate Seine River itineraries, a route that has seen sustained commercial interest from North American travellers in recent years. The selection of a senior travel agency executive as godmother reflects Viking's close commercial relationships with the retail travel trade, a distribution channel that remains significant for the river cruise segment. Pavlus Travel & Cruise is a well-established luxury cruise and travel agency with a long-standing partnership with Viking. ### River Cruise Sector Context Viking has expanded its river fleet aggressively over the past decade and is widely regarded as the market leader in European river cruising. The addition of Viking Fjolvar continues that fleet growth strategy, with the Seine corridor — connecting Paris and Normandy — representing one of the operator's premium product offerings. The Amsterdam christening venue is fitting: the city serves as a major logistics and passenger hub for European river cruise operations, with purpose-built terminal infrastructure accommodating the growing volume of river vessels operating on the Rhine-connected waterway network. *Source: PR Newswire*