On Thursday, February 23rd, Swan Hellenic announced that the christening ceremony of its 3rd and largest ice-class cultural expedition ship, SH Diana, will take place in Amsterdam (Netherlands) on May 4th.
The new ship will be named by luxury travel icon and visionary Valerie Ann Wilson in the presence of the line's Senior Management, VIP guests, local dignitaries, the media and members of the travel and cruise industries from around the world.
Popular not only as the Founder & CEO of Valerie Wilson Travel, Valerie Ann Wilson is also Chairman Emeritus of the Global Member Advisory Board of the Virtuoso global network of luxury travel advisors, and Chairman Emeritus to the Virtuoso Hotels & Resorts Committee.
Following the naming ceremony, Valerie will stay onboard as a VIP group host during the maiden voyage to Tromso, “Norway Explored,” setting sail on the evening of May 4th. Having visited the Heligoland archipelago in Germany, SH Diana will visit Mandal, Norway's southernmost town, and start making her way up almost the entire Norwegian coast.
Dr. Terje Leiren is to be accompanying the maiden cultural expedition throughout, sharing his expert knowledge and insights with the guests onboard.
Terje Leiren is a Professor Emeritus of Scandinavian Studies and History at the University of Washington, Seattle, and was also the University’s first holder of the Sverre Arestad Endowed Chair in Norwegian Studies. Terje gained Ph.D. in history at the University of North Texas and taught at the University of Oslo prior to joining the University of Washington in 1977. He served as Co-General Editor of “New Directions in Scandinavian Studies”, the University of Washington Press book series, and is the author of 4 books and 40+ academic articles on Scandinavian history. He has contributed to several TV documentary programs broadcast on PBS and the History Channel.
Having completed an Arctic Season of 7 cultural expeditions, SH Diana will sail back down the western seaboard to the Mediterranean, marking the line’s historic return to the region. Then she will go further, as she continues through the Suez to the Paradise Islands, Madagascar, and Southern Africa to Antarctica.