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Familiar names for further two Viking ocean ships, plus new itineraries

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Ship names recall Torstein Hagen's Royal Viking past
All three of Viking Cruises' first ocean-going ships now have names, with 2016's Viking Sea and Viking Sky to follow 2015's Viking Star. The names appear to be a nod to chairman Torstein Hagen's early 1980s association with Royal Viking Line. That company's original vessels were called Royal Viking Star, Royal Viking Sky and Royal Viking Sea.

Each of the Viking ships has capacity for 930 passengers.

Plus, new for 2016 are routes to the British Isles, Baltic, Mediterranean and a 'Midnight Sun' itinerary between Bergen and London (Harwich) that can be combined with a 'Baltic Jewels' cruise between Stockholm and London.

The 15-day 'Midnight Sun' voyage overnights in Bergen and calls at the Norwegian ports of Honningsvåg, Bodø, Brønnøysund and Ålesund, Scotland's Lerwick in the Shetland Islands and Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands and Rosyth (for Edinburgh).

Adding 'Baltic Jewels' makes a 29-day program that includes overnights in Stockholm and St. Petersburg, plus calls at Denmark's Ålborg and Norway's Stavanger, Flåm, Geiranger, Kristiansund and Tromsø.

Early booking discounts for 2015 and 2016 are available for bookings made by June 30, 2014.

For 2015, two-for-one cruise pricing and savings up to $500 per person apply to departures through Nov. 8; air does not have to be purchased as part of the deal. For 2016, the early booking discount includes two-for-one cruise pricing and air savings of $1,000 per person (up to $2,000 per couple). This applies to departures Nov. 17, 2015, through 2016.

To get the 'EBD' discounts, travelers must pay a deposit by June 30, 2014, and pay in full by Dec. 17, 2014.