A cheat sheet for christening season

By Michelle Baran

Spring is upon us, which means that flowers will soon start blooming, young birds will begin chirping and river cruise lines will start unveiling their newest ships in what will be another densely packed season of christening ceremonies from Amsterdam to Chongqing, China.

Here, a cheat sheet of some of the season’s launches:

March 19: Century Cruises’ inaugural sailing of its 398-passenger Century Paragon begins in Chongqing, China.

March 20: Viking River Cruises launches an unprecedented 10 Viking Longships in a simultaneous christening ceremony in Amsterdam.

March 28: The 118-passenger Queen Isabel, a newbuild that Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is leasing from the Portuguese company Douro Azul, sets sail on the Douro River in Portugal.

April: Avalon Waterways christens its 128-passenger Avalon Artistry II.

April 2: Ama Waterways’ newly built Portugal vessel, the 108-passenger Amavida, sets sail on the Douro River (also being leased from Douro Azul).

April 7: Uniworld begins offering cruises on Italy’s Po River on its 134-passenger River Countess, a ship built in 2003 and refurbished in 2012.

April 12: Scenic Cruises’ 169-passenger Scenic Jewel makes its inaugural sailing from Mainz, Germany, to Amsterdam.

May 6: "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" author Patricia Schultz will christen Avalon Waterways’ new 166-passenger Avalon Expression in Cochem, Germany.

And a bit further afield …

Aug. 6: Valerie Ann Wilson, founder and CEO of Valerie Wilson Travel in New York, will serve as godmother at the christening of Ama Waterways’ 164-passenger AmaPrima in Vilshofen, Germany.