Viking Ocean Cruises is taking one step closer to normality, or at least in the travel and tourism world. That’s because the luxury cruise liner is looking to getting their luxury ships sailing again with new Bermuda, Iceland, and U.K. voyages as early as summer. The company announced this week that it will continue restarting limited operations with a collection of sailings around Bermuda and Iceland as early as June of this year. What’s more, the ‘England’s Scenic Shores’ itinerary will also restart the same month, much to the delight of cruising fans from across the pond. Here’s what you need to know.
It’s been quite a long time since Viking Cruises fans have last sailed the magnificent seas because of the ongoing pandemic that has been the coronavirus. But with more and more people getting vaccinated, this might be a step in the right direction. The cruising industry, along with the airlines and hotel industry, have all taken a beating because of the strict quarantine measures and economic turndown, but according to insiders, this is definitely a step in the right direction. It shouldn’t also surprise anyone that Viking Cruises is once again leading the way in getting people back on ships – in the safest way possible – in order to get people doing what they love the most, and that’s cruising in both style and luxury while visiting some of the most fascinating locales in the world.
All of Viking’s new voyages will be made available exclusively for vaccinated guests. Reservations for the new Bermuda, Iceland and UK voyages are now open.
The Bermuda Escape – which sounds like an enticing welcome back cruise – will see the Viking Orion take guests on eight-day roundtrips. The ship will overnight in Hamilton and St. George’s, then will visit King’s Wharf. Fares start at $1,799.
Meanwhile, the Viking Sky will operate eight-day Iceland’s Natural Beauty itineraries from the capital of Reykjavik. The ship will visit Isafjördur, Akureyri, Seydisfjördur, Djúpivogur, and Heimaey in the Westman Islands. Fares are priced from $2,199.
England’s Scenic Shores itinerary will set sail beginning in May onboard Viking’s newest ship, “The Viking Venus.” It’s also been noted that all other cruises before May 31 remain canceled and that the trips are only offered to UK residents.
The news is a great relief for both the company, and of course cruisers, who have waited a long moment for this to happen.
“We applaud the governments of the United Kingdom, Bermuda and Iceland for their collaboration and support in restarting the cruise industry safely,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “No other travel company has implemented the same science-led approach that includes a vaccination requirement for all guests, plus frequent non-invasive saliva PCR testing among all guests and crew. Therefore, we believe there will be no safer way to travel the world than on a Viking voyage. We look forward to welcoming guests back on board—and welcoming them back to the world.”
What’s more, the Viking Health & Safety Program has been implemented and developed in coordination with a team of scientific and medical advisors to come up with one of the most well-researched and comprehensive Covid-19 prevention and mitigation plans in the travel industry. In other words, your safety and trust is in their hands. Your journey will begin before you even leave home, with a digital Health Survey. A few other health and safety factors and steps include:
- Frequent quick and easy non-invasive saliva PCR tests for all guests and crew, processed in full-scale Viking-dedicated laboratories
- New air purification technology installed on all Viking ships, which have always featured independent air handling units for all guest staterooms
- Additional health checks, sanitization and physical distancing to protect Viking guests and crew at all points of the journey
The company has been working closely with officials from Bermuda, Iceland and the UK to ensure that these upcoming cruises will be safe and successful ones as cruising aficionadas have been waiting a very long time for this to happen. Actually, make that almost a year and a half.
But that’s not all. There’s even more promising news as Viking Cruises is actively working on developing Welcome Back sailings in a variety of other popular destinations, including Greece, Turkey and Malta—with the goal of announcing further 2021 sailings as soon as government approvals are given.
In the meantime, just know that your upcoming ‘Welcome Back’ cruise also means they are here to stay. For more information, visit www.viking.com.
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