Viking has announced that it will restart limited operations in May 2021 with three new sailings along the English coast..
Available for UK residents only, the new eight-day ocean itinerary—England’s Scenic Shores—will sail roundtrip from Portsmouth, with departures on 22 May, 29 May and 5 June 2021. These cruises will be aboard Viking’s newest ocean ship, Viking Venus, which is due to be delivered in April. Pre-registration for England’s Scenic Shores is currently only open to previous Viking guests however reservations will be available to all UK residents in the near future.
This restart is in response to the UK Government allowing the resumption of domestic cruises beginning in May 2021. All other previously scheduled Viking sailings through to 31 May 2021 remain cancelled.
“We welcome the UK Government’s support for the return of safe domestic cruises as an important component in the travel industry’s recovery. In recognition of this support, and to celebrate the fact we have a British godmother—the esteemed broadcaster and journalist Anne Diamond—we have chosen to name our new ship, Viking Venus, in the UK on 17th May,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “We are in a position to restart operations quickly and to start sailing again in May because we have kept our ships crewed during warm lay-up throughout the past 12 months. We have been implementing our additional protocols, including daily quick and easy non-invasive saliva PCR tests for our crew, for almost six months now. With our new protocol enhancements in place, we believe there will be no safer way to travel the world than on a Viking voyage and we look forward to welcoming UK guests back on board very soon.”
Those who sail these new voyages will have first-hand experience of the Viking Health & Safety Programme which was developed in partnership with an international team of medical advisors, including Raquel C. Bono, M.D., Viking’s Chief Health Officer. Dr. Bono is a board-certified trauma surgeon and retired Vice Admiral of the United States Navy Medical Corps—and most recently led Washington State’s medical and healthcare systems response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Utilising a full-scale laboratory installed on every Viking ocean ship, all guests and crew will receive daily quick and easy non-invasive saliva PCR tests. New air purification technology has also been installed on all Viking ships, which also feature independent air handling units for all guest staterooms. Additional health checks, sanitisation and physical distancing measures will provide further protection for Viking guests and crew at all points of the journey. Click here for a complete overview of the Viking Health & Safety Programme
Just a short note to say that I enjoyed reading the review of the cruise that we will be sailing on at the weekend.It is good to note that daily Covid testing will be completed, which is hoped will keep all passengers and crew safe. We are looking forward to cruising again.
Enjoy the cruise Jeff! Just not sure you’ll be able to get off during it! Andy
Having just returned from our 7 night cruise to Liverpool and back, I am pleased to say that my wife and I felt more covid secure on the Viking Venus then we do at home. Daily full PCR testing was completed using Vikings own onboard laboratory, track and trace medallions had to be worn , facial recognition temperature cameras recorded your temperature before entering restaurants , face masks were compulsory when walking around the ship and social distancing was evident everywhere. Well done Viking for making our holiday with safe and secure .
PS , you were right Andy, we were not allowed to get off of the ship unless we were on a Viking pre-booked shore excursion.
Thanks Jeff, really glad you enjoyed your cruise, and I’ll feed it back to Viking.