COVID-19 Test Health & Safety FAQ As the leading small ship travel company, Viking takes you closer to the heart of the places you want to visit. Case in point: Lengthyand priceyworld cruises with lines like Viking, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania Cruises sold out in record time. (Admittedly, you dont realize how difficult it is to fill a test tube with 2 ml of saliva until youre forced to do it every morning.). We booked a Viking River Cruise with two other couples a total of six people. September 1, 2020 Youd be hard-pressed to find a renowned river that Viking doesnt ply. Anecdotal reports are that the number of cases on ships is up even more in the first 10 days of the new year. On Wednesday, Royal Caribbean . Only one Viking passenger, a British woman on a river cruise in Cambodia, has contracted the . Other lines canceling one or more sailings in recent days include Holland America, Silversea, Atlas Ocean Voyages, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, MSC Cruises, Costa Cruises and Oceania Cruises. Our office is open Monday through Friday from 6 . Face coverings are also still required indoors while moving about the ship, in elevators and on tour buses. SILVER SHADOW. On July 10, I boarded one of the earliest Nordic sailings open to vaccinated Americans. In Akureyri, I explored at my own paceogling the pastel blooms in Lystigarurinn, the worlds northernmost botanical garden, and the pop realist works of Icelandic artist Err at the Akureyri Art Museum. But travelers worried about getting sick aboard a cruise ship can rest assured that cruise lines arent sailing solo in the continuing pandemic. If you booked your cruise directly with Uniworld, please email us at: ConsumerReservations@Uniworld.com or call our Consumer team at 1-800-259-2009. September 24, 2020 Viking.TV will feature Mississippi sailings during the week of September 28, 2020, including the chance to join Richard Riveire as he shares the design and inspiration behind the Viking Mississippi. This is one of the biggest risks of taking a cruise right now, and one reason you may consider canceling a sailing scheduled in the short term (see the section on more-flexible cancellation policies below). And our third and final port of call was completely off limits to us. The cruise industry is once again at sea thanks to the Omicron coronavirus variant, with some ships experiencing outbreaks and disruptions. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. To sail with Viking, guests will need to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated: received their second dose in a two-shot series (i.e., Pfizer, Moderna, Astra Zenica and Novavax) or single dose of J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccination at least 14 days prior to travel. Cruise passengers are at increased risk of person-to-person spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Scrivanichs clients are also pleased with what they find on board the ships. October 1, 2020 December is already known as the most wonderful time of the year, but its about to get a lot better for cruise lovers. Viking River Cruises. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Viking Cruises. Your subsequent travel home may be restricted or delayed. That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link. For more than 23 years, we have always had the highest standards for health and cleanliness, and our new protocol enhancements make Viking even safer. bars and lounges. They've spent the past year and a half creating the only full-scale testing labs at sea, putting them into place on every one of their ships (not an. WESTERDAM. Clients who have not traveled for the past two years want to treat themselves and do it right!. Take cruise giant Carnival Cruise Line. An ambulance took me to . I experienced this myself in late December when on a Silversea vessel where four passengers tested positive for COVID-19. We recently surveyed travelers who cruised within the past six months, and 89% of those surveyed said they would sail again under the same circumstances. There are still entry requirements for certain countries and other nuances that will impact travel. COVID-19 had been detected on the ship. As the leading small ship cruise line with 190-guest river vessels and identical all-veranda 930-guest ocean ships, Viking takes you closer to the heart of the places you want to visit. Outside of the current welcome bonus, youre only earning higher rewards on specific airfare and hotel purchases, so its not a great card for other spending categories. On Viking river cruises, meals are offered in the formal dining room or on the Aquavit Terrace, which has al fresco dining. As noted above, health authorities no longer are quarantining whole ships when a few -- or even a lot -- of passengers and crew test positive for COVID-19. The result is the detection of many asymptomatic cases that otherwise would have gone undetected. Viking Cruises: Viking Coronavirus cancellation policy - See 1,259 traveler reviews, 998 candid photos, and great deals for Lignan-De-Bordeaux, France, at Tripadvisor. Guests clearly felt the same, as many opted not to wear them onboard motor coaches. We provide a risk-free solution for the crew when cleaning filters, as viruses are killed and not simply trapped in the filters. Its culturally-focused content will feature appearances by the Viking executives and crew and subjects relating to its at-sail and at port ventures, plus live video of happenings from around the world. Cond Nast Traveler may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. A 55-year-old traveler on a $1,000 cruise for seven days might pay just over $100 for CFAR insurance. By the summer of 2020, most cruise lines had suspended operations worldwideand the entire travel industry came to a standstill. The state has not seen the same seasonal workforce it enjoyed before the pandemic, and more jobs in Alaska rely on highly skilled workers with specific licenses for small planes, boats and buses., Even if there are minor staffing issues in select destinations, passenger feedback on Cruise Critic is positive. Viking Sea cruise ship near Fort. RELATED: Unvaccinated People Will Be Barred From This, Starting Feb. 28. No plan survives first contact with the enemy, said Dr. Raquel Bono, chief health officer for Viking, after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19 on a recent sailing in Iceland. Copyright 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. While cruises have rebounded somewhat, you still may experience issues related to reduced staffing while at sea. The CDC regularly issues travel advisories concerning risks associated with COVID-19. Nonetheless, the last three of our port visits were impacted. How is the air treated on board Viking ships? After all, everybody onboard, including guests and crew, were fully vaccinated against the virus as the line currently requires and a multitude of other protocols were in place for added precaution. . As of Feb. 1, a new policy has gone into effect at Viking Cruises that requires all passengers to have received their COVID-19 booster if they are eligible to do so. No other segment of the travel industry has been as uniform in requiring almost every customer to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Face masks are optional while moving about the ship. Bermuda requires visitors 10 and older to show a negative COVID-19 PCR test no more than five days before arrival and fill out a travel authorization online. Viking Cruises cancelled all operations until May on Wednesday due to the coronavirus. Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link. Because individual cruise lines determine their ships COVID-19-related requirements, your likelihood of catching coronavirus while at sea will depend on the specific ships guidelines and restrictions. For added protection, we strongly recommend that guests who are eligible for a booster receive one before they travel. . Meanwhile, passengers are asked to carry a small (slightly larger than a quarter) contact tracing device to be ready for the possibility of a case arising. Restaurants are sanitized between every service; all other public spaces are fully sanitized at a minimum every 24 hours, with high touchpoints sanitized more frequently every day. As such, guests traveling on either an ocean or river ship may experience minor day-to-day variations in how we implement our overall program. Check directly with your cruise line about their COVID-19 testing or vaccination protocols before travel. In safjrur, one of Icelands oldest fishing villages, I opted for a hike to Dynjandi, the largest waterfall in the Westfjords. However, the captain did come over the loud speakers at one point to reiterate that even though it is not Icelands policy to require them, it is Vikings. Halfway through our cruise, the captain informed us that there was a single suspected COVID-19 infection on the ship, and that anyone in close contact with the guest was quickly informed before they were all retested. For Further Assistance If you have any questions or need further information please contact Reservations at 1-877-523-0579 or email customerrelations@vikingcruises.com, Monday - Friday, 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM, PT. . Cruise lines in recent weeks have faced a growing number of ports that are balking at allowing ships with COVID-19-positive passengers or crew to dock. Even if you test negative, stay home for the full 7 days. For starters, there are the vaccine mandates noted above. In March of 2020, Viking offered all travelers that they could rebook to a later date due to COVID, which we did for Jan 2021. We recommend our users to update the browser. Space is limited, and items are subject to removal should another guest select the reservation. The easing of our testing policy marks a step in the right direction toward a return to normalcy for the travel and cruising industry, Carol Cabezas, the president of Azamara, said in a statement. If you are a Travel Advisor representing a group booking, please email us at: GroupInfo@Uniworld.com or call our Groups department at 1-800-425-0043. Even with these painstaking measures in place, who calls the shots and what shots are called can change by the minute. The decision by the CDC to raise the travel level for cruise is particularly perplexing considering that cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard far fewer than on land and the majority of those cases are asymptomatic or mild in nature, posing little to no burden on medical resources onboard or onshore, the main trade group for the industry, the Cruise Lines International Association, said in a statement to TPG. I overheard numerous cruisers griping about wearing masks and taking daily PCR tests despite being fully vaccinated, calling the measures excessive; others seemed to appreciate the extra caution. Always follow state and local recommendations or requirements related to travel. People have missed travelingand cruisingand theyre ready to move beyond the fear of catching cruise ship COVID-19. Theyre booking the best cruise lines and eagerly packing for a voyage on the high seas. Sign Up for Our Monthly Cruise Newsletter. To ensure your journey is smooth and that you are able to fully enjoy your voyage as planned, we highly recommend that all guests take a pre-departure COVID-19 test, no more than three days prior to beginning your journey. I was nervous about cruising after 16 months of a largely self-imposed lockdown, but eager to dip my toe back into international waters. What to Expect On Your Journey Widget Content With the new CDC announcement regarding the technicality for pre-cruise testing requirements, no onboard mask requirements and even vaccine requirements being relaxed, I think its important to stress that cruise lines may interpret this differently, says Annie Scrivanich, senior vice president of Cruise Specialists, a Seattle-based luxury travel agency. Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link. Just like in a hospital, we have also designed a solution to implement short-wavelength ultraviolet (or UV-C) lights and new high-density filters that will sanitize the air on our vessels. The new rule, which was first announced on Jan. 5, states that travelers must provide proof of the supplemental shot to board ships at embarkation. So, the CDC is basically telling you that now isn't a good time to travel. The cruise industry has been highly critical of the designation, arguing that cruise ships are far safer places to be right now than almost anywhere else, given their strict health protocols. Viking. For now, the cancellation needs to be done by Jan. 31, and the refund would come in the form of a future cruise credit to be used on any sailing that embarks through Dec. 31. The next days itinerary had us docking in Djpivogur, an even smaller hamlet than Seydisfjrdur, so you can imagine our surprise when guests were told that most shore excursions would move ahead as planned. Celebrity Cruises this month became the first major cruise line to operate a sailing in the Caribbean since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and several other major lines including Royal Caribbean are in the midst of starting back up in the Caribbean, too.. A growing number of cruise ships also are restarting operations in Europe and . A line-by-line guide. WORLD DREAM. The world's largest cruise operator Royal Caribbean on Friday canceled soon-to-depart sailings on four of its 25 ships, including the next three departures of the world's largest ship, Symphony of the Seas. The cancellation is. Reducing regulations and restrictions regarding COVID-19 has been the cruise industrys focus since the pandemics beginning. We recommend that, ahead of departing, guests check with their provider to ensure their travel protection policy covers any necessary medical, quarantine or repatriation expense related to COVID-19. It was smooth sailing for the first half of the trip. And youll probably come across a few new sinks for hand-washing and additional hand-sanitizing stations around the ship. (The glacier is receding at an alarming speed of six miles per year, so navigating its man-made shafts means sloshing through ankle-deep puddles while water pours down from overhead.). Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Physical distancing began at embarkation. Contact. Viking's 930-passenger Viking Star will begin its world cruise this week by heading south from Los Angeles to Central America and South America instead of sailing westward toward Asia, where it was scheduled to spend a significant amount of time in India. Cruise lines planned a slow, methodical return to cruising, which meant welcoming back just a few ships and itineraries at a timeall with limited capacity on board.. VIKING RIVER CRUISES UK LIMITED ("Viking") A company registered in England and Wales (Co.No.01283655) whose registered office is at Nelsons House, 83 Wimbledon Park Side, London, SW19 5LP. One line, Viking, is testing every single passenger for COVID-19 every day. At the end of December, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 5,013 COVID-19 cases had been reported on cruise vessels operating in U.S. waters during the last two weeks of the month, up from just 162 cases during the first two weeks of the month. Additionally, some countries may require a booster. So the cruise lines are delivering an experience that is meeting or exceeding expectations.. Due to the current virus the company Viking River Cruises cancelled the cruise. Risk-Free Guarantee: How it Works Many cruise ships were docked in ports, while others sat idle at sea. In November of 2020, Viking cancelled the Jan 2021 cruise and offered all travelers a 125% refund toward a future booking or a full refund. 877-66-VIKING. Yet we were still subject to the Icelandic authorities, and thats the cautionary tale here. You can't cancel your trip at . April 3, 2020 Viking just announced details of the purpose-built, 386-passenger cruise ship it will bring to the Mississippi River by 2022. Here's what it's like on board, according to passengers . Viking is the first cruise line to have a full testing laboratory onboard each of its ocean ships, and guests must spit into a tube every morning to receive a non-invasive molecular COVID-19 test. Thanks to the Icelandic authorities, and items are subject to the coronavirus still required indoors moving. Trapped in the filters your cruise line about their COVID-19 testing or vaccination before. 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