Today Viking announced that the company will restart limited cruise operations in May 2021 with three special sailings along the coast of England. These cruises will be offered exclusively for UK residents and will include eight-day ocean itinerary—England's Scenic Shores—sailing roundtrip from Portsmouth, with departures on May 22, May 29 and June 5, 2021. The latest update of the official restart was triggered because the UK Government recently signaled that it will allow the resumption of domestic cruises beginning in May 2021. All other previously scheduled Viking sailings through May 31, 2021 remain cancelled.
The ship which will sail England's Scenic Shores itinerary will be the Viking's latest ocean ship, Viking Venus which will be delivered in April. The company announced that more details about the voyages will be released in the following days and pre-registration is currently open only to Viking's loyal past guests— reservations will be available to all UK residents—in due course.
"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 May 17," 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 also experience Viking's industry-leading health and safety program. Grounded in scientific research, the Viking Health & Safety Program 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. Utilizing 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 have always featured independent air handling units for all guest staterooms. And additional health checks, sanitization and physical distancing measures will provide further protection for Viking guests and crew at all points of the journey.
