Check here before booking an award fare. Speaking from firsthand experience, I can tell you that cruise lines are ready to spring into action if someone exhibits symptoms or tests positive while sailing. Viking is committed to doing all we can to ensure you are healthy and well prepared for international traveland that you will be able to arrive in your destination and embark your ship without incident. (Proof of a positive test result is required.). COSTA MAGICA. 02/23/2023. Learn more. When COVID-19 is detected on a ship, cruise lines sometimes then test passengers multiple times to ensure it isn't spreading. If a threshold of COVID-19 is detected on board the ship, the voyage will be ended immediately, and the ship will return to the port of embarkation. Travelers, it seems, are simply happy to be sailing once again. 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. Wear a mask to keep your nose and mouth covered when you are in shared spaces, including when using public transportation. . In addition, most cruise lines now are requiring passengers to wear masks at all times while in interior spaces of vessels, and they have stepped up cleaning regimens, improved air filtration systems on ships and made other onboard changes. Cruise passengers are at increased risk of person-to-person spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. I have 7 months before my ocean cruise. 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 Health & Safety Program Pre-Departure COVID-19 Testing Viking is committed to doing all we can to ensure you are healthy and well prepared for international traveland that you will be able to arrive in your destination and embark your ship without incident. Copyright 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. As the CDC states, the virus spreads easily in close quarters on ships, and passengers and crew are all at risk. Guests on affected departuresand their travel advisorshave been notified directly. Health authorities no longer are quarantining whole ships when a few -- or even a lot -- of passengers and crew test positive for COVID-19. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. A river cruise restart this summer is being tested by a new EU advisory regarding U.S. travelers, specifically in the Netherlands, which is now subjecting vaccinated travelers to a 10-day. The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards. That means you could call the line right now to back out of a cruise that is just days away. Viking was not messing around. Please Note: Guests who have recovered from COVID-19 in the past 1090 days should bring either a physician certificate of recovery or a positive PCR test result from within that time window. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. If you are an American cruising overseas, you also won't be able to return to the U.S. until you have tested negative for COVID-19 (or until you recover from the illness and are cleared in writing to travel by a licensed healthcare provider or a public health official). Scrivanich also notes an uptick in last-minute bookings (for sailings within six months), especially in Europe and Alaskano matter the price. Viking is bringing its signature Scandinavian style to the U.S., and just released details of its holiday-themed voyages along the Mississippi River. That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. The CDC cautions that any travel poses a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, including travel by air, bus or train, automobiles, and cruises. 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. If the recent advisory or relaxed policies do not cover your cruise please refer to these Cancelation Policies and General Conditions, Rules & Regulations. And of those who have cruised within the past six months, 87% say they felt safe on board.. 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. Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. Before leaving the United States, I completed a third-party verification of my vaccination status via VeriFLY, obtained my mandatory pre-registration barcode through the Icelandic government, and took a health survey issued by Viking. Itll still publish guidelines so cruise ships can provide a safe environment for passengers and crew members. If you do go on a cruise during the COVID-19 pandemic: Do not board a cruise if you are sick, if you know you have COVID-19, or if you were exposed to a person with COVID-19 in the past 14 days. If they test negative, they typically are allowed out of their rooms to rejoin the rest of their fellow cruisers on board. The CDC regularly issues travel advisories concerning risks associated with COVID-19. We are the most knowledgeable, experienced cruise travel company. While the industry took a big hit early in the pandemic with cases of cruise ship COVID-19 soaring, travelers are now confident in returning to cruising. With over 50 riverboats, there are many cruises ships, dates, and itineraries to consider. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. Health & Safety Are there COVID-19 related travel requirements I need to meet before leaving on my Viking voyage? Even with these painstaking measures in place, who calls the shots and what shots are called can change by the minute. Citing the growing spread of the new coronavirus, the line late Wednesday said its entire fleet of more than 70 river ships and six ocean ships would stop operating as current sailings come to an end.. All sailings scheduled to start tomorrow through April 30 have been canceled. 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. The line clearly followed its protocols to the letter, and did everything in its power to protect its guests and crew. Anecdotal reports are that the number of cases on ships is up even more in the first 10 days of the new year. A new itinerary from Viking Cruises, it's an eight-day circumnavigation of the island nation, running clockwise from Reykjavk. If you haven't cruised since before the pandemic, you might be surprised by how many new health- and safety-related policies cruise lines have implemented to keep COVID-19 off ships. Of course, if you do test positive for COVID-19 on a ship, you will, unfortunately, face what could be several days of isolation in a cabin on a ship or on land. And passengers who aren't COVID-19 positive are getting caught up in short-term quarantines for being "close contacts" of shipmates who are. (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.). Please note: Vikings Medical Team continually monitors conditions and may deem face masks to be necessary while moving about the ship, based on conditions at the time of travel. Whatever the case, travelers had no choice but to go back to the ship. When crew test positive, they and their close contacts must stop working and isolate, even if asymptomatic, leaving shipboard venues short-staffed. That, it appears, is enough assurance for many travelers who are flocking to their favorite cruise lines. The ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases around the world is causing a growing number of disruptions to itineraries and even some last-minute cancellations of entire voyages. . Sometimes it's worth a large investment to reap the benefits of a great credit card. Cruise lines are going to extreme measures to make ships safe, but local regulations and authorities can complicate things. $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. This includes both its river cruises and . Two years ago, the pandemic sent the cruise industry into a tailspin. or activities executed and escorted by Viking-approved tour operators who maintain Viking's level of COVID-19 controls to help limit potential . If the trip cost $5,000, the premium would be closer to $500. The CDC is providing support. Travelers worried about cruise ship COVID-19 cases, which continued to climb. Many cruise ships were docked in ports, while others sat idle at sea. Case in point: Lengthyand priceyworld cruises with lines like Viking, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania Cruises sold out in record time. For summer 2022 and into fall, cruising is a value proposition, and so while bookings are not quite at 2019 levels yet, cruise shoppers are taking advantage of these deals., Cruising closer to homeand flying shorter distances, or not at allis also trending in the industry. Viking will test symptomatic guests to confirm presence of COVID-19, if a guest requests a test or if the medical staff determines testing is necessary for treatment. Ad Choices. The rates start at $25,999 per person. particularly from Viking River Cruises and AmaWaterways, has been superb," said John Gawne, an advisor with Cruises Inc. in Virginia Beach, Va. . Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol). Would we be sentenced to our state rooms and quarantined indefinitely like those poor Diamond Princess passengers in Yokohama last year? My options for shore excursions included glacier treks and ATV rides through surreal volcanic landscapes. Places on the Level 4 list currently include Canada, much of Europe and nearly every country in the Caribbean. For Further Assistance If you have any questions or need further information please contact Guest Services on 0800 298 97 00, Monday to Friday 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Sunday 10:00 am - 4pm (closed on bank holidays). The answer is yes. Still, the situation isn't anywhere near as dramatic or disruptive as what we saw at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago, when whole ships were being quarantined due to outbreaks of the illness and, eventually, the entire industry shut down. Are Viking guests required to be vaccinated? Should you have additional questions about your voyage, please visit the Viking River Cruises FAQ. The reviews from recent cruisers show that onboard service is still stellarratings for crew service remain incredibly high, she says. Based on a recent survey of Cruise Critics readers, Gray Faust says travelers find cruises more appealing than other activities that carry a high COVID-19 risk. Guests clearly felt the same, as many opted not to wear them onboard motor coaches. We called customer service the very next day on March 12th at 1:35pm. Stay current with special offers, news and destination-focused content. With each minute that ticked by, rumors swirled. Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas has also had to make itinerary changes, including canceling port calls, due to at least 55 cases of coronavirus on board. According to the Cruise Lines International Association, cruise-related jobs dropped by 51% from 2019 to 2020. Some passengers who were deemed close contacts of the passengers who tested positive were isolated for a short period while being tested for COVID-19. So can you still find a deal? Get tested 35 days after your trip and stay home for 7 days after travel. Choose Viking, the worlds largest and best fleet of deluxe ships built for ocean travel. Because individual cruise lines determine their ships' COVID-19-related requirements, your likelihood of catching coronavirus while at sea will depend on the specific ship's guidelines and. When I wasnt hoofing it through port towns, I was making reservations for the ships thermal spa and fitness centeressential due to COVID caps on group gatherings. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. The pre-embarkation testing requirement will remain in place for guests traveling on voyages departing from destinations with local testing regulations. 79. If youre ready to set sail on the high seas, these are some great cruises to book right now. 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. 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. or Vikings River-cruising vessels. We were nearly an hours drive into my first excursion of the daya hiking trip rich in Icelandic folklore about elves, faeries, and trollswhen our tour guide announced that our bus must immediately return to port. 10511 covid-19 policies and procedures (us) page 1 of 3 cst0544-40 covid-19 policies and procedures (international voyages) viking river cruises, inc., d/b/a viking cruises, viking ocean cruises & viking expeditions ("viking") important notice for our us and canadian guestsplease read carefully: the following The Policies and Procedures set out below are in addition to Viking's COVID-19 Terms and Conditions which form 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. If you don't get tested, it's safest to stay home for 14 days after travel. How frequently do you sanitize my stateroom? Viking has taken the pandemic seriously. While cruise ships have recorded relatively few cases of COVID-19 over the past year, in part due to unusually strict health protocols, the number of passengers and crew testing positive on ships has been rising sharply in recent weeks along with the greater surge on land. Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card. Itll still publish guidelines so cruise ships can provide a safe environment for passengers and crew are all at.. These are some great cruises to book right now to back out of their to. Days away stellarratings for crew service remain incredibly high, she says of! 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