Nearly three weeks after Viking announced the restart of cruise operations in the UK with the newest ocean-going ship Viking Venus, the company released exciting news that it will continue restarting limited operations on two additional ships for the upcoming summer season. In June Viking will deploy the ocean ships Viking Orion and Viking Sky to Bermuda and Iceland respectively. With the latest announcement, Viking will operate 3 out of 7 cruise ships in its ocean fleet by this summer. Viking said that more announcements are expected in the coming weeks as the company is actively working on cruise options in a variety of other popular destinations, including Greece, Turkey and Malta as soon as government approvals are given.
Viking restarting plan includes the following ocean ships:
- -Viking Venus will sail 8-day roundtrip from Portsmouth starting May 22. England's Scenic Shores itinerary will be available exclusively for UK residents
- -Viking Orion will start with cruise operations on Jun 15, homeporting in Hamilton for 8-day roundtrip Bermuda Escape itineraries which include overnights in Hamilton and St. George’s and a stop to the Royal Naval Dockyard- King’s Wharf.
- -Viking Sky will homeport in Reykjavik for 8-day Iceland's Natural Beauty itineraries beginning June 26, with visits to Isafjordur, Akureyri, Seydisfjordur, Djupivogur, Westman Islands (Heimaey) and overnight in Reykjavik.
These destinations were chosen specifically because of their popularity among Viking guests, as well as their commitment to welcoming Viking ships, offering enriching experiences and reviving the travel industry in their respective countries.
"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."
