Viking Welcomes Guests Back On Board in Iceland, Continuing Successful Restart

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Viking celebrated today the latest milestone in its return to service as guests were welcomed on board in Iceland. Over the weekend, guests boarded the award-winning Viking Sky® in Reykjavík, where the ship will homeport this summer along with sister ship Viking Jupiter®. Both ships will sail the new Iceland’s Natural Beauty itinerary through early September 2021. Offered as part of Viking’s Welcome Back collection, exclusively available for vaccinated guests, the voyage currently underway is the first of 19 sailings roundtrip from Reykjavík. The eight-day circumnavigation of Iceland calls upon coastal towns of Akureyri, Seydisfjördur, Heimaey and more before returning to the capital city.

“On behalf of the entire Viking family of guests and crew, we are delighted to be back in Iceland—and we thank the government for its support as we continue restarting operations,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “This stunning island of fire and ice inspired the original Vikings when they charted new territory, so it especially fitting as a key destination in our ‘Welcome Back’ collection. We look forward to introducing even more guests to this beautiful Nordic country over the summer.”

Viking restarted operations in May and has been sailing in England with British guests since May 22. Nearly 100 percent of guests on these sailings provided exceptionally high ratings. On June 15, the company welcomed American guests back on board in Bermuda. In July 2021, Viking will also launch Welcome Back sailings in the Mediterranean with three ocean ships homeported in Valletta, Malta – and will restart its European river operations with select itineraries in Portugal, France and along the Rhine.

Viking Health & Safety Program

Those who sail Welcome Back 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—and a strong network of dedicated shoreside labs for Viking river ships in Europe—all guests and crew will receive frequent 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.

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