Highlighting a stable benefit of small ship crusing, well being protocols on our latest Viking river cruise added as much as zero passengers testing constructive for COVID. That was the announcement on the final day of our 8-day crusing from Basel to Amsterdam. However to get there, some slight modifications to onboard programming, passenger necessities and the bodily structure of the ship have been wanted. We start with an inventory of these Viking COVID-related protocols in addition to another parts of the journey expertise that have been already inbuilt and distinctive to Viking.
- Take a look at Damaging Prior To Journey. Like different cruise strains, each Viking traveler should take a look at damaging 72 hours or much less earlier than boarding the ship and carry documentation to show it. To check the take a look at, I attempted it two methods. A drive-through take a look at at my native CVS pharmacy on Thursday gave me outcomes on Saturday night time. I had a private deadline of by Saturday morning. When I didn’t have ends in hand I went to a while-you-wait testing facility at Orlando Worldwide Airport and walked away with the documentation of my damaging ends in hand. I’ll in all probability do it that method sooner or later as effectively.
- Solely The Totally-Vaccinated. If you wish to be aboard a Viking river cruise ship, you’ll be totally vaccinated. Royal Caribbean, for instance, at present requires solely these 12 and older to be totally vaccinated. That may scare the hell out of me and others with a well being historical past that features previous or ongoing medical points. Further booster pictures are extremely really helpful as effectively.
- No Children On Board. A quantity cruise strains that require COVID testing of adults have extra relaxed guidelines for younger youngsters, mainly making a small military of COVID spreaders on any given crusing. Viking has all the time been a cruise for grown-ups, permitting solely these 18 and older to sail.
- Constructed In Distancing. Almost invisible plexiglass limitations (see under) present a bonus measure of distancing on the bar, in seating areas and in different contact locations across the ship.
- Pre-Departure Data- An entire and ceaselessly up to date Pre-Departure guidelines stored us on observe to get to the ship safely with all of the documentation we would have liked to board the ship. Further data clearly outlined what to anticipate all through our voyage and supplied updated hyperlinks to extra assets, ought to we want to have much more data.
- Each day Testing. We have been requested to spit right into a take a look at tube (see under), place it into an envelope pre-printed with our identify and stateroom quantity on it that was left in our stateroom every night time for the subsequent day. We then dropped that off on the reception space every day by 7AM for testing. This non-invasive saliva PCR testing methodology was simple.
- Versatile Passenger Necessities– On our specific crusing, a rise in COVID instances at some locations we visited brought about Viking healthcare professionals extra concern. That meant we have been requested to put on masks when shifting across the ship and when on tour off ship.
- Small Ships Make A Massive Distinction- Each day testing, safely feeding and cleansing up after lower than 200 passengers is extra effectively executed on small ships. Transferring them on and off Viking Longships for embarkation, excursions and free time ashore is effectively protected.
- Viking Well being & Security Program. I’ve all the time been impressed with the well being and security protocols in place on Viking Longships. For vacationers questioning what to anticipate earlier than and through their Viking river cruise, simple to entry on-line Viking Well being & Security data offers what we have to know each step of the way in which.
- Prepared To Return. When our crusing was executed, we obtained proof of our damaging take a look at previous to journey. It was accepted by my airline and made the method simple with no disruption to journey plans.
Wanting again, I felt protected each step of the way in which. That’s necessary to me and plenty of others touring with Viking who could have compromised immune programs or delicate to severe well being considerations…just about anybody within the 55+ age group.
