TPG values it at $1,600. If a destination requires masks be worn, onboard staff and local guides will confirm the local requirements. 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. Contact. The world's largest cruise operator Royal Caribbean on Friday canceled soon-to-depart sailings on four of its 25 ships, including the next three departures of the world's largest ship, Symphony of the Seas. The system worked exactly as it was intended to, and additional PCR testing that day and throughout the rest of the trip confirmed that there were no additional cases. 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. 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. My options for shore excursions included glacier treks and ATV rides through surreal volcanic landscapes. Are there COVID-19 related travel requirements I need to meet before leaving on my Viking voyage? Upon checking in for the cruise, I was issued a small contract tracing device attached to a lanyard and instructed to wear it anytime I left my stateroom. . (Surely the jovial attitudes of the exceptionally well-trained staff and 50 percent credit toward future cruises helped.) Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. 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. Take, for instance, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., the parent company for Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. How many people had tested positive for coronavirus? (Proof of a positive test result is required.). For Further Assistance If you have any questions or need further information please contact Reservations at 1-877-523-0579 or email [email protected], Monday - Friday, 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM, PT. It took several hours but eventually trustworthy information emerged, confirming that one fully vaccinated, asymptomatic guest had likely tested positive for COVID-19. Check directly with your cruise line about their COVID-19 testing or vaccination protocols before travel. For information about your specific voyage, please log onto MyVikingJourney.com. If you are a Travel Advisor representing a group booking, please email us at: [email protected] or call our Groups department at 1-800-425-0043. How frequently do you sanitize my stateroom? It's also important to note that the detection of COVID-19-positive passengers or crew on board your ship won't necessarily impact your sailing (unless you are among those testing positive). For information about your specific voyage, please log onto MyVikingJourney.com. Viking has suspended operations through at least March 31, 2021, according to the company -- more than a year after the cruise line first cancelled sailings on March 11, 2020. I was also impressed by the health and safety measures Viking had instituted since pausing its operations more than a year earlier. One region particularly affected is Alaska, where the shoreside personnel staffing levels have impacted excursion availability and staffing, Gray Faust says. Health & Safety Are there COVID-19 related travel requirements I need to meet before leaving on my Viking voyage? Learn more. Norwegian Cruise Line on Wednesday canceled soon-to-depart voyages on eight of its 17 ships. The anxiety was palpable. In March of 2020, Viking offered all travelers that they could rebook to a later date due to COVID, which we did for Jan 2021. 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 its backing that up with action: As of July 18, 2022, the CDCs COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships is no longer in effect. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. The situation is evolving, but its essential to know that some lines, like Azamara, still require guests 12 years of age or older to be fully vaccinated to sailthat includes a booster shot, if guests are eligible for one. But things are different this year, what with reduced restrictions on cruise ships and delayed or canceled flights across the country. Scrivanichs clients are also pleased with what they find on board the ships. 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.. Will I be required to wear a face mask when going ashore? For more than 23 years, we have always had the highest standards for health and cleanliness, and our new protocol enhancements make Viking even safer. Viking River Cruises. Any expenses incurred are the guests responsibility. For starters, there are the vaccine mandates noted above. The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. As noted above, health authorities no longer are quarantining whole ships when a few -- or even a lot -- of passengers and crew test positive for COVID-19. The 46-night experience will take 144 guests through 14 countries on four different ships. With the cost and recent challenges with air travel, we are seeing strong interest in cruises that are a short flight or drive from guests homes, Bodensteiner tells us. A line-by-line guide, added cruise ships to its list of "Level 4" destinations, A beginners guide to picking a cruise line, The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship, The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship, A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines, 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Two years ago, the pandemic sent the cruise industry into a tailspin. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. Even though we thought the rest of the cruise would continue as planned, tours were recalled the second day amid confusion about regional jurisdiction. The CDC regularly issues travel advisories concerning risks associated with COVID-19. As the leading small ship cruise line with 190-guest river vessels and identical all-veranda 930-guest ocean ships, Viking takes you closer to the heart of the places you want to visit. To be built in Louisiana and set to launch in August 2022, theViking Mississippiis the companys first U.S. river ship and will be the largest ship plying its storied namesake. Should the destination where the ship is located require those who test positive be disembarkedor should guest choose to isolate ashoreViking will help the guest arrange accommodations to recover ashore and help coordinate their travel home. 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. After all, everybody onboard, including guests and crew, were fully vaccinated against the virus as the line currently requires and a multitude of other protocols were in place for added precaution. Plus Ups are excluded. Use down arrow key to expand the menu and up arrow key to collapse the menu and hit enter to select the link. or activities executed and escorted by Viking-approved tour operators who maintain Viking's level of COVID-19 controls to help limit potential . Just like the cancellations of airline flights to Asian and European countries, travelers with reservations on several cruise lines may be worried by the growing spread of COVID-19, the disease. Jun 03, 2020 at 4:02 pm. I spoke to two travel agents onboard, and each considered Vikings health measures, masks in particular, to be excessive for a completely vaccinated ship. $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. The city's oldest and most elegant hotel still reigns supreme. From Reykjavk, I joined an ice cave excursion to Langjkull, the second largest glacier in Iceland. Of course, a requirement for one cruise line may be a nonissue for another. If you don't get tested, it's safest to stay home for 14 days after travel. So can you still find a deal? Find the right card for you. Developed in coordination with an international team of . SILVER SHADOW. Cruise lines planned a slow, methodical return to cruising, which meant welcoming back just a few ships and itineraries at a timeall with limited capacity on board.. In April, the country was considered a Level 1 destination by the U.S. Department of State, indicating a low level of COVID-19 cases, making it an attractive destination for our family. COSTA LUMINOSA. This card is also incredibly rewarding for travel purchases, helping you rack up a ton of Membership Rewards points for your next award trip. Guests on affected departuresand their travel advisorshave been notified directly. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. And there is a long list of new cruise ships (and new classes of vessels for the lines) debuting in 2022 and 2023. 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). Last modified on Thu 13 Jan 2022 18.22 EST A surge in Covid infections on cruise ships is causing mayhem across the industry, leaving passengers stranded aboard ships, exacerbating staff shortages. (The infected individual would eventually disembark in Reykjavk and move to a shoreside hotel for quarantine.). 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. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 31 Surprising Food Facts Youll Want to Know, Ive Worked on Cruise Ships for 10 YearsThese Are 18 Mistakes Every Traveler Should Avoid, This Is What Those Big White Balls on Top of Cruise Ships Are, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Beth Bodensteiner, senior vice president and chief commercial officer for, Jasmine Reed, public affairs specialist for the. Get up to $300 back per calendar year on the Equinox+ digital fitness app, or eligible Equinox club memberships when you pay with your Platinum Card. COVID-19 Test Health & Safety FAQ As the leading small ship travel company, Viking takes you closer to the heart of the places you want to visit. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). For now, the cancellation needs to be done by Jan. 31, and the refund would come in the form of a future cruise credit to be used on any sailing that embarks through Dec. 31. Are Viking guests required to be vaccinated? They've spent the past year and a half creating the only full-scale testing labs at sea, putting them into place on every one of their ships (not an. On an Expedition Cruise to Antarctica, Tracking Penguin Colonies on Paulet Island, My Favorite Airbnb in Thailand: A Remote Eco-Villa Floating on a Lake in Kanchanaburi, Saudi Arabias New Stopover Flight Visa Includes a Free Night at a Hotel, How to Cash in Southwest Airlines' Credit Card Points to Book an Arizona National Park Trip, Discovering the Importance of Multigenerational Travel During a Visit to Scotland. Theres a higher level of comfort around taking a cruise than there is flying on an airplane, staying at a hotel, going to an indoor concert, attending an indoor house party and dining in an indoor restaurant, she says. We called customer service the very next day on March 12th at 1:35pm. Any information published by Cond Nast Traveler is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. So, the CDC is basically telling you that now isn't a good time to travel. Alas, I wasnt two miles into a nature walk through fields of Alaskan lupine when it was dj vu all over again. 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. The infected passenger was isolated onboard, and any spread was curtailed. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. The relaxation of the testing policy is in line with the rest of the travel, leisure and hospitality industry worldwide as society continues to adapt and return to a state of normalcy.. 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. The CDC currently advises that travel to some 189 countries presents a very high risk in addition to cruises. I have 7 months before my ocean cruise. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Wasnt two miles into a nature walk through fields of Alaskan lupine when it was dj vu all again. Over again, onboard staff and local guides will confirm the local.! We called customer service the very next day on March 12th at 1:35pm some countries... New card in your first 6 months of card Membership time to.! 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