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We going out on the Celeb. Summit, 9/21 ...on-point testing lets you use your own US approved test via tele and charges just $14.99 for each proctor.

My suggestion is that you watch carefully for updates from Viking. We're boarding the Octantis in 4 days. We were to go to the pier to embark, then V. changed it to the airport to check in and get tested, then today, they changed it again and told is to go to the pier directly.

I should have been more clear. We will need to be tested one day before we leave Canada. Viking will provide that test onboard. Interestingly, Viking does not specify what is a Viking pre-cruise event. On our cruise next week, we check in at the airport, not the pier. Since we are arriving one day early independently, we need to go back to the airport on embarkation day and find a Viking rep who will take our luggage to be trucked to the pier. At that point, I'm operating with the belief that we have begun a Viking pre-cruise activity.

Our outbound is less predictable. We're doing the Great Lakes from Milwaukee and they do not have a holding area at the pier or airport. They offered to ship it to a Fed Ex office in Milwaukee where I could pick it up on the way to pier but that involves taking a taxi to the Fedex Office and them getting our luggage to the airport (not a typo, the airport, not the pier). For our cruise, Viking is having check in at the airport, where they'll take our luggage and truck it to the pier. after we check in and pass covid, they'll bus us to the pier. Either way, we're stuck with luggage.

We considered luggage forwarding but thought that if we sent the luggage out, and we failed the covid test at home, we'd never see our luggage again.

We're joining the octantis on June 4, providing our covid tests are negative and we get the results in time. I am taking 3 of them hoping at least one will be timely. We were notified that we will check in at the airport instead of the pier so we'll need to shuttle back to the airport from the hotel we will be at in Milwaukee the night before. Any tips? i heard Viking will provide a complimentary transfer to the airport in Toronto..i know know if that's true or, if so, what the reason is...any tips?

Interesting...on one Viking cruise, a gentleman and his wife asked if they could join us at the buffet area. Apparently, since I was in the same demographic category as the gentleman from Georgia, he apparently incorrected assumed I would agree with him on his view of the 2016 election. I informed him that I didn't and it would be best to avoid discussing politics. He then got quite red in the face and left. His wife remained and apologized for him. I felt badly that he embarrassed her. I found foreigners every interested in our politics and they approach the subject in a very academic manner and polite manner which I don't mind at all. I remember an Irish couple who asked me if I'd mind giving him my thoughts on the election and afterwards, he came over to me and hugged me.

Now Walgreens, via LabCorp, is offering a PCR test to be taken at home, and to, via Fedex send back to LabCorp. There is no proctoring of this self administered test. The LabCorp employee I spoke with said she just returned from a Carnival cruise and it was accepted possibly because the results were certified at the lab/ In Viking's instructions, they're looking for a negative PCR test but say nothing about a need for it to be proctored. On the phone with them, they claim it must be proctored (which makes sense) but I don't understand Viking's lack of clarity in their instructions.

Well, the CDC statement is only a recommendation but Viking's policy prevails since they've elected to use the more stringent of the two. Canada does require testing one day before we leave.

You have fallen into the same trap I had, that is believing what Viking wrote instead of what they intended to mean. My convo with Viking went something like this: Me: so since my first flight is at 3:30 on June 3, I can be tested on May 31 after 3:30 pm, right? V: No. Your flight was not booked with Viking air so 'first flight' is not applicable. Me: the update I just received from Viking says nothing about 'first flight' IF booked thru VA. V: you're correct..(speaks with a superv.) we will send out something to clarify that. Me: if I have to wait until the afternoon of June 1 to be tested (72 hours) and results don't come until the afternoon of June3, I'll be in the air. Then if I land in Milwaukee and find one of us tested positive, even tho our home test indicated negative taken the day before, I'm looking at a 10 day Quarantine in Milwaukee before I can return home. Let me speak with your superv. Convo with Superv. revealed that their 72 limit, at least in the case of domestic flights regardless of if you booked with Viking Air, reallllly means 3 days and I can be tested after midnight on June 1. Now I have that in writing. I'm taking a Celebrity cruise later in the year and they did a super job of clarifying their policy and expectations...Viking should learn from that.

KKap//I just this morning received another update in which Viking did make the correction at least as it pertains to domestic flights ( 3 days) , however, the document which provided the link still makes reference to a 72 limit for first international flight. I do not know if Viking failed to correct that, or if there is a different requirement for an international flight. I suggest you shoot out an email to Viking guest relations and clearing put forth the confusion they're created and clearly indicate your situation and ask for a quick response in writing. To travel to/from within the United States please ensure you have the following: 1. Proof of negative COVID-19 Test (laboratory-certified) • US Guests: Viking does accept select at-home COVID-19 tests. - If "up-to-date" COVID-19 Immunization (includes booster dose when eligible): PCR test taken within 3 days prior to boarding first flight or joining first Viking activity, or - If "fully vaccinated" COVID-19 Immunization (eligible for, but not boosted): PCR test taken within 2 days prior to boarding first flight or joining first Viking activity, or - Or an Antigen test taken within 24 hours prior to boarding first flight or joining first Viking activity - And/or Proof of Recovery: If you have recovered from a COVID-19 infection (within 10–90 days prior to departure) ensure you carry documentation of recovery or a positive PCR test result from the time of infection. • International Guests (non-US) - Must be a NAAT/PCR or antigen test, taken no more than one (1) day prior to flying to the US or a US territory.

I don't want to post the document effective April1, 2022 as it pertains to internation travel because Viking has agreed the document, at least as it pertains to demestic travel, is misleading and said they were going to send out a clarification. Our issue may be different, kkap because our trip to our embarkation point is solely domestic and I don't know if you booked air with Viking or not. Viking says one thing and sent out a notifications with conflicting info. I also have been told by Viking Guest Relations and confirmed by Super. JG, that in our case at least, 72 hours is interpreted to be 3 days. Our flight leaves at 3:30 pm on June 3, but we can be tested after 00:01 on June1 and need not wait until 3:31 or later on June 1. I have that in writing from a Viking rep. in that she refers to "3 days" not 72 hours. If denied boarding because they claim my PCR test was taken several hours too early, it will be litigated. On the other hand, KKap, I notice customers generally post when they're upset. I have not found any posts from Viking passengers who claim they were denied passage based upon exceeding the 72 hour time frame. On the contrary, several have posted that they were not even asked to produce proof of having taken a Covid test prior to board. As frustrating as this process has been, I have a feeling, based upon statements from Viking and an email from Guest Relations, we'll be fine.

I don't know if your statement is accurate or dependent upon a license or permit but that's a better question for Viking to respond to.

Thank you very much...very thoughtful of you. We were told to ask when we board the ship to see if anyone might have cancelled. I was going to do the submarine but with covid so rampant, the thought of being shumshed into a small space with 5 strangers for 45 minutes makes if less appealing.

Yes..Our form omitted, did not address those of us flying independly on domestic flights. Our last communication from Viking, effective April 1, 2022 is different. They did inform me they were going to correct it...did you just receive it? US Guests: Viking does accept select at-home COVID-19 tests. - If "up-to-date" COVID-19 Immunization (includes booster dose when eligible): PCR test taken within 3 days prior to boarding first flight or joining first Viking activity, or - If "fully vaccinated" COVID-19 Immunization (eligible for, but not boosted): PCR test taken within 2 days prior to boarding first flight or joining first Viking activity, or - Or an Antigen test taken within 24 hours prior to boarding first flight or joining first Viking activity

We can disagree on this statement from you, Curler Bob: "In addition to reading the instructions (always a good thing ...), a bit of logical thinking may have assisted the OP. I find that viewing the rules through the lens of the cruise line helps to resolve a number of potential contradictions." It should not be up to the passenger to guess at what the cruise line intended to communicate. It's the responsibility of the cruise line to make certain the information they convey is accurate, clear, and not contrary to other information which they might be providing.

It appears that Viking does not consider all the scenarios which might occur. I would be happy if they did enforce the pre flight test, just modify the process so we have fewer and more reasonable hoops to jump thru. We have one more cruise after Viking on Celebrity to use up FCC, then, I think, our cruising days are over.

Correct on my biz class error...that applies to international..however, when I called Viking Air to try to book First, they denied it telling me that only is available on certain itineraries.

I did see this and it has nothing to do with our cruise as it address' IF you are traveling independently outside of your home country. The last I checked, Phoenix and Milwaukee were not outside my home country. It's interesting that some people are defending Viking when Viking has admitted to me that they did clearly fail to make a distinction between those of us flying independently and those who booked via Viking Air within the US to our embarkation port. They tell me they will clarify that in a subsequent update. They also told me not to worry if I don't get our test results until we land in Milwaukee. I don't know about you, but getting a positive result, when we land, not being allowed to board and needing to spend 10 days in quarantine in Milwaukee is not a good vacation.

You appear to be overlooking the fact which caused us to be in this situation: Viking provided misleading and incorrect instructions in writing to passengers and while they apologized, they refuse to rectify the situation by granting an exception...they only say they will provide further instructions indicating that they intended to include only Viking Air passengers in that statement. Great news for future passengers, for us, not so much.

We must have received different instructions from Viking. Ours, effective April 1, 2022, makes no distinction between flying independently and flying via Viking Air...it merely says, ..."boarding first flight". It does not say 'booked via Viking air'. It seems we're being punished for not booking via Viking Air because possibly someone sitting next to me on the same flight, taking the same Viking is given an extra day to be tested than me. It's very poor customer service and disrespectful it's passengers. The irony is we looked into flying via Viking Air and their policy is not to book in business class on domestic flights.

If I had known then, what' would transpire with Viking since, I would have not booked. Now, of course, it's too late to get a refund.

We are in the 'up to date' category having both been vaccinated and had both boosters. The above abstract below states " first flight" ..it does NOT state first flight made with Viking Air. In addition, it references a 3 day window, not the 72 hour window referenced elsewhere and in conversations with Viking. In my conversation today with Guest Relations and Jayce Rodriquez, Supervisor, I was able to get agreement that the Viking document I relied on, is flawed to the extent that it did not convey the Viking requirement that the test be taken not sooner than 3 days prior to the ship departing if air reservations were not made by Viking. I have appointments to take to test on May 31 and will attempt to reschedule then until June 1. However if, the results are not available prior to our flight on June 3 (necessary for us to depart a day early due to airline schedules and time zone difference), it will not be acceptable for us to fly to Milwaukee and learn that one or both of us tested positive and must quarantine for 10 days in a Milwaukee hotel. Instead, we will seek reimbursement for the missed cruise, RT airfare at Business Class rate, hotel expense for June 3, and other expenses incurred due to Viking providing us misinformation upon which we relied. I'm extremely disappointed that Viking refuses to correct their error by allowing us to proceed based upon the information it sent us. I was informed that Viking will issue a clarification of their policy but that does us not good whatsoever. We will alert others to the risk in flying to their departure point if they are relying on incorrect information from Viking. "To travel with Viking please ensure you have the following: 1. Valid Passport- must be valid for 6 months beyond your planned trip dates. 2. Proof of full COVID-19 immunization- certified by VeriFLY - Viking strongly recommends a booster dose administered when eligible. Some countries along your itinerary may require a booster dose for entry. 3. COVID 19 Test Requirement: Your country of entry has more stringent testing requirements than Viking (see below.) You must meet those testing requirements instead of Viking’s. To travel to/from within the United States please ensure you have the following: 1. Proof of negative COVID-19 Test (laboratory-certified) • US Guests: Viking does accept select at-home COVID-19 tests. - If "up-to-date" COVID-19 Immunization (includes booster dose when eligible): PCR test taken within 3 days prior to boarding first flight or joining first Viking activity, or - If "fully vaccinated" COVID-19 Immunization (eligible for, but not boosted): PCR test taken within 2 days prior to boarding first flight or joining first Viking activity, or - Or an Antigen test taken within 24 hours prior to boarding first flight or joining first Viking activity - And/or Proof of Recovery: If you have recovered from a COVID-19 infection (within 10–90 days prior to departure) ensure you carry documentation of recovery or a positive PCR test result from the time of infection."

Viking told me today that if the test is beyond either the 3 day or 72 hour window (which ever is applicable), it's invalid. Check my other post..they made another mistake in their communication.

Hi..we're going in June same cruise: my wife has some mobility issues...thinking the zodiac would not be a good idea since she had 2 knee replacements and can't lift her legs that far. What about the Sep. Ops boat? Viking says it's filled up but we should ask when onboard. Are umbrellas provided? Any hints or suggestions will be appreciated. One difference betw. Cele and V...celebrity will pay for hotel and meals to a limit, if you contract Covid while onboard and must debark. Viking says we're on our own under the same circumstances.