JDincalif

We'd never want to see the entire travel industry apply Viking's stringent protocols - just that the option remains available to like-minded travelers.

For many the issue isn't daily testing - it's the insidious and rapidly transmissible nature of this particular illness and its unpredictable effects on any individual. Testing denial is simply the equivalent of sticking one's head in the sand and pretending there's no risk at all. The sick often don't know they're sick until tested, by which time they've potentially spread illness to others. One can move surprisingly easily from well to seriously ill without seeing it coming.

Those five bonus days on the Mars were a delight, shared with each other at last. Malaga was lovely. Viking arranged for us to leave the ship today in Porto, even though they couldn't get us flights home today, but they arranged transportation to a hotel overnight, again at no charge to us. We'll fly home tomorrow morning.

We are so sorry to hear that you and C have contracted this aggressive bug. We're keeping fingers crossed that your course will be mild and brief ♥️

Spending time with the dogs! - J is green with envy. Karine was probably pretty nice, too, of course 🤭

Nap preference represents neither a character defect nor a moral issue. Fun to discuss, ridiculous to challenge or debate. 💤🤭

Partner testing negative can roam the ship unmasked, dine in restaurants, drink in lounges, go to entertainments, participate in shore excursions or explore independently ashore - in short, to have the full *normal* cruise experience.

Thank you for your compassion and sympathy. We hope that you enjoyed the Chairman's voyage and that you're now celebrating your daughter's graduation. However... Let it be known that Viking has extended to us extraordinary care and accomodations that ultimately made this voyage perhaps even more enjoyable than we'd anticipated. *Hint: we are currently guests on the maiden/third/whatever-it's-called voyage, happily enjoying the full Viking onboard experience and exploring southern Spain for another couple of days. Valencia was magnificent! Opinions about the Viking daily testing are all over the place and attempting to sway these opinions is pointless. Here's a summary of our opinions and our conclusions based on our actual experience. We're happy to answer questions but *not" to get into debate about the validity of our experience. Daily PCR testing is "not* a meaningless exercise for those of us seeking to resume travel while minimizing this particular risk, certainly to ourselves but also to others Four vaccine doses, masking, distancing, following all recommended precautions did *not* prevent a healthy J from contracting Covid. Daily PCR testing *did* detect the presence of virus before symptoms emerged. Daily PCR testing *did* allow J to be isolated before virus could be passed along to beloved spouse D *or* to anyone else on the ship. Guests who tested negative were free to choose either discontinuing or continuing mask use. Anecdotally, during J's five days in isolation, J would peek into the hall to count room service trays outside isolation rooms to estimate how many other guests were there; the number remained steady at about ten. It's impossible to say with absolute certainty that there would have been additional cases without early testing and isolation, but it's not unreasonable to think so. Much as with the 2019 Viking Sky emergency, the experience we had was very different from the experience we'd anticipated. Yet both were more memorable - in all ways - than we could have imagined.

Chef's Table has always addressed our dietary restrictions with suitable alternative selections. It does help to discuss your needs and preferences with them ahead of time to help ensure the most enjoyable experience.

A little more live from the Viking Mars: No trackers are being used so contacts are more difficult to identify. When we were completing a shore excursion, the guide came to each guest on the bus to confirm names and obtain room numbers. It turned out that morning testing results of one of the guests on the tour came back potentially positive, and the information was requested by Viking to notify contacts if necessary.

Reporting from quarantine on the current Chairman's Cruise: * Positive person is required to move to "isolation ward" - may *not* remain in assigned stateroom * Isolation rooms all appear to be on Deck 3; all appear to be V1 * Negative person *not* given option to remain with positive partner; negative person has free access to ship with mask and distancing * Positive person has no room key; may open and stand in doorway to receive provisions and medical check - not sure what would happen if door slams behind you...not gonna test it ..

Thanks for your kind words. While this isn't quite the trip we expected, we're glad we came. J is having only mild cold symptoms, receiving excellent attentive care and service from Viking crew. There are fewer nicer places to isolate than a Viking stateroom!

We'd love to be able to provide live updates. The first full day included Karine Hagen's tribute to the remarkable Viking Sky crew in 2019 and to the crews that kept the ships in good condition during pandemic pause. Later that day Torstein Hagen provided a recap of the past two years and the vision of Viking's 'path' going forward. But after four vaccinations, multiple precautions, negative pre-flight and embarkation PCR tests, the day after embarkation J had an inconclusive PCR result that on retesting was negative. The next day J's test was once again initially inconclusive but positive on retesting. Protocol calls for 5 day isolation on deck 3 (which takes us to disembarkation day). D has tested negative to date and has remained in our original stateroom. D is allowed to move freely about the ship but has been requested by ship MD to mask and distance in public areas. So we do hope that others will bring you additional news from this cruise.

It's a go and there's much excitement! Thanks for your kind wishes. SAT MAY 21, 2022 Embark in Rome (Civitavecchia) SUN MAY 22, 2022 Palermo, Sicily, Italy MON MAY 23, 2022 Sicily (Syracuse), Italy TUE MAY 24, 2022 Valletta, Malta WED MAY 25, 2022 Sail the Mediterranean Sea THU MAY 26, 2022 Sardinia (Cagliari), Italy FRI MAY 27, 2022 Menorca Island (Mahon), Spain SAT MAY 28, 2022 Disembark in Barcelona

J of JD always travels with a champagne bottle stopper, but has learned recently that one may actually be available in the stateroom...will investigate and confirm...