What It Was Like To Be Aboard When Another Passenger Tested Positive For Covid

[Spaniel Lover]

I've put together a video about my recent Iceland cruise on Viking Sky...
A cruise where one of the other passengers tested positive for Covid about half way through the voyage, and the Iceland Coast Guard wouldn't let the ship visit any further ports of call.  It was a really interesting experience, and I even managed to capture the audio of the first couple of ship-wide PA announcements that were made when they decided to let everyone know about the Covid case onboard.

I was really impressed with Viking’s approach to detecting and preventing Covid onboard.  It seems like a far superior strategy than many of the other cruise lines are employing.  It was also quite impressive to see the way the positive Covid case was handled during our cruise.  The fact that Viking was able to quarantine the one infected passenger and prevent the virus from spreading to others...  it's proof that Viking's strategy is sound.  It seems to me that it's just a matter of time before Covid makes its way on to ships of other cruise lines, and I doubt some of those other lines will be as successful as Viking was at preventing an outbreak.  Viking has a far more robust strategy for detecting Covid and prevent it from spreading than some of the other cruise lines do.  All of this and more is shown and explained in my video.  Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

This is the first of what will probably be four videos I'll do about my experiences in Iceland during our cruise on Viking Sky...  but this one will be the only one that deals with the Covid situation aboard.  The videos still to come will be about the things we saw and did in Iceland, and the many things I loved about our cruise.

This was the 52nd cruise we've done since 1996, and the furthest we've ever traveled from home...  we crossed seven time zones to get from our home in Washington state to the embarkation city of Reykjavik.  We were jet lagged for about the first four days we were there!  The interesting thing about crossing that many times zones is what happened when we did it in the westbound direction on the way home after the cruise.  We had a 7 hour and 44 minute flight that took off at 6:01 PM Iceland time and thanks to those seven time zones we crossed, we arrived in Seattle at 6:45 PM.  In other words, the clock only advanced 44 minutes in a nearly 8 hour flight!

Speaking of the flight home, the views out the window were incredible when we flew over Greenland!  At a distance, as we were approaching the coast, I saw a bunch of little specks in the water, and at first I couldn't quite figure out what they were.  As we got closer, I realized they were icebergs!  It was the first time I had ever seen icebergs in person.

 

Once the plane actually crossed the Greenland coastline, the views got even more amazing.  There were multiple glaciers visible, as well as a bay full of icebergs!

 

 

 

Of course, the views in Iceland (during the cruise) were great, too!  I especially loved all the waterfalls.

 

 

I'll have some pretty spectacular video to share of all the sights in the coming weeks.
For now, please enjoy my video about our brush with Covid-19 and the brilliant way Viking kept it from becoming an outbreak.
Click here to watch the video on YouTube.
 

- Jim Zim (aka "Spaniel Lover")

Edited July 19, 2021 by Spaniel Lover

[Twitchly]

Beautiful shots.

[WanderingBrit]

Looking forward to the other videos yet to come Jim - like many it's your "no Nickle and diming" video that made us Viking converts 🙂

Just wondering if at 6'3" I'll be able to touch the bottom of the Infinity pool 😂

[Clay Clayton]

21 hours ago, Spaniel Lover said:

I've put together a video about my recent Iceland cruise on Viking Sky...
A cruise where one of the other passengers tested positive for Covid about half way through the voyage, and the Iceland Coast Guard wouldn't let the ship visit any further ports of call.  It was a really interesting experience, and I even managed to capture the audio of the first couple of ship-wide PA announcements that were made when they decided to let everyone know about the Covid case onboard.

I was really impressed with Viking’s approach to detecting and preventing Covid onboard.  It seems like a far superior strategy than many of the other cruise lines are employing.  It was also quite impressive to see the way the positive Covid case was handled during our cruise.  The fact that Viking was able to quarantine the one infected passenger and prevent the virus from spreading to others...  it's proof that Viking's strategy is sound.  It seems to me that it's just a matter of time before Covid makes its way on to ships of other cruise lines, and I doubt some of those other lines will be as successful as Viking was at preventing an outbreak.  Viking has a far more robust strategy for detecting Covid and prevent it from spreading than some of the other cruise lines do.  All of this and more is shown and explained in my video.  Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

This is the first of what will probably be four videos I'll do about my experiences in Iceland during our cruise on Viking Sky...  but this one will be the only one that deals with the Covid situation aboard.  The videos still to come will be about the things we saw and did in Iceland, and the many things I loved about our cruise.

This was the 52nd cruise we've done since 1996, and the furthest we've ever traveled from home...  we crossed seven time zones to get from our home in Washington state to the embarkation city of Reykjavik.  We were jet lagged for about the first four days we were there!  The interesting thing about crossing that many times zones is what happened when we did it in the westbound direction on the way home after the cruise.  We had a 7 hour and 44 minute flight that took off at 6:01 PM Iceland time and thanks to those seven time zones we crossed, we arrived in Seattle at 6:45 PM.  In other words, the clock only advanced 44 minutes in a nearly 8 hour flight!

Speaking of the flight home, the views out the window were incredible when we flew over Greenland!  At a distance, as we were approaching the coast, I saw a bunch of little specks in the water, and at first I couldn't quite figure out what they were.  As we got closer, I realized they were icebergs!  It was the first time I had ever seen icebergs in person.

 

Once the plane actually crossed the Greenland coastline, the views got even more amazing.  There were multiple glaciers visible, as well as a bay full of icebergs!

 

 

 

Of course, the views in Iceland (during the cruise) were great, too!  I especially loved all the waterfalls.

 

 

I'll have some pretty spectacular video to share of all the sights in the coming weeks.
For now, please enjoy my video about our brush with Covid-19 and the brilliant way Viking kept it from becoming an outbreak.
Click here to watch the video on YouTube.
 

- Jim Zim (aka "Spaniel Lover")

Jim

I just found out this morning (when your Youtube showed up) that you were aboard our ship. Wish Inhad of known as I would have loved to meet you and say thanks in person for all the information you have shared over the years.  Especially how to rearrange furniture!  It is one of the tips I always try to share with Viking newbies. 
 

Agree with your thoughts about Viking’s protocols and unlike some others, hope they continue to test. 
 

Thanks again for your efforts. 

[Triptkr]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

Jim

I just found out this morning (when your Youtube showed up) that you were aboard our ship. Wish Inhad of known as I would have loved to meet you and say thanks in person for all the information you have shared over the years.  Especially how to rearrange furniture!  It is one of the tips I always try to share with Viking newbies. 
 

Agree with your thoughts about Viking’s protocols and unlike some others, hope they continue to test. 
 

Thanks again for your efforts. 

which (chair) arrangement is your preference?

Edited July 20, 2021 by Triptkr

[Clay Clayton]

3 hours ago, Triptkr said:

which (chair) arrangement is your preference?

The one with them 90° to each other with the “surfboard” table pointing into the corner. Makes it easier to get to the balcony. Copied it from Jim. 

[Spaniel Lover]

If you take a look at this video and go to the 1:30 point of the video, you'll see my advice for re-arranging the chair layout in a Deluxe Verandah cabin to make it a bit better than Viking's standard arrangement.

[Spaniel Lover]

4 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Jim

I just found out this morning (when your YouTube showed up) that you were aboard our ship. Wish I had of known as I would have loved to meet you and say thanks in person for all the information you have shared over the years.  

 

I'm not surprised that you didn't see me aboard, as I was wearing a disguise so that I wouldn't be recognized.  I was dressed as a Viking so that I would just blend in.

 

Ha ha ha...  just kidding, of course!  Sorry we didn't run in to each other.

 

Jim Zim

 

[Clay Clayton]

3 hours ago, Spaniel Lover said:

If you take a look at this video and go to the 1:30 point of the video, you'll see my advice for re-arranging the chair layout in a Deluxe Verandah cabin to make it a bit better than Viking's standard arrangement.

Works in a Veranda too! 

[TayanaLorna]

We too were amazed when we flew over Greenland.  Having done the Viking glacier lake excursion we immediately recognized the icebergs floating in the lakes. The long "road" looking features are called glacial tongues which can flow in many different directions from the glacier.  The edge of these tongues is where the icebergs calve and float.

 

We had already booked our first Viking cruise in 2018 when i found your video of the Star in the West Indies.  I was dying to see what the ship looked like and the video did it.  I also learned what to expect in our DV cabin.  Thank you!

[Crockett&Darla]

We actually take both chairs and align them parallel with the bed....so they are both facing out the sliding glass door. It still allows ample space to walk between the bed and back sides of the chairs. Then we move the table in front of the chairs. We then take the Viking red lanyard and tie up/back the curtain for a more open and better view.

 

This serves as our breakfast nook area, and we can look straight out the SGD when we have ordered breakfast room service. We will order breakfast room service when we need to get out of the door early, or even if we just want something earlier in the AM before we eventually have another bite somewhere else on the ship. 

 

This arrangement works well for looking out of the SGD....but not much else. We are only in our cabin morning and night, so it works for us.

 

If you want to move the furniture around again for something else during the day, it also qualifies as a gym appointment. Bonus.

 

 

Edited July 28, 2021 by Crockett&Darla
grammar

[Spaniel Lover]

I've posted a second video from our Iceland trip on Viking Sky.  This one is a scenic video with no talking...  just a bunch of beautiful waterfalls and some nice music playing along with it.

 

Take a look at it here: