Viking Official Announcement – End of Covid Testing

[Host Jazzbeau]

https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/why-viking/health-and-safety/health-and-safety-program.html

 

[June 10, 2022] ... effective immediately, Viking will discontinue all on board COVID testing fleetwide.

 

However, we will continue to provide testing if a guest reports symptoms, requests a test, or if our Medical Team deems necessary. Our vaccine requirement for all guests and crew remains in place—and for the time being, our crew will keep testing as needed and will wear masks at all times.

 

Additionally, Viking highly recommends, but no longer requires, a pre-departure COVID-19 test—unless one is required by the destination. As of June 10, 2022, select ocean voyages on the Viking Orion and expedition voyages on the Viking Octantis in the United States and Canada will continue to require a pre-departure COVID-19 test. Further details can be found here.

 

 

[firedragoncruisers]

Hallelujah!

[HSBC]

Does it mean no daily testing at Viking river cruise in Europe?

Thanks!

[milling73]

Short answer…yes.
No more daily testing on Europe river cruises. 

Masks not required by passengers. 
Negative COVID test not required to board boat. 

[Gig Harbor Explorere]

For those who think of this as good news, I can assure you it is not. We have just returned from a 15 day “Into the Midnight Sun” cruise on the Viking Mars. The cruise began the very day Viking dropped its requirement for pre-board Covid testing and regular onboard testing of all guests. Within days of boarding, the coughing started. By mid-cruise, there were reports of dozens of positive PCR tests. Everywhere we turned, people were coughing and hacking. Although some voluntarily isolated, a vast majority did not. They simply went on with their activities, willfully spreading virus. Inexplicably, Viking’s response was …. nothing! We faced packed buses, packed theatres, and packed eating venues. All with the sound of coughing. After Viking’s many proud assurances that they would prevent and responsibly manage any Covid outbreak, we took this cruise with the confidence that we could trust Viking. We were shocked at Viking’s total abdication of its responsibilities, the subsequent failure to address the issue, and the apparent instruction to onboard staff to refuse to discuss the matter. We were equally astonished at the selfishness and ignorance of the many passengers who, obviously sick, simply went about their business, thereby assuring that, by the end of the cruise, we too would be sick. We even witnessed one woman lower her mask so she could opening sneeze without soiling the mask! Our disappointment is immense.

[rizello]

6 hours ago, Gig Harbor Explorere said:

For those who think of this as good news, I can assure you it is not. We have just returned from a 15 day “Into the Midnight Sun” cruise on the Viking Mars. The cruise began the very day Viking dropped its requirement for pre-board Covid testing and regular onboard testing of all guests. Within days of boarding, the coughing started. By mid-cruise, there were reports of dozens of positive PCR tests. Everywhere we turned, people were coughing and hacking. Although some voluntarily isolated, a vast majority did not. They simply went on with their activities, willfully spreading virus. Inexplicably, Viking’s response was …. nothing! We faced packed buses, packed theatres, and packed eating venues. All with the sound of coughing. After Viking’s many proud assurances that they would prevent and responsibly manage any Covid outbreak, we took this cruise with the confidence that we could trust Viking. We were shocked at Viking’s total abdication of its responsibilities, the subsequent failure to address the issue, and the apparent instruction to onboard staff to refuse to discuss the matter. We were equally astonished at the selfishness and ignorance of the many passengers who, obviously sick, simply went about their business, thereby assuring that, by the end of the cruise, we too would be sick. We even witnessed one woman lower her mask so she could opening sneeze without soiling the mask! Our disappointment is immense.

Thanks for sharing what is happening..  did you end up getting sick?  I’m trying to balance how to handle being back to ‘normal’.  

[CastleCritic]

Having faced this (to some degree) situation 3 times in the last 7ish months (once on an American cruise line trip that required PCR before flying, then a boarding day antigen, and then twice on Amawaterways with no requirements on the cruise (other than temperature checks  but the "before you fly home" test hanging over our heads the entire trip.)  I can say that it sucks both ways.  I know people have felt that their vacation could come to a "bad end" at any moment due to a positive test really sucked the fun out of it.  And I know that I spent almost all my free time either in my cabin or out on deck to avoid any chance of tripping a test...and it made the entire vacation less fun....and then I actually got sick the last day of my last cruise (but we'll get to that...short version..not covid)

 

On the last cruise I heard some dialog about this from some of the passengers (again we weren't tested but did have fairly well enforced mask mandate in enclosed spaces) about how there should be no testing and if the case was asymptomatic but positive they should just let them go on with their day. I dunno about all of that.  If you are positive for sure you probably should quarantine, but a 'quick' test should be confirmed by a better one before making any large changes. like being kicked off a ship.  As for the mask lowering thing..my mother was guilty of this I just don't think they realize what they are doing its just force of habit (she has fairly bad allergies and sneezes a decent amount, and I did finally say something to her about it).

 

And then after 11 days with the same 43 (on the ship) and 26 (on a bus/land extension) people in France, despite the masks and distance and everything else something went through the group and as we were driving back to Paris to fly home I developed a rather good cough...I was sure I was stuck in France for 10 days but tested negative that night (and my mother who caught it was subsequently tested at least twice and came up negative).  But after that I said I wouldn't go back until the testing mandates were dropped and I will cancel the trip I have set for next year if they come back..its not worth the worry screwing up vacations.

 

Edited June 27, 2022 by CastleCritic