“No plan survives first contact with the enemy,” said Dr. Raquel Bono, chief health officer for Viking, after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19 on a recent sailing in Iceland. Nonetheless, like a true warrior, the company stepped up to the challenge.
When we boarded the Viking Sky in Reykjavik, Iceland, little did we know that a suspected case of COVID-19 would be joining us. Viking had already operated two “Welcome Back” circumnavigations of the island nation with zero incidents, and we anticipated the same.
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.
Physical distancing began at embarkation. No longer are all passengers corralled together for a lifeboat or muster drill, but instead, we were individually led and introduced to our muster station and given a personal demonstration on how to don a life jacket. Easy peasy.
Less convenient, however, is the thermal suite at the spa. It was still complimentary, but temporarily serving guests by appointment only to limit capacity. Similarly, pools were limited to just four people at a time and whirlpools to only two.
What’s more, our temperatures were taken daily at digital kiosks as we entered various venues such as the buffet, which itself is now fully served. Hand sanitizing stations and full sink basins were even more prevalent. I also witnessed the guest relations staff disinfecting their desks after each passenger transaction. Viking was not messing around.
Face coverings are also still required indoors while moving about the ship, in elevators and on tour buses. I spoke to two travel agents onboard, and each considered Viking’s health measures, masks in particular, to be excessive for a completely vaccinated ship. Guests clearly felt the same, as many opted not to wear them onboard motor coaches. However, the captain did come over the loud speakers at one point to reiterate that even though it is not Iceland’s policy to require them, it is Viking’s.
As it turns out, perhaps the most crucial measures for our sailing were daily testing and contact tracing. Viking is the first cruise line to have a full testing laboratory onboard each of its ocean ships, and guests must spit into a tube every morning to receive a non-invasive molecular COVID-19 test. Tubes are provided to each cabin in the evening, and stewards conveniently take them to the lab the next morning on every guest’s behalf. Meanwhile, passengers are asked to carry a small (slightly larger than a quarter) contact tracing device to be ready for the possibility of a case arising.
And arise it did. Halfway through our cruise, the captain informed us that there was a single suspected COVID-19 infection on the ship, and that anyone in close contact with the guest was quickly informed before they were all retested. The guest tested positive twice, but all contacts were negative. The infected passenger was isolated onboard, and any spread was curtailed.
Nonetheless, the last three of our port visits were impacted. Guests who had disembarked on the morning the COVID-19 case was discovered were returned right back to the ship by local Icelandic authorities. Even though we thought the rest of the cruise would continue as planned, tours were recalled the second day amid confusion about regional jurisdiction. And our third and final port of call was completely off limits to us.
Although an unfortunate situation, no one seemed upset with Viking, and all healthy parties were able to disembark as scheduled at the end of the cruise. The line clearly followed its protocols to the letter, and did everything in its power to protect its guests and crew.
Time will tell how everything goes after this initial hiccup, but we’re still onboard Viking this week and will hopefully report on a second sailing without incident. Suffice it to say that for now, the Viking cruise experience is alive and well, and Iceland is stunningly beautiful.
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