Viking announced it will temporarily suspend river and ocean operations until May 1. President Torstein Hagen delivered the news in a video and a letter sent to customers with reservations.
Hagen said that COVID-19 “has made travel extremely complicated,” with a growing number of ports temporarily closed to cruise ships, including Venice, Monte Carlo, and Bergen. In addition, major tourist attractions such as the Vatican and other museums have been closed, and some countries are imposing restrictions on public gatherings and visitors.
River cruise ship infected; 29 people will be quarantined:
“In recent days, we had a guest from a Southeast Asian river cruise who was exposed to COVID-19 while in transit on an international airline,” Hagen said. “While this passenger is asymptomatic, they have been quarantined. Separately, the remaining 28 passengers will also be quarantined.”.
Hagen went on to say that “the situation has become so serious that operating as a travel company involves significant risks of quarantines or medical checks.”.
Shipments are suspended from March 12th
Viking is suspending operations of its river and ocean-going ships that were scheduled to embark between March 12 and April 30, at which point, according to Hagen, he believes Viking will be in a better position to provide the cruising experience that guests expect and deserve.
He added that, as a private company “with financial strength”, Viking has the flexibility to act without worrying about quarterly results.
Generous compensation or full refund
For travelers whose cruise falls within the dates of the suspension of operations, Viking is offering a future cruise voucher valued at 125% of the total amount paid to Viking, or a full refund. Passengers will have 24 months to use their future cruise voucher to book any river, ocean, or expedition cruise. For added flexibility, if they are unable to use their voucher, customers will automatically receive a full refund of the amount paid to Viking once the voucher has expired. These vouchers are also fully transferable.
