London, 8 July 2021: Following the successful restart of operations in May and the roll out of its Welcome Back collection in England, Iceland and Malta, the award-winning ocean and river cruise line Viking announces that its Bermuda itinerary – Bermuda Escape - is now available for UK travellers to book as well as the launch of three additional domestic UK voyages this summer.  With these sailings available exclusively to fully vaccinated guests, Viking is actively working on developing additional Welcome Back itineraries in a variety of other destinations, with the goal of announcing further 2021 sailings as soon as government approvals are given.

The 8-day Bermuda Escape voyages on Viking Orion are now available for UK guests on multiple sailings roundtrip from the capital Hamilton, known for its distinctive blend of British and American culture, starting from 13 August 2021.  The itinerary includes two days at the Royal Naval Dockyard, renowned for its rich maritime history and now a lively port which is home to artists, artisans and the Bermuda National Museum.  Fares start from £2,190 per person including return flights from London, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow or Edinburgh. 

Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking said: “We applaud the government of Bermuda for its collaboration and support as we have restarted our operations. Bermuda has been a favourite destination among our guests since our ocean ships began calling there in 2017, and we look forward to introducing even more Viking guests to the island's history, culture and phenomenal natural beauty.”

For the additional domestic UK voyages, Viking Star will homeport in Portsmouth and will sail England's Scenic Shores itinerary on 7 and 14 August and Scenic British Isles will set sail on 21 August.  The 8-day England's Scenic Shores itinerary will call at Liverpool, Falmouth, Portland, and the Isles of Scilly, whilst guests on the Scenic British Isles itinerary will visit the Isle of Man and Falmouth as well as enjoying more days of scenic sailing.  Fares start from £1,490 per person including, as with all Viking's ocean voyages, gratuities, a shore excursion in nearly every port, wine and beer with lunch and dinner, use of the spa facilities and dining in alternative restaurants.  Guests will be able to enjoy included excursions or to opt for Privileged Access experiences at a handpicked selection of private country estates. On board, guests will enjoy a full enrichment programme and will learn about Britain's rich history, its fascinating isles, cities and coastal regions with Viking's resident historians and guest lecturers.

Wendy Atkin-Smith, Managing Director of Viking UK said: “Based on consistently high levels of demand we have already opened availability on both ocean and river cruises through to 2023 but a lot of our UK guests are keen to start travelling as soon as it's safe to do so this summer.  We are delighted to be able to offer these additional UK sailings as well as the option to travel further afield to the colourful British island territory of Bermuda.  Nearly 100% of our guests rated our domestic voyages in May and June this year as excellent or very good – and in fact several guests booked the same itinerary twice because they enjoyed it so much. A quarter of our guests booked another cruise with us straight away after enjoying their experience with Viking.  British travellers are definitely ready to start exploring the world again, safe in the knowledge that Viking's enhanced protocols are in place to protect our guests, our crew and the communities we visit.”

Those who sail these new voyages will also experience Viking's industry-leading health and safety programme. Grounded in scientific research, the Viking Health & Safety Programme was developed in partnership with an international team of medical advisors, including Raquel C. Bono, M.D., Viking's Chief Health Officer. Dr Bono is a board-certified trauma surgeon and retired Vice Admiral of the United States Navy Medical Corps—and most recently led Washington State's medical and healthcare systems response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilising a full-scale laboratory installed on every Viking ocean ship, all guests and crew will receive daily quick and easy non-invasive saliva PCR tests. New air purification technology has also been installed on all Viking ships, which have always featured independent air handling units for all guest staterooms. And additional health checks, sanitisation and physical distancing measures will provide further protection for Viking guests and crew at all points of the journey. A complete overview of the Viking Health & Safety Programme can be found at: www.viking.com/health-safety .

For added convenience Viking guests can now choose to book their voyages online 365 days a year, 24 hours a day via www.viking.com

Alternatively, for more information or to make a booking by telephone guests are invited to call 0800 298 97 00.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Viking UK Press Office: ukpressoffice@vikingcruises.com

Bryony Gammon: bryony.gammon@vikingcruises.com

Carmen Walker: carmen.walker@vikingcruises.com

Telephone: +44 208 780 7945

About Viking

Viking offers culturally enriching, destination-focused river and ocean cruises for travellers curious about the world, its rich culture and varied history.

Viking takes its guests on curated, elegant voyages to some of the most iconic rivers in Europe, Africa and the Far East, allowing a unique window on inspiring destinations and rewarding experiences.  Viking revolutionised river cruising with the introduction of its state of the art Viking Longships which, since their introduction in 2012, now make up 80 percent of its river fleet. 

In 2015 Viking debuted its maiden season of ocean cruising and in April 2021 Viking took delivery of its seventh ocean ship, Viking Venus, making it the largest small ship ocean cruise line. The sophisticated state-of-the-art Viking ocean ships can accommodate 930 guests on itineraries all across the world. 

Viking will expand its destination-focused travel experiences with the launch of new expedition voyages. Viking Expeditions will begin sailing in January 2022 with its first vessel, Viking Octantis, embarking on voyages to Antarctica and North America's Great Lakes. A second expedition vessel, Viking Polaris, will debut in August 2022, sailing to Antarctica and the Arctic.  Viking's custom-built vessel, Viking Mississippi, will debut in August 2022 and will sail voyages on the Lower and Upper Mississippi, between New Orleans and St. Paul.

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