Cruise Specialists Blog

Luxury Cruise News & Reviews

Blog Home / Cruise News

Viking Cruises Announces New PCR Testing Facility

Maggie Blehert

Viking® recently announced that it has completed installation of the first full-scale polymerase chain reaction (PCR) laboratory at sea. This new onboard facility—an industry first—allows for unprecedented testing capacity in the cruise industry, enabling Viking to conduct PCR testing of all crew members and guests with a non-invasive saliva test. The laboratory has enough capacity for daily testing of every crew member and guest, which provides flexibility to respond to COVID-19 prevalence levels around the world.

aerial view of cruise ship
Viking Star on the Thames River near London; courtesy Viking

This first laboratory has been installed on Viking Star, the company’s award-winning 930-guest ocean vessel. The ship will undergo a series of extensive tests to ensure the procedures and protocols that have been designed are fully effective.

“We have been working on this for a number of months, and today is important as it moves us one step closer to operating cruises again, without compromising the safety of our guests and crew,” said Matt Grimes, Vice President of Maritime Operations for Viking. “The recently announced CDC guidelines are clearly aligned with our public health research, and we welcome the agency’s push toward testing, as we believe this is the only way to safely operate. In our view, continuous PCR testing, along with our extensive onboard hygiene protocols, will lead to making Viking ships a safe place to get away to and explore the world,” Grimes added.

Viking ocean ship
Viking Sky in Eidfjord, Norway; courtesy Viking

Viking demonstrated the PCR laboratory in November 2020, along with new design and operating procedures. In the coming months, Viking will complete the installation of PCR laboratories on the remainder of its ocean ships—and will also have a strong network of shoreside laboratories for its river ships.

New Chief Health Officer

Viking also announced it has hired Raquel C. Bono, M.D. as the company’s Chief Health Officer. A board-certified trauma surgeon and retired Vice Admiral of the United States Navy Medical Corps, Dr. Bono most recently led Washington State’s medical and healthcare systems response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Principal at RCB Consulting, she partnered with Viking earlier in 2020 to help develop and define new protocol enhancements. As Chief Health Officer, Dr. Bono will be instrumental in Viking’s restart of operations, with a focus on public health.

“Dr. Bono brings valuable perspective informed by an extraordinary career that has included decorated military service, trauma surgery and health care administration. Additionally, her work as the head of Washington state’s COVID-19 health care response team makes her uniquely qualified to be our Chief Health Officer as we finalize plans for operating cruises safely,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “We are proud to officially welcome Dr. Bono to the Viking family, and we will soon be sharing more details about the Viking Health & Safety Program, which we believe is one of the most well-researched and comprehensive COVID-19 prevention and mitigation plans in the travel industry.”

couple looking out window on cruise ship
Explorer’s Lounge; Viking Ocean ship; courtesy Viking

Importance of Innovation

Viking’s leadership noted that challenging times—such as these—are often also times of great innovation and opportunity.  Cruise Specialists knows that travelers are eager to once again safely explore the world in comfort. With the announcement of Viking’s PCR testing, this is one more step our industry partners are making to help ensure the return to travel in a safe way.

See Viking’s latest ocean cruise offerings here.

See Viking’s river cruises here.

Take a look at Viking’s new expedition cruises here.

More from my site

  • A Big Win For Viking Ocean CruisesA Big Win For Viking Ocean Cruises
  • Cruising with Viking Ocean: Conclusion of Our 32-Day Hosted French Polynesia VoyageCruising with Viking Ocean: Conclusion of Our 32-Day Hosted French Polynesia Voyage
  • Viking Sun Will Host Viking’s 2020-2021 World CruiseViking Sun Will Host Viking’s 2020-2021 World Cruise
  • Open For Bookings: Nearly All-Inclusive, Viking Ocean Cruises’ New Viking StarOpen For Bookings: Nearly All-Inclusive, Viking Ocean Cruises’ New Viking Star

Cruise News, General Interest, Viking Cruise Reviews, Viking Expedition Cruise Reviews, Viking Ocean Cruise Reviews

SEARCH ARTICLES

Article Categories

  • Cruise Destinations
    • Africa Cruise Reviews
    • Alaska Cruise Reviews
    • Amazon Cruise Reviews
    • Antarctica Cruise Reviews
    • Arctic Cruise Reviews
    • Asia Cruise Reviews
    • Australia/New Zealand
    • Baltic Cruise Reviews
    • Canada/New England Cruise Reviews
    • Caribbean Cruise Reviews
    • Cuba Cruise Reviews
    • Europe Cruise Reviews
    • Galapagos Cruise Reviews
    • Grand Voyages
    • Hawaii Cruise Reviews
    • Iceland/Greenland
    • Mediterranean Cruise Reviews
    • Mexico Cruise Reviews
    • Panama Canal Cruise Reviews
    • Scandinavia and Northern Europe Cruise Reviews
    • South America Cruise Reviews
    • South Pacific Cruise Reviews
    • Transatlantic Cruise Reviews
    • World Cruise Reviews
  • Cruise FAQs
  • Cruise Lines
    • Abercrombie & Kent Reviews
    • AmaWaterways Cruise Reviews
    • American Cruise Line Reviews
    • American Queen Voyages Reviews
    • Aqua Expeditions Reviews
    • Atlas Ocean Voyages Reviews
    • Avalon Cruise Reviews
    • Azamara Cruise Reviews
    • Celebrity Cruise Reviews
    • Celebrity Galapagos Cruise Reviews
    • Cunard Cruise Reviews
    • Cunard World Cruise Reviews
    • Disney Cruise Reviews
    • Explora Journeys Cruise Reviews
    • Holland America Line Cruise Reviews
    • Holland America World Cruise Reviews
    • Hurtigruten Reviews
    • Lindblad/National Geographic Reviews
    • Norwegian Cruise Line Reviews
    • Oceania Cruise Reviews
    • Oceania World Cruise Reviews
    • Paul Gauguin Cruise Reviews
    • Ponant Cruise Reviews
    • Princess Cruise Reviews
    • Quark Expeditions Reviews
    • Regent Cruise Reviews
    • Regent Seven Seas Cruise
    • Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
    • Royal Caribbean Cruise Reviews
    • Scenic Eclipse Discovery Yacht Reviews
    • Scenic River Cruise Reviews
    • Seabourn Cruise Reviews
    • Seabourn Expedition Cruise Reviews
    • Silversea Cruise Reviews
    • Silversea Expedition Cruise Reviews
    • Silversea World Cruise Reviews
    • Star Clippers Cruise Reviews
    • Tauck Cruise and Tauck Land Tour Reviews
    • UnCruise Adventures Reviews
    • Uniworld River Cruise Reviews
    • Viking Cruise Reviews
    • Viking Expedition Cruise Reviews
    • Viking Ocean Cruise Reviews
    • Virgin Voyages
    • Windstar Cruise Reviews
    • Zegrahm Expeditions
  • Cruise News
  • Cruise Ports
  • Cruise Specialists Benefits
  • Expedition Cruises
  • Hosted Cruises
  • Ralph Grizzle
  • River Cruises
  • Ship Reviews
  • Solo Cruising
  • Tom Mullen
  • Tours, Trains & Resorts
    • Palace Resorts Reviews
    • Safari Reviews
    • Shore Excursions
    • Trains

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Maggie Blehert

Her ideal travel day: venturing to a new place, learning something interesting and sharing a smile.
View My Blog Posts

Steve and Wendy Bodenheimer
Cruise Specialists Voyage Hosts reporting on their round the world journeys.
View My Blog Posts

Ralph Grizzle

The Avid Cruiser. Well-traveled and insightful. Helping you make informed cruise decisions.
View My Blog Posts

FOLLOW US ON

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter