Chairman’s invitational cruise

[kcpvwill]

We were wondering if this is happening on Viking Mars as we have not seen any posts recently.  I’ve found the roll call now but not the itinerary so are curious about the  ports of call.  We’ve heard it was christened in Valletta on 17th and that it is now in Gozo.  Love to hear any news.   We wish the ‘survivors’ an enjoyable return and safe sailing.  

[JDincalif]

It's a go and there's much excitement! Thanks for your kind wishes.

SAT MAY 21, 2022 Embark in Rome (Civitavecchia)

SUN MAY 22, 2022 Palermo, Sicily, Italy MON MAY 23, 2022 Sicily (Syracuse), Italy TUE MAY 24, 2022 Valletta, Malta WED MAY 25, 2022 Sail the Mediterranean Sea THU MAY 26, 2022 Sardinia (Cagliari), Italy FRI MAY 27, 2022 Menorca Island (Mahon), Spain

SAT MAY 28, 2022 Disembark in Barcelona

[kcpvwill]

Sounds good, hope you all have a good reunion and a safe, uneventful cruise to gain lots of lovely new memories.  

[deec]

HAVE fun ....you have all been so Patient!!

[Clay Clayton]

Hope someone(s) will do a “live from” thread!

[kcpvwill]

Hello survivors, hope everything has started well for you and continues that way.  We’d love to hear about your experience this time and how many made the trip.  

[Haworth]

Weather is glorious and a great atmosphere on board, the Hagen family have both given interesting, personal and at times moving presentations today, it’s going well

[lackcreativity]

Best wishes to all who are traveling on this reunion tour! May you enjoy every single minute of your trip.

 

On a side note, this is the first time I have seen the itinerary listed. I dearly hope that Viking may be planning to introduce this as a new itinerary on a regular basis. It would certainly be the next one I would book! 

[JDincalif]

We'd love to be able to provide live updates. The first full day included Karine Hagen's tribute to the remarkable Viking Sky crew in 2019 and to the crews that kept the ships in good condition during pandemic pause. Later that day Torstein Hagen provided  a recap of the past two years and the vision of Viking's 'path' going forward.

 

But after four vaccinations, multiple precautions, negative pre-flight and embarkation PCR tests, the day after embarkation J had an inconclusive PCR result that on retesting was negative. The next day J's test was once again initially inconclusive but positive on retesting. Protocol calls for 5 day isolation on deck 3 (which takes us to disembarkation day). D has tested negative to date and has remained in our original stateroom. D is allowed to move freely about the ship but has been requested by ship MD to mask and distance in public areas.

 

So we do hope that others will bring you additional news from this cruise.

 

Edited May 24, 2022 by JDincalif

[kcpvwill]

JD, so sorry to hear your news.  After looking forward to the invitational cruise for such a long time this really is awful for you.  I hope that J is not too unwell and is coping with quarantine well.  

 

[JDincalif]

2 hours ago, kcpvwill said:

JD, so sorry to hear your news.  After looking forward to the invitational cruise for such a long time this really is awful for you.  I hope that J is not too unwell and is coping with quarantine well.  

 

Thanks for your kind words. While this isn't quite the trip we expected, we're glad we came. J is having only mild cold symptoms, receiving excellent attentive care and service from Viking crew. There are fewer nicer places to isolate than a Viking stateroom!

[Lets Go Hawks]

9 hours ago, JDincalif said:

Thanks for your kind words. While this isn't quite the trip we expected, we're glad we came. J is having only mild cold symptoms, receiving excellent attentive care and service from Viking crew. There are fewer nicer places to isolate than a Viking stateroom!

"Just asking for a friend."😉

 

So on VO, once the cruise has begun, what happens if only one of the couple in the stateroom tests positive for Covid? Is the positive person required to move or are you given the option to quarantine in your booked room.  If allowed to remain together, is the other person allowed to come and go as normal? 

 

Is the positive person required to move to quarantine in a comparable (or random available) stateroom? How do they monitor a quarantined passenger to ensure they stay in the room?

 

Thank you!

[Squawkman]

11 hours ago, Lets Go Hawks said:

"Just asking for a friend."😉

 

So on VO, once the cruise has begun, what happens if only one of the couple in the stateroom tests positive for Covid? Is the positive person required to move or are you given the option to quarantine in your booked room.  If allowed to remain together, is the other person allowed to come and go as normal? 

 

Is the positive person required to move to quarantine in a comparable (or random available) stateroom? How do they monitor a quarantined passenger to ensure they stay in the room?

 

Thank you!

These answers are based on our April cruise so things might have changed.

 

The positive person must quarantine in the Covid wing. This section is locked from the rest of the ship, so there’s no “escape”.

 

The roommate of the positive person was given 3 choices:  Join their partner in a quarantined room; stay in their original room; or leave the ship and fly home. If (s)he decides to join their partner, they are treated the same as if they were quarantined. One nice thing is that food may be ordered from any restaurant - so you can have Manfredi’s delivered to your room any night.

[Lets Go Hawks]

Thank you! 

[JDincalif]

On 5/25/2022 at 4:04 AM, Lets Go Hawks said:

So on VO, once the cruise has begun, what happens if only one of the couple in the stateroom tests positive for Covid? Is the positive person required to move or are you given the option to quarantine in your booked room.  If allowed to remain together, is the other person allowed to come and go as normal? 

 

Is the positive person required to move to quarantine in a comparable (or random available) stateroom? How do they monitor a

Reporting from quarantine on the current Chairman's Cruise:

* Positive person is required to move to "isolation ward"  - may *not* remain in assigned stateroom

* Isolation rooms all appear to be on Deck 3; all appear to be V1 

* Negative person *not* given option to remain with positive partner; negative person has free access to ship with mask and distancing

* Positive person has no room key; may open and stand in doorway to receive provisions and medical check - not sure what would happen if door slams behind you...not gonna test it ..

 

 

 

 

[Jim Avery]

One wonders if Torstein and Karine are spit tested daily and if the Chairman would ever be quarantined.  Just a curious thought, not trying to start trouble....🍸

[CurlerRob]

5 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

One wonders if Torstein and Karine are spit tested daily and if the Chairman would ever be quarantined.  Just a curious thought, not trying to start trouble....🍸

My guess would be yes to the testing - to do otherwise would be a huge leadership failure.

 

Quarantine? If it were my company, quarantine would last only as long as it took the ship to reach the next port that my private jet could be at. 😈

 

Interesting thought, Jim. 🍺🥌

[Jim Avery]

Always wanted a private jet....🍸

[Clay Clayton]

1 minute ago, Jim Avery said:

Always wanted a private jet....🍸

I just want to fly in one

[Heidi13]

11 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

I just want to fly in one

 

At least we got to experience his private yacht.😁

[Twitchly]

4 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

I just want to fly in one

I did once. Sadly, it was wasted on me. I was young and idealistic and had just returned from spending 6 months in one of the poorest countries in Africa. The cognitive dissonance was too much. 
 

I’d love to have another chance! ✈️

[CurlerRob]

6 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

I just want to fly in one

Quite honestly, the in-flight experience in business class on a wide-body is far superior. The attached graphic is part of a Citation CJ4 - a 10 pax jet. Seats are somewhat narrow, but the legroom is good. Headroom is non-existent - if you forget, it's painful to stand up too quickly (more so at your height)...

 

However, the 5 minutes for check-in and boarding, plus the 10 minutes for customs and immigration clearance (usually done on board) when arriving are an entirely different kettle of fish! Cuts travel time by up to 5 hours per trip.

 

This opinion just from only a couple of experiences on corp. aircraft. Something like Air Force One (if you're the boss) appears much better! 😁

 

 

🍺🥌

[Twitchly]

1 hour ago, CurlerRob said:

However, the 5 minutes for check-in and boarding, plus the 10 minutes for customs and immigration clearance (usually done on board) when arriving are an entirely different kettle of fish! Cuts travel time by up to 5 hours per trip.

Yes! We didn’t even have to go into the airport. There was a driver waiting right outside the plane. 

[OnTheJourney]

On 5/24/2022 at 5:09 AM, JDincalif said:

positive on retesting.

I am SO sorry to hear about this...knowing how much you were looking forward to the trip. I alluded to this whole PCR thing in my reply on the roll call thread. This is why I think Viking really needs to address and hopefully revise this practice. Torstein referred, somewhat jokingly, to "drawing the lucky number" (relative to positive test results) during his presentation and seemed to suggest an indefinite continuation of the PCR protocol. Once again, I'm saddened that you didn't have the experience you hoped for. 

[OnTheJourney]

On 5/26/2022 at 4:18 AM, JDincalif said:

Reporting from quarantine on the current Chairman's Cruise:

* Positive person is required to move to "isolation ward"  - may *not* remain in assigned stateroom

* Isolation rooms all appear to be on Deck 3; all appear to be V1 

* Negative person *not* given option to remain with positive partner; negative person has free access to ship with mask and distancing

* Positive person has no room key; may open and stand in doorway to receive provisions and medical check - not sure what would happen if door slams behind you...not gonna test it ..

 

 Wow...this is just....too much. I understand the precautionary approach but can ALSO understand why some some CC members have posted that they simply won't cruise with Viking due to potentially running into these issues. I worried about it somewhat every day after putting that tube back in the bag. 

 

I presume a negatively-testing partner is not allowed off the ship at any time? 

Edited May 31, 2022 by AnyWayIsGood