FOX NEWS – – River cruises are returning to Europe this summer.
This week, Viking announced that it would resume some river cruises in Portugal, France and along the Rhine in July. However, the cruises are only available to passengers who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Viking unveiled five routes to sail in July as part of its “Welcome Back” collection, including trips on the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel in Switzerland and cruises on the Portuguese Gold River and the Seine and Rhône rivers.
Viking announced its summer routes in response to news that the European Union intends to ease restrictions on vaccinated travelers, the cruise line said in its announcement.
“It is clear that many people are eager to return to the world again, and I would like to thank all of our Target Partners for their assistance in planning our return to service,” Viking chairman Torstein Hagen said in a statement. “We were delighted to welcome our first guests back on board in England this week – and look forward to welcoming travelers on board some of our European riverboats again in July.”
Viking had previously launched its “Welcome Back” cruise series with fully vaccinated voyages in the UK, Iceland, Bermuda and the Mediterranean. The cruise company said it was “actively developing” more cruises to add to the series, “with the aim of announcing more 2021 crossings as soon as possible,” Viking said in its announcement.
The cruise line said it has put in place a comprehensive health and safety program that includes frequent PCR coronavirus testing of crew and passengers, other health checks, disinfection and social distancing protocols, the announcement said.
