Viking Ocean's ship Viking Orion arrived in Port Bodrum Turkey on April 18, to collect crew and supplies as part of preparations for the upcoming summer 2021 cruises in Bermuda.
~300 crew are expected to board Viking Orion in batches as they arrive from various countries. The liner will stay in Bodrum through the end of April when the final batch of the crew members will board.
According to Haluk Hızlan (Bodrum Cruise Port's General Manager), ~20 crew would leave the vessel and ~300 new foreign personnel would board.
Viking Orion is expected to stay in port for 12 days. The crew members will be taken to the cruise ship on different days and in groups following strict health and safety COVID-19 protocols.
The crew will take non-invasive saliva PCR tests at embarkation, as well as go to 14-day quarantine prior to starting with their duties. Viking Orion boasts a full-scale PCR laboratory at sea which is industry-first and allows for unprecedented testing capacity, enabling the cruise line to conduct PCR testing of all crew and passengers with a non-invasive saliva test.
Viking Orion is scheduled to set sail to Gibraltar UK before crossing the Atlantic and arriving at homeport Hamilton Bermuda.
Starting June 15, the ship will offer 8-day roundtrip "Bermuda Escape" sailings from Hamilton which will include overnights in Hamilton and Saint George and a stop at the Royal Naval Dockyard - King’s Wharf.