Viking plans May restart from the UK with new ship Venus

They'll sail on the new Viking Venus, scheduled for April delivery. The ship is now scheduled to be named in the UK on May 17.

Cruises round-trip Portsmouth

The eight-day 'England’s Scenic Shores' is to operate round-trip Portsmouth, with departures on May 22, May 29 and June 5.

Pre-registration is currently open to Viking loyalists. More details about the voyages will be released and reservations will be available to all UK residents in due course.

The cruises were triggered by the UK government's recent signal that it will allow domestic cruises beginning in May.

All other previously scheduled Viking sailings through May 31 remain canceled.

'We welcome the UK government’s support for the return of safe domestic cruises as an important component in the travel industry’s recovery. In recognition of this support, and to celebrate the fact we have a British godmother — the esteemed broadcaster and journalist Anne Diamond — we have chosen to name our new ship, Viking Venus, in the UK on May 17,' Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen said.

PCR tests

'We are in a position to restart operations quickly and to start sailing again in May because we have kept our ships crewed during warm lay-up throughout the past 12 months. We have been implementing our additional protocols, including daily quick and easy non-invasive saliva PCR tests for our crew, for almost six months now. With our new protocol enhancements in place, we believe there will be no safer way to travel the world than on a Viking voyage and we look forward to welcoming UK guests back on board very soon.'