Cruising with Viking Line in times of coronavirus - here's how it works

What is it like to go on a cruise with Viking Line in corona time? We have tested it! Last Thursday, we went on a cruise with Viking Cinderella - a corona-adapted trip with lots of fantastic food á la Svenska Kocklandslaget.

Cruise with Viking Line in the corona era

We were invited to a press trip to experience the autumn's first weekend cruise with Viking Cinderella. Since Viking Line has made several adjustments to reduce the risk of infection and since the Swedish National Culinary Team is behind several of the food initiatives on board, it sounded really tempting. We have not gone on this type of trip for a long time and were really excited when we boarded.

Fun on deck on the Viking Cinderella

We started the cruise by going up on deck and looking at the view while Viking Cinderella slowly slid out of Stockholm. How fantastically beautiful it is in the waters around Stockholm!

One of our favourite things about press trips is the chance to meet old and new friends. This time we got the chance to meet our travel blogger colleague Christian, from Food and travel blog. We haven't met in a long time, so we promise we had a lot to talk about. Great to see you again!

Game and seafood buffet á la the Swedish national team of chefs

The Swedish National Culinary Team is behind the new game and seafood buffet served on board. In the picture you see Fredrik Andersson, who is the Team Manager for the national chef team. He told us about the buffet, and about the new procedures to "corona-proof" the service. To minimise the risk of infection, the following procedures are now in place:

• A small number of guests are admitted at a time to avoid crowding.
• Hand sanitiser is available at the beginning of the buffet.
• You don't take anything from the buffet (except for ready-to-eat flavour portions served in glasses), but the waiters put up what you want.
• Catering staff wear masks, visors and gloves.

The buffet is full of delicious seafood and other delicacies. In addition to seafood and game, there is an unusual amount of greens on the buffet. Many of the delicacies are served in small glasses, which you can take yourself. What did it taste like? We don't know. We only took photos, because we were invited to a yet more luxurious event.

A drink before dinner

Before it was time for us to eat, we took a glass of bubbles in the small prosecco bar. We like this bar, always a favourite place when we are on board Viking Cinderella!

3-course dinner á la the Swedish national chef team

Then it was time for us to eat! The Swedish National Culinary Team is not only responsible for the game and seafood buffet, but also serves the 3-course menu with which they came second in the Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart at the beginning of the year. You can now eat the entire Olympic menu in the Seaview restaurant for SEK 470 per person.

The menu starts with a small "amuse" in the form of a fried brioche with rooster liver cream, chanterelles, vinegar jelly and grated aged cheese. Fully fantastic God!

The starter is a cold baked cod loin with green pea cream, vendace roe and oyster salad. The main course is venison fillet, celeriac cream and Gotland lentil ragu. The feast ends with raspberry mousse and ice cream flavoured with tonka bean together with milk chocolate crisp, caramel sauce and raspberry cream. Need we say that the dinner was fantastic?

Entertainment

There is a lot of entertainment to choose from and they have worked on offering different types of entertainment. at the same time, to spread out the guests in different parts of the ship. Tony Irving has also offered dance lessons on board in the past. The new "corona-proofed" version means that Mr Irving will give private dance lessons for only one couple at a time.

We went to the nightclub after we finished eating, and were surprised by very good entertainment. The big band jazz was really good. Maybe it also felt a little extra fun because it had been so long since we had heard live music.

Chris Andersson and Anton Körberg were also really good. What has been done to "corona-proof" the nightclub? Well, you can queue at a distance to the bar, and on the dance floor there are chairs placed at a distance, so you can sit instead of dancing. Despite this, it was probably little crowded in some places in the room. However, we felt that it was possible to keep a distance if you wanted to.

Brunch

The next morning we all met for brunch in the buffet restaurant. A difference now from the past is that they serve brunch instead of breakfast, and this lasts longer. There is everything from classic breakfast to more surprising items, such as prawn cocktails and Skagen on crayfish tails.

The brunch buffet works just like the dinner buffet, i.e. the waiters set it up for you, except for the tasting portions in glasses. We found it to be both calmer and more pleasant than what is usually done at buffets. In addition, this new way of serving means that there is less food waste.

This time we chose a rather classic breakfast. We can tell you that the scrambled eggs were really good. That little crayfish cake in the glass was also a highlight!

There is also a sweets table at brunch, where you can find everything from cheese and sea buckthorn jam to pancakes and chocolate pudding. We're not much for sweets, but I (Helena) had to try a "shot with liquorice mousse and Turkish pepper".

Visit to the bridge

Those of us who were invited on the press trip had the chance to visit the bridge and ask questions to the captain, or commander as it is called, Carsten Carlsson. So, what a fantastic view you have up there! Those yellow pennants pointing fingers? We wondered if you show them to other boats if you get annoyed. But no, if we are to believe the captain, they mostly hang on the wall as a fun thing ...

Shopping and duty free

After the visit to the pier, we still had some time left, so we took the opportunity to check out the shops. We checked out a pop-up shop with clothes and did some shopping at the textile centre. For our part, it was only a single bottle because we would go home by public transport. However, we got a tip that we want to share with you.

If you want to do more shopping (and avoid using public transport), you can, for a small fee, drive your car onto the ferry. You can then pre-order goods and have them delivered to your car. For our part, we are thinking about driving on board with our electric bikes next time. We have a box on Peter's bike, which we could pack in.

lunch

Last but not least, we had lunch at the Seaview restaurant. It was a large and luxurious shrimp sandwich along with a beer. A perfect ending to an exceptionally nice cruise!

Cruise with Viking Line in times of coronavirus - measures to improve safety

So, what are the rules for cruising with Viking Line in times of coronavirus? Here are examples of safety measures taken:

• Max 50 % of maximum number of passengers allowed
• Intensified cleaning practices
• Social distancing markers
• Hand sanitiser available in terminals and on board
• No air is reused in the ventilation systems on board
• Plexiglass has been installed in cash registers and information desks.
• Restaurant operations have been adapted (limited number of guests, new procedures in the buffet, etc.).
• Entertainment is customised (no dance bands, seated audience, etc.).
• Communal bathing areas in spas are closed

Cruise with Viking Line in the corona era - autumn cruises

This autumn you can cruise with Viking Cinderella on weekends, from Stockholm to Mariehamn and back. You can also make day cruises with Rosella Kapellskär-Mariehamn-Kapellskär. There are also regular services to Mariehamn and Turku, but please note that Finland currently has entry restrictions. The following applies to Viking Cinderella cruises this autumn:

• Time period: Weekend cruises 20/8-20/12 2020
• Departure: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 17:30 (back the next day at 14:30).
• Cruise concept: Focus on the food experience (including in co-operation with the Swedish National Culinary Team).
• Entertainment: Adapted for seated audiences (e.g. acoustic performances and stand-up).
• Parking: 270 on-board parking spaces for those who want to avoid public transport
• More info: You can read more about the cruises on Viking Lines. website.