Viking Cruises expands series of ‘Welcome Back’ voyages with new cruises to The Mediterranean

Viking has expanded its series of cruises for its restart in operations this summer with new Mediterranean itineraries and additional Iceland and Bermuda sailings.

Viking Venus – the line's new ship which will be named in the UK on 17 May by broadcaster Anne Diamond – and Viking Sea will homeport in the Maltese capital of Valletta and sail two different 11-day round-trip itineraries from July through to early October 2021.

The line said because of strong demand it has also added more sailing dates this summer for voyages around Iceland – including sailings available to UK guests – and Bermuda.

Viking is due to restart operations on 22 May with Viking Venus' debut on the England’s Scenic Shores itinerary, departing from Portsmouth.

All sailings are for fully vaccinated guests only.

Guests on the new Malta & Adriatic Jewels itinerary will overnight in Valletta and then sail to Montenegro and Croatia, calling in Kotor, Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Šibenik, before returning to the Maltese archipelago, with a stop in Gozo and finally back to Valletta. Those on the Malta & Greek Isles Discovery voyage will also overnight in Valletta and then sail to Greece, calling in Kalamata, Athens, Santorini, Rhodes and Souda Bay, before returning to Valletta.

Viking chairman Torstein Hagen said: “We thank the government of Malta for its support and enthusiasm as we continue restarting operations. Malta is a fantastic destination, with ancient history, rich culture and a central location in the Mediterranean. “We began calling in Malta in 2016 and look forward to welcoming guests back to some of the most historically significant and naturally beautiful areas of the Med, in both the Maltese archipelago, as well as along the Croatian coast, and around Greek islands this summer.”

Viking said it will announce further 2021 sailings as soon as it receives the necessary government approvals.