Viking has said that its ships won’t sail until July as it extends the line’s fleet-wide suspension due to the coronavirus.

It was announced on its new platform, Viking TV by the line’s chairman Torstein Hagen, and follows announcements by other major cruise lines.

In a statement on its website, it said: “On 11 March 2020, Viking was the first cruise line to temporarily suspend operations of our river and ocean cruises. Our commitment to our family of guests and employees is that their safety and wellbeing is always our top priority.

“In that spirit, we have made the decision to extend our temporary suspension of operations through June 30, 2020.”

In a letter to its customers, Hagen said: “In the time since that announcement, many of you have expressed concern for our crew, and I want to reassure you that we are taking good care of them.

“We are using this period of non-operation as a time for additional training and initiatives to ensure we have the safest and healthiest fleet in the industry. As a private company we do not have to worry about quarterly profit expectations – and that flexibility allows us the ability to do what is best for our guests and our employees.”

Viking will be offering guests affected by the suspension a future cruise voucher valued at 125 per cent of all monies paid to Viking.

By adding 25 per cent to the value of what customers originally paid, they now have the opportunity to enhance their trip – such as choosing a longer itinerary; adding a pre or post cruise extension; upgrading their stateroom category; or upgrading to business class air.

Guests will have 24 months to use the voucher to make a new reservation on any river, ocean or expedition cruise.

For additional flexibility, if they are unable to use their voucher, the line will automatically send a refund equal to the original amount paid to Viking after the voucher expires.

The 125 per cent future cruise vouchers will also be fully transferable.

Our view:

The cruise industry is facing an unprecedented and ever-changing situation, and we are committed to keeping you informed with the most up-to-date news. However, we firmly believe that the cruise industry will bounce back. When it does, we’ll be on hand to help you get back to selling the cruises that people love.