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Its interior spaces are well designed, friendly and inviting, while its rugged exterior and ice-strengthened hull enable it to cruise the icy seas at the ends of the earth. Whenever disembarking — often from a Zodiac to wet and slippery shores — was particularly challenging, the staff lined up along the path to offer a helping hand to visitors every 10 feet or so to ensure no one ever took a tumble. Given Viking’s mostly mature yet mobile demographic, this was most welcome, and even as a millennial, I appreciated the extra effort that was always made on our behalf. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines.
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The expedition team members were always happy to take our photos, point out whales or chat with us out on deck. I used to think of expedition ship cabins as bare-bones affairs, with fixed twin beds, tiny bathrooms with the shower practically on top of the toilet and no design aesthetic whatsoever. On older ships, that portrait might be accurate, but on Viking Polaris, my room was cleverly designed and full of creature comforts. It was my first time in Antarctica — and also my seventh continent — and I’ve never been so wondrously overwhelmed by a place in my life. Our introductory landing off of Viking Polaris was just the start of several more to come, and I was already deeply in love with the southernmost cruise destination. Cruises to Antarctica have been steadily becoming more and more popular with the general public.
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GENERAL RESTRICTIONSCruise fares listed are cruise only in U.S. dollars, per person, based on double occupancy. Full brochure fares may not have resulted in actual sales in all stateroom categories and may not have been in effect during the last 90 days. Air promotion applies to roundtrip flights only from select Viking Cruises U.S. gateways and includes airport-to-ship or hotel transfers, air taxes and air fuel surcharges. Roundtrip airport transfers are included when air is purchased with a cruise or cruisetour package; if air is not purchased from Viking, transfers may be purchased separately.
Viking Antarctica Cruises: A Complete Guide for Adventurers
You want to listen to people who can impart passion and meaning into their talks, as opposed to someone droning on. Ingrid considers her Viking polar cruise a “trip of a lifetime.” That sums up the feelings of other happy adventurers who have explored a unique spot on the earth aboard the Viking Octantis or Polaris. A unique feature of the Viking Expedition ships is the large hangar at the stern (rear of the vessel). It houses the specialty crafts used to transport passengers daily to their scenic destinations. Inside, each ship has a fitness center; a hair salon; an extensive spa with a steam room, a snow grotto, a sauna; and several pools.
Viking Returns to Antarctic Peninsula With Two Ships - Cruise Hive
Viking Returns to Antarctic Peninsula With Two Ships.
Posted: Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Highlights of Antarctica Cruises
Whale sighting on deck, is drying in a special closet; I'll use it again later on a planned landing to see our first penguins. I'm on a Viking Expeditions Cruise in Antartica, onboard Viking Polaris, the newest expedition ship from Viking and a sister to Viking Octantis; both ships debuted in 2022. Itinerary and shore excursions are subject to change and may vary by departure. To learn more about each port of call and our included as well as optional excursions, click on the individual days below. Advance bookings (number of days before the ship’s departure) for the spa, alternate restaurants, and excursions are dependent on the stateroom category you book. Immerse yourself in Ilulissat’s Arctic heritage; admire the pristine waters of its ice fjord.
Cruise Ship Collides With Dock at Turkish Port
Once alongside the White Continent, the captain prefers to sail the ship during daylight hours, so mornings are often spent making your way to the landing site and waiting for the expedition crew to set up. This is only a sliver of the experience on the ship, which just completed the first four sailings of its shakedown season in Antarctica. Announced in early 2020, the 378-passenger ship—which will also sail around the Great Lakes and South America in the year ahead—is the first in the brand’s new line of expedition ships (the second, Viking Polaris, will begin sailing late this summer). Just last week I sat in a Norwegian hot tub known as a badestamp, the steam rising to meet the crisp air of Antarctica that flushed my cheeks. As our ship sailed at a leisurely pace past brilliant blue icebergs, I kept an eye out for the occasional crabeater seal—usually perched on ice floes, they’d lazily lift their heads to glance over at us. I lived like that—in this delicate sweet spot where great adventure and comfort meet—for a full eleven days on board the brand-new Viking Octantis.
In addition, there are various common spaces, including a well-curated library, the Living Room, the Hide, and the Explorers’ Lounge. Follow in the wake of ancient explorers, who sailed these waters in search of new lands. Grace at Manfredi's moved mountains (or maybe just tables) to accommodate our requests for group dinners, and Santosh at the World Cafe made us vegetarian chickpea curry on request and fetched me chile oil from below decks to spice up my eggs at breakfast.
Antarctic Explorer
On the occasional clear and dry day, the ship hosted alfresco barbecue lunches on the sun deck — and what Viking served here were none other than complimentary porterhouse steaks, lobster tails and one-pound burgers. To say that the food on Polaris is hearty (and as healthy as desired) would be an understatement. And the line’s signature Mamsen’s Norwegian deli and standout Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant are also included in the fare. As the most discerning, up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel, Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse, offering both inspiration and vital intel.
The spa is modeled on what you find on their ocean ships, and there's simply nothing else like it on other expedition ships. There's a full therapy pool and all the stages of what Viking describes as a Nordic bathing ritual -- sauna, steam room, cold bucket and snow grotto. Soaking here, as the White Continent floats by, brings a level of luxury to your bucket list that you didn't know you craved.
Afterward, the nerdiest of us crowded around a projection screen in Expedition Central to watch as the balloon's recording device reported back on air temperature, pressure and humidity at different elevations. But the real genius of this dressing area is the heated drying closet found in every cabin. It's got a rack with hangers for your waterproof jacket and pants and hooks for your life jackets and ship-provided boots. We used it not only for our expedition gear, but to hang up laundry we didn't want to subject to the ship's dryers. Every room on the ship is classified as a balcony cabin or suite, but a true balcony is useless in Antarctica, where you're not going to sit and watch the waves at frigid temperatures for long.
Viking Polaris has no activities team, as its officers are quick to tell you, because Antarctica provides the entertainment. On the day, I climbed up to Deck 7 (usually off-limits to guests) to find not only a crowd of passengers, but the dining team handing out cups of coffee spiked with Amarula liqueur. On my first kayak outing in Damoy Point, I watched our first penguins of the trip cavorting on the rocky shores and occasionally diving smoothly into the sea. We did more floating than paddling, but I still enjoyed playing penguin paparazzi from the sea.
The cruises originate in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and conclude in Ushuaia, Argentina.
Emily and I shrieked and squealed with laughter as water sprayed our faces and drenched our waterproof outerwear as if we were in some sort of water park attraction. As we disembarked, the other passengers thanked us for taking the two seats in the back — the ones most likely to get drenched. The ease and comfort of Viking Polaris' onboard persona also extend to its offshore adventures.
The ship's 22-person-strong expedition team is made up of mountain and kayak guides, but also naturalists, biologists and other experts. I was frustrated because I'd gone to hear a talk by one of the expedition crew members and missed an orca whale sighting. Welcome to Viking Expeditions' version of an Antarctica cruise, where you get to see all the birds, icebergs, whales and seals of a regular White Continent expedition cruise, but with so many more creature comforts. Viking has a long history of providing excellent guest experiences, excursion choices, and highly-rated service, food, and amenities on their river and ocean voyages. I'm sure the intention is to take guests, especially folks not up for daily Zodiac rides, on scenic cruises to follow whale families and iceberg views.
I always describe Viking as PBS at sea, so it was almost shocking to see the ship and crew lean into the NFL playoffs. To the delight of passengers, all of the games were streamed on a large screen TV in the Living Room, along with bar food such as chicken nuggets and soft pretzels. Unpredictability is the hallmark on expedition cruising, particularly in Antarctica where "pancake ice" can start forming before your eyes on a snowy day. The expedition staff sets this expectation off the bat; safety has to be the primary driver in this part of the world.
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