Viking Expeditions Preview | Viking Octantis & Viking Polaris Tour | Staterooms & Itineraries

Danny and the Harr Travel team are excited to bring you our virtual tour of the Viking Octantis & Polaris. In this video Danny will break down the full ship details (those that are known), stateroom categories, overall experience, as well as some pricing for the inaugural season. Danny and Harr Travel have been booking Viking since their inception. Our experience with Viking's river, ocean, and now expedition products gives us the ability bring you unrivaled service. You will never pay more when you choose Harr Travel for your Viking voyage. Contact Harr Travel today to book your Viking cruise! https://res.harrtravel.com/contact Viking Octantis & Polaris Size: 130,150 GT Guests: 378 Length: 665 feet Beam: 77 feet Class: Polar Class 6, allowing us to operate during summer & autumn in medium first-year ice Year built: 2021, 2022 Viking Cruises has just announced the launch of Viking Expeditions, an exciting new chapter in the company’s history. This new chapter will focus on small-ship trips to Antarctica, the Arctic, the Great Lakes of North America, Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, along the coast of Brazil, and island hopping around the Caribbean. Viking will begin these voyages in January 2022 with the Viking Octantis, a Polar Class 6 vessel with 189 staterooms and designed by the same team as its award-winning ocean ships. The Octantis will be followed by a second ship, Viking Polaris, in August 2022. Both vessels will weigh in at just over 30,000 gross tons, and will be small enough to make their way through narrow waterways like the St. Lawrence River in Canada but still large enough to handle the open seas. At just under 400 passengers (378) they will have an amazing space to guest ratio, which allows them to do some incredible things with the public spaces. This is Viking’s first foray into the Great Lakes region, and the announcement came with a commitment to bolster tourism and economic development in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. As for experiences guests should expect on board, Viking has created an exclusive partnership with the Cambridge University-based Scott Polar Research Institute and The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which will match top researchers with each sailing, so guests will be fully prepped for their shore excursions. Additionally, Viking has partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), whose scientists will join expeditions in the Great Lakes to conduct research focused on changes in the region’s weather, climate, and ecosystems. NOAA scientists may also offer lectures about the Great Lakes’ unique environment to Viking guests during these voyages. The line’s own 25 person-strong Expedition Team will also join every voyage. These experts, from biologists to botanists, geologists to glaciologists, as well as submarine pilots and photographers, with host daily lectures and briefings. On shore, guests have the chance to assist in field work, which might mean tracking migratory patterns of penguins, or trek with scientists as they collect various samples of flora and fauna. And while both ships are designed for challenging conditions, the on board experience is a different world, with six restaurants, a spa, sauna, and The Aula—an auditorium with floor-to-ceiling windows and 270-degree views and will act as the central educational hub. With so much to offer at an affordable entry price, this just may be the perfect way to check Antarctica off that bucket list. What do you think?