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emileg
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4 minutes ago, Ktwofish said:

Apparently there were 3 trips total last season that had medical emergencies (based on FB posts.) Unfortunately, we could not reach a nearby island with an airstrip, so we had to make the trip back across the Drake at high speed.  Two sea days and a day in Port Stanley, Falklands, was not a good substitute for 3 days in Antarctica.  Viking gave us 25 percent of our paid cruise fare, which is OK, I guess.  I called Viking because there was a discrepancy with my 25 percent calculation.  They deducted $500 from our paid cruise fare for the one night in Buenos Aires, which I thought was lame.  

 

 

Oof... that's rough a worst than I thought. I would have been disappointed if that happened to us.

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22 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

Oof... that's rough a worst than I thought. I would have been disappointed if that happened to us.

There was a whole ship of disappointed passengers.  Of course, we all understood it was necessary to return to Ushuaia.  Still, it was a big disappointment after traveling to the “end of the world.”

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1 hour ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

1. The ship has too many people even though it's like 368 or 398 or something like that. Antarctica agreements restrict ship operators from putting more than 100 people on shore at any given time.

2. The way the tours are handled. Too many people for the zodiaks, SOBs, and kayaks. I think Viking is the only one that has SOBs though.

3. Viking would never "push into the ice" as I've seen from other operators. Cue, Gary Bembridge on Youtube and his experience with Ponant (Granted, they're a French line and I wouldn't go with Ponant on anything)

4. The whole jack******* nature of the shore excursions because the ship is too big.

5. No Polar bear plunge (not even entirely sure they did that fake pool plunge on my trip)

6. As I mentioned above..... stuff like kayaking, if you don't have a reservation, it's standby and GFL if you get on the tour, because there are so many people. The actual ship never feels crowded. It feels crowded doing the whole point of the trip (shore excursions with the toys).

 

Great experience, the Polaris and Octantis are fantastic vessels. But, I know roughly what competitors charge and Viking would have to undercut said competitors a lot for me to go with them again. I have about 30 days on the Polaris between an Antarctica and Chilean Fjords trip. I absolutely would sail Viking again on an expedition ship, but Antarctica... the price is going to have to be exceptional, because I'm not going to quibble over up to $15k with how much time it took for me to get to Ushuaia. (I'm from NA... nothing went wrong on the flights)

 

Again, zero regrets for taking Viking. They delivered the experience the brochure promised. But, it's a more competitive market than "Viking goes there, I'm going with them b/c I know them!". To be fair, I'm more active and younger than 95% of the viking clientele. I also have more days on Viking than probably 75% of their clients. So, what I'm looking for is maybe not what everybody else is looking for.

We're using Seabourn this December for our trip to Antartica for several of the reasons you state but primarily the 30% fewer guests.  And one item you didn't mention, a larger stateroom with a true balcony.

 

We've enjoyed our Viking experiences, but do not fall into the Viking or nothing category.

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Brings to mind our mode of recent travel in the past.  Camping.  

 

There are those that go back pack camping with pup tents...then there are those that "camp" in a motor home...with all the conveniences.   I was in the second group.  😉   I like my creature comforts.  

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9 hours ago, island lady said:

hen there are those that "camp" in a motor home...with all the conveniences.

I'll take that one step further even (having no interest whatsoever in camping) in that I like my creature comforts in a nice hotel suite rather than on wheels.

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2 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

I'll take that one step further even (having no interest whatsoever in camping) in that I like my creature comforts in a nice hotel suite rather than on wheels.

My definition of camping is a Holiday Inn Express.

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14 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

I'll take that one step further even (having no interest whatsoever in camping) in that I like my creature comforts in a nice hotel suite rather than on wheels.

 

Wheels meant we could bring the fur babies with us on long trips....many of which were months long at a time.  Our motor home even had an electric fireplace, bath and a half (half bath being for the cat box) four TVs (one outside) and a washer dryer.  It was not until we lost both of our dear fur faces to the demon cancer that we ended up selling the motor home.  

 

Now.....we mostly do longer cruises and stays at VRBO homes.  

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18 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

Had a friend long ago who said her idea of roughing it was checking into a hotel without reservations! 

My husband's aunt used this one, except she always said:  "....without room service." 

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Which side of the ship would you suggest to be on for this trip:  https://www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/cruise-destinations/great-lakes-canada/niagara-and-great-lakes-treasures/index.html?startLocation=toronto&endLocation=milwaukee-wisconsin&year=2026    

I want to grab a jr. suite while there are still some available. Interestingly, most of the port-side rooms are already sold, so...lemme guess...might that be the preferred side based on the itinerary?  Please let me know any thoughts on this.

 

Also, would you advise booking it right on the website? Never did a V. cruise that way before but I see you can.

 

I really don't like this Sept. 23 date (2026) for that trip. I don't want any summer dates and so I'm told by Trip Advisor people who live up there that the early May dates could be nasty because of when the midges hatch! 

Edited by OnTheJourney
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19 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

Also, would you advise booking it right on the website? Never did a V. cruise that way before but I see you can


There is no downside to booking online as the booking can be transferred to your TA for any OBC they may offer.

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2 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

can be transferred to your TA

Yes I usually wind up transferring trips to my TA. In looking at the map for the cruise itinerary, I'd say port side is best - probably why more of those jr. suites are already taken than on starboard.

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We are just off the Viking Neptune, our first Viking Ocean Cruise. While on board we book a new expedition itinerary called Into the Northwest Passage, round trip from Nuuk, Greenland  on August 12, 2026 on the Polaris. Is anyone else planning on taking this itinerary, way into the arctic circle and then through the very northern part of Canada.

 

ew0KICAgICAgICAgICJidWNrZXQiOiAiaHR0cHM6Ly9hZW0tcHJvZC1wdWJsaXNoLnZpa2luZy5jb20iLA0KICAgICAgICAgICJr-bWFnZXMvZXhwZWRpdGlvbnMvbWFwcy9pbnRvLXRoZS1ub3J0aHd.thumb.webp.b9598020a6ff43c5f36e3b187f7c9c94.webp

 

Anyone else plan on taking this expedition?

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16 minutes ago, emileg said:

We are just off the Viking Neptune, our first Viking Ocean Cruise. While on board we book a new expedition itinerary called Into the Northwest Passage, round trip from Nuuk, Greenland  on August 12, 2026 on the Polaris. Is anyone else planning on taking this itinerary, way into the arctic circle and then through the very northern part of Canada.

 

ew0KICAgICAgICAgICJidWNrZXQiOiAiaHR0cHM6Ly9hZW0tcHJvZC1wdWJsaXNoLnZpa2luZy5jb20iLA0KICAgICAgICAgICJr-bWFnZXMvZXhwZWRpdGlvbnMvbWFwcy9pbnRvLXRoZS1ub3J0aHd.thumb.webp.b9598020a6ff43c5f36e3b187f7c9c94.webp

 

Anyone else plan on taking this expedition?

 

We are doing that route on Octantis as a B2B.   Starting out from Milwaukee, over night in Toronto, continue out the St. Lawrence Seaway and then up to do a similar tour that Polaris is doing to the north.  Our cruise ends in Nuuk on 8/10/25

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44 minutes ago, emileg said:

We are just off the Viking Neptune, our first Viking Ocean Cruise. While on board we book a new expedition itinerary called Into the Northwest Passage, round trip from Nuuk, Greenland  on August 12, 2026 on the Polaris. Is anyone else planning on taking this itinerary, way into the arctic circle and then through the very northern part of Canada.

 

ew0KICAgICAgICAgICJidWNrZXQiOiAiaHR0cHM6Ly9hZW0tcHJvZC1wdWJsaXNoLnZpa2luZy5jb20iLA0KICAgICAgICAgICJr-bWFnZXMvZXhwZWRpdGlvbnMvbWFwcy9pbnRvLXRoZS1ub3J0aHd.thumb.webp.b9598020a6ff43c5f36e3b187f7c9c94.webp

 

Anyone else plan on taking this expedition?

 

 

1. that's an awesome itinerary! I will do it some day, likely several times, though I need to figure out the operator I want to go with.

 

2. I would suggest the VE roll calls. Whether it's the Polaris or Octantis, that should not matter b/c you're beholden to mother nature and where the ice is.

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3 hours ago, emileg said:

We are just off the Viking Neptune, our first Viking Ocean Cruise. While on board we book a new expedition itinerary called Into the Northwest Passage, round trip from Nuuk, Greenland  on August 12, 2026 on the Polaris. Is anyone else planning on taking this itinerary, way into the arctic circle and then through the very northern part of Canada.

 

ew0KICAgICAgICAgICJidWNrZXQiOiAiaHR0cHM6Ly9hZW0tcHJvZC1wdWJsaXNoLnZpa2luZy5jb20iLA0KICAgICAgICAgICJr-bWFnZXMvZXhwZWRpdGlvbnMvbWFwcy9pbnRvLXRoZS1ub3J0aHd.thumb.webp.b9598020a6ff43c5f36e3b187f7c9c94.webp

 

Anyone else plan on taking this expedition?

We are , but not on that date.  We love the arctic!   Hope you enjoy…. And come back here afterwards to give your thoughts (we are going in September 2026).

😄

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 9/21/2024 at 6:57 PM, aungrl said:

My husband's aunt used this one, except she always said:  "....without room service." 

We went to a scout thing with my nephew at a campground in the woods of PA.  I'm not a woods person.  It had rained, everything was wet and muddy.  When we arrived one of the scouts was excited to find a snake.  My niece reported there was a large spider in the outhouse.  My mother and I retreated to the food tent they had set up and a spider came down from the top 😱  I went out and stood by the fire.  There was a circle of logs around the fire.  I felt that standing inside the circle was wise.  The scoutmaster, and ex-marine and still very hoorah! suggested I sit on one of the logs.  I said, "no thanks, I don't know what's living in them."

He asked, "don't you like roughing it?"  I said, "My idea of roughing it is staying in a hotel where they don't put a chocolate on the pillow!"  He doubled over laughing so hard!

My sister said he told that story all over town for months!  🙄

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I haven't read all of the 1400+ posts in this thread, but I went back to the beginning of the year, because we are booked on Polaris for the Canadian Discovery April 2025.  We have done 6 river cruises and 5 ocean cruises with Viking.  In 2019, we did the Eastern Seaboard from Montreal to NY and we loved it.  I was looking to do something similar or do this again.

I saw the Canadian Discovery from Toronto to NYC with different ports and some repeats.  I thought it would be a nice introduction to the Expedition ships.  I would love to do Antarctica, but my husband - who is always hot 🙄 - doesn't want to do a cold cruise.  I keep trying for Into the Midnight Sun or In Search of the Northern Lights, but no luck so far.

So I'm here for research purposes.  I wasn't thinking about weather when we booked because we usually do ocean cruises in Europe in April/May.  Generally works out well.  I forgot that we did the Eastern Seaboard in Sept.  I'm afraid, my husband is going to have issues in April with the cold.  It's April 11-23.  He's already, not happy with no actual balcony, and eating in the World Cafe for dinner.  We both like to be served at dinner - mainly so we can eat together.  I find that difficult with a buffet, because one gets food, then sits at the table while the other gets food.  The first person has to eat or have cold food, then watches the second person eat.  Not my idea of a fun meal 🤷‍♀️

So I'm looking for ship experience info, rather than port info, though I would like to hear about the special ops boats and the Zodiacs.

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On 10/1/2024 at 3:16 PM, emileg said:

We are just off the Viking Neptune, our first Viking Ocean Cruise. While on board we book a new expedition itinerary called Into the Northwest Passage, round trip from Nuuk, Greenland  on August 12, 2026 on the Polaris. Is anyone else planning on taking this itinerary, way into the arctic circle and then through the very northern part of Canada.

 

ew0KICAgICAgICAgICJidWNrZXQiOiAiaHR0cHM6Ly9hZW0tcHJvZC1wdWJsaXNoLnZpa2luZy5jb20iLA0KICAgICAgICAgICJr-bWFnZXMvZXhwZWRpdGlvbnMvbWFwcy9pbnRvLXRoZS1ub3J0aHd.thumb.webp.b9598020a6ff43c5f36e3b187f7c9c94.webp

 

Anyone else plan on taking this expedition?

We are doing this as part of Canada & the Northwest Passage next year on the Polaris embarking in Toronto July 15, 2025. As you probably already expect from me, I have a roll call set up for it and have prepared (and posted to DropBox) a set of planning materials I've prepared for it. The link to the folder containing them is in my signature box. Leave it to you to find the roll call (too hard to get for you when replying from my iPhone - 🙄). 

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I wonder how many of us are doing the prior 4 night pre cruise extension on the Toronto to Nuuk Octantis?  Of course this was unplanned for us.....but it does look interesting.  

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Cyber Kat said:

I haven't read all of the 1400+ posts in this thread, but I went back to the beginning of the year, because we are booked on Polaris for the Canadian Discovery April 2025.  We have done 6 river cruises and 5 ocean cruises with Viking.  In 2019, we did the Eastern Seaboard from Montreal to NY and we loved it.  I was looking to do something similar or do this again.

I saw the Canadian Discovery from Toronto to NYC with different ports and some repeats.  I thought it would be a nice introduction to the Expedition ships.  I would love to do Antarctica, but my husband - who is always hot 🙄 - doesn't want to do a cold cruise.  I keep trying for Into the Midnight Sun or In Search of the Northern Lights, but no luck so far.

So I'm here for research purposes.  I wasn't thinking about weather when we booked because we usually do ocean cruises in Europe in April/May.  Generally works out well.  I forgot that we did the Eastern Seaboard in Sept.  I'm afraid, my husband is going to have issues in April with the cold.  It's April 11-23.  He's already, not happy with no actual balcony, and eating in the World Cafe for dinner.  We both like to be served at dinner - mainly so we can eat together.  I find that difficult with a buffet, because one gets food, then sits at the table while the other gets food.  The first person has to eat or have cold food, then watches the second person eat.  Not my idea of a fun meal 🤷‍♀️

So I'm looking for ship experience info, rather than port info, though I would like to hear about the special ops boats and the Zodiacs.


We thought we weren’t up for Antarctica so we sailed the Chilean Fjords last year instead and absolutely loved the ship and itinerary. We had a fabulous time. Plus, since it’s a leg of the repositioning to and from Antartica, it’s deeply discounted. 
 

Here is my review:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2968838-almost-live-viking-octantis-chilean-fjords-patagonia-explorer-october-17-30-2023/

Edited by OneSixtyToOne
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45 minutes ago, Cyber Kat said:

I haven't read all of the 1400+ posts in this thread, but I went back to the beginning of the year, because we are booked on Polaris for the Canadian Discovery April 2025.  We have done 6 river cruises and 5 ocean cruises with Viking.  In 2019, we did the Eastern Seaboard from Montreal to NY and we loved it.  I was looking to do something similar or do this again.

I saw the Canadian Discovery from Toronto to NYC with different ports and some repeats.  I thought it would be a nice introduction to the Expedition ships.  I would love to do Antarctica, but my husband - who is always hot 🙄 - doesn't want to do a cold cruise.  I keep trying for Into the Midnight Sun or In Search of the Northern Lights, but no luck so far.

So I'm here for research purposes.  I wasn't thinking about weather when we booked because we usually do ocean cruises in Europe in April/May.  Generally works out well.  I forgot that we did the Eastern Seaboard in Sept.  I'm afraid, my husband is going to have issues in April with the cold.  It's April 11-23.  He's already, not happy with no actual balcony, and eating in the World Cafe for dinner.  We both like to be served at dinner - mainly so we can eat together.  I find that difficult with a buffet, because one gets food, then sits at the table while the other gets food.  The first person has to eat or have cold food, then watches the second person eat.  Not my idea of a fun meal 🤷‍♀️

So I'm looking for ship experience info, rather than port info, though I would like to hear about the special ops boats and the Zodiacs.

We did this cruise in Fall 2022 on the Octantis and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was the first season and Viking had not gotten all the permission needed to operate it's toys until late in the itinerary, so I can't comment on what they are doing now, except their expedition activities are restricted to Canadian waters.  We thoroughly enjoyed the Zodiac and Special Ops boat excursions on the Chilean Fjords cruise.  However, they state you will get at least one of each, and potentially one or two more depending on the circumstance, but it will be tracking availability on board and being comfortable with waitlisting.

 

Both Expedition ships are beautiful (in fact we just finished the Great Lakes Collection on Octantis, and last year the Chilean Fjords on Polaris, again both in Fall). The staterooms are very Scandinavian and well thought out.  We found we prefer the NP over the DN (Tried each) for the extra space and a better layout, but that is a personal decision. The bathrooms are quite nice as well as functional. The cabin attendants were excellent and very friendly and very available.

 

We are balcony folks on Ocean cruises, so the Nordic Balcony was new to us, but we really enjoyed it.  You can't sit outside with your coffee or wine, but the window is huge and the top half rolls down for air and views.  We enjoyed it.

 

The public spaces are open, quite nice, and comfortable, and of course there is the science lab to be visited. Very pleasant places anytime during the day, not just for cocktails.  The bar service was excellent.

 

The main restaurant is the World Cafe which is buffet style, but has a cold shellfish bar (crab legs, etc), and a sushi bar at dinner, along with a made to order Grill for steaks, fish and lobster.  The Grill is also open for lunch with hamburgers and chicken sandwich. I don't remember what else is there at lunch. The strategy we use is to select a table, sit down, to order drinks (even if it's just water), then both of us proceed to the buffet.  That way we eat together, alhough we may get cold dishes separately (salads, etc) either before or after the hot line or the Grill.

 

The specialties, Manfredi's and the restaurant are the sit down venues, but they are small and in the case of Manfredi's, we found the menu limited.  The Restaurant's standard menu was also limited, but there are daily selections added.  Generally it's possible to get reservations throughout the voyage, if you are flexible on time.  The service in all three was excellent.

 

There were daily enrichment lectures which were mostly excellent, history and science being the main topics.  In addition there are daily lecture on the next port every evening before dinner. Entertainment consisted of a classical duo in the Living Room and a contemporary duo in the Explorer's Lounge.  

 

I don't know what the weather will be like in April, but you might want to Google average weather at the ports to get a sense of what to expect.

 

That more or less answers some of your questions, but if you want more information, please ask.  But a word of caution:  If you husband goes with a negative attitude about the buffet, the lack of a real balcony, and hangs on to that attitude, you might want to reconsider whether the Expedition ships are right for you.

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Once again posts from mobile Safari get swallowed up. Using mobile chrome this time. Made a mistake in earlier post. We will be sailing on Octantis into the Northwest Passage. We're doing Polaris in 2026. Got them mixed up..

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