Frenchberet

We did Viking’s Antarctic Explorer on Octantis in February 2023. On all the landings, RIBs, and special ops boats we wore the red Viking jacket, liner jacket, waterproof pants, and waterproof boots as pictured above. There was also a black life preserver around your neck, secured with straps around the waist. Everything was provided by Viking and we got to keep the red jackets and liner. We brought our own hats, sunglasses/goggles, and gloves. We wore long underwear and jeans under the pants and a long underwear top and long sleeved shirt under the jacket liner. It took about 20 minutes to “suit up”. The temperature in Antarctica was around 30F (I don’t recall the water temperature but I wouldn’t have wanted to fall in!). When we did the Midnight Sun cruise in Norway in July we wore the one piece survival suits for the optional RIB excursions (provided by the contractor).

Linda, so happy you are posting! We’re on this cruise in a few weeks and appreciate any info/tips you can share. Hope you have a wonderful trip!

I’m surprised to hear that the woman left the WC after you spoke to her. Her apparent lack of situational awareness and disregard for the other passengers is appalling. I think this type of behavior goes beyond habits, standards, and attitudes. Proper dress and good hygiene shouldn’t need to be taught or policed among a group of world-traveling adults.

Check the Delta website. Probably no charge for baggage on an international flight unless you have more than 1 checked bag each or it’s over the weight limit.

Orion and Jupiter. We attended a couple of the presentations on Orion and thought they were worthwhile. We were doing the New Zealand and Australia cruise and wished the films would have been more site-specific.

Did you buy anything at Dale of Norway? Any discounts at the outlet store?

I just print the Calendar Summary.

Did you eat or drink anything outside of the hotel or ship? Any idea where you picked up the “bug”?

Info from Viking Daily

On the expedition ship (Octantis) we had breakfast and lunch every day at the World Cafe. The WC is a buffet and, as mentioned previously, includes the Grill, Aquavit Terrance, and sushi area. At the Grill you place your order and either wait a minute or a server may bring it to you. Mamsen’s is open for breakfast and lunch but it is also a buffet and has limited hours (excellent pea soup). I think the Restaurant and Manfredi’s were only open for dinner. The menus for both the Restaurant and Manfredi’s were the same as on the ocean ships. Room service was always available. We were very happy with the quality of the food and there was never a shortage of anything. There were multiple landings throughout the day. We signed up for the activities we were interested in (zodiac, special ops, sub, kayak) and received an assigned time to be dressed and down in the launch area. We were able to do everything we wanted to do. There were also waiting lists to sign up for additional activities and, if a slot became available (someone cancelled or didn’t show up), they’d let you know. We loved our Antarctic adventure and would do it again in a minute!

Very easy! We never had a problem finding a table. I'd guess the World Cafe (including the Grill, Aquavit Terrace, and sushi area) will seat 250+ guests. The tables are scattered so you're not sitting on top of each other. We did the Antarctica Explorer - out of 11 nights at sea, we had dinner in the Restaurant twice, Manfredi's 3 times, room service once, and at the World Cafe the other nights. We were busy with excursions most days so it was nice to not have a set reservation time.

Hi, the Main Dining Room on Octantis (Antarctica) had seating for about 100 people, so Polaris would be the same. We were required to make reservations, either in person or via the app. No problem getting additional reservations. Many people opted to eat at the World Cafe. On the expedition ships the World Cafe was redesigned to include the Grill. We don’t normally have dinner at the WC on ocean but on expedition it’s really a different experience. We enjoyed many of our dinners there with made to order steaks, lobster, and burgers. There is also a huge sushi area if that’s of interest. Don’t forget Manfredi’s and Mamsen’s. Plenty of great choices! Hope you enjoy your cruise!

With the exception of a “pasta of the day”, I didn’t realize that Manfredi’s menu changed. On Octantis, we loved the various veal dishes with a half order of pasta. Can’t wait till our next cruise!

Viking Polaris — Welcome to Cleveland, Ohio!

We are planning to do Greenland as part of the new Into the Northwest Passage itinerary on Octantis. Hope the expedition ships will have better luck traversing the icebergs!

We’re planning to get shot 6 before our cruise this summer. Four weeks after shot 4, I got Covid. Four weeks after shot 5 (bivalent) my BF got Covid. So, no expectation that the vaccine will prevent us from contracting Covid, we just hope it will prevent us from getting really sick. Not concerned about anyone else’s vaccine status.

Hi TayanaLorna, did your Viking agent say anything about the OBC? We’ve only booked onboard once, but when we did (in Feb) we received $400 OBC for booking 2 cruises. We used it to pay the gratuities (thanks to someone on this board for letting us know that was an option). It was a nice perk. We book directly with Viking (no outside agent) so we never get OBC unless it’s a special sign up benefit. We have been able to negotiate the 6 month full pay date since we’ve had another cruise booked. I considered the Viking agents to be “employees” and never thought about them receiving a commission. Are there benefits (to me) for dealing with the same Viking agent each time I book? Thanks for any info!

Sorry you’re having a bad experience with the onboard agent. You can transfer the booking but I’m not sure you can prevent this agent from getting some commission for their part in it. Maybe just wait to book? Our experience was very positive. We booked two cruises while on Octants, took about 15-20 minutes. Very easy.

I surrender. Sorry I enjoyed my dinner.

The NY strip at the Grill in the World Cafe on Octantis (Antarctica) was very good! I had it twice and both times it was cooked perfectly.

Pick your battles. Your money was refunded. Case closed.

Everything was included, subs too. No extra charges. We did an activity each day we were in Antarctica, sometimes two activities. For example, we took a zodiac to do a landing in the morning then did a special ops boat ride in the afternoon. There were waiting lists and some people just wandered down (dressed) to fill spots in the event that someone didn’t show up. It all worked very smoothly. It was a great trip and we’d do it again in a minute!

We did the 13-day Antarctic Explorer and Patagonia extension in February 2023. It was a wonderful trip and we loved every minute of it. We used Viking Air and upgraded to Premium Economy. No problem with any of the flights. The onboard experience with Octantis was great. The ship was beautiful and a mini version of the Ocean ships. All daily excursions were included. We were able to sign up in advance for one of each activity - zodiac landing, special ops boat, sub, and kayak. Once on board you could sign up for anything you wanted. There were waiting lists in some cases but it appeared that everyone was able to do everything they wanted to do. We signed up for 2 cruises while on board and used our OBC to pay the gratuities. Viking provides all the clothing you need - waterproof pants, boots, Viking jacket and liner. You get to keep the jacket and liner. In February, the temperature was around 30F. Most days were sunny and clear. We were in a DV cabin which had a big window that could be lower to get a better view or to take photos. Great trip! Happy to answer any other questions.

Yes. We put the red “leather” tags on when we leave home then add the ones with our cabin number when we arrive at our destination airport.