My husband and I were on the first Polaris cruise. It ended on November 3. It was our ninth Viking cruise. We were on Deck 4, just above where the windows were compromised. Yes, the windows open. A button on the side controls the motor. You may stop the window in any position. The bottom of the window is chest high (on a 5' 6" tall female). There is a ~12" wide shelf at the base. No idea if the captain can flip a switch to close them or not. The panel that moves moves slowly. Plenty of time to get out of the way. If you wanted to get caught in the window opening, you would have to be quite patient - and have an aider and abettor, or at least one arm six feet long. One very neat thing about that cruise was the excitement of the crew members. It was their first time down there, too. Everyone was happy. Last, Viking's attention to detail, including safety procedures, is impeccable. My husband talked about the stabilizers. I have no clue what they are, or how they work. But, I know they do work. 10 to 11 meter seas at lunch one day. Not a queasy tummy anywhere. Not even a sensation of a roller coaster ride. Just a strange view out the window. Trough, crest, trough, crest. 30 feet of water between them. Our next cruise with Viking is the Nile. Now, if they would just do safaris...
