Viking Expeditions · Booking through Via Privata
A Virtuoso shipboard credit on selected sailings
Booked through Via Privata, selected Viking sailings carry a Virtuoso shipboard credit (USD 200 per stateroom on 2026 sailings), confirmed in writing at booking, at Viking's own fare.
- A Virtuoso shipboard credit on selected sailings: USD 200 per stateroom on 2026 sailings, confirmed in writing at booking
- Viking's own fare
- Stateroom chosen by deck and position
Yachts & Voyages · Antarctica · Chile · Arctic Canada & Greenland · Great Lakes
Viking Expeditions: Ships, staterooms and 2026–2027 sailings
Two polar-class ships, Antarctica to the Great Lakes · Viking Octantis · Viking Polaris
Viking's two expedition ships carry 378 guests each and launch their boats from inside the ship, through a marina Viking calls The Hangar.
Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris are identical: built in 2022, 665 feet long, Polar Class 6, 378 guests and a crew of 256. They spend the southern summer in Antarctica and Chile, and the northern summer in the Canadian High Arctic, Greenland and the Great Lakes.
The expedition gear is in the fare: Zodiacs, kayaks and two 12-seat Special Operations Boats per ship, the kit for every excursion, a keepsake jacket on polar voyages and binoculars in every room. So are a landing or excursion in every port, Wi-Fi, meals including the alternative restaurants, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, and, on Antarctica itineraries, the charter flights to Ushuaia and a hotel night in Buenos Aires. Submarine dives (USD 499 per person, not on every itinerary), gratuities and the drinks package are extra.
Against Ponant or Scenic Eclipse, which we list above it, these ships carry more guests at 378, there are no helicopters, the staterooms start at 215 square feet, and drinks and gratuities are on top. What Viking does well is the science and the calm: a working lab built with the University of Cambridge, a lecture hall with a 270-degree view, and the same adults-only, no-casino ship as the rest of the fleet.
Every stateroom has a Nordic Balcony, a floor-to-ceiling window whose top panel lowers to open air, rather than a step-out veranda; the Explorer Suites add a veranda. A physician and a nurse sail on every voyage, and polar itineraries require a medical assessment before boarding.
Booking through Via Privata
A Virtuoso shipboard credit on selected sailings
Booked through Via Privata, selected Viking sailings carry a Virtuoso shipboard credit (USD 200 per stateroom on 2026 sailings), confirmed in writing at booking, at Viking's own fare. We plan the flights, the hotel nights at each end and the stateroom.
- A Virtuoso shipboard credit on selected sailings: USD 200 per stateroom on 2026 sailings, confirmed in writing at booking
- Viking's own fare
- Stateroom chosen by deck and position
- Flights and hotels either side
Deck plans and staterooms, ship by ship
Open a ship for every deck plan and its own suites and staterooms, with photographs.
Suites and staterooms
The categories below are the line's own names. Sizes and layouts differ from ship to ship, so each ship page shows its own suites with photographs and the deck plans.
Suites by shipViking Octantis & Viking Polaris
Nordic Balcony
215 sq ft
The entry stateroom: a floor-to-ceiling window whose top panel lowers, a drying closet for wet gear, binoculars, and the expedition jacket on polar itineraries.
Deluxe Nordic Balcony
215 sq ft
The same room on the higher decks, with stateroom access from 2pm, one priority reservation at each alternative restaurant and priority spa bookings 60 days before departure.
Nordic Penthouse
269 sq ft
A larger room, with expedition activity reservations opening 97 days ahead.
Nordic Junior Suite
322 sq ft
More storage and seating, 11am embarkation and three priority reservations at each alternative restaurant. The category we would start a couple at.
548 sq ft
Explorer Suite
Two rooms with both a Nordic Balcony and a private veranda, a living and dining area for four, and access to the Explorer Suites Garden.
Owner's Suite
1,960 sq ft
A separate bedroom, living room, dining for six, a boardroom for twelve, a 722 sq ft private garden lounge with an outdoor tub, and a sauna with a sea view.
What the fare includes
The question every enquiry opens with. What follows is what the line itself publishes as included — we confirm it against your exact sailing before you commit.
- A landing or shore excursion in every port of call
- Zodiacs, kayaks and two 12-seat Special Operations Boats per ship, with all the excursion gear
- A keepsake Viking expedition jacket on polar itineraries, and binoculars in every stateroom
- On Antarctica itineraries: the charter flights to and from Ushuaia and a hotel night in Buenos Aires
- All meals, including the alternative restaurants
- Beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner
- Wi-Fi, port taxes and fees
- Enrichment lectures, and The Nordic Spa's thermal facilities and the fitness centre
- Not included: submarine dives (USD 499 per person; two six-seat submarines, not deployed on every itinerary), gratuities (USD 20 per person per night recommended), the Silver Spirits package (USD 27 per night). There are no helicopters.
On board
The Hangar
The enclosed marina inside the ship, from which the Special Operations Boats and Zodiacs launch down a slipway.
The Aula
The auditorium for lectures and briefings, whose screen retracts to floor-to-ceiling windows and a 270-degree view.
The Science Lab
A 380 sq ft wet and dry laboratory developed with the University of Cambridge and Akvaplan-niva.
Finse Terrace
An outdoor lounge just above the waterline, with heated sofas and lava-rock fire tables.
The Nordic Spa
Sauna, Snow Grotto, massage, and the caldarium, tepidarium and frigidarium pools.
Explorers' Lounge
High on the ship, with floor-to-ceiling windows, aquavit, craft beer and Scandinavian food.
Where it sails
Antarctica and Chile
November to February
Antarctic Explorer and Into the Antarctic Circle, both from Buenos Aires via Ushuaia, and Chilean Fjords & Scenic Shores from Valparaíso to Ushuaia at the start of the season.
The Arctic: Greenland and the Canadian High Arctic
Late June to September
Into the Northwest Passage, roundtrip Nuuk on Viking Octantis; the 2027 departures run from 11 July to 9 September.
The Great Lakes
May to September
Niagara & the Great Lakes and Great Lakes Treasures; the 2027 departures run from 2 May to 24 September.
Sailings on both ships
7 departures we would shortlist from the line's calendar, each with its route, the map and our hotels at either end. Filter them by region, month or length; For any other date the line publishes, ask and we send it with the fare.
All 7 sailings
Chilean Fjords & Scenic Shores
Viking Octantis · 23 Nov 2026 · 12 nights
Santiago (Valparaiso) to Ushuaia
from USD 10,199 per person
Booked through usViking’s own fare · Flights and hotels planned around it
View the route
- Day 1: Santiago (Valparaíso), Chile
- Day 2: Sail the Pacific Ocean
- Day 3: Scenic Sailing: Chilean Fjords
- Day 4: Puerto Chacabuco, Chile
- Day 5: Scenic Sailing: Chilean Fjords
- Day 6-7: Explore Chilean Glaciers
- Day 8: Scenic Sailing: Chilean Fjords
- Day 9: Punta Arenas, Chile
- Day 10: Explore Chilean Glaciers
- Day 11: Garibaldi Fjord, Chile
- Day 12: Scenic Sailing: Cape Horn
- Day 13: Ushuaia, Argentina
Where to stay before and after
The night before you board
Stay in Santiago
Antarctic Explorer
Viking Octantis · 26 Dec 2026 · 12 nights
Buenos Aires to Ushuaia
from USD 17,999 per person
Booked through usViking’s own fare · Flights and hotels planned around it
View the route
- Day 1: Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Day 2: Ushuaia, Argentina
- Day 3: Sail the Drake Passage
- Day 4-6: Explore Antarctica
- Day 7-8: Explore Antarctica
- Day 9-10: Explore Antarctica
- Day 11: Sail the Drake Passage
- Day 12: Scenic Sailing: Cape Horn
- Day 13: Ushuaia, Argentina
Where to stay before and after
Niagara & the Great Lakes
Viking Octantis · 13 Jun 2027 · 7 nights
Toronto, Ontario to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
from USD 9,499 per person
Booked through usViking’s own fare · Flights and hotels planned around it
View the route
- Day 1: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Day 2: Welland Canal
- Day 3: Point Pelee, Ontario, Canada
- Day 4: Detroit, Michigan, United States
- Day 5: Alpena, Michigan, United States
- Day 6: Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States
- Day 7: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
- Day 8: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Into the Northwest Passage
Viking Octantis · 4 Aug 2027 · 12 nights
Nuuk roundtrip
from USD 16,999 per person
Booked through usViking’s own fare · Flights and hotels planned around it
View the route
- Day 1: Nuuk, Greenland
- Day 2: Nuuk, Greenland
- Day 3: Itilleq Fjord, Greenland
- Day 4: Ilulissat, Greenland
- Day 5: Uummannaq, Greenland
- Day 6: Sail Baffin Bay
- Day 7: Pond Inlet, Nunavut, Canada
- Day 8-10: Explore the Canadian High Arctic, Canada
- Day 11: Sail Baffin Bay
- Day 12: Sisimiut, Greenland
- Day 13: Nuuk, Greenland
Great Lakes Treasures
Viking Polaris · 23 Aug 2027 · 9 nights
Milwaukee, Wisconsin roundtrip
from USD 12,499 per person
Booked through usViking’s own fare · Flights and hotels planned around it
View the route
- Day 1: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
- Day 2: Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States
- Day 3: Georgian Bay (Killarney), Ontario, Canada
- Day 4: Georgian Bay (Frazer Bay), Ontario, Canada
- Day 5: Fathom Five National Marine Park, Ontario, Canada
- Day 6: The Benjamin Islands, Ontario, Canada
- Day 7: Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, United States
- Day 8: Door Peninsula (Algoma), Wisconsin, United States
- Day 9: Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Day 10: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Antarctic Explorer
Viking Polaris · 12 Nov 2027 · 12 nights
Buenos Aires to Ushuaia
from USD 16,999 per person
Booked through usViking’s own fare · Flights and hotels planned around it
View the route
- Day 1: Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Day 2: Ushuaia, Argentina
- Day 3: Sail the Drake Passage
- Day 4-6: Explore Antarctica
- Day 7-8: Explore Antarctica
- Day 9-10: Explore Antarctica
- Day 11: Sail the Drake Passage
- Day 12: Scenic Sailing: Cape Horn
- Day 13: Ushuaia, Argentina
Where to stay before and after
Into the Antarctic Circle
Viking Polaris · 4 Dec 2027 · 14 nights
Buenos Aires to Ushuaia
from USD 18,699 per person
Booked through usViking’s own fare · Flights and hotels planned around it
View the route
- Day 1: Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Day 2: Ushuaia, Argentina
- Day 3: Sail the Drake Passage
- Day 4-5: Explore Antarctica
- Day 6-7: Crossing the Antarctic Circle
- Day 8-9: Explore Antarctica
- Day 10-12: Explore Antarctica
- Day 13: Sail the Drake Passage
- Day 14: Scenic Sailing: Cape Horn
- Day 15: Ushuaia, Argentina
Where to stay before and after
Fares are Viking's own published fares, per person at double occupancy, cruise only, in US dollars: the lowest stateroom category still open on each departure when we read Viking's site on 9 October 2026, during Viking's Fall Sale. Viking lists port taxes and fees as included; on Antarctica itineraries the Ushuaia charter flights and a Buenos Aires hotel night are included too. Antarctic departures are dated from Buenos Aires. We confirm availability for your dates before anything is booked.
Booking this line
Antarctica is the season to plan furthest ahead: on several departures below the lowest open category was down to between one and three staterooms when we read them. Choose the Nordic Junior Suite or above if you want space for the gear and earlier booking of the excursions. We arrange the flights to Buenos Aires and the hotel nights around the voyage.
Questions, answered
What do we get booking Viking through Via Privata?
On selected sailings, a Virtuoso shipboard credit: USD 200 per stateroom on 2026 sailings, confirmed in writing at booking. The fare is Viking's own, the same fare Viking publishes. Around the voyage we plan the flights and the hotel nights before and after, and we choose the stateroom by deck and position, not only by category.
Why is Viking Expeditions in your premium tier?
The ships carry 378 guests, more than most of the expedition ships we list above, there are no helicopters, the staterooms start at 215 square feet, and gratuities and the drinks package are paid on top. Viking also publishes what it leaves out across the fleet: no casinos, no children under 18. What it does well is the science programme, the boats and a calm ship.
What does the Viking expedition fare include?
A landing or excursion in every port, Zodiacs, kayaks and Special Operations Boats with the gear, a keepsake jacket on polar voyages, Wi-Fi, all meals, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, port taxes and fees, and on Antarctica itineraries the Ushuaia charter flights and a Buenos Aires hotel night. Submarine dives (USD 499 per person), gratuities and the drinks package are extra.
When is the best time for Antarctica or the Arctic?
Viking sails Antarctica from November to February and the Arctic from late June to September. The Great Lakes season runs from May to September.
Is it adults only, and is there a doctor on board?
Every guest must be 18 or over on embarkation day. A physician and a nurse sail on every expedition ship, and polar itineraries require a medical assessment before you board.
Details checked against Viking Expeditions's published materials · August 2026
Photography, film and voyage details appear courtesy of Viking Expeditionsand remain the line's property; Via Privata shows them as an independent travel advisory that arranges Viking Expeditions bookings. We are not owned by or affiliated with the line, and all trademarks belong to their owners.
Enquire
Sail Viking Expeditions
Tell us roughly when and which region appeals. We check live availability at Viking’s own fare, find the stateroom worth having, and plan the flights and hotels around the sailing.
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