Viking Expeditions
Purpose-built ships take guests to the far reaches of the Earth
Viking is continuing the expansion of its destination-focused travel experiences with the launch of new expedition voyages.
Viking Expeditions began sailing in February 2022 with its first vessel, Viking Octantis, embarking on voyages to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes.
A second expedition vessel, Viking Polaris, made its debut seven months later, sailing to Antarctica and the Arctic.
Viking Octantis launched Viking Expeditions when she set sail in March 2022
Viking’s arrival to the Great Lakes in 2023 will bring the newest and most modern vessels ever to explore this region of North America and will mark a major commitment to local tourism and economic development for the states of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as the Canadian province of Ontario.
“We invented the concept of modern river cruising when we launched in 1997; then we reinvented ocean cruises and became the ‘World’s Best Ocean Cruise Line’ in our first year of operation, as well as every year since then.
“Now, in creating ‘the thinking person’s expedition,’ we are perfecting polar expedition cruising, and we will usher in a new era of comfortable exploration in the heart of North America,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.
To develop the new expedition voyages, Viking partnered with some of the world’s most prestigious scientific institutions, including the University of Cambridge’s Scott Polar Research Institute.
Famed adventurers and educators Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft were honoured as ceremonial godmothers to Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, respectively.
Arnesen, a native Norwegian, became the first woman in the world to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole in 1994. Bancroft is the first woman to successfully ski to both poles.
