Luxury cruise line Viking has announced its expansion into the expedition cruise sector, with two new ships Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris debuting in January, 2022 and August, 2022 respectively.
Viking Octantis will cruise to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes, while Viking Polaris will sail to Antarctica and the Arctic. Both ships will be built by VARD with a capacity of 378 guests each.
“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,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.
The second ship Viking Polaris will debut in August, 2022, sailing to Antarctica and the Arctic
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“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,” he added.
“Our guests are curious explorers. They want to continue traveling with us to familiar and iconic destinations, but they would also like to travel further,” said Hagen. “We began as Viking River Cruises; then we evolved into Viking Cruises with the addition of ocean cruises; today we stand singularly as Viking, offering destination-focused voyages on more than 20 rivers, five oceans and five Great Lakes, visiting 403 ports in 95 countries and on all seven continents.”
To develop the new expedition voyages, Viking has partnered with some of the world’s most prestigious scientific institutions. The lead partner is the University of Cambridge’s Scott Polar Research Institute.
This relationship is underpinned by a major Viking endowment for scientific research into the polar regions, The Viking Chair of Polar Marine Geoscience, a Cambridge University full professorship based at the Scott Polar Research Institute, as well as a sponsorship fund supporting the Institute’s graduate students.
As part of this endowment, the Institute’s scientists will undertake fieldwork on board Viking’s expedition vessels and join voyages to share their expertise with guests.
Viking says it plans to do for the expedition sector what it did for river and ocean cruising
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Viking has also partnered with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a globally recognized bird research facility, whose ornithologists will regularly be on board the expedition ships, providing guest advice and interaction.
Additionally, Viking has partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), whose scientists will join expeditions in the Great Lakes to conduct research focused on changes in the region’s weather, climate and ecosystems.
NOAA scientists may also offer lectures about the Great Lakes’ unique environment to Viking guests during these voyages.
Adventurers and educators Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft will be 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.
Arnesen and Bancroft also became the first women to ski across Antarctica in 2001. Together they co-founded Bancroft Arnesen Explore / Access Water, an initiative that aims to engage and empower more than 60 million minds to create a sustainable tomorrow.
Arnesen will also periodically serve as a member of the Viking Expedition Team.
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