Expedition Cruising on the Great Lakes with Viking

Expedition cruising around the Great Lakes? This was the question that many asked me when I told them about my upcoming voyage on Viking Cruises’ expedition ship Viking Octantis. Now that I have returned, this cruise itinerary with Viking Cruises should be on your radar if you are interested in traveling the Great Lakes, want to explore part of the U.S. and Canada uniquely, are curious about expedition cruising, or are simply a Viking Cruises fan. 

In 2022, Viking made Great Lakes expeditions a reality by bringing Viking Octantis to North America for the late spring/summer season to sail cruises around Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Michigan. In 2023, Viking Cruises added a second ship, Viking Polaris (the newest in the expedition fleet), to sail the region. The line’s 2024 season has just started, with both ships sailing the Great Lakes through September. Itineraries are already in place for both expedition ships to return in 2025 and 2026. 

So, what’s cruising the Great Lakes really like? Following is a recap of my experience cruising the Great Lakes with Viking Cruises onboard the Viking Octantis, with details about life onboard the ship, the special programs the line offers, where itineraries visit, and why this cruise is such a unique experience. 

The Ship

My Viking Cruises Expedition Cruise onboard Viking Octantis started at the Port of Toronto. The ship is immediately striking as you first see it, with a beautiful silhouette that deeply stands out among the (mostly industrial) port and the Toronto skyline. The boarding process was painless, and my traveling companion (my Mom) and I were onboard the ship in minutes. With room key cards in hand, we headed directly to our stateroom. 

As we made our way through the immaculate ship, the neutral calming tones surrounded us along with floor-to-ceiling windows and water views all around from the public areas. About every three feet, we were greeted by staff offering bottled waters and drinks to welcome us onboard. 

The capacity of Viking Octantis accommodates just over 370 passengers and 260 crew members. You can’t go far without a crew member checking to see if you need anything or to say hello. The ship never feels crowded, even at meals or at the gangway on port days. 

Viking Octantis was designed for expedition cruising, primarily in Antarctica from November through February. Viking expedition ships are specialized vessels designed to facilitate exploration and adventure travel in remote or rugged environments. Viking Octantis features unique technology and design that allows it to safely navigate difficult terrain, while not disturbing the environment around it. Viking describes it as a ‘purpose-built expedition’ ship, where everything has a function in its design. Additionally, Viking’s expedition ships have set a standard for responsible travel by exceeding the current International Maritime Organization Energy Efficiency Design Index requirements by nearly 38%.

For example, as we made our way through the ship over the days, we noticed how the doors to exterior spaces were arranged (and very heavy), likely to accommodate winds and rougher water conditions. Also, in our cabin, we noticed how precisely and strongly the drawers and closet doors would close so as not to open in rough seas. 

Most decor and the extensive onboard art collection of Viking Octantis reflect its regular journeys to Antarctica. You will find photos of famous explorers, icebergs, penguins, whales, marine life, and maps on almost every wall in homage to the seventh continent. Books about traveling and famous Antarctic and Arctic expeditions dot the shelves of The Library and other public spaces. Outside the Expedition Central area, we didn’t see much art or decor explicitly designed for the ship’s regular exploration of the Great Lakes. Nonetheless, it was beautiful, and the ambiance was relaxing and comfortable. 

As an expedition ship, Viking Octantis is equipped with unique fun ‘toys’ for guests to experience their surroundings and the local environment. To make the expedition process easier, Viking created The Hangar, an enclosed, in-ship marina built to allow for the launch of small excursion crafts. Viking deploys its fleet of zodiacs, kayaks, and 12 special operations boats from this area. One of Viking’s most special design features of The Hangar is an 85 ft. slipway that allows guests to embark on special ops boats from a stable surface inside the ship. 

Another expedition highlight in The Hangar is the ship’s two submarines. These craft are capable of holding six guests and are manned by skillfully trained Viking scientists. The submarines are yellow and aptly named John and Paul, in homage to The Beatles. Viking Polaris similarly has two subs named Ringo and George. Note, that submarines are only deployed in Canadian waters during the Great Lakes voyages, and guests must meet certain requirements in order to secure a seat. 

Here are a few other onboard highlights for guests on Viking Octantis:

• Four restaurants in total - The World Cafe (serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner), Mamsen’s, The Restaurant, and Manfredi’s. 24-hour room service is also available at no extra charge. We found the food options to be plentiful, enjoyable, and a nice variety of menu items during the course of the sailing.  
• Guests can relax and socialize in the ship’s several lounges which include The Hide (a special ‘hidden’ venue on deck one of the bow), Aquavitt Terrace, Explorer’s Lounge, and The Library Bar. 

• The Aula, with massive floor-to-ceiling windows located at the back of the ship, is the largest gathering space and home to pre-port briefings, lectures, enrichment sessions, and other group gatherings. 
• The Nordic Spa features a full-service spa and salon, and a fantastic water therapy room complete with an indoor pool, heated loungers, experience showers, saunas, and a unique outdoor hot tub called the Badenstamp. 
• Deck five features The Pools, a partial indoor (covered by a retractable roof) slask outdoor pool area. The pool features three levels of water temperatures - tepidarium (moderate), caldarium (hot), and frigidarium (hot). 
• The Finse Terrace (as found on many other Viking ships) is located at the ship’s aft and is a great outdoor place to enjoy the scenery among comfy couch loungers. Another outdoor space with great seating and views is the Open Terrance on the ship’s top deck. 

Guests can check out each day’s planned activities via the Viking Daily available on the Viking Cruises app. Here, you can find all the daily entertainment, hours of operation for on-ship venues, and any important details you would need to know about the day’s port visit. Note, Viking does not print these out and leave them in the stateroom, with the exception of the first day of the cruise. Guests access Viking Daily on the app or a digital version via the in-stateroom television. 

Important author note - If you are into casinos, zip lines, shops, and other bells and whistles on your cruise, this is may not be the ship for you. The public spaces and activities on Viking Octantis are designed for relaxing, enrichment, and enjoying the nearby scenery. Viking has adult-centric programming with no guests under 18 allowed, so you will find that most of the onboard elements and daily activities are tailored around a crowd that prefers learning and relaxing over lido deck parties and giant waterslides. 

Viking’s Great Lakes Cruise Itineraries 

Viking Expeditions offers Great Lakes cruises from May to October. Great Lakes itineraries range from 8 days plus, with longer voyages on the bookend of the ship’s transit as it deploys to its various destinations to/from Antarctica. Viking rotates itineraries between Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris. Many voyages include an overnight at the beginning or end of the sailing so that you can spend additional time exploring the destination in depth. 

The ‘Great Lakes Explorer’ 8-day voyage sails from Milwaukee to Thunder Bay in Ontario, making stops in Mackinac Island, Fathom Five National Marine Park, Georgian Bay, a transit of the Soo Locks, and the Silver Inlet. The ‘Undiscovered Great Lakes’ 8-day voyage begins in Thunder Bay of Ontario, with stops at McGarvey Shoal, Silver Inlet, Duluth, a transit of the Soo Locks, Mackinac Island, and ends in Milwaukee. 

I traveled on the ‘Niagra and the Great Lakes’ itinerary, one of the most popular routes. This voyage started in Toronto, transited the Welland Canal, and then made stops in Port Colborne for Niagra Falls, Point Pelee, Detroit, Alpena, and Mackinac Island, concluding the journey in Milwaukee. I found this itinerary very interesting as it combined visits to large metropolitan areas with smaller, scenic destinations that are not as easily accessible. 

This itinerary allows guests to have an even deeper appreciation for how massive the Great Lakes are and what deep history the region has. The size of its ship allows it to navigate the canals and narrower stretches between the two points. Viking Octantis’ striking exterior is quite eye-catching for those who live in the area year-round. We caught many people taking photos of the ship as it sailed along! 

See All Viking Octantis Reviews

Excursions

Viking’s unique model offers guests on Great Lakes cruises many options for excursions and things to do while in port. The guest’s cruise fare includes a handful of excursions, but some will cost additional fees. 

Excursions are designed with enrichment in mind - from walking or biking tours to curated museum visits, catch-and-eat cooking tours, visits to breweries or wineries, and guided visits to historical landmarks. Having these excursions available makes planning for your voyage much easier as it essentially eliminates having to search and find tours outside the cruise line offering for your port days. Let’s face it, there aren’t a lot of independent tour options, so staying with the cruise lines selections of pre-planned excursions is the best and easiest option. All the arrangements are taken care of; just arrive and be prepared to learn and sightsee. 

We took part in Viking-arranged included tours in several ports. In Port Colborne, our tour included a 45-minute bus transport with a knowledgeable guide up to Niagra Falls, where we enjoyed a (very wet) boat ride into the Falls and explored the surrounding area. During a stop in Detroit, we enjoyed a guided group tour of The Henry Ford Museum. While visiting Alpena, Michigan we embarked on a guided walking tour to learn about the region’s nautical history, shipwrecks of the Great Lakes, and a visit to its downtown. 

It’s important to note that the Viking-sponsored tours are not required. We navigated charming Mackinac Island independently visiting The Grand Hotel and enjoying the picturesque views. 

At least one ‘expedition’ day is offered on Viking’s Great Lakes itineraries, where you can take a ride in the ship’s specially designed water crafts. On my cruise, this day was Point Pelee, Ontario. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, and excursions to Point Pelee were canceled for passenger safety as guests were all to be transported from ship to land via zodiac. Safety is always at the top of my mind and critical when cruising with Vikings on expeditions. 

Had the day gone as planned, we would have hiked to the Southernmost tip of Canada, learning about the region's flora and fauna and local wildlife. Other excursion offerings for this day included kayaking, bird watching, and zodiac or special ops boat rides. For expedition days on Great Lakes cruises, Viking lends guests waterproof pants and special boots to make the journey safe and easy. 

One thing to note on the itinerary I did onboard Viking Octantis (which would also be true on many cruises onboard Viking Polaris) is that the ships have a unique size that can sometimes not be accommodated by a destination. You will likely tender at one or more of your ports. The tender process is very well thought out and efficient, so we found this an added bonus as it was time for scenic cruising. 

Some ports the ship docks at are located in more industrial areas, so you must travel outside of the port area to explore the city center. Viking arranges regular shuttle buses in these ports from the port to a notable city location for guests to explore and catch tours. For example, in Toronto, Viking arranged shuttles from the ship to St. Lawrence Market, and in Milwaukee, shuttles were available from the port to the Public Market. Overall, the process is easy and convenient but something to remember when planning your day and to be mindful of if you have mobility issues. 

Why This Cruise is So Unique

Beyond the luxurious onboard offerings, what separates this cruise from other Great Lakes offerings is Viking’s commitment to scientific study and helping guests learn and discover the region they are visiting. The ship has multiple onboard scientists who study the area and its environment, all while conducting onboard experiments. 

At the ship’s Expedition Central area, guests can meet scientists and expedition leaders to ask questions, study maps, learn about birds and other wildlife of the Great Lakes, and take part in programming like seminars on stargazing or a navigation workshop. 

Viking recently announced that Viking Octantis’ onboard PCR lab was doing real-time environmental DNA sequencing of phytoplankton with scientific support from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the J. Craig Venter Institute. This new work marked a big milestone in marine research and exploration, with Viking becoming the first travel company to support real-time environmental genetic sequencing capabilities onboard ships. 

It is pretty much impossible to walk away from a Great Lakes cruise on Viking Octantis without learning something new. May (the month of my voyage) is a huge time for bird migration in the Great Lakes, and many seminars were hosted on the topic. 

One of the great things I found with the size of Viking Octantis was how scientists and other expedition leaders scatter among the ship and are there to answer questions and help you gain a better understanding about the places and things you are seeing as you travel. 

During our transit of the Welland Canal, we stood on the bow to watch as the first lock opened to accommodate our expedition ship. Viking crew were on hand to answer questions, describe the process, and talk about the effect on wildlife. This is not something you get on a traditional cruise, and this really stands out as a unique part of this voyage. 

I was also fortunate to be onboard during a special time when the Northern Lights were visible in Southern Canada. During this rare occasion, the crew made a nighttime announcement that they were visible from the ship’s outdoor public areas. It was incredibly special to witness this phenomenon while having experts onboard to discuss it and share how to get great photos. 

Another unique opportunity on many Viking expedition voyages that guests can take part in is NOAA Weather Ballon Launches. NOAA has sanctioned Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris as official launch stations (among its 102 stations in operation). From the ship, Viking scientists deploy biodegradable weather balloons equipped with a transmitter and data sensor that measure wind, temperature, and pressure for the NOAA. The organization uses the data for global weather prediction and climate modeling. 

We were able to take part in one of these notable launches, as all guests were welcomed to the deck to watch the balloon release. This was an incredibly special opportunity to witness and a great opportunity to learn about weather data collection processes. 

Final Thoughts

This is not your traditional ocean Caribbean cruise, but if you are seeking a voyage to see the Great Lakes and its surrounding areas that is enriching and well-curated, a cruise on the Viking Octantis (or sister ship Viking Polaris) is sure to be considered.  

The biggest standout for me about the design of Viking Octantis was its versatility of offerings for a ship its size. One could spend all their onboard time bouncing between talks and seminars, to trivia games, listening to live music, or enjoying any of the number of programs offered each day. On the flip side, if all you want is a quiet place to read a book without other guests or distractions, you can certainly find a place very easily. The ship seamlessly blended leisure spaces with the communal areas and other expedition offerings. 

Of course, another standout was the exceptional service onboard from the friendly and knowledgeable crew and expedition team. They are truly what makes this cruise run so smoothly and were among what stands out on this voyage. 

Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris offer something truly unique in the Great Lakes region and bringing new visitors to these destinations that otherwise would not travel to many of the destinations. Now is the time to explore all of the Viking Great Lakes cruises. Voyages are open for cruises in 2024, 2025 and 2026.  

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