An excellent way to see and experience Antarctica in comfort. Be flexible minded regarding the itinerary and excursions because Antarctica has a way of tossing wrenches into the most elaborately devised of plans. Focus on what you see and do and you will be happier than if you are prone to stew over what got canceled due to weather, sea and ice conditions. You will see things in Antarctica that you will never see anywhere else on this planet. It can be singularly beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Actual embarkation was seamless for 2 of us but half of our group of 6 encountered missed flight connections, lost luggage and 2 had to travel over 42 hrs without beds or meals because of Viking Air and American Airlines had booked connection layovers of less than 2 hours. A dozen passengers had to buy clothing and supplies in Ushuaia when American Airlines didn’t get luggage to Buenos Aires or Ushuaia. These problems spoiled our Buenos Aires overnight as we struggled to get 2 of our party to Ushuaia before the ship sailed. We couldn’t eat or sleep until we were finally reunited on the ship. All of the problems could have easily been avoided had all flights had layovers of at least 2-1/2 hours.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Viking food and beverage service are excellent with tremendous selection despite the small expedition ship format. You can have all you can eat lobster and filet mignon and fresh sushi with king crab legs every day, but lamb, pork, beef, chicken, duck, turkey, seafood and vegan options abound. The fare is all inclusive except for alcoholic beverages outside of lunch and dinner hours. Wine, beer and cocktails of the day are free during lunch and dinner. Specialty venues offer table waited service and fancy presentations, but the World Cafe buffet offers just about everything on the Specialty restaurant menus. Espresso, smoothies and gelato are free.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Spa and fitness center are included and excellent. The thermal suite was a favorite of our party. Pools are tiny but little used in Antarctica. Emphasis is on lectures, wildlife viewing and science. No trivia or other typical cruise staff activities.
The excursions are the whole reason to do these expedition cruises. For a video review see: Experiencing Antarctica on Viking Polaris
https://youtu.be/szcKIwB74tI
Entertainment
3 out of 5
No stage shows, dancing, or entertainment other that a classical cello/keyboard duo and vocalist in the living room with keyboard/acoustic guitar duo in the Explorer’s lounge periodically during the day/evening. The ship is generally deserted after 9pm.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Excellent service with friendly and enthusiastic staff throughout the ship.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Wonderful ship design for expedition cruising with a lot of attention to facilitating boarding zodiacs and special operations boats for excursions. Brand new ship was spotless. Stateroom bathrooms are the best on any size cruise ship.
For a video tour see: Viking Polaris After the Rogue Wave. A Comprehensive Tour.
https://youtu.be/o9eCE3e5iFc
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Very efficient and comfortable. The drying cabinet got our parkas, snow pants and boots dry quickly so we’re we’re ready for all our excursions. The French balcony design is excellent for expedition cruising. Nice to be able to shoot photos with the window down. On demand video system works well. Bed and pillows were very comfortable.
Ship tip
Beware that Antarctica is a fickle mistress who can change her disposition in an instant. It can go from beautiful glorious blue sky and calm to a grey stormy tempest in a hour’s time. Excursions are highly dependent on weather, sea and ice conditions so even if you manage to book excursions, there’s no guarantees that any will take place. The kayaking and submarine dives are most subject to cancellation. The expedition team does its best to try to reschedule but time runs short. Landings also get canceled. We didn’t get to set foot on the mainland because landings at Brown Station and Oren Harbor were canceled due to excessive sea ice, but did see lots of wildlife landing in the islands of the Palmer Archipelago and South Shetland islands which are part of the Antarctic continent. Those were spectacular and memorable landings. Weather forced us to leave Antarctica a day early to cross the Drake Passage ahead of a storm but we got home safely and in comfort.
We were fortunate to have relatively smooth crossings south and north but the cruise in November 2022 encountered a rogue wave that killed one passenger and wrecked many of the staterooms on the forward port side of deck 2 that are still closed off. The ship’s stabilizers and inherent design work well to minimize roll and pitch in heavy seas. We were in 10m seas at times with only a gentle rocking and rolling with no shuddering or tossing.
Weather, sea and ice conditions canceled half our planned landings so we never set foot on the Antarctic mainland, but the excursions we completed were spectacular. We were lucky enough to get in a submarine dive after our originally scheduled dive got canceled but we weren’t so lucky with a booked kayak excursion which got canceled and not rescheduled because we ran out of days in Antarctica. We had to head north a day early because of dangerous weather headed into the Drake passage. This also forced us to bypass Cape Horn, but they did throw in a bus tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park to make up for missing Scenic cruising at Cape Horn.
Overnight in Buenos Aires at the Hyatt is generally required to gather all guests to get them to Ushuaia on chartered flights early the next morning. The Hyatt location is excellent for walking around the historic harbor front. No organized tour is included. Breakfast buffet is excellent but 4-5am.
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