Viking Expedition Class

Part of the fleet

Viking

Adults-only, destination-first small-ship cruising — identical sister ships, Scandinavian design, and the most genuinely inclusive mainstream-premium fare in the market.

Introduced: 2022
Gross tonnage: 30,150 GT
Capacity: 378 (double)

Viking Octantis (2022) and Viking Polaris (2022) are Polar Class 6 expedition ships built on a shortened version of the ocean-class design. They carry 378 guests, a 44-strong expedition team, two special operations boats, military-grade Zodiacs, kayaks, and two yellow submarines.

Unlike most expedition operators, Viking did not strip the hotel product back. The Nordic Spa, Manfredi's, The Chef's Table, the Explorers' Lounge, and the Aquavit Terrace all carry over, alongside a purpose-built science laboratory operated in partnership with Cambridge University and NOAA.

Deployment splits between Antarctica and the Chilean fjords from Ushuaia in the austral summer, and the North American Great Lakes and Arctic Canada in the northern summer — the only mainstream operator running scheduled Great Lakes expedition voyages at this scale.

Sister ships

Ships in the Viking Expedition Class

2 sister ships share this class — near-identical layouts, cabins, and onboard venues across the Viking fleet.

Launched 2022

Viking Octantis

Polar Class 6 expedition ship — Antarctica in the austral summer, the Great Lakes in the northern one.

Launched 2022

Viking Polaris

Sister to Octantis — Antarctica, the Chilean fjords, and Arctic Canada with a full science programme.

Also in Viking

Other ship classes

Viking Ocean Class

Thirteen near-identical 930-guest sister ships — the most standardised small-ship ocean platform in premium cruising.

Viking Longship Class

The patented 190-guest river design that reset European river cruising — and the largest single class of river vessels in the world.

Cruise line

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