- Launched
- 2022
- Gross tonnage
- 30,150 GT
- Passengers
- 378 (double)
- Crew
- 256
- Length
- 202 m
- Home port
- Ushuaia / Great Lakes
Viking Polaris is the second Polar Class 6 expedition ship, delivered in 2022 and identical to Viking Octantis in layout, capacity, and equipment.
Polaris carries the same expedition kit as her sister — submarines, Zodiacs, special operations boats, kayaks, and a science lab — alongside the standard Viking hotel product.
She runs Antarctica and Chilean fjord programmes from Ushuaia in the austral summer and Great Lakes and Arctic Canada voyages in the northern summer.
Highlights
Sister to Octantis
Identical 378-guest Polar Class 6 platform.
Science lab on board
Research partnerships with Cambridge University and NOAA.
Adults-only expedition
The 18+ policy applies to expedition voyages too.
Available on this ship
Onboard experiences
The Viking Inclusive Fare
One fare, one shore excursion in every port, and almost nothing left to buy on board.
The Nordic Spa
Snow grotto, thermal suite and hydrotherapy pool — included in the fare on every ship.
Included Speciality Dining
Manfredi's and The Chef's Table carry no cover charge — speciality dining without the surcharge.
Accommodation
Cabin types and classes
Veranda Stateroom
The entry grade on every ocean ship — there are no inside or oceanview cabins in the fleet. Private veranda, king bed, and 24-hour room service.
Deluxe Veranda
Same footprint, better deck position and earlier shore-excursion booking window.
Penthouse Veranda
Larger stateroom with a sitting area, priority reservations at Manfredi's and The Chef's Table, and free-flowing alcohol at dinner.
Penthouse Junior Suite
Separate sleeping and living areas, a larger bathroom, and stocked mini-bar refreshed daily.
Explorer Suite
Two-room forward or aft corner suites with wraparound veranda, binoculars, boot warmers on the expedition ships, and full in-suite dining.
Owner's Suite
One per ship — a private dining room for up to eight, library, spa-style bathroom, and dedicated concierge service.
Nordic Balcony (expedition)
Octantis and Polaris only: a floor-to-ceiling window that drops to convert the sun room into a sheltered balcony — the correct design answer for polar weather.
Food and drink
Dining options
Included in your fare
The Restaurant
The main dining room, open seating, with a regional menu tied to the itinerary alongside always-available classics.
World Café
Market-style buffet with an open kitchen, sushi and seafood counter, and an outdoor grill terrace aft.
Manfredi's Italian Restaurant
Speciality Tuscan steak and pasta restaurant — reservation required, no cover charge.
The Chef's Table
Rotating five-course tasting menu with a paired wine flight — reservation required, no cover charge.
Mamsen's
Norwegian deli in the Explorers' Lounge: waffles with brown cheese, open sandwiches, and split pea soup.
Pool Grill and Aquavit Terrace
Burgers, grills and salads by the main pool and at the aft indoor-outdoor terrace.
Room service
Complimentary, 24 hours, with a full dinner service from The Restaurant menu in suites.
Speciality restaurants (charged)
Viking carries no cover-charge restaurants — both speciality venues are included in the fare. Reservations open by stateroom grade ahead of sailing.
Venue line-up reflects the Viking standard; the exact restaurants aboard Viking Polaris vary with the ship's class and most recent refit.
On board
Entertainment
Enrichment lectures
Resident historian and guest-speaker programme scheduled around port days — the core of the Viking evening and sea-day product.
Destination performance
Local musicians, choirs and folk ensembles brought on board in port.
Live music
Classical duos, pianists and a small resident band in the Explorers' Lounge, Torshavn and the Atrium.
Torshavn
The intimate late-night lounge and cocktail bar — Viking's alternative to a nightclub.
Explorers' Dome planetarium
Planetarium shows on Viking Jupiter and later sisters.
No casino, no children
There is no casino, no photo studio, no art auction and no under-18s anywhere in the fleet — a deliberate design choice.
Bars
Drinks packages
Included as standard
Beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, plus speciality coffee, tea and bottled water throughout the day at no charge.
Silver Spirits Package
The single paid upgrade: all-day spirits, cocktails, premium wines by the glass and speciality beers up to a set price point, per person per day.
Suite entitlements
Penthouse grades and above receive free-flowing alcohol at dinner and a stocked mini-bar refreshed daily.
Not included
Vintage and reserve wine lists and a small number of super-premium spirits sit outside the Silver Spirits package.
Ashore
Excursions
Viking includes one guided shore excursion in every port of call in the base fare — the structural difference from every mainstream competitor. Optional premium excursions are sold in addition, with booking windows opening by stateroom grade before departure.
Included Panorama tours
A guided city or highlights tour in every port, included in the fare.
Privileged Access
Behind-the-scenes visits — private museum openings, palaces, and closed collections.
Working World
Visits to farms, workshops, ports and factories that explain the local economy.
Local Life
Market visits, home hosting and food tastings with residents.
Expedition operations
Octantis and Polaris only: Zodiac cruising, kayaking, submarine dives and science-lab sessions.
Value
What the fare includes — and what it doesn't
Included
- Veranda stateroom — there are no inside cabins in the fleet
- One guided shore excursion in every port
- All dining including Manfredi's and The Chef's Table
- Beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner
- Wi-Fi throughout the ship
- Thermal suite in the Nordic Spa, gym and pools
- Self-service laundry on ocean ships
- Port charges and government taxes
Not included
- Silver Spirits beverage package (all-day spirits and cocktails)
- Optional premium shore excursions
- Spa and salon treatments
- Pre- and post-cruise land extensions and flights unless booked as a package
- Gratuities, which are charged per person per day and can be prepaid
Connectivity
Wi-Fi at sea
Technology
Starlink, rolled out across the ocean and expedition fleet
Included in the fare?
Included in the fare for every guest on every sailing — Viking does not sell tiered internet packages.
Standard fleetwide Wi-Fi
Browsing, email, messaging and social media included for all guests, with multiple devices per stateroom.
Streaming
Streaming and video calling generally work on Starlink-equipped ships, though bandwidth is shared and can drop in high latitudes.
Coverage is weakest in polar regions and deep fjords, where satellite line-of-sight is obstructed.
Same class
Sister ships
Cruise line
Explore the brand
Viking
Adults-only, destination-first small-ship cruising — identical sister ships, Scandinavian design, and the most genuinely inclusive mainstream-premium fare in the market.
Viking Holdings Ltd (parent group)
Viking Holdings is the parent of Viking — the destination-focused adults-only operator running the world's largest river fleet alongside its ocean and expedition ships.