Canadian World Traveller Spring 2024 Issue

delighted at the sight of Penguins swimming
so gracefully in the water then waddle their
way along the rocky shores. It was fascinating,
and yet humbling how we were so out of place
and yet these little creatures could survive and
thrive in such harsh conditions.
Staterooms
Our accommodations were a spacious Nordic
Penthouse stateroom that had ample room to
walk around and a carnivorous amount of
storage that easily held our two checked and
two carry-on bags. The washrooms, as in all
Viking ships, were immaculately clean, ultra
efficient, perfectly lit, well thought out and
handsomely designed and came with maybe
the best part for such a cruise, heated floors.
All staterooms on the Polaris are outward facing
where there are no interior cabins. One
noticeable difference on the Polaris to our
other Viking River and ocean ship staterooms
was that there were no verandas. Instead,
there was a floor to ceiling window that had
the large top window roll down horizontally
offering plenty of fresh ocean breezes and
offered much more daylight and magnificent
views of our surroundings. This design delivered
lots of extra interior living space that
would normally be lost to the veranda.
The Polaris and public spaces
The Polaris, like its identical sister ship the
Octants, is where art and science harmoniously
come together. They are both stunningly
beautiful and incredibly sophisticated at
the same time. It seems like every section of
the ship was thoughtfully planned out, masterfully
built, and richly decorated.
With only 189 staterooms and a capacity of
378 guests, the Polaris feels more like a large
luxury yacht than a full-size cruise ship. On
our cruise, we found more space per passenger
than any other ship we have ever sailed
on. There were rarely any line-ups and we
navigated around the ship with ease. Elegant
Nordic design dominates the interior of the
Polaris, and it emulates Viking’s other ships,
whether it be the Longships (rivers) or the
ocean vessels, with the same relaxing look
and feel. We found many locations on different
decks that passengers could choose to lay
back and relax, like the ‘Living Room’, the
‘Explorers’ Lounge’ and the ‘Library’. Other
public treasures include: ‘Aquavit Terrace,’ the
‘Finse Terrace’ the ‘Hide’ for late-night drinks,
the Aula where meetings and lectures took
place and the Nordic Spa and Fitness Center.
Cuisine
Sailing and gastronomy go hand-in-hand and
diets do not always do well on cruises, but we
did not hold back, and we would indulge a bit
of everything that the talented chefs on-board
served. The dining options included buffets, sit
down service and in-room dining. Our
favourite was the World Café, were we had a
cornucopia of choices including a sushi bar
and a grill. Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant was
easily booked by reservation, and Mamsen’s
was open for breakfast and for delicious afternoon
snacks. On top of these choices there
were selected wines, beer and soft drinks
included in our stateroom fare.
The Hanger
The piece de resistance of the Polaris is the
Hanger. This space redefines expedition cruising,
as in addition to the usual equipment like
Zodiacs and kayaks, the Hanger houses some
fascinating modern equipment. If you can
imagine, there are two state of the art submarines
and two Special Operation Boats
(SOB). These vessels are more than toys; they
are also used for ongoing research where they
can gather samples for scientific research on
the health of the environment, including the
infiltration of plastics in the far reaches of the
world. Rides on both the Special Operation
Boats and in the submarine were once-in-alifetime
experiences for most passengers.
Impeccable is the best word to describe the
service of the dedicated Viking staff. Time and
time again, on our many cruises over the
years with this company, we have always been
treated to the same incredible attention to
detail that is consistent with the wonderful
Viking experience. On this cruise it was a
repeat, every request was handled smoothly,
and we were completely pampered by an
attentive and smiling staff. Add to it, sailing on
the best expedition ship ever built and an
amazing out of this world destination and we
have another Viking masterpiece!
www.viking.com
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World Traveler Spring 2024