Experiencing Antarctica on Viking Polaris 

Wow, thank you for your generous support. Glad you enjoyed it. I hope to post other adventures as well in the future.

im thinking about a trip. what are you spending?

@@gilstewart4069 i booked silversea for dec 2024

@@gilstewart4069 I can refer you to silversea and we both get $500 off. I am going dec 2024 and got $16k for each for Antartica/FI and SG cruise (18 nights) with free night hotel stay in Santiago and charter flight included. Price also includes gratuity, drinks including alcohol and a private butler

Welcome aboard!

?oareats? Anyways, Viking caters to a more active and inquisitive adult demographic. Mid 70's doesn't explain much since I know people in their mid 70's who run marathons, and others in their early 60's who are invalids. None of the activities, except perhaps the kayaking, requires more than average strength, balance and coordination, but there were no (zero) scooters, walkers or electric wheel chairs on board the Viking Polaris. They do require a signed physician's statement of suitability from all passengers. Walking sticks were provided for the landings, and were appreciated on the irregular snow and ice. Getting in and out of the zodiacs requires a degree of flexibility and balance, and on board, they do subject anyone wishing to do the submarine dives and kayaking to physical testing consisting basically of doing a standing squat and recover. You also have to twist around, descend and ascend a narrow ladder, and crawl in a very confined space to do the submarine dive. There were problems with the internal hanger dock so boarding the Special Ops boats all took place at the same waterline embarkation stations that the Zodiacs use. That means there is a significant step down or up and there is constant movement between the mothership and the Special Ops boat or zodiacs to contend with. And you have to do all this with multiple layers of clothing and boots on. Even without the excursions, the Viking Polaris is fabulous with first rate food, service and thermal spa facilities which are all inclusive. There are lectures but no singing or dancing of any sort. The in room video system is on demand and has a broad selection of movies and TV shows, and basic internet connectivity is also inclusive, although internet speed in the waters of Antarctica are not sufficient to do any video editing or streaming. It's OK for email and internet browsing. So unless your "oareats" require canes, walkers or mobility scooters, I'd say by all means. We have been on over 30 different cruises around the world and this one ranks right up there alongside a private Galapagos charter as the most memorable experiences.

Around 10:30 to 11:30 we get out of a zodiac going ashore. 23:08 shows transferring from the zodiac onto the sub. Transfers from the ship into the Zodiacs wasn’t a big deal, but does involve stepping down into the Zodiac from the dock platform of the ship.

These Antarctica expeditions are among the most expensive tourist cruises on the planet at over $1000 per day, but Viking offers great value for the comfort and luxury in such remote and wild areas. www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/cruise-destinations/antarctica/antarctic-explorer/index.html

Unfortunately ice and wind precluded the scheduled 2 landings that would have been in the actual peninsular mainland, but all the Islands are on the Antarctic continent.

Prices depend on dates and stateroom categories but these are among the most expensive tourist cruises on the planet per day at over $1000 per day. But relative to the market, Viking Expeditions are a great value for the comfort and luxury in such remote and wild places. www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/cruise-destinations/antarctica/antarctic-explorer/index.html

Please view the companion video Viking Polaris Antarctica. A Comprehensive Tour After the Rogue Wave here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-o9eCE3e5iFc.html This is a top to bottom comprehensive tour of the ship's facilities.

The sun set after 2am (never stayed up to find out exactly when), so you really needed the blackout shades. It’s best to set your biological clock to Expedition time to make the most of your experience. A great treatment for seasonal affective disorder to escape the Northern hemisphere during winter, albeit an expensive one.

@@whidbeyben thank you .. i love the long days of summer

@@whidbeybenWhy does Antarctica never have 24-hour sunshine?

@@RANGLUYI The furthest south we traveled was just shy of 65˚ South latitude. Beyond 66˚ South latitude, 24hr daylight is experienced from late November to early January.

@@whidbeyben But no one gets anywhere near 66, do they? So no one in Antarctica has ever seen 24-hour sunlight?

You can watch the companion video: Viking Polaris After the Rogue Wave. A Comprehensive Tour. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-o9eCE3e5iFc.html

On Viking Expeditions, the sub dives are free (included in your fare) but constrained to one reservation per passenger per journey and higher category staterooms get first pick of reservations. We had a Nordic Deluxe veranda and were able to snatch up reservations by logging on the instant the reservation window opened. Within 15 minutes, all the sub reservations were booked. Almost as hard as getting Taylor Swift tickets. Anyone booking submarine or kayak excursions should know up front that there is NO GUARANTY that the excursion will occur. You are simply entering a lottery to be eligible for these activities. The Expedition crew works EXTREMELY hard to get as many excursions completed, but Antarctica is a fickle mistress who can change her stripes in an instant. Only 12 people can dive or kayak at once, and daylight, sea conditions, wind, and sea ice limit how many dives or kayaking sessions can occur. If you're extremely lucky, and have calm conditions every day, there's a good chance your excursions will go as scheduled, but that is not typical of Antarctica. Passengers should be advised that there is probably a slightly better than 50% chance that any booked Submarine or Kayak excursion, or actual Zodiac landing will be successful. Over half the dives on our journey ended up canceled including our original booking, but we were fortunate to be able to get rebooked automatically 2 days later when conditions allowed for dive operations. All six in our party did eventually get to do a dive, but many passengers never got to experience it because of conditions. The same applies for kayak excursions. Ours was canceled and conditions didn't allow rescheduling before our time in Antarctica ran out. Zodiac rides and Special Ops boat rides are very easy to book or even take on a standby basis, but the Zodiac Landings are also constrained by sea ice and other conditions as well. 2 of our 5 landings were canceled, and unfortunately both of those were on the mainland. But we did have 3 successful landings on the Islands of the Palmer Archipelago and South Shetland Islands that were spectacular experiences. The sub dive is a very cool experience for the novelty and tech, but you'd see a whole lot more in a tiny aquarium, so if you don't make your dive, don't get too upset. It's OK to feel a bit disappointed, but don't let that ruin your overall experience. I'm glad I didn't have to shell out an extra to do it, like some other Antarctica cruises do because it's certainly not worth paying an extra $800. Save that for a Hawaii helicopter tour. So feel elated if you do manage to successfully get a dive in during your cruise, like you won a lottery.

From boarding to disembarkation from the sub was about an hour. The sub dive was included in the fare, but while they make every effort they can to ensure as many people can experience a dive, passengers can only make one reservation, and having a reservation is no guaranty. The sub dives are subject to cancellations for excessive wind, sea conditions, ice and weather. Our reserved dive session was cancelled due to ice and sea conditions, but we eventually were rescheduled. The same holds for kayaking excursions. We were not able to do a kayaking excursion on our cruise due to sea and weather conditions. This is Antarctica, not Disneyland. It is breathtaking and humbling at the same time.

Prices depend on dates and stateroom categories but these are among the most expensive tourist cruises on the planet per day at over $1000 per day. But relative to the market, Viking Expeditions are a great value for the comfort and luxury in such remote and wild places. www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/cruise-destinations/antarctica/antarctic-explorer/index.html

Inglish

In reality, these ships have made the Drake Passage crossing many, many times. Viking makes no claim to have produced an indestructible all condition vessel. As we experienced on our journey, the experience and wisdom of the Captain and crews are paramount in assuring the safety and comfort of their passengers. We left the Antarctic Peninsula a day early to beat a storm front that could have pinned us down for several days, and the fatal rogue wave encounter on the prior voyage clearly demonstrates the risk of venturing into the more wild and unpredictable regions of the planet. Antarctica is truly one of the wildest and most beautiful regions on the planet but we must always respect the power that comes with that majesty.