Debuting This Week, the Viking Polaris Will Explore Antarctica and the Great Lakes
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Viking® (www.viking.com) immediately introduced it has taken supply of the Viking Polaris®, the corporate’s second purpose-built expedition ship. The supply ceremony befell this morning at Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Søviknes, Norway, the place Viking’s first expedition ship, the Viking Octantis®, was delivered in December 2021. The Viking Polaris instantly set sail towards Amsterdam, the place she might be named on September 30 by her ceremonial godmother, Ann Bancroft, one of many world’s preeminent polar explorers. Currently crusing within the Great Lakes, the Viking Octantis may even be named on September 30 by her ceremonial godmother, Liv Arnesen, the world-renowned Norwegian explorer, lecturer, writer and educator. From Amsterdam, the Viking Polaris will make her technique to South America, and each ships will spend the Austral summer season in Antarctica, earlier than touring north to the Great Lakes for a collection of voyages throughout spring and summer season.
“Today is a proud day for the Viking family as we welcome the Viking Polaris to our fleet. These are phenomenal ships, and we are very pleased with the positive reception from guests during the first season of our new expeditions,” mentioned Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “The great explorer, Ann Bancroft, has honored us by serving as godmother to the Viking Polaris, and we look forward to welcoming her first guests on board later this week.”
Viking Expedition Ships
The new Polar Class Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris host 378 visitors in 189 staterooms. The vessels are purpose-built for expeditions, at a great measurement for security and luxury in distant locations. With extra indoor and outside viewing areas than different expedition vessels, visitors are as shut as doable to probably the most magnificent surroundings on earth. Highlights embrace:
- The Aula: A surprising panoramic auditorium impressed by the University of Oslo’s famed ceremonial corridor, the previous venue for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. Used for lectures, each day briefings, documentaries and movies, this spectacular venue includes a 4k laser-projected display that retracts to reveal floor-to-ceiling home windows and 270° views.
- Finse Terrace: An outside lounge space simply above sea degree with recessed seating and lava rock “firepits,” the Finse Terrace was designed to permit visitors the comforts of the ship al fresco whereas having fun with the dramatic surroundings. Named after the Finse Plateau in Norway, the place a few of the biggest polar explorers, together with Nansen and Amundsen, did their expedition coaching in preparation for his or her North and South Pole expeditions.
- The Hangar: A state-of-the-art, industry-first in-ship marina offering ease of embarkation and disembarkation of Special Operations Boats and different gear whereas sheltered from the weather.
- The Bow: An essential forward-viewing platform. And within the case of inclement climate, The Shelter is a cushty, partially enclosed house for visitors to heat up with a scorching drink earlier than going again out into the weather.
- The Science Lab: Developed in partnership with the University of Cambridge and Akvaplan-Niva, The Science Lab, at 380 sq. ft., is designed to assist a broad vary of analysis actions and is provided with moist and dry laboratory services. Guests have supervised entry to The Science Lab to be taught from and take part in endeavor significant analysis with scientists.
- Expedition Central: The hub for the expedition group to seek the advice of with visitors on their expedition actions and share information in regards to the locations on a one-on-one foundation, with the help of 3D printed maps, digital screens, and a state-of-the-art spatial knowledge visualization chart desk.
- Dining Choices: The Restaurant provides wonderful eating that includes regional delicacies and always-available classics; the informal World Café provides an open kitchen, bakery, grill and premium seafood and sushi selections, in addition to a variety of worldwide flavors; Mamsen’s, named for the Hagen household matriarch, serves Scandinavian-inspired fare; and Manfredi’s provides the very best of Italian delicacies.
- The Nordic Spa: Following a day of exploration, The Nordic Spa provides visitors alternatives to expertise the last word wholesome Nordic traditions, with an indoor heated pool set towards expansive home windows and a badestamp (wood-sided scorching tub) that’s open to the skin.
- Explorers’ Lounge: Located excessive on the ship with floor-to-ceiling home windows, the Explorers’ Lounge offers visitors a great house to soak up the magnificent surroundings, share discoveries with fellow vacationers or to get pleasure from a drink.
- The Living Room: On the Viking Octantis and the Viking Polaris, The Living Room is positioned to maximise views of the environment by floor-to-ceiling home windows and a library that informs even the best-read explorers. The Library is curated by acclaimed London bookshop Heywood Hill, as on all Viking vessels, in addition to Cambridge University’s Scott Polar Research Institute.
- Nordic Balcony: A primary for polar expedition vessels, all staterooms on board Viking’s expedition ships function a Nordic Balcony, a sunroom that converts into an al fresco viewing platform with an remark shelf at elbow degree to stabilize binoculars or a digital camera. Guests can select from six stateroom classes that vary from 222 sq. ft. to 1,223 sq. ft.—all with a Nordic Balcony, in addition to a king-size mattress and enormous toilet with spacious glass-enclosed bathe, heated toilet flooring and anti-fog mirror. Every stateroom can be outfitted with a singular floor-to-ceiling drying closet that circulates heat air to dry and retailer clothes and expedition gear.
- Expedition Ship Suites: Nordic Junior Suites (322 sq. ft.) and Explorer Suites (580 sq. ft.) on the Viking Octantis and the Viking Polaris are much like these on Viking’s fleet of ocean ships, with wooden detailing and facilities that embrace further storage and seating, an expanded toilet with prolonged bathe and double sinks, welcome champagne, a fully-stocked mini-bar replenished each day, complimentary laundry, precedence restaurant reservations and extra. Explorer Suites function two separate rooms, a Nordic Balcony and a full outside veranda. Additionally, every ship options one Owner’s Suite (1,223 sq. ft.) that has three rooms – a lounge, a board/eating room and a bed room—in addition to a 792 sq. ft. personal deck with a conventional Norwegian badestamp open to the invigorating open air.
- Enrichment On Board and On Shore: Viking has created the world’s main scientific enrichment setting in an expedition setting. Exclusive partnerships with the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge University, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—in addition to different prestigious scientific establishments match main researchers and educators with every expedition. Thirty-six consultants accompany every journey as a part of the Viking Expedition Team, together with an Expedition Leader and assist employees, photographer, area analysis scientists, common naturalists, mountain guides, kayak guides, submarine pilots and specialists (ornithology, geology, greater predator biology and historical past). On board, visitors will get pleasure from each day briefings and world-class lectures about their vacation spot. On shore, they will help in fieldwork or work together by experiential actions throughout landings—corresponding to monitoring birds to assist determine migratory patterns; accompanying scientists to gather samples; or taking their cameras ashore alongside an expert photographer to learn the way finest to seize scenic landscapes.
- Environmentally Considerate: Viking’s expedition ships have set a brand new customary for accountable journey with an energy-efficient design that exceeds the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) necessities by practically 38%. In addition to an built-in bow that creates an extended waterline for the ships, engines with warmth restoration methods and Azipod® Electric Propulsion, the Viking Octantis and the Viking Polaris have obtained one of many {industry}’s first SILENT-E notations—the highest-level certification for quiet ship propulsion, minimizing underwater noise air pollution.
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About Viking
Viking was based in 1997 and offers destination-focused journeys on rivers, oceans, and lakes world wide. Designed for skilled vacationers with pursuits in science, historical past, tradition and delicacies, Chairman Torstein Hagen usually says Viking provides visitors experiences for The Thinking PersonSM. Viking has greater than 250 awards to its title, together with being the primary cruise line to ever be named each the #1 Ocean Line and the #1 River Line in a single yr in Travel + Leisure’s 2022 “World’s Best” Awards. Viking was additionally rated the #1 River Cruise Line and #1 Ocean Cruise Line by Condé Nast Traveler within the publication’s 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards. For further data, contact Viking at 1-800-2-VIKING (1-800-284-5464) or go to www.viking.com. For Viking’s award-winning enrichment channel, go to www.viking.tv.
SOURCE Viking
