A ship that launches weather balloons, and clears the Saint Lawrence
locks
Viking Octantis was the first civilian ship authorised to launch
meteorological sounding balloons, with the data passed to weather services. This
is not decoration: it tells you what the ship is, a scientific instrument as
much as a floating hotel, with a laboratory and resident scientists.
The second fact concerns a Quebec traveller directly. The hull was sized to
clear the locks of the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway. This ship
comes to us, which no hull in the same line's ocean fleet can do.
The hull
Two hundred and five metres, about 30,150 gross tons, seven decks, 378 guests
in 189 cabins and 256 crew. That is less than half the capacity of the line's
ocean ships, which carry 930: the difference is operational rather than
commercial. International rules cap simultaneous landings in Antarctica at one
hundred people.
The hull is ice-strengthened and drawn with a straight bow rather than a
conventional bulb, which improves seakeeping in the Drake Passage. A double
stabilisation system, fins plus U-tanks, cuts roll even at rest, which matters
when you are stepping into an inflatable.
The Nordic balcony, and what to know about it
Cabins have no open outdoor balcony. They have what the line calls a Nordic
balcony: an enclosed veranda glazed from floor to ceiling, the upper part of
which lowers. It is an adaptation to polar conditions, and a good idea. You
simply need to know it before boarding, or the surprise is a bad one.
Aboard: two submersibles for six passengers each, inflatables, kayaks, an
enclosed hangar with a launch ramp, a panoramic auditorium and a Nordic spa. Viking Polaris
is its sister. Viking Star, Viking Orion and Viking Neptune belong to the ocean fleet, of an entirely different
nature.
What sits inside the package
One included excursion at every port of call, meals including the specialty
restaurants, beer and wine at lunch and dinner, Wi-Fi with the speed caveat the
line writes itself, access to the Nordic Spa and the fitness room, port taxes
and fees.
Gratuities are not included. That sentence deserves a second reading from a
traveller coming off a high-end river cruise, where the practice is often the
opposite.
Optional excursions, drinks outside mealtimes, spa treatments and air tickets
bought elsewhere remain your cost.
The line's stance
No casino, no children's club, no music-hall revue, no dressy evening.
Eighteen and over, checked on embarkation day. No cabin takes a third
occupant.
The ship bets on time ashore rather than on entertainment aboard. Evenings go
to lectures, chamber concerts and the library. A traveller after noise and neon
will be poorly served. A traveller who wants to sleep after a day of sightseeing
will be well looked after.
Arranging the departure
An ocean cruise is built around the air ticket. Almost always a connection,
preferably a hotel night before embarkation, and a margin that accounts for the
season. A file built properly at the start avoids half the unpleasant
surprises.
Voyages AquaTerra holds a Quebec travel agent licence. Your payments move
through a trust account and the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents
protects your file.
