We received an invite from Viking for the inaugural expedition cruises. Took about a minute to decide to book it. The thought of not only taking a cruise to Antarctica but on a newly built ship specifically designed for scientific expeditions sold itself. The Octantis lived up to all the hype. I am not sure if Viking could have done anything more to improve the physical ship or the adventure. Although weather and some technical difficulties (the sun didn’t deploy) altered some excursions we certainly felt we received the trip we were expecting. Not only was the cruise a typical wonderful Viking experience in regards to food, entertainment and attention from staff, the addition of the scientific crew truly made it an expedition. Not only do we have memories for a lifetime to reflect upon, we also became well versed in the history and ecology of the continent of Antarctica. We cannot thank Viking enough for offering this trip.