When Viking announced their new expedition ships and posted the Octantis itinerary in 2020, we wanted to be among the first to try this new experience. The itinerary from Toronto through the St. Lawrence Seaway, around Nova Scotia and ending New York appealed to us for several reasons. With the pandemic raging when we signed up, we liked the idea of staying within North America. We liked the fact that the ship only carried about 380 passengers. We liked the scientific orientation and various adventure options using their internal fleet of vessel's that includes two mini submarines. We also liked that we would be traveling through a system of locks known as the St. Lawrence Seaway and that we would visiting very small towns not on the large cruise ship route.

The size of the ship offers a more intimate experience than even the relatively small Viking Ocean ships. There were limited but very good entertainment options, lots of talks and presentations about the areas we were traveling through, expedition scientists sharing their experiments, expedition naturalists on deck to describe and point out wildlife and sea life along the way and all of the great service that Viking is known for. There were four dining options in addition to 24 hr. room service and we found the food offerings to be outstanding. We especially liked the grill in the World Cafe where you could order burgers, steaks, lobster, and salads made to order while also taking advantage of all of the self-serve options.

We were impressed with several of the included shore options that offered food and entertainment at no additional expense. As you might expect on an expedition ship, some of the shore excursions were oriented to those who like a more active adventure (hiking, biking, kayaking, etc.) but it is fair to say there is a little something for everyone. Will you pay more for a Viking expedition ship cruise than their ocean or riverboat cruises... Yes. Is it worth it... We would say yes, if you can afford it.