Viking Octantis Review
Beautiful ship but definitely for Antarctica
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this trip from Santiago Chile through the Panama Canal to Ft. Lauderdale because we wanted to try an Expedition ship and I don't like cold weather. Everything is geared towards the Arctic however and there really wasn't much to do on the ship. We had a nature lecturer and a historian but the talks were mostly on the Arctic. The "toys" on board are only licensed to be used in Antarctica and on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, but we did get to look at them. There wasn't much entertainment but the contemporary duo and the violinist were good when they performed.
The food in the World Cafe was excellent with lots of variety and we loved the sushi bar and the inside grill. The menus printed on the app and TV were often wrong so the selections were sometimes a surprise. We did not eat in the Restaurant although we had 4 reservations, the selections were very sparse, only 3 per night plus the 3 that are always available. Manfredi's wasn't as good as on the Ocean ships and the service was poor both time we dined there.
The service everywhere else was excellent. The waiters were efficient and always polite and helpful. All of the staff were extremely friendly and did everything they could to make the cruise a memorable one. Our room attendants were also great.
Cabin Review
Nordic Penthouse (with Balcony)
We were in a great location on the ship. We liked having two separate closets besides the drying closet. We did use it a couple of times when a few things came out of the laundry not completely dry.
Port Reviews
Iquique
Very boring tour to Humberstone. The tour guide was in training and not great.
Lima
Interesting tour and great lunch at a Hacienda and a great Paso horse show.
Panama Canal (Cruising)
Our third time going through the Panama Canal and it was just as amazing as the first!
Colon (Cristobal)
Paid tour of Ft. San Lorenzo and seeing the new canal.
Cozumel
Taco and tequila tour started out fine but then it turned into a sales pitch for tequila, chocolate, and more. The tour lasted 1 1/2 hours longer than advertised which meant we missed a submarine excursion. The tacos were okay but definitely not a good tour.