Viking Expeditions Viking Octantis Cruise Reviews for Expedition Cruises to Canada & New England

This was my fiftieth cruise (my husband’s 48th), in about 25 years. A good friend found the Viking Great Lakes expedition cruises advertised and the four of us decided we were ready for something unique. I’ve been on 13 different cruise lines. Celebrity was our favorite until 2015 when we tried Crystal. When we planned a European river cruise, after quite a bit of research, I chose to go on ...

We've enjoyed three Viking European river cruises, so when we heard the line was launching expedition boats in the Great Lakes, we decided it was time for an adventure afloat in our own country. We had to overcome a few hurdles: the ArriveCAN vaccination requirements, the VeriFly "ready to travel" standards for the airline and the 72-hour COVID-19 testing window to get on board (which applied only ...

We just completed the June 18th Great Lakes Explorer cruise, starting in Milwaukee and ending in Thunder Bay, Ontario.  It was our first Viking cruise.  Pros: 1. We thought the ship was beautiful, and enjoyed the many "nooks and crannies" to sit and relax. 2. The crew was absolutely wonderful.  They worked hard, remembered names, and were gracious and friendly. 3.  Food ran the ...

Reflections after sailing on Octantis Great Lakes Cruise: Milwaukee to Thunder Bay We just returned from the cruise and thought others might be interested in our experience. We've done both Viking Ocean and River, so we are solid fans of Viking and appreciate the high quality and service they provide guests. Overall the cruise greatly exceeded our expectations. The ship is beautiful, ...

First of all let me say that the ship is Beautiful. The staff was wonderful and couldn't have been more friendly. The food was amazing. The Chef "I'm sorry I can't remember his name" was always about checking on the guests. My only hold back on giving this a higher rating is that Viking still has some kinks to work out as far as ports, equipment, and boarding vessels for expeditions. Some of ...

We have been avid Viking cruise folks for quite some time, and things used to be absolutely spectacular, some of the best experiences we have had while traveling, and all of this was before the pandemic, before COVID, before lockdowns, and before present days experiences, shortages, and non-functionality, and I feel like Viking has certainly suffered, in a rough way, due to this. There are ...

We especially enjoyed the tour of Mackinac Island by horse drawn carriages with lunch at the beautiful old Grand Hotel. Other tours were nice, but this was a highlight for us. Everyone on the staff was outstanding with exceptional service and kindness. The expedition ship was amazing with all of its "toys", along with informative lectures about the Great Lakes. This is a different ...

Due to the pandemic we wanted to cruise domesticly so we selected this cruise based on the published description which was very misleading. We booked a balcony which turned out to be a window . We booked an extended cruise. We were expected to change staterooms three times in spite of booking several months in advance. Viking did not have the permits to utilize the submarines or special boats in ...

We booked the three 7-day itineraries currently offered in the Great Lakes (21 days total). It was our first Viking cruise but will definitely not be the last! We have cruised extensively on other cruise lines (several of which were high end), and have to say that hands down Viking beat them all! We were made to feel like family each and every day. We LOVED Octantis! Even though she is a ...

This was just the second cruise with this itinerary and we loved the ports and especially the included excursions (the best we've had on four Viking Cruises). Unfortunately a major glitch was the departure time listed in my documents from Toronto which was listed as 10pm, About 12 people arrived at the port just as the ship was sailing away at 8pm!! Some of them had air booked by Viking which ...