We’re spending a total of 11 nights on this ship. There are 367 guests. Most are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, but there are a few in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. Most seem to be married couples, but there are several mother-daughter and father-son pairs.

There are 265 crew from 40 countries. This might seem like a lot of staff, it takes a lot to keep everything running. Deck officers in charge of navigation, engineers, outdoor maintenance, cooks, dishwashers, dining room servers, housekeeping, expedition guides, guest services, laundry, IT, and others.

Compare this to the largest cruise ship on the water today which can hold almost 10,000 people – 7,600 passengers and 2,350 crew.

The ship was built and launched in 2021. It is the largest, most powerful expedition vessel on the market, and it was purpose-built to navigate the Great Lakes and the Antarctic. During the summer season in the southern hemisphere, it travels to Antarctica, and during the summer season in the northern hemisphere, it travels around the Great Lakes.

The ship has six levels plus a hanger at the bottom where the zodiacs, kayaks, special ops boats, and submarines are kept. On of the things that distinguish this ship from other cruise ships is the hanger. I saw another cruise ship yesterday that had to use a winch to haul zodiacs out of the water and up onto the top deck for storage. The other things that distinguish this ship from other cruise ships are the lecture auditorium, the special ops boats, and the submarines.

We reserved a basic cabin which has been a perfectly nice size with a king bed, a desk, and a little sofa area. Plus there is a large picture window that opens so you can hear the ocean and take photos of penguins, icebergs, and landscape passing by.

There are six restaurants on board. Four are buffet. World Cafe has a new line-up every day with a meat carving station, various vegetables and rice dishes, salad bar, and pizza station. There is a sushi bar, a grill with burgers and steaks, and Mamsen’s which serves typical Norwegian fare. There is a bakery that makes fresh bread, cookies, muffins, and desserts all day long. There are also two sit-down restaurants which require reservations and which we’ve saved for the end of our trip to celebrate in style.

Altogether, the food has been really good – fresh, interesting, multi-cultural, and catering to all diets.

The ship has a lecture hall which hosts the daily briefings, science lectures, films, and other presentations. There are also other learning experiences around the ship.

There is a spa, fitness center, and hair salon. The pool area has a dry sauna, steam room, outdoor hot tub, a bucket shower that dumps cold water on your head, an “experience shower” that blasts water at you from all directions, and a snow grotto which is a shower that snows on you. For real.

In addition, there is a gift shop, a travel consultant where you can book more Viking trips, Excursion Central where you can talk to guides and scientists, a “business center” which has a couple of laptops for guest use, and of course, guest services where you can get all sorts of things taken care of. There are also laundry facilities which have come in handy since we’re traveling for 3 weeks.

There are various lounge areas, libraries, and bars scattered around the ship where you can relax, watch the scenery pass by, read a book, work on a puzzle, have a cocktail, and meet other guests.

And don’t forget the outdoor decks on various levels which are great for whale watching, sunsets, exercise laps, personal reflection, and ship-wide parties.

Viking has created an amazing environment on this ship which allows for relaxation, intellectual growth, and holy-cow experiences. I would do this trip again in a heartbeat.