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GreatLakesCruises.com is a sales agent for every cruise line that operates on the Great Lakes.
On board Viking Great Lakes cruises, experience dining at sea with a total of six dining options, all included in the initial cruise fare. Every detail is designed to appeal to the thinking traveler. Learn about the destinations with enriching lectures on geology, glaciology, marine biology, ornithology and more. Viking’s Swiss-trained staff are dedicated to providing warm hospitality to each guest and ensuring everyone feels at home on board the Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.
Learn more about life on board, inclusions, and sailings for Viking Great Lakes cruises 2025 and 2026 below.
Octantis’ bakery offers a variety of delicious breads and pastries at any hour. Or enjoy many of our signature dishes in the comfort of your stateroom with 24-hour room service.
Octantis’ elegant dining venue, The Restaurant offers our ultimate onboard dining experience. Regional cuisine and always-available classics are served surrounded by sweeping views.
Inspired by Italy’s beloved trattorias, Manfredi’s offers the best of Italian cuisine as well as a private dining room—a perfect opportunity to have an intimate meal with family or friends.
With live cooking, an open kitchen and premium seafood/sushi choices and a grill, the casual World Café provides a vibrant interactive experience and a wide range of international flavors.
Named for “Mamsen,” the Hagen family matriarch, this venue offers Norwegian specialties including waffles according to Mamsen’s original recipe, open-faced sandwiches and split pea soup.
Enjoy mulled wine, hot chocolate or ship-matured aquavit and relax with new friends in this Viking inspired, light-filled space while taking in the stunning beauty that surrounds you.
The VIKING EXPEDITION shore landings invite guests to engage on a deeper level by assisting in fieldwork or interacting in experiential activities. They might track birds to help identify migratory patterns, walk within view of captivating wildlife, or take a camera or field microscope ashore alongside the expedition leader to capture landscapes untouched by human hands.
Octatantis offers a variety of excursions, virtually all included in your cruise fare, from RIB sailings and zodiac landings to tranquil kayak outings. Hike through magnificent landscapes and access remote areas, all led by an experienced team of experts. Or try a unique experience with one of our exclusive, limited-capacity optional excursions.
A variety of ways to explore, at no extra charge.
The Hangar
An industry first, this enclosed in-ship marina permits the launch of small excursion craft through the ship’s slipway. Guests can embark on RIBs shielded from wind and waves from a flat, stable surface inside the ship and glide into the water to depart on their excursion. They re-enter The Hangar after excursions via the slipway to the protected marina before disembarking their RIBs.
Zodiacs
Designed for professional use in the harshest of environments, our fleet of Military Pro zodiacs are reinforced throughout yet comfortable enough for a day of exploring.
Kayaks
Octantis’ 2-seater kayaks offer superb stability and are easy to operate. These Arctic-tested kayaks have a pedal system that lets kayakers glide through the water hands-free, maximizing photo opportunities, or guests can use a paddle if preferred.
The Pools
Octantis has a trio of pools, each at different temperatures, including an indoor-outdoor pass-through swimming experience. The heated main pool is a calming oasis in any weather, protected by a retractable roof for year-round use.
Finse Terrace
Named after the village high on the mountain plateau of Hardangervidda, Norway, here you will find an outdoor paradise with comfortable seating, 270° views of nature around you, and two heated lava stone “fire pits” to keep you warm.
Explorers’ Lounge
A favorite location on our ocean ships, the Explorers’ Lounge is inspired by epic journeys of discovery. Two levels high and surrounded by panoramic windows, this inviting space…friends, or relax while taking in the scenery.
Nordic Spa
Relax and take in the scenery from our spa pool, gazing out of floor-to-ceiling windows. Work out in the Fitness Center on a choice of treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes or weight machines. Or, enjoy the sauna, Snow Grotto with its “snow-on-demand” or warming cave.
Badestamp
Following Nordic tradition, our onboard badestamp, located in the Nordic Spa, is a traditional wooden-sided hot tub, perfect for relaxing after a day of exploration. Try the longstanding Scandinavian practice of alternating between hot and cold when bathing to relax and rejuvenate.
* The shore activities are currently in the planning stages and are subject to change.
Designed for maximum comfort and views the Viking Octantis offers three Stateroom and 3 Viking Suite styles to suit your individual tastes. Staterooms include: A Nordic Balcony. Floor-to-ceiling drying closet, King-sized Viking Explorer Bed with luxury linens & pillows, Separate seating area, 42″ flat-screen LCD TV with intuitive remote & complimentary Movies On Demand, 110/220 volt outlets & USB ports, Spacious closet & drawers, Mini-bar;* security safe; hair dryer, Spacious glass-enclosed shower, Heated bathroom floor & anti-fog mirror, premium toiletries, plus robes & slippers, Stateroom steward & twice-daily housekeeping.
Nordic Balcony Staterooms
VIKING Nordic Balcony is the optimal wildlife observatory at sea. Floor-to-ceiling, distortion-free glass at the very edge of your ship lets you take in the views while keeping the elements out. Should you wish to feel even closer to nature, the top of your panoramic glass lowers to transform your stateroom into a sheltered al fresco lookout, with an observation shelf at elbow level to stabilize binocular viewing or photography.
Viking Suites
VIKING Nordic Junior Suites include our Nordic Balcony and more storage and seating than our Nordic Balcony staterooms, plus an expanded bathroom with extended shower and double sinks. Explorer Suites are 80% larger than junior suites, with two separate rooms, a Nordic Balcony and private veranda, spacious bathroom and private access to our Explorer Suites Garden. All suites include welcome champagne, a fully stocked mini-bar, complimentary laundry, priority restaurant reservations and all the amenities of our regular Nordic Balcony staterooms.
Viking welcomes disabled guests; however, guests must realize that there are inherent risks associated with traveling on board ships that are unique to cruise travel. For people who are ill or have a mental or physical disability or impairment, the risks can be more significant. Guests must be able to independently move around the ship in case of an emergency or rough seas, cope with the lack of immediate access to medical services in certain parts of the world and acknowledge that access to some areas of the ship and ports of call may be limited or impossible. Shore excursions may require the ability to traverse cobblestones or go up and down stairs. We reserve the right to determine whether a guest is fit to travel and to deny boarding in the event that a guest represents a risk to themselves or to the safety and well-being of those on board the ship.
Ports of Call:
Portland – Day of Cruising – Halifax – Day of Cruising – Charlottetown – Day of Cruising – Escoumins / Tadoussac – Quebec City – Montreal – Day of Cruising – Toronto
Rate starts at
April 17
TO BE ADVISED
Ports of Call:
Chicago – Day of Cruising – Mackinac Island – Marquette – Houghton – Duluth – Thunder Bay – Day of Cruising – Soo Locks – Day of cruising – Green Bay – Muskegon – Chicago
Rate starts at
May 30
June 13
TO BE ADVISED
Ports of Call:
Chicago – Day of Cruising – Escanaba, Mackinac Island, Soo, Day of Cruising – Detroit – Cleveland – Niagara Falls – Toronto – Day of Cruising – Montreal
Rate starts at
Sept 27 – Chicago
Oct 8 – Monreal
Oct 19 – Chicago
TO BE ADVISED
Ports of Call:
Chicago – Day of Cruising – Escanaba – Mackinac Island – Soo – Day of Cruising – Detroit – Cleveland – Niagara Falls – Toronto
Rate starts at
Ports of Call:
Portland – Day of Cruising – Halifax – Day of Cruising – Charlottetown – Day of Cruising – Escoumins / Tadoussac – Quebec City – Montreal – Day of Cruising – Toronto
Rate starts at
April 17
TO BE ADVISED
Ports of Call:
Chicago – Day of Cruising – Mackinac Island – Marquette – Houghton – Duluth – Thunder Bay – Day of Cruising – Soo Locks – Day of cruising – Green Bay – Muskegon – Chicago
Rate starts at
May 30
June 13
TO BE ADVISED
Ports of Call:
Chicago – Day of Cruising – Escanaba, Mackinac Island, Soo, Day of Cruising – Detroit – Cleveland – Niagara Falls – Toronto – Day of Cruising – Montreal
Rate starts at
Sept 27 – Chicago
Oct 8 – Monreal
Oct 19 – Chicago
TO BE ADVISED
Ports of Call:
Chicago – Day of Cruising – Escanaba – Mackinac Island – Soo – Day of Cruising – Detroit – Cleveland – Niagara Falls – Toronto
Rate starts at
