Back on the road!

This time we’re taking a Viking Expedition through the 5 Great Lakes starting in Duluth and ending in Toronto. The trip was smooth despite a small delay on departure due to Hurricane Helene. The route was JAX-ATL-MSP-DUL. We haven’t taken a 3-plane route domestically like in forever. Luggage and transfer to the ship was effortless thanks to Viking.

We’re sailing on the Viking Octantis which is their arctic expedition ship. It provides for a maximum of 378 passengers and a crew of 256 and is only 2 years old. I’ve captured a few photos below and I’m sure there will be more. The bow is stunning; it’s designed and built to break through ice. The reason the crew to passenger ratio is so high is because a good number of the crew are scientists. During the trip we’ll be spending time with botanists, geologists, historians, naturalists and anthropologists. It’s truly going to be an expedition.

There are 2 submarines onboard that we’re passing on. But the Polaris boats, kayaks, and special operations boats are in our future.

We unpacked and wandered around to get a sense of the ship. If you look at earlier trips, we did 2 months in Europe with just a carry-on bag. This time, we have massive suitcases, over 60 pounds each, for just 2 weeks! We probably over pivoted for warm clothes.

Based on the dinner we had tonight, the food is going to be spectacular. The Manhattan in the Explorers Bar wasn't bad either!

We sail tonight arriving in Thunder Bay first thing tomorrow.