Viking or Lindblad: 378 guests and a submarine, or 138 and a naturalist
Both lines sail polar ships into the ice, and both put more in the fare than most. The split is size, age and what the money goes on — and only one of them lets your children aboard.
Book Viking if you’re adults who want a large, comfortable ship with serious hardware. Every stateroom has a balcony, each ship carries two submarines and a science lab, and Viking’s cancellation fees climb more gently. You share the ship with up to 377 other guests — the price of all that hardware.
Book Lindblad if group size or family matters more. Its polar ships carry 102 to 148 guests, the bar and crew tips are in the fare on all four, and children are welcome from age 4 on polar voyages — from 6 months on most others.
On published fares the two sit close: about $1,125 a day for Lindblad’s Voyage to Antarctica, about $1,154 for Viking’s Antarctic Explorer, both before flights. Viking’s fare was re-read on November 1, 2026, so ask us to confirm today’s. Either is a sound choice. Pick by the ship, not the brochure.
One design built twice, against a fleet built over decades
Octantis and Polaris
Two identical Polar Class 6 ships from 2022, 378 guests each in 189 staterooms. An enclosed marina called the Hangar launches the boats. Each ship carries two six-guest submarines and a 380 sq ft lab. Adults only, by contract.
The polar four
Endurance and Resolution (138 guests, PC5), Explorer (148) and Orion (102). A National Geographic photographer sails on each, with naturalists and a certified photo instructor. Crew tips and the bar are in the fare. Children welcome.
Viking took its ocean-ship playbook into the ice. Same restaurants, same spa, the same one-list-of-inclusions approach — on a hull rated for polar water.
Lindblad started from the other end. Lars-Eric Lindblad took the first non-scientists to Antarctica in January 1966, and the company still sells the guiding first — the ship is the means, not the point.
A floating Viking hotel with a lab, or a field camp with a bar.
Both readings are fair. Neither is a budget line — and both publish more of their terms than most expedition companies we’ve checked.
Start with the scorecard. It shows where the gap is real and where it’s noise.
Lindblad takes five rows. Viking takes the three it was built for.
Five to three, two even and two we can’t score. If you travel without children and like a big ship, the families row doesn’t apply to you — so recount without it.
Viking’s two ships are Polar Class 6. Lindblad’s Endurance and Resolution are PC5, a step stronger; Explorer and Orion carry no named class.
378 guests per Viking ship against 102 to 148 on Lindblad’s polar four. More people means more landing rotations, by our reading.
Viking names a 36-person Viking Expedition Team, submarine pilots included. Lindblad’s FAQ puts its expedition staff-to-guest ratio at no more than 1-to-16 and adds a National Geographic photographer on the polar ships. Different measures, so we call it even.
A 380 sq ft wet-and-dry lab and NOAA weather balloon launches on both Viking ships. Lindblad carries an undersea specialist on every ship but Delfina, without a lab of that kind on its pages.
The enclosed Hangar, two six-guest submarines and two Special Operations Boats per Viking ship. Lindblad lists Zodiacs, kayaks and snorkel gear where each ship carries them.
Every Viking stateroom has a Nordic Balcony, and the smallest is 215 sq ft. Lindblad’s ship pages publish no cabin sizes, so we score that side unknown, not as a loss.
Lindblad’s polar ships include the full bar and crew gratuities. Viking includes beer and wine with meals; gratuities are extra with no published amount.
Neither includes flights as a standing term. Both run air offers that come and go: Viking’s October air offer ended October 31 (a November sale lists new air offers), and Lindblad’s air credit runs to November 4, 2026.
No one under 18 on Viking. Lindblad takes children from 6 months on most voyages, from 4 in the polar regions, with a youth program on many departures.
Lindblad publishes its numbers: about 64% on two 2027 polar price sheets, offers from 25%, and Share and Save. Viking publishes no standing supplement on the pages we read, so that side is unknown.
Viking charges $100 a person from 120 days out, then 20%. Lindblad charges nothing from 120 days, but as a 12-month credit, then 50% from 119 days and 100% from 89.
Viking sails Antarctica, the Great Lakes, Greenland and the repositioning routes between. Lindblad adds Svalbard, Alaska, Baja and the Galápagos year round.
Fit scores, not quality scores: our judgement of how well each row serves a U.S. traveler choosing a polar voyage. A “?” means the line doesn’t publish the fact; we score it unknown, not as a loss. Rows aren’t weighted. Facts rechecked November 1, 2026.
Twelve rows, read across
From each line’s own terms, inclusions and ship pages, checked November 1, 2026. Bold marks the stronger side where one exists.
| What you’re comparing | Viking Expeditions | Lindblad (polar ships) |
|---|---|---|
| Ships | Octantis (2022) and Polaris (2022); two more ordered for 2030 and 2031 | Endurance, Resolution, Explorer, Orion; ten National Geographic ships in all, plus Greg Mortimer on charter from 2027 |
| Guests | 378 per ship, 189 staterooms | 102 to 148 per ship |
| Ice class | Polar Class 6 | PC5 on Endurance and Resolution; none named on Explorer or Orion |
| Cabins | All Nordic Balcony, from 215 sq ft | Sizes not published on the ship pages |
| In the fare | One landing or excursion per port, Wi-Fi, beer and wine with meals, alternative restaurants, spa, kayaks, Zodiacs, Special Operations Boats, polar jacket | Bar including spirits, crew gratuities, basic Wi-Fi, kayaks and Zodiacs, park fees, port taxes, transfers in the recommended window; parka on select polar voyages |
| Extra | Flights, gratuities (no amount published), the submarine dive (no price), drinks between meals ($27 a night) | Flights and charter flights, premium spirits, enhanced Wi-Fi ($150 a voyage), laundry, spa |
| Minimum age | 18 by embarkation day | 6 months on most voyages; 4 in Antarctica and the Arctic |
| Solo policy | No standing supplement published; ask us | About 64% on two 2027 sheets; offers from 25%; Share and Save |
| Deposit | Set on your invoice; Viking’s sales change it | 15% of the cabin fare at booking |
| Final payment | 120 days out, or an earlier fixed date (December 17, 2026 for 2027 sailings, on the voyages we checked) | 120 days out |
| Cancelling 120+ days out | $100 a person (voyages of 35 days or less) | No fee, but the deposit becomes a 12-month credit |
| Insurance | Proof may be required for certain locations; Fit to Travel letter about six months out | Recommended, not required; VIKAND medical form on select voyages |
Two rows do most of the work. Guests per ship is the first — Viking carries more than twice Lindblad’s largest polar ship. Minimum age is the second, and it ends the comparison for anyone traveling with children.
The money rows are closer than they look — closer than either brochure suggests. Lindblad folds in tips and the bar on its polar ships; Viking folds in a balcony and an excursion per port. Price your own drinking and tipping habits into the calculator below before you call either one cheaper.
Eighteen, or six months
Lindblad’s family page lists the youth program on Alaska, Baja California and Galápagos departures, plus select Antarctica and Iceland voyages. That’s a family program, not a babysitting club.
The page gives no age bands — ask us which departures run it.
Viking’s rule cuts the other way, and some couples choose it for exactly that reason. No one aboard is under 18, and the bar has its own floor: 21 to buy or drink alcohol.
A 17-year-old turning 18 the week after sailing can’t board. Check every birthday before you hold a cabin.
When each line is actually there
Dark cells are a line’s core months. Pale cells are limited or unconfirmed.
Viking and Lindblad, month by month
Paired rows, one per line. Tap any month for the voyage behind it.
Lindblad publishes its months; Viking mostly doesn’t. Only Viking’s Great Lakes window comes from Viking itself, so its Antarctic and Arctic cells are marked limited — a gap in the listing, not proof of thin sailings.
Some regions belong to one line only, not both. Lindblad runs Svalbard, Baja and the Galápagos; Viking runs the Great Lakes. If one of those is the trip, the choice is already made. Read our Antarctica, Greenland and Arctic guides, then ask us for dates on the Viking side.
Two Antarctic voyages, two Arctic ones, priced the same way
Price Viking against Lindblad
Switch voyages. Tick what you’d add, and type your own figure wherever a line doesn’t publish one.
Fares are each line’s lowest published “from” price per person, double occupancy, before flights. Viking’s were re-read on November 1, 2026, when some pages still carried the expired October sale banner; Viking runs frequent sales. Lindblad’s are as published on November 1, 2026; its air credit of up to $2,000 on select 2027 and 2028 voyages needs booking by November 4, 2026. Rows at $0 have no published price; we’ll quote them.
Look at what turns green on each side. Lindblad’s included rows are the bar and the tips; Viking’s are the excursions and the jacket — useful, but smaller sums.
Ask us for Viking’s gratuity guidance and both lines’ air before you compare totals, because those are the rows neither line prices.
Size, and what a day costs
Flip the tab. The size gap is wide — the price gap, narrow.
Book Viking if… Book Lindblad if…
Seabound Journeys earns a commission from either line, so these picks follow the facts above. Either is a good booking for the right traveler.
You’re adults who want room and hardware
A balcony in every stateroom, from 215 sq ft. Two submarines, a lab and the Hangar on each ship. Our Viking fleet guide has the specs.
Children or grandchildren are coming
From 6 months on most voyages, 4 in the polar regions. Viking can’t take anyone under 18.
You might need to cancel early
$100 a person from 120 days out, then 20% from 119 days, on voyages of 35 days or less. Lindblad’s fee is 50% from 119 days.
You want fewer people at each landing
138 guests on Endurance and Resolution, with a National Geographic photographer and crew tips in the fare.
The trip is Svalbard, Baja or the Galápagos
Viking doesn’t sail them. Lindblad’s fleet guide shows which ship goes where.
You want helicopters in the ice
Neither line lists them. Quark flies helicopters from Ultramarine, and that’s the first line we’d price.
What people ask about Viking and Lindblad
Which is better for Antarctica, Viking or Lindblad?
It depends on what you want the ship to do. Lindblad's Endurance and Resolution carry 138 guests on a PC5 hull, with a National Geographic photographer, the bar and crew tips in the fare. Viking's Octantis and Polaris carry 378 guests on a PC6 hull, with a balcony in every stateroom, two submarines and a 380 sq ft science lab. On published fares, Lindblad's 12-day Voyage to Antarctica starts at $13,500 and Viking's 13-day Antarctic Explorer at $14,999, both before flights. Viking's $14,999 was still showing on November 1, 2026, under an October sale banner that had expired on October 31; its promotions page lists a November sale at the same fare. Ask us for today's fare.
Can I bring my kids on Viking or Lindblad?
Only on Lindblad. Viking's booking terms, updated October 8, 2026, say every guest must be 18 on or before embarkation day. Lindblad's terms set a minimum age of 6 months on most voyages and 4 years for Antarctica, Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland and the Canadian Arctic. Lindblad's family page describes a National Geographic Explorers-in-Training program for children and teens on Alaska, Baja California and Galápagos departures, and on select Antarctica and Iceland voyages.
Which line includes more in the fare?
On the polar ships, Lindblad, by a little. Its four polar ships include beer, wine, cocktails and spirits, crew gratuities and basic Wi-Fi. Viking includes Wi-Fi, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, one landing or excursion in every port, the alternative restaurants and the spa, but not gratuities, which carry no published amount. Neither includes flights as a standing term. On Lindblad's Quest, Venture and Galápagos ships, crew tips are extra too.
How big are the ships, really?
Viking's two ships carry 378 guests each in 189 staterooms. Lindblad's polar ships carry 102 to 148: Orion 102, Endurance and Resolution 138, Explorer 148. That is about two and a half to almost four times the guests per Viking ship, which shapes how landings are run. Viking's figures come from its ship pages, Lindblad's from its own.
What does a solo traveler pay on each?
Lindblad publishes more. Two Lindblad group price sheets for 2027 polar voyages put the lowest solo cabin about 64% above the lowest shared cabin, its solo offers page advertises supplements from 25% on a rotating set of departures, and Share and Save guarantees the double rate if no roommate is found. Viking's pages we read publish no standing solo supplement, so ask us for the solo fare on your departure.
Do I need travel insurance on either line?
Lindblad recommends it but doesn't require it, per its terms updated September 30, 2026, and its health page recommends extra medical and evacuation cover. Viking's passenger ticket contract says expedition guests may have to show proof of insurance for certain locations and can be refused travel without it. Viking also wants a Fit to Travel letter about six months before departure, and Lindblad asks for a VIKAND medical form on select voyages.
Which one is easier to cancel?
Viking, on the published schedules. On voyages of 35 days or less, Viking charges $100 a person from 120 or more days out, then 20% from 119 days, 35% from 89 days and 50% from 69 days. Lindblad charges no fee from 120 days out, but returns the 15% advance payment as a 12-month Travel Certificate, not cash; the fee is 50% from 119 days and 100% from 89 days.
Torn between the two? We’ll price both, line for line.
Tell us the region, the month and who’s coming. We’ll ask Viking for its gratuity guidance and solo fare, ask Lindblad for flights and charters, and set both totals side by side.
- Both fares for your dates, with flights
- Viking’s submarine price and solo fare
- Which Lindblad departures run the youth program
No fee, no obligation. You pay the cruise line’s own fare. A real advisor replies, usually within one business day.
Ask about Viking vs. Lindblad
Answers come straight from this guide.
Answers come from our guides and are general information. Confirm details with us before you book.
Where every number came from
Every fare, rule and spec is the line’s own published figure on the date shown, reused from our Viking and Lindblad guides and rechecked where it changes often. The scores, the per-day costs and the picks are our arithmetic and judgement, not either line’s. Your invoice governs.
Where to go next
More expedition showdowns: Ponant vs. Silversea and Aurora vs. Quark.
The voyage, the gateway night, and the cover that matters out there.
Expedition trips have more moving parts than a Caribbean week: a charter flight, a night in a gateway city, gear lists and an evacuation clause the line sets for you. We book them together and check that the dates and the fine print agree.