Viking vs Hapag-Lloyd Cruises: which is better for an expedition cruise?
By Richard Jasinski·Updated 9 November 2026
No score and no verdict of ours: what Viking and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises each publish on their own websites, read 9 November 2026, topic by topic, each line linked to the page it came from.
Viking vs Hapag-Lloyd Cruises: which is better for an expedition cruise?
Neither is better for everyone: Viking takes 378 guests on each of its two expedition ships, which carry submarines, while Hapag-Lloyd Cruises takes no more than 230 guests on each HANSEATIC ship and prices Antarctica and South Georgia, 7 to 21 January 2028, from €13,640 per person with an early-booking discount until 28 February 2027.
What is each line?
Viking runs river, ocean and expedition voyages on a fleet it says numbers more than 100 vessels; its expedition voyages began in 2022. Source
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises runs what it calls luxury and expedition cruises on five ships, with English and German spoken on board; it is a TUI Cruises GmbH company. Source
Which ships does each line sail?
Viking sails two expedition ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, which arrived in 2022. Source
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises sails the expedition ships HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC inspiration (both 2019) and HANSEATIC spirit (2021), plus the luxury ships EUROPA (since 1999) and EUROPA 2 (since 2013). Source
How many guests are on board?
Viking takes 378 guests on each expedition ship, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris. Source
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises takes no more than 230 guests on each HANSEATIC expedition ship, up to 400 on EUROPA and a maximum of 500 on EUROPA 2. Source
Where does each line sail?
Viking sells expedition voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula (Antarctic Explorer), the Antarctic Circle, the Northwest Passage from Nuuk and Canada and Greenland. Source
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises sells named expedition voyages to Antarctica and South Georgia, the Antarctic Circle, Svalbard, Greenland, the Northwest Passage, Norway, Alaska's Inside Passage, the Chilean fjords, the Kimberley and Indonesia including Raja Ampat. Source
What ice class are the ships?
Viking lists Viking Octantis as Polar Class 6 and says both expedition ships have Polar Class hulls. Source
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises says its three HANSEATIC expedition ships have the highest ice class for passenger ships (PC6). Source
Who leads the landings?
Viking sails with a 36-person expedition team that includes visiting researchers from partner institutions. Source
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises sends experienced experts from various disciplines on every cruise, who give lectures and join the Zodiac landings; it names no team size or ratio. Source
How much time ashore?
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' expedition fares include all landings and rides in the ship's own Zodiacs. Source
Viking does not publish this on the pages read.
What can you do off the ship?
Viking carries nine tandem kayaks, seventeen Zodiacs, two Special Operations Boats and submarines that take 6 guests and a pilot; it does not say which are included in the fare. Source
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises includes a sports programme with activities ashore depending on the destination, plus loan of snorkelling equipment and Nordic walking poles; personal training is extra and shore excursions are charged to the on-board account. Source
What does a voyage cost?
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises prices Expedition Antarctica: South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula, Ushuaia to Ushuaia, 7 to 21 January 2028 on HANSEATIC inspiration, from €13,640 per person, with an early-booking discount until 28 February 2027. Source
Viking does not publish a dated price on the pages read.
What does the fare include?
Viking includes a shore excursion in every port and the Viking Expedition Kit with gear for relevant excursions, plus a keepsake expedition jacket on polar itineraries. Source
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' expedition fares include full board with selected soft drinks, all Zodiac landings, expert lectures, loan of binoculars, parkas and rubber boots, a restocked minibar, one hour of internet a day, harbour fees and all gratuities; spa treatments, laundry, shore excursions and a beverage package at 44 euros per person per day are extra. Source
What do solo travellers pay?
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises lists solo prices in each cruise's price table and offers selected cruises with no or only a small single surcharge. Source
Viking does not publish this on the pages read.
How much is the deposit?
Viking advertises a promotional $25 deposit (its fares are in U.S. dollars) on itineraries of 35 days or less departing from April 2027; it states no standard deposit. 2027 voyages are paid in full by 17 December 2026 or 120 days before departure, whichever comes first. Source
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises asks a deposit of 20%, 25% or 30% of the price on its PLATINUM fare and 40%, 45% or 50% on SILVER, rising as departure nears; bookings within 30 days of departure are paid in full at once. Source
Is your money protected?
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has insolvency cover with Deutscher Reisesicherungsfonds GmbH for European customers; UK bookings are protected by ABTOT under its ATOL Franchise for TUI Cruises GmbH, ATOL number 12926. Source
Viking does not publish this on the pages read.
What insurance do you need?
Viking offers a Travel Protection Plan administered by Trip Mate that covers emergency medical expenses and related transportation; it names no required cover or evacuation minimum. Source
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises recommends, without requiring, trip cancellation, international health and luggage insurance; it names no evacuation minimum. Source
Can children come?
Viking lists no children under 18 on its ocean voyages; the pages read give no age rule for its expedition ships. Source
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises sets a minimum age of six on the HANSEATIC ships and runs voyages for young discoverers aged 10 to 17; EUROPA and EUROPA 2 offer childcare from four and two years. Source
When is each not the fit?
The limits below are published by each line on their own websites.
- Hapag-Lloyd Cruises: not the fit if you use a wheelchair ashore: it says guests who depend on a wheelchair cannot travel in the Zodiacs. Source
How do their reviews compare?
Their figures per platform, read 9 November 2026, each from a listing under the line's own name; a whole-company profile is marked. Figures are never added together.
- Viking: Trustpilot (whole company): 1.7 out of 5 from 382 reviews, newest 8 November 2026. Read 9 November 2026.
The lines at a glance
One card each, as on every Uncompromised Travel expedition page: what each sells, why to choose each, what to ask for and the limits each publishes.
Viking
- Best for
- Large Polar Class ships with submarines
- What it sells
- Runs expedition voyages on two 378-guest Polar Class ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, to Antarctica, the Arctic, the Great Lakes and the Americas, within a fleet of more than 100 vessels.
- Why choose them
- Its expedition ships Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, launched in 2022, carry 378 guests each. Trustpilot (whole company): 1.7 out of 5 from 382 reviews, newest 8 November 2026. Read 9 November 2026.
- Ask for
- Ask for a submarine dive: each submarine takes 6 guests and a pilot.
- Not the fit if
- you travel with children: it lists no children under 18 on its ocean voyages; the pages read give no age rule for its expedition ships.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
- Best for
- Bilingual PC6 expedition ships, pole to pole
- What it sells
- Runs voyages on five ships of its own: the luxury EUROPA and EUROPA 2 and the expedition ships HANSEATIC nature, HANSEATIC inspiration and HANSEATIC spirit, with English and German spoken on board.
- Why choose them
- Its three HANSEATIC expedition ships, commissioned in May and October 2019 and May 2021, have PC6, which it says is the highest ice class for passenger ships.
- Ask for
- Ask for the cruises on its offers list where there is no or only a small surcharge for single occupancy of the cabin or suite.
- Not the fit if
- you use a wheelchair: guests who depend on one cannot travel in the Zodiacs.
- Published price
- From €13,640 per person, South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula, 14 days from Ushuaia on HANSEATIC inspiration, 07 Jan 2028 (early booking discount until 28 Feb 2027). Read 9 November 2026.
- Money protection
- Insolvency cover with Deutscher Reisesicherungsfonds GmbH for European customers; ABTOT ATOL Franchise, ATOL number 12926, for UK customers.
- Website
- hl-cruises.com
Viking vs Hapag-Lloyd Cruises: the questions people ask
How many guests are on board with Viking and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises?
Viking takes 378 guests on each expedition ship, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises takes no more than 230 guests on each HANSEATIC expedition ship, up to 400 on EUROPA and a maximum of 500 on EUROPA 2.
How much does a voyage cost with Viking and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises?
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises prices Expedition Antarctica: South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula, Ushuaia to Ushuaia, 7 to 21 January 2028 on HANSEATIC inspiration, from €13,640 per person, with an early-booking discount until 28 February 2027. Viking does not publish a dated price on the pages read.
What does the fare include with Viking and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises?
Viking includes a shore excursion in every port and the Viking Expedition Kit with gear for relevant excursions, plus a keepsake expedition jacket on polar itineraries. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' expedition fares include full board with selected soft drinks, all Zodiac landings, expert lectures, loan of binoculars, parkas and rubber boots, a restocked minibar, one hour of internet a day, harbour fees and all gratuities; spa treatments, laundry, shore excursions and a beverage package at 44 euros per person per day are extra.
How much is the deposit with Viking and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises?
Viking advertises a promotional $25 deposit (its fares are in U.S. dollars) on itineraries of 35 days or less departing from April 2027; it states no standard deposit. 2027 voyages are paid in full by 17 December 2026 or 120 days before departure, whichever comes first. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises asks a deposit of 20%, 25% or 30% of the price on its PLATINUM fare and 40%, 45% or 50% on SILVER, rising as departure nears; bookings within 30 days of departure are paid in full at once.
Is there a single supplement with Viking and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises?
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises lists solo prices in each cruise's price table and offers selected cruises with no or only a small single surcharge. Viking does not publish this on the pages read.
How do I compare prices like for like?
Ask for a written quote for the same dates and the same cabin type, with every inclusion listed: flights, hotel nights, drinks, gratuities, kayaking or camping and the parka. The price lines above give what each line publishes and on what basis.
Can I book directly?
Yes. Each card links the line's own website; ask for a written quote that lists what the fare includes.
Where can I check these facts myself?
Every line on this page links the page of the line's own website it was read from, read 9 November 2026.
Is any company on this page paying to be here?
No. No company on this page is a partner of Uncompromised Travel; none paid to be on it.
Read next
Built to answer the question in the main heading. What is shown: what each line published on its own website, read on 9 November 2026, with links to the pages read. Google and Trustpilot figures are shown where the listing carries the line's own name, from the Uncompromised Travel expedition cruise lines table. Lines are set out in the order the question names them. No score and no verdict. No company on this page is a partner of Uncompromised Travel. How this site earns · How we work.