VIKING POLARIS FIRST TRAVEL DAY

AND WE’RE OFF!  We boarded our ship on Monday afternoon.  We enjoyed our first lunch on board and touring this beautiful ship.

The Polaris is one of Vikings newer ships and is one of two in its expedition fleet.  Even though it is a fairly large ship, its capacity is only for 378 passengers and 256 crew.  The focus for  trips on this ship is for exploration and scientific discovery.  They specialize on cruises to the Great Lakes, Antarctica and The Arctic.  There are two yellow submarines (named George and Ringo) on board for underwater discovery, special operations boats, zodiacs and kayaks for exploration along the coastline, a science lab and a slew of scientists all involved in special projects.  There are lectures, hands on scientific experiments and special events all promoting discovery.  Plus, the ship is beautiful and they feed us well!  We are looking forward to this fun and different experience!

After unpacking we enjoyed a quiet dinner with a beautiful sunset!

Our first full day was a sea day along the St. Lawrence River.  Here’s what the Viking Daily said about this Seaway:

The St. Lawrence River has been integral to the North American economy since colonial times, a vital conduit for trade and commerce from the interior of the Great Lakes to European markets overseas.  The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River are the industrial and agricultural heart of the US  and Canada.  In 2017, the region totaled 6 trillion in economic output, making it the world’s third-largest economy.  This is largely because of the famous St. Lawrence Seaway.  An ingenious feat of engineering, the deep-draft, inland seaway is the world’s longest navigation system.  Linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, it is part of a 2,300-mile-long superhighway that reaches all the way to Duluth, Minn.  Stretching the 189 miles between Montreal to Lake Erie, the seaway’s system of locks, canals and channels allows for the navigation of the St. Lawrence River and entry into the Great Lakes via the Welland Canal. The seaway’s 15 locks - seven along the St. Lawrence River and eight along the Welland Canal - manage the 551-foot change in water level.

Cruising along the Saint Lawrence River.

I am continuing to use my “word” for 2025 on this voyage.  My word is OPEN and now I am focusing on being OPEN to learning!  I never knew that the St. Lawrence Seaway ever existed and now I am experiencing it and the lock system first hand!  During the first night and first day of this adventure we went through all 15 locks.  It was a cool experience!  (Mark was shocked that I didn’t know anything about the St. Lawrence River, but in my defense, I have never been interested in Geography of any kind!)

Here’s something else about it that I find fascinating:  The construction of the seaway required the displacement of nine Ontario communities found along the St. Lawrence River.  Collectively known as “The Lost Villages,” they were moved to make way for the construction of a hydroelectric plant to harness the power of the Long Sault Rapids.  The subsequent flooding reshaped the St. Lawrence River’s shoreline and created Lake St. Lawrence.  On a sunny day, the remains of the villages and hamlets can be seen underneath the water.

Here’s some photos of our ship as we pass through some of the locks:

And, here are some photos of our beautiful ship!

Here’s our Stateroom.  It’s not very big, but there’s lots of closets and drawers so seems to be a convenient and pretty space to call home for the next 4 weeks!

It was a great Sea Day and first day on the ship!  Besides watching us pass through the Locks, I spent some time writing the blog about Toronto.  Here’s where I like to blog in the afternoon - enjoying the sunshine from our “balcony” window.  This ship doesn’t have balconies.  Our large picture window slides down and opens up for fresh air and sea views similar to stepping out on a private balcony.

This evening we passed by Montreal on the way to Trois-Rivières where we will dock tonight and tour tomorrow.  Montreal is beautiful at night!