For the first time, Thunder Bay ON will become a homeport/turnaround port for a Great Lakes cruise vessel starting in 2022.
Viking Cruises announced it will send its newest ship (now under construction) - Viking Octantis, from Milwaukee Wisconsin (Lake Michigan) to Thunder Bay (Ontario Canada) 7 times in 2022.
After travellers disembark, they'll return to Milwaukee by air, and the Octantis ship will pick up another group of passengers who have been flown to Thunder Bay to meet the vessel for the return voyage to Milwaukee WI (via Duluth MN). The boat will stay in port overnight (for around 48 hours) on each call.
Viking Octantis is currently nearing completion in VARD Shipyards (Tulcea Romania and Soviknes-Alesund Norway).
According to Paul Pepe (manager of tourism for Thunder Bay ON), the 378-passenger boat Viking Octantis would be the largest cruise ship the Great Lakes region had ever seen.
Viking Expeditions (new brand of Viking Cruises) is now taking reservations for season 2022.
The first Milwaukee-Thunder Bay 8-day Great Lakes cruise is scheduled to leave Wisconsin on May 21. Prices start at USD 8395 per person (with double occupancy) including airfare.