THUNDER BAY — The Viking Octantis returned to the Pool 6 Cruise Terminal on Sunday, marking the start of the 2025 cruise season.
The cruise ship travelled along the Great Lakes into Thunder Bay and will head to Silver Islet Monday before journeying up to eight hours to Duluth.
It brought 378 passengers from around the world to explore Fort William Historical Park and Kakabeka Falls, among other attractions.
Ronnie Bellone, a passenger from Naples, Fla., was excited to visit Lake Superior as the last stop on her bucket list to see the five Great Lakes.
So far, she said all the places on the cruise offered something different and special, with Ontario and various places in Canada providing scenery, quiet and peacefulness and crisp weather.
“It’s 95 degrees in Naples today and humid, so I am enjoying this very nice sunny blue crisp weather,” said Bellone.
“... We’re excited to see what Thunder Bay has to offer. We’re on a tour this afternoon, but I thought we’d take the bus and go into town and see what that’s all about before our excursion.”
She said they chose the tour to see the different sights, including the Terry Fox Memorial, the art gallery and also some Indigenous peoples’ art.
All great things for her to do and see, Bellone added.
“It’s always great to see the ships in port here and we always say the arrival of the first cruise ship really symbolically kicks off the busier summer tourism season here in the community,” said Paul Pepe, the manager of Tourism Thunder Bay.
Last year, the local cruise industry generated roughly $4.3 million for the economy.
Pepe said that the city is a turnaround port and a day stop, so many businesses benefit from cruises.
“There are trucks that are bringing supplies in for the ship. There are companies that are taking things off of the ship. We have tour buses and shuttle vans and tour guides all being employed when (the) cruise ship is in port as well. The attractions all benefit (also) that the ships go and visit,” said Pepe.
He said the city has great port community partners, Embark Port Services and the City of Thunder Bay’s parks and open spaces that are all part of the Cruise Port Thunder Bay partnership making it all work smoothly for the ships.
"It’s about exceeding the expectations here, ensuring their guests are happy, that they love the experiences they have in the community (and) they love the shore experiences," said Pepe.
"...When they love the shore experiences, the ships keep coming back."
It is estimated that 15 cruise ships will visit the city from June to September, operated by Viking, Pearl Seas and Victory Cruise Lines.These visits will include 13 cruise calls and two customs clearing calls.
Pepe said it is a little less than last year, which had 15 cruise stops and a couple of service calls. However, it is still a good year, he added.
As a turnaround port, Thunder Bay will also have three turnarounds this year with Viking.
"The turnaround business is important. The ships, when they’re turning around here, also take on food supplies. So the economic impact with the turnaround is also bigger," said Pepe.
Pepe added that the turnarounds also benefit the airlines that service the community and help build long-term sustainability through air connectivity, which is something the city is very fortunate to have.
“Really what we’re trying to build… (is) more of a reputation as a turnaround port, so that those guests come into the city a little earlier or stay a little later after the cruise and spend more time and money in the community,” said Pepe.
However, it was not only a very busy week for Thunder Bay, but also for Silver Islet, which is another popular stop for cruise guests in the community, he said.
The sister ship, the Viking Polaris, travelled overnight with the Octantis across Lake Superior and was doing excursions at Silver Islet on Sunday. It also stopped at the terminal at 6 p.m. for a turnaround and will leave about 11 p.m. on Monday.
A new cruise line, the "Viking 2," will also visit Lake Superior this year, with two visits to Thunder Bay, including an inaugural visit on Friday.
“We’re always excited to see new cruise companies come in and we’re always excited to welcome back good friends like Viking, whose guests love our area,” said Pepe.
