THUNDER BAY — An unfamiliar cruise ship was docked at Pool 6 on Friday.
The Victory II made its inaugural visit to the city six days after the start of the cruise ship season, when the Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris arrived in Thunder Bay.
The 229 ft long ship brought 65 passengers and 92 crew members from Chicago to explore Kakabeka Falls, Fort William Historical Park and Thunder Bay's wilderness.
Vlad Ene, captain of the ship said sailing was smooth, all places on the cruise offered something different and special, with the wildfire smoke being the only inconvenience.
“Beside of the smoke, everything is perfect and I did not expect the Lake Superior to be so welcoming with us,” said Vlad Ene, captain of the ship.
“With the fog and smoke combined, we were a little bit worried,” he said. “Our passengers (said) they were not disturbed about the smoke.”
Ene said the only issues related to weather was when the ship was arriving in Houghton Mich., on the way to Thunder Bay.
“The entrance of the canal was covered of fog and smoke but in the morning, 6 o'clock already, (it) was evaporated and everything was fine,” he said.
Otherwise, he said, everything went smoothly. The great lakes were calm and there was no cause for worry.
“Usually, it's a little bit rougher than the other four great lakes, but this time it's a quite nice weather,” he said.
With Ontario’s beauty under full swing this June, the ships course is easy sailing for crew members and mostly American passengers, he said.
“They're coming from the United States and a lot of them, they didn't have the opportunity to visit the Great Lakes,” said Ene.
The cruise ship travelled along the Great Lakes into Thunder Bay and will head to Sault Ste. Marie where they will spend a day ‘at sea’, where the ship is not docked at port.
Paul Pepe from Tourism Thunder Bay, said travellers are welcomed in the city.
“We're really excited to welcome American passengers that are on board the vessel to Canada and showcase some of that classic Canadian hospitality that we're known for,” he said.
“Thunder Bay is a place where everybody is always welcome and that continues.”
Travellers were welcomed into Thunder Bay with the heart beat of pipe-bags said Pepe.
“They'll be entertaining for them shortly and doing a little dockside concert for the guests, so that's a nice little Thunder Bay special welcome that we're going to extend to them,” he said.
Pepe said that Cruise Ships make a positive impact on the cities tourism industry.
The Victory II will be back in the city for one more visit on June 20 and is committed for two more stops in 2026.
