Viking Cruise will start Great Lakes cruises in 2022:
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They will be using Milwaukee, WI and Thunder Bay. Ont as change points. Vikings web site lists all the goodies; nice looking (for a cruise ship) boats. Hopefully, the smaller towns will be ready for influx of passengers. I sent the Viking link to my parents and pointed out the end of the season trip from Toronto to NYC.
My hometown is listed as a port call…but I imagine they will need to tender people ashore on all but perfect wx days. Getting a 710 x 78 ATB into the river is a squeeze and we don’t have near the sail area of a passenger ship. Alpena is not exactly a broad and easy port.
Hopefully, it will continue to be a growth market. Admittedly, I am biased towards the Lakes; lots of history and great scenery around our part of the world.
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I would think these ships will have a lot more thruster power and maneuverability than your ATB.
Watching much larger Cruise ships operating in and out of port in Aalesund these last four years, they don’t appear to be in need of tug assistance very often.
Some of the older ships have problem in gale force conditions, but seldom the big “shoe box” type. In worst case they abort, or cancel calls, but that is seldom.