THUNDER BAY — For the first time ever, the French-owned cruise ship Le Champlain is touring Lake Superior.
The five-deck, 188-passenger luxury vessel arrived in Thunder Bay early Tuesday morning from Duluth, but was in the port just long enough for processing by the Canada Border Services Agency.
After about a 90-minute stop at Keefer Terminal, Le Champlain headed for the Sleeping Giant and Silver Islet.
Before returning to Thunder Bay on Saturday morning, it will cruise the inside passage along the north shore, taking in Red Rock, Rossport, Terrace Bay and the Slate Islands.
Marseilles-based Ponant, which owns the six-year-old ship, has previously brought a smaller boat — Le Levant — to Thunder Bay.
Ponant is one of four cruise lines to bring visitors to the city this year for a total of 16 stops.
This weekend, passengers who boarded at Milwaukee will disembark and return home while a new group of tourists who were flown to Thunder Bay will set sail for the trip back to the Wisconsin city.
According to the company's website, the price for the 11-day excursion and a 204-square-foot room ranges from about US$9,000 to US$11,000 per person.
Paul Pepe, manager of tourism for the City of Thunder Bay, said Ponant has expanded rapidly since its founding in 1988.
"Now they're bringing one of their beautiful new builds into the Great Lakes and Lake Superior. This is one of the companies seizing the opportunity and seeing the market.... The whole north shore has really picked up on the radar screen of some of these international operators that have small ships and are interested in discovering that area that previously has been inaccessible to tourists."
Pepe said he's happy to see the northern shoreline gain a higher profile in the cruise ship industry.
"We're pleased that the smaller communities are getting to enjoy the successes of the expedition and discovery ships that are coming into the region.... The north shore has become just such a popular new destination globally, in terms of selling their itineraries."
He said Tourism Thunder Bay works with its partner, Superior Country Travel Association, to promote that area to the cruise operators.
Pepe called 2024 "a boom year" for the cruise line business in the city, even though one planned visit to Thunder Bay by Hapag-Lloyd's Hanseatic Inspiration was dropped because the operator decided to spend an extra day along the north shore.
"This year is definitely our best year," Pepe said Tuesday in an interview while standing at the Pool 6 dock where the Viking Polaris had arrived to pick up a new set of passengers.
"It's great watching the guests come off the buses right now, from the airport and from the hotels, and they're boarding for the day. And it's great to see the impact on all the companies, the motor coach companies, tour guides, attractions and restaurants.
"A number of guests came off the ship last night on the final night, when they arrived, and they just wanted to walk downtown and go have a drink somewhere. All those things add up, and we're able to showcase the city to a lot of these influential, affluent, curious, adventurous travellers."
At this point, four cruise operators are booked to bring their ships to Thunder Bay a combined 14 times next year, including the first-ever visits by a vessel owned by Victory Cruise Lines.
Although the total will be two fewer than this year, Pepe noted that the industry is cyclical, and that "these vessels do move around, to keep their itineraries always fresh for their guests. A lot of them have very loyal clientele that like to keep coming back, and they want something different all the time. So we we are going to have some years that are busier than others. It's a multi-year, multi-decade strategy.'
The facilities at Pool 6 have been improved significantly in recent years, but Pepe said his wish list includes establishing a semi-permanent structure at dockside for luggage and check-ins, and "for first and lasting impressions" for visitors.
Nonetheless, he said cruise ship lines have indicated they are pleased with the setup Thunder Bay already has in place.
"When we meet with our partners every spring, they are really happy with the way things are here. It's very functional."
The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission is currently conducting a best-use study of the Pool 6 lands.
Depending on the recommendations that emerge, Pepe said there could be new tourism-related developments in years to come which will complement what the cruise ship industry has already brought to Thunder Bay.
— TBnewswatch
