THUNDER BAY — The first cruise ship visit to Thunder Bay since 2012 will have to wait one more year.
It's because of delays in retrofitting the Victory II, the 202-passenger vessel that was originally scheduled to bring tourists to Thunder Bay this July.
The renovations are being done in a European shipyard.
Victory Cruise Lines said the delays also forced the cancellation of several other trips. Victory II won't make its debut Great Lakes voyage until July 27—from Montreal to Detroit—which is the same day she was originally scheduled to come to Thunder Bay.
City tourism manager Paul Pepe said it's "certainly disappointing" to have to wait until 2019 but the circumstances are "understandable."
Pepe said it's still gratifying that Victory Cruise Lines plans two trips to Thunder Bay next year.
One will be a "turnaround" trip, meaning that after docking in the city, passengers will disembark and be replaced by a new group of travellers for the return voyage south.
The company's website currently lists a nine-night voyage from Detroit to Thunder Bay on Aug. 8, 2019, and a return trip heading south on Aug. 17.
Details of the second cruise ship visit in 2019 are not available yet.
Victory Cruise Lines is advertising starting fares for the Detroit-Thunder Bay trip at $6,400 including air fare between Toronto and Thunder Bay.
Pepe said he's encouraged that the CEO of the company visited the city at Easter to inspect the port facilities and area attractions.
"It definitely showed a long-term commitment to us to have the owner of the company himself come in," Pepe said, noting that Victory has already committed to Thunder Bay for the 2020 season.
Tourism Thunder Bay, he said, continues to work with a number of other cruise ship operators about the potential for adding the city to their itineraries.
He said it is also collaborating with other port cities on ways to boost the Great Lakes cruising industry.
