A reborn Victory Cruise Lines christened the Victory I on Sunday in Toronto, just over a year after John Waggoner decided to come out of retirement and jump back into cruising.
Victory I's christening will be followed by Victory II's on May 12 in Chicago.
Waggoner purchased the two ships in American Queen Voyages' bankruptcy auction last April, and soon after announced plans to return them to service on the Great Lakes after a refurbishment. The ships had sailed the Great Lakes as the Ocean Voyager and Ocean Navigator for American Queen Voyages, which ceased operations in February 2024.
Waggoner was the CEO of American Queen Voyages when it acquired Victory Cruise Lines in 2019. Waggoner founded American Queen Steamboat Co. in 2011 -- the company was renamed American Queen Voyages in 2021.
"As we celebrate the return of Victory Cruise Lines to the Great Lakes, I must reflect on the amazing feat by an incredible team that has brought this vision to life once again," Waggoner said. "Thank you to everyone here, as well as those not in the room today, that have believed in us and this dream to share our passion for cruising here on the Great Lakes."
Waggoner's daughter Emily Coleman, Victory I's godmother, christened the ship with a bottle of Crown Royal Canadian Whisky. The national anthems of the United States and Canada were performed.
Waggoner purchased the two ships with a bid of $1.9 million. That began a whirlwind year of coming out of retirement and getting a cruise company up and running in time for a spring 2025 launch.
The Victory I's maiden cruise departed April 17 from Portland, Maine. The cruise was a 10-day voyage to Toronto with Waggoner and his wife Claudette aboard.
The Victory ships, built in 2001, each carry 190 passengers and were designed for coastal cruising by American Classic Voyages. Since that company's bankruptcy after the 9/11 attacks, the ships have had several owners.
Victory Cruise Lines is sailing 33 voyages this year, each traversing all five Great Lakes.