Viking on May 6 completed its inaugural Great Lakes voyage on the new Viking Octantis, the largest cruise ship to sail the Great Lakes.
Viking is offering three Great Lakes itineraries this year on the 378-passenger expedition ship.
One itinerary will be an eight-day voyage from Milwaukee to Thunder Bay, Ontario. The Octantis will call at the carless Mackinac Island in Michigan; visit the Gregorian Bay, which is home to some 30,000 islands of the Unesco Biosphere Reserve; sail the St. Mary’s River and cross the Soo Locks between Canada and the United States; and call at the Silver Islet in Ontario. The ship will then overnight in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Another itinerary cruises from Toronto to Milwaukee over eight days with stops at Niagara Falls and Point Pelee in Ontario; and Detroit, Alpena and Mackinac Island, Michigan. The ship will overnight in Milwaukee.
A third itinerary includes calls at Thunder Bay; Duluth, Minnesota; the Apostle Islands, Wisconsin; Houghton and Mackinac Island, Michigan; and Milwaukee.
Beginning in June 2023, the line will introduce a new 15-day Great Lakes itinerary sailing between Toronto and Duluth.
The Octantis' sister ship, Viking Polaris, is expected to enter the fleet in August.