Princess Great Lakes Cruises

[Cruisin' into Retirement]

Hello gang! In my most recent cruise this year (Panama Canal :D) with Princess I heard some of the waitstaff talking about training the crew for the small ship cruises in the Great Lakes in preparation for the inaugural 2018 Great Lake cruises. Has any else heard this rumor? At first it sounded silly but then I know Princess "missed the boat" (pardon the pun!!!) with river cruising in Europe and maybe they are trying to position themselves as the best cruise line for Great Lakes cruising. Either way, here are my top ports I want to see, small ship cruising of course! I am also wondering what ship will be used. I haven't seen it yet in the Cruise Atlas.

 

1. Lake Erie port

2. Sandusky Ohio Port

3. Chicago

4. Detroit

5. Toronto

6. Thunder Bay

 

:)

[JF - retired RRT]

That could be interesting. I hope it isn't another unsupported rumor.:')

[beg3yrs]

Seems a little late to announce cruises for 2018 in the Great Lakes.

[Chad_O]

Your post is hot on the heels of a friend telling me Princess is considering the Great Lakes too. Her info was tge state of Michigan Dept. Of Tourism.

 

I live in metro Detroit and can remember some small European ships docking downtown perhaps 10 years ago. Your port suggestions are all great. Everyone should see Detroit at least once. Sandusky OH is home to the eorld famous amusement park Cedar Point. Your other selections are all well known but I would further suggest Cleveland OH, Toledo OH for its world class art museum, Mackinac Island MI for its glimpses into 19th cen resort life and the Grand Hotel, and finally Saugatuck MI-a traditional midwest resort full of charm on Lake Michigan.Let's keep our fingers crossed that this comes to fruition!

[nini]

That would be great!

[sockmonkeys]

As an aficionado of the Great lakes region and it's historical significance princess will have a winner if this comes to fruition matching the cruise with the correct princess ship. Proximity of Eastern and Midwestern cities......,ports of call........makes this a winner...sign me up!!!...who else is tired of the Caribbean and Mediterranean?

[goodmud]

Living up in Canada, there has been talk of cruise ships coming into Thunder Bay. We live about three hours from there. Nothing has been said definately, but I know there has been talk of bringing cruise ships into the city. I have also seen a smaller ship docked in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in the past. It would be nice to have a ship on the Great Lakes!

[ericosmith]

That's got to be a lengthy cruise. Especially if you include Thunder Bay

[Steelers36]

Long way across Superior to T Bay. A relatively short season compared to Europe or put up with cool weather. Maybe delay any trips into Superior until mid-summer time-frame. If it ever happened, I'd do it once even though I have been to pretty much all the places suggested. If would be unique to go through the canal locks.

 

There are other places/ideas too. Such as wine tours in Niagara region of Ontario, Niagara Falls excursions and lots of things to do there. Casino too. Possible day trip to a play. Rochester. Cleveland was mentioned, but the R&R Hall of Fame is an obvious attraction.

 

This could help us get to Elite!!

[PescadoAmarillo]

I don’t understand how this could possibly be compiant with the PVSA, unless Princess starts to sail with US flagged ships. Maybe someone can point out where I’m going wrong with that.

 

But if it’s somehow true, count me in! I’m from Toledo originally, and my dad sailed on the Great Lakes freighters. Nearly every vacation was spent along the Great Lakes and Welland Canal and Sault Ste. Marie. Those would be amazing cruises.

[Steelers36]

I don’t understand how this could possibly be compiant with the PVSA, unless Princess starts to sail with US flagged ships. Maybe someone can point out where I’m going wrong with that.

 

But if it’s somehow true, count me in! I’m from Toledo originally, and my dad sailed on the Great Lakes freighters. Nearly every vacation was spent along the Great Lakes and Welland Canal and Sault Ste. Marie. Those would be amazing cruises.

 

The PVSA crossed my mind and I didn't want to get a headache.

[need2cruisesoon]

 

Possible day trip to a play. Rochester. Cleveland was mentioned,

 

Rochester, ugh...

[Steelers36]

Rochester, ugh...

 

I didn't want to insult anyone. That said, The Great Lakes are full of opportunities if an entrepreneur wanted to make a go of it.

[yoyosma]

There are ships doing summer cruises in the lakes and St. Lawrence seaway. They are very small ships. One is called Pearl Mist from Victory Cruise Line. Pearl Mist also sails out of Ft. Lauderdale to Cuba.

 

We have a home on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan not too far from TraverseCity. The Grand Mariner would occasionally dock in our town. I'm not sure if that ship is still plying the lakes or not.

 

I do recall one stormy night a number of years ago sitting in my living room and looking out and saying OMG! There is a cruise ship out there not very far out fighting those very strong north winds and heavy seas. It seemed like they were way too close to shore. But they kept on going. I bet there were a lot of sick passengers that night.

 

And the ports I would like to see besides Mackinaw Island would include Traverse City and Grand Haven and one or more of the small charming Michigan towns lining the shore line. Oh, and traversing the Sault Locks.

 

Try greatlakescruising.com and pearlseascruises.com

Edited October 2, 2017 by yoyosma

[nini]

I am very ignorant of the weather issues, but Alaska cruises go from mid May through mid September.

[WpgCruise]

Not sure how the PVSA would be an issue.

 

The cruise could start and finish in a Canadian port. No PVSA involvement

 

The cruise could start in a U.S. port, finish in a Canadian port, Would be PVSA compliant.

 

The cruise could start in a Canadian port, finish in a U.S. port, would be PVSA compliant.

 

The cruise could start and finish in the same U.S. port, after calling at a Canadian port. Should be PVSA compliant.

 

Am I missing something here ?

[lstone19]

I don’t understand how this could possibly be compiant with the PVSA, unless Princess starts to sail with US flagged ships. Maybe someone can point out where I’m going wrong with that.

 

 

A quick search says the Great Lakes are no different than ocean with regard to the PVSA. A cruise starting and ending in the same U.S. port will be legal provided there's a foreign (Canada) port call.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[yoyosma]

Just for fun I googled Pearl Mist. She was built in Halifax. She is registered in the Marshall Islands. She does 8 day cruises from Chicago to Toronto and the reverse. So the cruise starts in US, ends in Canada or starts in Canada and ends in the US.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Not sure how the PVSA would be an issue.

 

The cruise could start and finish in a Canadian port. No PVSA involvement

 

The cruise could start in a U.S. port, finish in a Canadian port, Would be PVSA compliant.

 

The cruise could start in a Canadian port, finish in a U.S. port, would be PVSA compliant.

 

The cruise could start and finish in the same U.S. port, after calling at a Canadian port. Should be PVSA compliant.

 

Am I missing something here ?

Maybe I am. If one can’t board a ship in Whittier, stay on for turnaround in Vancouver and continue down to LA (US port to US port without a distant foreign port) why would it be ok to begin and end in a US port simply because it stops in Sault Ste. Marie Canada?

[wheezedr]

Maybe I am. If one can’t board a ship in Whittier, stay on for turnaround in Vancouver and continue down to LA (US port to US port without a distant foreign port) why would it be ok to begin and end in a US port simply because it stops in Sault Ste. Marie Canada?

It would act just like any other closed loop cruise, which is compliant as long as it stops in a foriegn port. The Toronto to Chicago or any other US port would also work because one end is foriegn and the PVSA does not apply. Your Whitter to LA cruise is not compliant because you are attempting to go from one US port to another without stopping in a distant foriegn port. The PVSA has been repeatedly explained on these boards.

[Lucky TGO]

It sounds good. I like to try that cruise.:)

Tony

[PescadoAmarillo]

It would act just like any other closed loop cruise, which is compliant as long as it stops in a foriegn port. The Toronto to Chicago or any other US port would also work because one end is foriegn and the PVSA does not apply. Your Whitter to LA cruise is not compliant because you are attempting to go from one US port to another without stopping in a distant foriegn port. The PVSA has been repeatedly explained on these boards.

I do understand the Canadian to US port or vice versa. What I’m having a hard time grasping why Whittier to LA, stopping in Vancouver is not allowed but Duluth to Rochester, stopping in Toronto would be (as another poster stated).

[Pam in CA]

I seem to remember that Viking is trying to get a Great Lakes or Mississippi cruise line going. That would make far more sense than Princess.

 

Any time you read news stories by a port, take it with a big dose of skepticism. Ports (and cities) seem to think that if you build (or wish) it, it will come. Princess and other lines cruise where they can make the most money. Demand for Great Lakes cruises would have to be huge and consistent for a cruise line to be interested.

[brian1]

Hi,we did the Coral repo last year from Whittier to FL.It consisted of 3 cruises Whit. to Van. Van. to LA and LA to FL.We must have been booked from Van. to FL as 1 cruise because we had no probs.When we tried to book this on the Star the previous year the FCC said it was not possible.We got back to UK and booked it with our PCC at Southampton with no probs.As you guys say "go figure",cheers,Brian.

[chengkp75]

I do understand the Canadian to US port or vice versa. What I’m having a hard time grasping why Whittier to LA, stopping in Vancouver is not allowed but Duluth to Rochester, stopping in Toronto would be (as another poster stated).

 

I don't think anyone said a one way cruise from Duluth to Rochester would be legal, it isn't. I don't see anyone mention a Duluth to Rochester, stopping in Toronto as a possibility, but its before my morning coffee, so maybe you could help me out with where this is mentioned.

 

As for Viking getting into the Mississippi river cruises, they apparently did not do their homework, and only after announcing their plans did they realize that they would have to build their ships in the US, and they are having a hard time finding shipyards to do so. American Cruise Lines, which does small ship coastal and river cruises in the US, owns its own shipyard, so they are able to build ships to their designs all the time.

 

As noted, Princess would need to buy a new (at least to them), smaller ship to get it into the Great Lakes.