THE RETURN OF THE GREAT LAKES CRUISE.

There used to be a utilitarian car transport and excursion service plying the Lakes, and there are services catering to Europeans who will fly to Montreal or Buffalo and then call at the lakeside cities.  Like many other things that involved people having fun in closed quarters, that was pretty well shut down for two years of corona tyranny.

The good news is the cruise boats (to use the Great Lakes locution) are back, and they're getting bigger.

The Viking Octantis is a Seawaymax vessel and it will begin a summer season where 33 port calls by various cruise ships are planned. This season will bring more than 10,000 passengers to the city, according to a statement from the City of Milwaukee. That is compared to the 10 stops made in 2019 before Great Lakes cruising halted for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seawaymax is a little smaller than Welland Canal and a lot smaller than Soo Locks, as passengers might discover should they head for Lake Superior at the right time.  Milwaukee is a new stop for Viking's inland cruises.

This is the first time the ship will designate Milwaukee as an embarkation and debarkation port, according to the city.

“Milwaukee is a great destination. It’s a city filled with attractions and hospitality. That’s what cruise passengers will find here,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. “As word spreads, I anticipate even more travelers will cruise to Milwaukee.”

Port Milwaukee recently received $3.5 million in Capital Tourism grant funding from the state to build new Seawaymax infrastructure at South Shore Cruise Dock.

I'm going to have to look into this "embarkation and debarkation" because a circle trip out of Milwaukee or Chicago is a lot more convenient than having to join at Montreal.

Friday's arrival merited television coverage.  The weather felt more like Gales of November than Summer Breezes, but that's life in the north country. I have to check out this "South Shore Cruise Dock," with the boat coming under the Hoan Bridge and using the Kinnickinnic turning basin, she could be mooring at the old Grand Trunk Western ramp.