Duluth gears up for Viking cruises in 2022 Officials hope the pandemic-stricken industry will come roaring back. January 20, 2021 11:08am Text size Copy shortlink:
DULUTH – After a year without travel, international cruise line Viking is catering to built-up wanderlust and taking reservations for its new expedition ships, which are scheduled to sail to Minnesota in summer 2022 as the company makes its Great Lakes debut.
Viking s eight-day Undiscovered Great Lakes itinerary includes a stop in Duluth, advertised in a promotional video for its stately Jacobean-style architecture and engineering marvels such as the Aerial Lift Bridge.
The vessel will remain under construction there until it is towed to Norway for finishing touches and sent on its maiden voyage to Antarctica in January 2022.
Fox21Online
January 9, 2021
Vikings expeditions first travel ship the
Viking Oceantis has hit the water. The ship will carry over 370 passengers into Canal Park in May of 2022. Other cruise ships are coming into Duluth next summer for the first time since 2013. Those at Visit Duluth say the ships will bring more tourists to the area.
“As the cruising initiative continues to ramp up, with Viking’s arrival on the great lakes in 2022, we are already experiencing tremendous interest from other cruise lines as well,” said Visit Duluth President Anna Tanski.
Along with Duluth,
Viking Oceantis will be making seven other stops along Lake Superior from Thunder Bay, Canada all the way down to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
New Viking Expedition Ship Set To Visit Duluth Next Year
The Viking company announced that their first expedition ship called the Viking Ocantis a 378-guest ship was “floated out” late last year, the first time the ship was in the water. The Viking Ocantis will debut in 2022, visiting Duluth as part of an 8-day itinerary exploring Lake Superior and Lake Michigan.
Other Ports of Call are Thunder Bay, Canada, the Apostle Islands, WI, Houghton, MI, Mackinac Island, MI, and Milwaukee, WI and will even venture to Antarctica. They are also constructing another identical ship called the Viking Polaris which will be debuting in 2022 as well.
Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, Visit Duluth shelve merger plans for now
Duluth Mayor Emily Larson has announced her plans to submit a request in the summer seeking proposals from organizations interested in marketing the city as a travel destination. Written By: Peter Passi | ×
The Duluth Entertainment Convention Center and downtown Duluth. (Clint Austin / 2016 file / News Tribune)
A contentious proposal to join Visit Duluth with the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center was placed on hold just 12 days before the DECC s Board of Directors was slated to vote on the proposed merger.
While the matter never actually went to a vote, a Wednesday monthly meeting of the DECC s board made it clear that the organizations will continue to explore what their future relationship may look like.