Arrival of cruise ships in Thunder Bay, Ont., marks start of summer on the Great Lakes

Sharon Price and her husband, Samuel, were among the first passengers to disembark in Thunder Bay, Ont., on Sunday, as the northwestern Ontario city marked the official start of the 2025 cruise ship season.

"We are sort of seasoned Viking cruisers and it's been wonderful," said Price, who hails from Delaware, as she exited Viking's Octantis.

"Although we live in a small state that borders the Atlantic Ocean, it's a whole different ball game, a whole different kind of water."

The Octantis is bringing 378 passengers and 256 crew members on a two-week tour of the Great Lakes. After making a day-stop in Thunder Bay, it departed to make room for its sister, Viking's Polaris, Sunday evening for a turnaround call. 

"The arrival of the first cruise ship of the year is always a bit symbolic of the start of the busy summer tourism season," said Paul Pepe, manager of Tourism Thunder Bay with the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC), during a celebration of Octantis's arrival.

The area's modern-day cruise industry, which dates back to the early 1990s, has ebbed and flowed over the past few decades, said Pepe.

There was a hiatus in activities between the late 1990s and early 2000s before the city saw the return of expedition vessels between 2009 and 2012.

Then, things quieted down until Viking announced its expansion in northwestern Ontario in 2020, he explained. 

"In 2024, cruise shipping was worth about $4.3 million to Thunder Bay's economy, and if you look behind us, you have trucks that are delivering things to the ships, you have trucks that are taking things off the ship, you have shuttle buses, you have tour guides, you have attractions," Pepe said.

"There's a lot of businesses in Thunder Bay that benefit from cruise shipping."

'We forget what's in our own backyard'

Mayor Ken Boshcoff and city councillor Rajni Agarwal welcomed Octantis's captain with a care package of local goods.

"You see such [an] international flavour of people wanting to see our Great Lakes, wanting to be in Thunder Bay, and we as citizens of Thunder Bay actually appreciate more of what we have when we're showcasing it to others," Agarwal said. "Sometimes, we forget what's in our own backyard."

Between June 1 and Sept. 8 of this year, 15 cruise ship visits are expected in Thunder Bay from Viking, Pearl Seas and Victory Cruise Lines, bringing about 5,100 passengers and crew members in tow, according to the Thunder Bay CEDC.

Last year, Great Lakes cruise tourism generated $26.4 million in global earned media value, it said.

In Thunder Bay, Pepe said a number of partners have been working together for the last several years to create a welcoming environment for the vessels, building itineraries and excursions to attract more visitors.

"It's always exciting to see them here in the community and they are fantastic partners to work with," he said of the cruise lines.

Price and her husband have never been to Thunder Bay before. Before boarding a bus from the Pool 6 Cruise Terminal into town, she said she looked forward to doing some shopping and exploring what the community has to offer.

"It's different. It's beautiful, it really is," she said. "Great for people that like to hike, I think, and fish. Oh my gosh, if you like to fish, you're in heaven here."