Great Lakes Cruise Ships Name List With Detail Info

Pearl Mist docked in Lake Michigan of Milwaukee in May 2023 — Source : facebook

Great Lakes Cruise Ships names are 1. Pearl Mist 2. Viking Octantis 3. American Queen Ocean Voyager and others.

Cruise ships on the Great Lakes were the only way to travel through five naturally interconnected lakes in the 1870s. St. Lawrence Seaway connects them to the Atlantic Ocean.

Trip prices can range from roughly $5,000 to over $20,000 per person, depending on the vacation and kind of lodging rented.

The area has countless attractions from the national parks to the untouched wilds of North America. Besides you can read about fun things to do on a cruise.

Great Lakes ships locations list comprise Bay City, Cleveland, Detroit Holland, and Mackinac Island. Duluth-Superior is the busiest port of all.

1. Pearl Seas Cruises Ships

Pearl Mist arriving at Havana Cuba on January 18, 2017 (Photo Credit: Michael Verdure) — Source : facebook

Pearl Seas Cruises started sailing on the waterways in 2014. They have bagged Cruise Critic's Cruisers’ Choice Award for Best Small Ship Line in the U.S. and Canada.

They offer 7 to 11 nights itineraries sailing from Toronto and Milwaukee.

Pearl Mist

Mist travels around the Great Lakes area, offering voyages on Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Superior, and Lake Michigan. It accommodates 210 passengers.

It has luxurious staterooms and private balconies for guests to enjoy the scenery of the Great Lakes pass by.

Mist has amenities including all-inclusive fine dining to wireless Internet throughout the ship. They also have elevator access to all decks.

Launch Date: March 14, 2008
Builder: Halifax Shipyard
Flag: Marshall Islands
Cost: Starting at $5180 per person

2. Viking Expedition Cruises Ships

Viking Octantis docked in Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Soviknes, Norway — Source : facebook

Great Lakes cruise ship Viking are Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris. Viking was founded in 1997 and is operated by Viking Ocean Cruises.

The cruise line offers a list of curated international itineraries which deliver a destination-focused experience. Their itinerary varies from 2 to 8 days.

Viking Octantis

The 378-guest Polar Class Viking Octantis was completed in December 2021. It travels around Antarctica and North America's Great Lakes.

Octantis has impressive expedition vehicles including seater kayaks and submarines. It is a 6-purpose-built expedition ship.

Launch Date: January 2022
Builders: Vard Group AS and Fincantieri
Flag: Norway
Cost: Starting at $6,995 per person

Viking Polaris

The 203-meter-long ship can accommodate 378 people and has 256 crew cabins. It started to sail in 2022 under the flag of Norway.

Polaris has Scandinavian design elements through its 222 staterooms. She is not only for thrillseekers but also for scientists as they have laboratories for researchers.

Polaris will sail Longitudinal World Cruise IV from Milwaukee to Ushuaia in October 2024, following Viking's third season on the Great Lakes.

Launch Date: May 2022
Builder: Vard Group AS
Flag: Norway
Cost: Starting at $5,995 per person

3. American Queen Voyages Ships

American Queen Ocean Voyager sails through locking system of the St. Lawerence seaway, the 5 Great Lakes, and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula — Source : instagram

The Great Lakes cruise ships 2023 are American Queen Ocean Voyager and American Queen Ocean Navigator.

American Queen Voyages was known as American Queen Steamboat Compan until it merged with Victory Cruise Lines in 2021.

They offer 9-16 day itineraries from Milwaukee, Toronto, Chicago, and other ports.

American Queen Ocean Voyager

The 286-foot-long vessel was launched in July 2016 in the Great Lakes. It has 5 guests deck with 202 passenger capacity.

Voyager is the only overnight paddlewheel steamboat in America. She sails from St. Lawerence seaway to the breathtaking shorelines of Greate Lakes.

The ship has been renamed multiple times from Saint Laurent to Cape May Light. She has a gross tonnage of 4,954 tons.

Launch Date: 2001 as M/V Victory I (Refurbished in 2019)
Builder: Atlantic Marine
Flag: Bahamas
Cost: Starting at $5,389 per person

American Queen Ocean Navigator

Navigator was launched in October 2018 in the Great Lakes. The identical sister of Voyager has 202 guest capacity and features 101 suites and staterooms across 5 guest decks.

Their world-class accommodations have Egyptian cotton bedding and onboard enrichment programs. It has a tagline, "Discovery runs Deep."

All shore excursions are included in free-flowing house wine and spirits. You can also enjoy meals in the Coastal Dining Room.

Launch Date: 2001 (Refurbished 2019)
Builder: Atlantic Marine shipyard
Flag: Bahamas
Cost: Starting at $5,389 per person

4. Ponant Cruise Ships

The Dumont d'Urville pictured by Aurélie Court in the bay of Les Saintes in March 2023 — Source : facebook

Great ship names in historyof Pontant are based on famous French explorers. Ponant Cruises is a French vessel operator famous for its French cuisine.

It was established in 1988 by Jean-Emmanuel Sauve and 5 other French Merchant Navy officers.

They operate on 7 days itineraries from Milwaukee to Toronto. Visitors can witness the historical charm of Mackinac Island to the thunderous Niagara Falls.

Their first ship Le Champlain was named after Samuel de Champlain, The Father of New France. She can accommodate up to 184 guests and has 92 staterooms.

The Dumont d'Urville

The vessel took her name from Jules Sebastien Cesar Dumont d'Urville, a French explorer and naval officer.

She is facilitated with a multisensorial underwater lounge. Dumont is 430 feet long in length and sails with the French flag.

Launch Date: August 2019
Builder: VARD Tulcea and VARD Soviknes
Flag: France
Cost:Starting at $7,138.55 USD per person

Le Bellot

The fifth beauty of the Ponant Explorers class took her name from French naval officer and Arctic explorer Joseph Rene Bellot.

The European-style cruise can accommodate 184 passengers through 6 guest decks. She features the first multi-sensorial underwater lounge Blue Eye Lounge which is inspired by biomimetics.

Launch Date:2001 (Refurbished 2019)
Builder:Atlantic Marine shipyard
Flag: France
Cost: Starting at $7,138.55 USD per person

5. Windstar Cruises Ships

Star Pride was nominated for the Best Cruise Ship at the 2022 Travvy Awards — Source : facebook

Windstar Cruises Ships are small luxury cruises founded in 1984. It is owned by Xanterra Travel Collection.

The cruise line was named the Best Small Ship Cruise Line by AFAR readers in 2018. Their ships are registered in one of the best Caribbean Cruise Destinations, the Bahamas.

Star Pride

The Star Pride cruise ship was launched in 1988 as the first German-built ship for the Seabourn Cruise Line. The vessel has 312 guests capacity through its 6 guest decks.

The 277-square feet vessel was stretched as a part of a refurbishment in 2018. As a new addition, 50 cabins and fitness areas were built.

Her amenities list comprises Local spa specialties to Yoga classes.

Launch Date: July 22, 1988 (Refurbished 2016)
Builder: Schichau Seebeckwerft
Flag: Bahamas
Cost: Starting at $2399 USD per person

6. Hapag Lloyd Cruises Ships

Hanseatic Inspiration sailing through the west coast of Greenland to the Canadian Arctic — Source : facebook

Hapag Lloyd Cruises Ship was founded in 1970 after a merger between Hamburg-American Line and Norddeutscher Lloyd. They ship across the Atlantic Ocean.

The company currently has six vessels: MS Europa, Hanseatic Nature, MS Europa 2, Hanseatic Inspiration, MS Bremen, and Hanseatic Spirit. MS Hamburg was previously operated by them.

The cruise company provides 10-18 day itineraries from Milwaukee.

Hanseatic Inspiration

The 230-passenger ship sails through waterways of the Great Lakes and the Amazon. She features 120 luxury cabins in seven spacious passenger decks.

Inspiration was launched in October 2019. She is structurally twinned with sisters Hanseatic Nature and Hanseatic Spirit.

She is currently on a 13-day, one-way from Milwaukee WI to Windsor ON cruise.

Launch Date: February 9, 2019
Builder: Vard Group AS
Flag: Malta
Cost: Starting at $9211 USD per person

MS Hamburg

MS Hamburg can hold 420 passengers. Hamburg is owned by the Conti Group and is now operated by Plantours Kreuzfahrten.

The vessel was specifically designed to operate in the Great Lakes. She sailed in the area seasonally between 1997 and 2011 Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Columbus and again in 2022.