The Great Lakes are a largely untapped market for cruise lines. This small company is making sure Chicago doesn’t keep missing the boat.

The Great Lakes are the "last uncruised region of the world," according to Stephen Burnett, the former executive director of the Great Lakes Cruising Coalition, in 2019, but several companies have been working to change that. This year, voyages throughout the region increased nearly 5% since last year, marking continued growth in popularity since the pandemic completely halted all cruise tourism between Canada and America. 

You might think that Chicago, the largest U.S. city in the Great Lakes region, would be the busiest and most important hub on these routes. But that’s not the case, as nearby cities like Milwaukee, Cleveland and Toronto see significantly more cruise traffic. 

Just two of the seven cruise lines voyaging through the Great Lakes this year stopped in Chicago: Viking Cruises and Victory Cruise Lines, and only the latter actually docked at Navy Pier. 

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Many Great Lakes cruises include Chicago on their itineraries, though passengers are often shuttled to and from other port cities for the day. So why do most cruise lines skip over docking in Chicago on their journeys? The answer is pretty simple: Navy Pier isn’t big enough. 

Most vessels exceed Navy Pier Marina’s capacity to accommodate ships shorter than 183 feet long. Viking’s much larger ships, like the one many confused Chicagoans spotted out on the lake earlier this summer, got around the size restrictions by anchoring offshore and tendering passengers to Navy Pier for the first time earlier this year.

Only Victory Cruise Lines operates ships small enough to dock at Navy Pier, making the local company uniquely positioned to capitalize on Great Lakes cruising. Launched in 2016 by John Wagoneer, Victory operates two five-deck vessels, each accommodating up to 190 guests. 

Although it may not sound as glamorous as a Caribbean or Mediterranean cruise, Great Lakes voyages are undeniably magical. With highlights like Niagara Falls and Mackinac Island, these routes showcase some of the most picturesque destinations in the Midwest and Northeast regions. And because they’re operated on smaller vessels than those used to traverse the ocean, you’re in for a quieter, more intimate journey.

So if you’re looking to cruise through the Great Lakes from Chicago, the most convenient and affordable option is with Victory Cruise Lines. Starting at $5,300, Victory offers more than 20 voyages between Chicago and Toronto that hit all five lakes within 10 days. 

Navy Pier has come a long way from its inception as a shipping and recreation facility in 1916, but making accommodations for cruise ships is not a top priority. Milwaukee, by comparison, is focused on it: the city has invested tens of millions of dollars in developing passenger cruise infrastructure in the past decade. Advancements like building multiple docks that can accommodate the largest ships allowed to pass between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes have helped the city achieve its busiest cruise season this year with 64 cruise calls—nearly triple last year’s amount.

As Victory continues to dominate the market for Great Lakes cruises to and from Chicago, Viking will also operate routes through Chicago in 2027. If the increase in popularity continues through the next year, it’s likely that other lines will follow Viking’s anchor-and-tender approach to offer travellers an even more convenient way to experience Chicago on a Great Lakes cruise. For now, you can still catch a ride on one of Victory's late-summer or early-fall voyages.