Cruise ship arrives in Toronto for the first time in years with 40 more to follow this summer

Cruise ships are back! What was a decimated industry over the past two years is now making a comeback worldwide including on the Great Lakes and in Toronto specifically. 

The 378-passenger Viking Octantis takes the prize at the first cruise ship to arrive at the Port of Toronto in two years. 

The ship includes 189 rooms and will be taking passengers on tours of the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada, stopping at destinations such as Niagara Falls, Quebec City, Thunder Bay and Point Pelee.

🛳️ Today, PortsToronto proudly welcomed the Viking Octantis on its inaugural visit to the Great Lakes. The year 2022 promises to be the Port of Toronto Cruise Ship Terminal's biggest year yet with 40 ships scheduled to call at the port this year. pic.twitter.com/0VcTbSBmBn

— PortsToronto (@PortsToronto) April 30, 2022

The ship will operate from May through October and will be joined by an identical sister ship called the Viking Polaris.

Follow along as we make our way into the Great Lakes on Viking Octantis, our new expedition vessel purpose-built to sail the St. Lawrence Seaway and navigate its expertly engineered locks—the largest passenger vessel to do so. Thank you to @PortsToronto for the warm welcome. pic.twitter.com/oV81QiOfdD

— Viking (@VikingCruises) April 29, 2022

They're just two of 40 cruise ships expected to be active in Toronto and the Great Lakes this summer. The full schedule is posted online.