Great news for the Great Lakes

Eight ships will cruise the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River in 2018, offering 85 departures between May and October. The ships are Pearl Mist, Victory I and Victory II, Hamburg, Jacques-Cartier, Canadian Empress, Grande Mariner and Grande Caribe.

'A solid base of business is appearing now with Pearl Seas Cruises and Victory Cruise Lines establishing themselves,' Stephen Burnett, executive director of the Great Lakes Cruising Coalition, told Seatrade Cruise News. 2018's eight ships will swell to 12 in the coming years, he added.

What's more, in a major development, the Conference of Great Lakes Governors & Premiers has embraced cruising by creating a group to help the business grow. The group met Friday in Detroit and is in the process of developing a 'structure, plan and war chest to go forward.

'This is a huge thing. It could be a game-changer,' Burnett said.

The Conference of Great Lakes Governors & Premiers unites the chief executives from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Québec and Wisconsin who work together to foster environmentally responsible economic development.

In another boost, mayors of key Canadian Great Lakes cities—from as large as Toronto to as small as Midland, Ontario—have decided to engage in research to better understand the infrastructure and capital needs of ports interested or involved in the cruise business. The province of Ontario has committed $250,000 for this study. A request for proposals is being reviewed and is expected to be issued soon.

Burnett said Ontario offers fabulous destinations for cruise visitors, but if the ships cannot get on the dock, this is a moot point.

All in all, 'It's an extremely pivotal time,' Burnett said. 'It's quite dramatic to see the level of political interest.'

2018's deployment supplies 11,523 available berths for the season. Each cruise calls at a minimum of seven ports and, in some cases, nine ports, for a total of 720 scheduled in the region. According to Burnett, if the ships sail full, they'll deliver nearly 100,000 passenger port visits.

Looking ahead, Ponant is scheduled to visit the Great Lakes in 2019, and Hapag-Lloyd's new Hanseatic Inspiration in 2020.

Plus, Burnett's talking to a 'whole bunch of other cruise lines that are looking for somewhere that doesn't have terrorists. There's a great discomfort with some of the exotic regions and the general world unrest.'

He added the opening of Cuba is 'incredibly impactful' since a number of ships that visit the Great Lakes can go there in the off-season, making for lucrative year-round deployment.

A further sign for optimism is all the small ships in the orderbook. According to Burnett, the St. Lawrence Seaway locks can take vessels carrying up to about 600 passengers.