Victory Cruise Lines Plans Cruises to Canada, Great Lakes, Cuba

Victory I will offer sailings in Canada and the Great Lakes starting this July, followed by Cuba in November.

The rush to Cuba continues for the cruise industry. Miami-based Victory Cruise Lines, a company started by veteran cruise executive Bruce Nierenberg, plans to begin sailing Miami-Cuba itineraries starting in November. It also is planning cruises from Montreal to ports in Canada and on the U.S. Great Lakes beginning July 8. 

The new company will operate the Victory I, a 5,000 gross-registered-ton, 202-passenger ship, formerly known as the Saint Laurent, on sailings ranging from 3 to 14 days. The ship was most recently operated by Haimark Line, a company that cancelled all its cruises earlier this year.  

“We intend to make our product the standard of excellence for small-ship cruising to the Great Lakes and Cuba, while providing great value for our guests,” said Nierenberg, who serves as Victory’s president and CEO. “The senior management of Victory Cruise Lines has over 100 years of experience operating some of the most successful and loved cruise products.” 

Nierenberg most recently tried to get into the Cuba cruise market with United Caribbean Lines, which had partnered with Haimark to offer those sailings. But the company never received approval from the U.S. or Cuban governments, though United Caribbean reportedly was approved to run some ferry service.   

Nierenberg is best known for his work at Norwegian Caribbean Line, the precursor to Norwegian Cruise Lines. He also helped form Premier Cruise Lines in the early 1980s, and held top executive posts with Orient Lines and Delta Queen Steamboat Company.  

According to Nierenberg, Victory I will feature high-quality personal service. Shore excursions in port will be included in the cruise fare, along with wine and beer at lunch and dinner at no additional charge. The ship’s inaugural cruise to the Great Lakes is slated to depart from Montreal on July 8, 2016, and is scheduled to sail in that region through the summer and early fall of 2016 and 2017. 

Victory I’s first planned cruise to Cuba is a seven-day, six-night voyage from Port Canaveral, FL, departing Oct. 28, 2016. It will be the first cruise ever to Cuba to depart from a Central Florida port. Following the cruise from Port Canaveral a fall-winter series of cruises of three to 14 days in length are scheduled depart from Port of Miami to Cuba through April 2017. 

Among the companies already sailing or planning to cruise to Cuba are Carnival Corp.’s Fathom Cruises, MSC Cruises, Celestyal Cruises, and Pearl Seas Cruises, which is still awaiting its permit from the Cuban government.