FOR CRUISE AFICIONADOS, NOTHING IS MORE EXCITING THAN A CRUISE SHIP CHRISTENING
On an excellent sunlit day, with the gleaming towers of Toronto as a backdrop, Victory Cruise Traces named the primary of its two cruise ships, Victory I. The occasion was decidedly a household affair—and the household was that of John and Claudette Waggoner. At an age when many people can be contemplating retirement, and with tears he ascribed to “pollen” on Lake Ontario, John Waggoner launched the cruising public to his newest journey.
EMILY ELIZABETH FOERSTER COLEMAN CONTINUED A FAMILY TRADITION.
Emily christened the 190-passenger Victory I. Eschewing champagne and in a salute to Victory I’s presence in Canada, Emily cracked a bottle of Crown Royal Canadian Whisky over the entrance of the ship. She was joined by all of the members of the Waggoner household—three of whom had christened ships earlier in John’s profession: his spouse Claudette, and his daughters, Melissa Applegate and Angie Hack. Ready within the wings is the following technology. The Waggoners’ eldest granddaughter, Molly Applegate, will function the godmother of sister ship Victory II, christened at Chicago’s Navy Pier on Could 12, 2025.
JOHN WAGGONER IS A GODFATHER OF SMALL SHIP CRUISING IN NORTH AMERICA.
In 1994, John Waggoner based Hornblower Marine Providers in New Albany, Indiana, on the banks of the Ohio River. In 2011, his ardour for river cruising led to his acquisition of the historic paddle wheeler American Queen. He then expanded to American Queen Voyages. Sadly, the pandemic spelled the top of that illustrious enterprise. What it didn’t finish was John’s passengers’ affection for his model of cruising. Numerous passengers aboard Victory I’s first official voyage have been previous passengers on American Queen and Victory Cruise Traces’ earlier incarnation. An astonishing variety of devotees flew all the best way to Toronto from California to sail on Victory I.
VICTORY I AND VICTORY II HAVE A STORIED PAST THEMSELVES.
These 190-passenger beauties have had an astonishing variety of incarnations. At 286 toes in size and 5 passenger decks in top, they have been designed to resemble basic coastal steamers of the late nineteenth century. Launched as Cape Could Mild and Cape Cod Mild, each have been victims of the post-9/11 financial downturn and have been laid up quickly after they launched. They then sailed below quite a few names. Their itineraries even included the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Their final names, Victory I and Victory II, got to them by Victory Cruise Traces—owned by none apart from John Waggoner.
ENTER THE REINCARNATED VICTORY CRUISE LINES
Simply final 12 months, John Waggoner bought each vessels at public sale for below $2 million. He then spent $3 million to deliver each ships as much as the exceptional vessels they’re at this time. That includes two eating venues, two lounges, loads of deck area, and 95 cabins for his or her 190 visitors, each vessels are actually plying the Nice Lakes in fashion and luxury. In truth, this author would evaluate crusing on Victory I to spending an excellent 10 to 12 days in somebody’s fantastic lake home. That’s, if that lake home had a workers ready on you hand and foot and a kitchen with nonstop culinary excellence from morning until night time. I can not say sufficient good issues about Victory I’s worldwide crew. There may be merely nothing they received’t do for his or her passengers.
HOW ARE THE ACCOMMODATIONS?
Whereas there are two suites, most of Victory I’s cabins are finest described as “cosy”—however in a great way. They’ve each comfort, together with a fridge stocked with delicate drinks and beer, tv units, ample connections for the utterly free and glorious Wi-Fi aboard, plush tub towels, and twice-daily service from stewards who attend to those cheerful quarters.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY FOOD?
The headline says all of it. We had the good pleasure to take a seat down with Victory I’s Chef de Delicacies, the extraordinary Rosario (Ross) Soriano. A local of the Philippines, Ross has a 27-year culinary profession aboard cruise ships. His love affair with the kitchen began when he taught himself to prepare dinner at age 13. He deserted his coaching in engineering to pursue his ardour on the waters of the world. The number of his menus is just astonishing. A devotee of sauces, he’s an aficionado of Italian cooking. However his brigade of 18 within the kitchen represents a culinary crew with abilities in Indian, Asian, and “worldwide” cooking. There’s each a baker whose croissants rival any French bakery’s and a pastry chef who produces desserts which can be scrumptious artistic endeavors. Breakfasts in The Grill on the 4th Deck are astonishing for his or her selection and the skills of Chef Mustafa, whose ability with eggs is unparalleled. At night time, the Grill is reworked into the Tuscan Stone Grill. This reservations-only area has two seatings to accommodate connoisseurs of scorching lava rock cooking of prime cuts of steak and shrimp for seafood lovers. At each meal in each venue, glorious wines are served by attentive wine stewards with a disdain for empty glasses. In the meantime, within the Compass Lounge and The Tavern, cocktails are served with nice aplomb from bartender I Puto, a Balinese native, whereas waitstaff Nancy, Joseph, and Sharma are there to deliver visitors any libation they need—and, with few exceptions, all are included in your fare.
THERE’S NEVER A LACK OF THINGS TO DO ABOARD VICTORY I
Two full days on the lakes with nary a port to see present loads of alternatives for the Cruise Director—who doubles because the ship’s entertainer—to muster video games within the Compass Lounge. It’s additionally the setting for the each day speak by Victory’s onboard enrichment program, the LakeLorian®. Will, our LakeLorian on Victory I, coated a spread of topics together with Nice Lakes historical past, ecology, and tradition each afternoon. Nightly port talks by Wendy and April set us up for the following day’s ports of name.
INCLUDED: A FIRST-RATE TOUR AT EVERY PORT
TORONTO: What you’ll see in your Victory I cruise is each bit as thrilling because the ship itself. After an included in a single day keep in Canada’s largest metropolis, courtesy of Victory Cruise Traces, and an included metropolis tour, we have been off throughout Lake Ontario. By night time, we entered the Welland Canal. In a sequence of eight locks, Victory I used to be raised 342 toes and docked in Port Colborne, Ontario, gateway to…
NIAGARA FALLS: The consensus is that Canada has a lock on the perfect of Niagara Falls. Since this author was a first-time customer to this actually extraordinary pure marvel, I must concur. Victory 1’s included tour of the hydroelectric plant—whose design is credited to none apart from Nikola Tesla—took us by tunnel to inside nearly toes of the falls. Merely astonishing! In a single day we sailed to…
CLEVELAND, OHIO
Not too way back, Cleveland was cruelly known as “The Mistake on the Lake.” The moniker got here when the Cuyahoga River, so polluted it had burst into flames on a number of events, made headlines. Now the town is the delight of Ohio, and nowhere does that present greater than proper the place Victory I docks. There’s the Cleveland Browns stadium and, proper subsequent door, the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame. Everybody from Chuck Berry to Cher is honored at this shrine to American music—with a liberal serving to of British bands and hitmakers. Subsequent up…
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
What a shock Detroit is! That’s, when you haven’t ever been there and seen only one factor: the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. Began by the good man himself, it’s a digital Smithsonian for gearheads, historical past buffs, and anybody who has ever questioned how we obtained from horse-drawn carriages to area shuttles. It’s obtained every thing from the precise bus Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat on, to the theater seat the place Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, to Bucky Fuller’s Dymaxion Home that appears like one thing out of The Jetsons—and automobiles, automobiles, automobiles. Not included in Victory I’s tour however extremely beneficial is a fast cab journey to the Motown Museum and the unique Hitsville USA. Off we sail for…
A DAY ON LAKE HURON
An ideal likelihood to get pleasure from Victory I on one of many 5 “inland seas” that make up the biggest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by floor space, holding about 20% of the world’s contemporary floor water. They’re shared by Canada and america. And for these of you who have been questioning, the folks of those provinces and states proceed to stay nearly as good neighbors and associates it doesn’t matter what has lately come out of Washington. Nowhere is that extra obvious than at our subsequent port of name…
SAULT STE. MARIE, ONTARIO AND MICHIGAN
Typically affectionately referred to as “The Soo,” it’s a novel pair of cities straddling the U.S.–Canada border, every with its personal id but deeply intertwined by geography, historical past, and tradition. Each cities are located alongside the St. Marys River, the waterway that connects Lake Superior to Lake Huron. Victory 1 docks on the American aspect of the river, and the included tour takes within the Soo Locks—a vital a part of the Nice Lakes transport system. With luck, and if the locks aren’t occupied by huge tankers, Victory 1 lives as much as its theme of “All 5 Nice Lakes” by cruising into Lake Superior and again once more.
MACKINAC ISLAND COULD BE VICTORY I’S MOST PICTURESQUE PORT
Vehicles are banned, so horse-drawn carriages rule the roads. Victory I’s tour offers each passenger a seat in these carriages via the woods to Fort Mackinac, which overlooks the candy city itself—recognized for its legendary fudge. Arduous to overlook and to not be missed is Grand Lodge, a genteel escape with “the world’s longest porch.” Mackinac is a fairly, fairly place with flower-filled gardens and views straight out of a postcard. And on we sail, proper below the Mackinac Bridge, which hyperlinks the Higher Peninsula of Michigan to the remainder of the state.
ESCANABA: A PROUD PLACE TO VISIT
Hugging the shores of Lake Michigan’s Little Bay de Noc, our guides appeared virtually shocked to see us. As soon as a bustling lumber and transport hub, it’s now recognized for world-class walleye fishing and charming waterfront parks. It was right here we discovered about “Yoopers,” which is Higher Peninsula delight. For the foodies amongst us, we stopped for pasties—the UP’s signature handheld pie. We visited their museum—a pleasant monument to native delight. Then we head for our final day on the lakes…
LAKE MICHIGAN AND ON TO CHICAGO
We have been blessed with a fantastic sail down Lake Michigan. The waters have been easy as glass, the solar shone, and on the aspect of the lake the towers of Milwaukee appeared within the distance. The day on the lake is a becoming ending to a very eye-opening expertise aboard a very worthy approach to see the center of North America.
YOU CAN STAY ON IN CHICAGO ON YOUR OWN DIME OR BE WHISKED TO O’HARE OR MIDWAY AIRPORTS FOR YOUR FLIGHTS HOME
Editor’s Notes: Please tell us when you’d like extra data, a quote and to e-book a cruise aboard Victory Cruise Traces® by emailing us at quote@allthingscruise.com
Credit score Cowl Picture of Victory I and Chicago Picture to Victory Cruise Traces
All different pictures credit score Monte Mathews
~A world of discovery and marvel
Victory Cruise Traces® invitations you to expertise the unparalleled intimacy of small-ship cruising alongside North America’s most charming waterways. Meticulously crafted itineraries traverse the grandeur of the Nice Lakes and the enchanting attract of the Canadian Maritimes. Aboard elegantly appointed Victory I® and Victory II®, you’ll uncover a world of secluded harbors, pristine coastlines, and serene seaways—locations usually inaccessible to bigger vessels. Put together to embark on a journey that redefines consolation and exploration.
John Waggoner, a maritime veteran with 30+ years of expertise, leads Victory Cruise Traces as CEO and lead visionary.
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