Victory I Sails Again on the Great Lakes

By Gerry Barker

Photos by Gerry and Pamela Barker

John Waggoner freely admits, “I don’t do well at retirement.”

So what does this lifetime mariner and former CEO at American Queen Voyages do? Get back in the cruise business, of course.

“Not only did I miss it, but after being in the maritime business for 50 years, I found I had worked so hard I didn’t have any friends outside the industry,” he said, addressing an audience that had assembled in Toronto for the christening of his newest venture, Victory I, which, along with Victory II (debuting May 12), is offering cruises on the Great Lakes.

Both ships, once part of AQV, became available at auction a little over a year ago, and Waggoner recounted how it took an “all hands on deck” effort to get them ready to sail. Part of that was hiring 32 employes — 28 of which had worked for him before. “So when you look for reasons we were so successful, it was really that.”

Emily Coleman, the youngest daughter of Waggoner and wife Claudette, gave an emotional speech as Victory I’s godmother, then officially christened the ship with a bottle of Crown Royal Canadian whisky. As guests there for the christening departed the ship under a bright Toronto sky, 92 of us onboard for the inaugural voyage set sail for a 10-day cruise that was scheduled to visit all five of the Great Lakes.

Victory I, originally launched in 2001 as the expedition ship “Cape May Light” for American Classic Voyages, can accommodate 202 passengers and a crew of 85. Cruises are all-inclusive, and include a pre-cruise hotel stay, transfers, food and drinks on board (with the exception of premium alcohol), selected excursions in each port and Wi-Fi.

This was the first time Pam and I cruised the Great Lakes — the largest freshwater system in the world, holding 21 percent of the surface freshwater for the whole planet. Previous to this trip, my knowledge of the lakes mostly was limited to the Gordon Lightfoot ballad, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” which sank in Lake Superior November, 1975, with 29 lives lost.

Formed by retreating glaciers, Pam taught me a handy way to remember all their names: HOMES (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior). When you are sailing on them, they seem more like inland seas than lakes.

They border seven U.S. states, plus the province of Ontario, and are an important shipping route for large cargo ships, of which we saw many along the way. Each cruise features a “Lakelorian” — a Great Lakes expert, who gives lectures and talks about points of interest.

Victory I has five passenger decks, and it doesn’t take long to learn your way around the ship. The main Coastal Dining Room is found on the first deck, while the heart of the ship is the Compass Lounge and adjoining Tavern, on deck two, where they stage the lectures, entertainment and games. This deck also houses the reception desk, a small gym and spa.

Deck four features The Grill, a casual, buffet-style eatery with great views that hosts breakfast and lunch. In the evenings, The Grill is a reservation restaurant that offers food you prepare on a hot rock. Deck five is the Sun Deck, where you’ll find chairs and lounges for relaxing and enjoying the view.

There are six categories of staterooms available, from 146 square feet up to the 335-square foot owner’s suite. Ours was a deluxe outside stateroom with veranda on deck four. At a cozy 161 square feet, it included a queen-size bed, a writing desk, mini-fridge and large picture window. Access was from the outside on the Promenade Deck, where there were two chairs and a table for our use. They also provided water bottles personalized with our names — a nice touch.

Our itineary took us from Toronto to Port Colborne (Canada), Cleveland, Detroit, Sault St. Marie, Mackinac Island and Escanaba, ending in Chicago. One of the charms of small ship cruising are the shore excursions, and Victory I provides them in three categories: Included, Premium and Immersive. Included excursions are just that — included in your fare — and are among the best they offer.

At Port Colborne, Pam did some shopping and we found the Pie Guys, a popular bakery and coffee shop. In the afternoon, we boarded a bus for Niagara Falls. It was a spectacular, sunny, early spring day, and the view of Horseshoe Falls, complete with rainbow, was never better. The ship also provided tickets to the Niagara Parks Power Station, where we descended 180 feet to The Tunnel. Constructed between 1901 and 1904, hewn out of solid rock, it’s a 2,200-foot walk to an observation point under the Falls. Amazing.

In Cleveland we toured the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, while at the stop in Detroit we spent time (not enough) at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, with exhibits ranging from Presidential limousines to the actual bus where Rosa Parks sparked the civil rights movement.

At Sault St. Marie, we got an up-close look at the famous Soo Locks that connect Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The locks permit ships to navigate the 21-foot elevation difference of the St. Marys River. Victory I was scheduled to go through the locks so we could cruise Lake Superior, but the captain vetoed it owing to conditions that weren’t optimum. So we ended up having cruised only four of the five Great Lakes.

The weather turned cold for our day on Mackinac Island, but we still enjoyed a horse and carriage ride that stopped at Fort Mackinac — Michigan’s oldest building — and spent time at the Grand Hotel, which is truly grand. Despite the cold, early spring is a good time to visit before the summer crowds descend.

The tour buses followed along our route and were waiting (with the exception of Mackinac Island, of course) when we arrived. Excursion managers Wendy and April kept everything on track and made sure we were where we needed to be and on time.

Back onboard, let’s talk about the food. As any cruiser knows, food is right up there with where the ship visits when selecting a cruise, and the food on Victory I is uniformly excellent. Executive chef Ross from the Phillipines made every meal a pleasure, with imaginative presentations and menu selections that ranged from steak, lamb and seafood to salads, soups and desserts. My seafood dishes were among the best I’ve had at sea. It was also nice that the dinner selections are displayed as you enter the dining room. One thing to note: Room service is available only during meal times.

But even better than the food was the service. One of the benefits of small ship cruising is the personal attention the staff delivers, and the staff Waggoner and his team have assembled on Victory I is outstanding. Personable and smiling, they quickly learn your likes and by the time you disembark — from the stateroom attendants to the bartenders — they are much more like family than staff.

In the evenings, Cruise Director Nicole heads up a small house band that plays everything from Carole King to Motown in the Compass Lounge. During the day, there are trivia competitions, bingo and their own version of Family Feud. Both the Lounge and The Grill have coffee stations, as well as cookies in the Lounge and self-serve ice cream at the Grill. On “sea” — or should I say “lake” days — the Lounge hosts an elegant Afternoon Tea.

Our cruise ended in Chicago at the historic Navy Pier, where the two Victory ships are the only cruise ships allowed to dock there. For an inaugural sailing, everything was remarkably smooth, no doubt a testament to Waggoner’s attention to detail and the experience of former employees who have joined in his dream to resurrect two proud “ladies of the lakes.”

Waggoner was quoted once that he is living his childhood dream of “being able to play with boats the rest of my life so I will never have to grow up and get a real job.”

We, who are the beneficiaries of your passion, thank you, John.

Our thanks to Victory Cruise Lines for hosting us.

You can more information on the Victory Cruise Lines website.