DULUTH, Minn. — The nearly 400-passenger Viking Octantis cruise ship will make a stop in the Duluth Harbor this week (May 30), the first of several international Great Lakes tours that will take advantage of a new customs facility at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.
The new facility, a few rooms adjacent to the former men's locker rooms at the convention center's arena, opens the harbor to more consistent tourism. In the past, international cruises have relied on temporary Transportation Security Administration hubs.
"This was a huge challenge that was a real barrier to growing cruising on the Great Lakes, said David Naftzger, executive director of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, during a news conference Wednesday. "All the cruise lines, for the most part, have itineraries that cross the border multiple times through the course of a voyage."
