Viking Cruises’ 665 Foot Vessel Makes Debut Stop in the Copper Country

This morning Viking Cruises made their debut stop in the Portage Canal. The 665 foot long ship arrived to the Keweenaw just before 8 am this morning, docking near the U.S. Coast Guard Station – Portage in Dollar Bay. From there the cruise liner’s occupants were tended by a smaller boat to Bridgeview Park, where passengers were greeted by a very excited downtown Houghton. The ship’s arrival was coordinated with Finnish dancers, to entertain and introduce the Copper Country’s culture to the area’s guests. From Houghton the Octantis’ passengers will travel throughout the peninsula on various excursions that will only scratch the surface of the possible activities in the Copper Country.

 Visits earlier this summer were cancelled for low visibility fog conditions and high winds, that caused concern for the safety of tendering visitors to shore. The Viking Octantis is capable of carrying up to 378 passengers. Viking’s Octantis is the second cruise line to visit the Keweenaw, earlier in the summer American Queen Voyages docked across from Roy’s bakery and the Copper Range Depot. The Octantis is nearly twice the size of the American Queen’s vessel. For the best views of the ship it is suggested to visit the Nara Nature Park, or Parking lot 10 on Michigan Tech’s campus also offered a great view of the vessel.