IMMEDIATE RELEASE             September 3, 2004

Duluth, Minn., U.S.A.—The German cruise vessel Columbus is scheduled to make her eighth visit to the Port of Duluth Superior on Wednesday (September 8).

The vessel is scheduled to arrive at approximately 8 a.m. that day at Duluth’s Clure Public Marine Terminal Berth No. 4, where the Duluth Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Duluth Seaway Port Authority will host an 8:30 a.m. dockside welcoming ceremony for Captain Ralf Zander and Chief Officer Thorsten Meyer. The event will include a performance by the Proctor Community Band under the direction of Tracey Gibbens. New security regulations require the event to be closed to the general public, but citizens wishing to view the Columbus are encouraged to do so at the Canal Park area as it departs via the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge (departure times listed below).

The Columbus has included this Port as a part of its Great Lakes cruise program since 1997 with the exception of 2003, due to a world cruise itinerary that year. The 400-passenger vessel is scheduled to visit Duluth three times in 2004—September 8, 16 and 24. Cruises for North Americans are offered by Great Lakes Cruise Co., an Ann Arbor, Mich., division of Conlin Travel.

The vessel’s call to Duluth on September 8 is part of a 10-night cruise for passengers that begins in Toronto, Ont., and ends in Chicago, Ill. Additional stops include Windsor, Midland, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and Mackinac Island. Columbus visits on September 16 and 24 are part of nine-night itineraries from Chicago to Sarnia, then Sarnia to Milwaukee.

The Duluth Convention and Visitors Bureau is assisting European Receptive Services in setting up “Duluth Sightseeing” and “Gooseberry Falls/Split Rock Lighthouse” shore tours during the day. The Visitors Bureau is also providing shuttle service from the ship to the Canal Park tourist district. The vessel’s September 24 visit will include an evening performance by the local Harbor Squares Square Dance Club. The vessel is scheduled to depart at 6 p.m. on September 8 and 16, and midnight on September 24.

Operated by Hapag-Lloyd Cruiseship Management, GmbH, Hamburg, the Columbus was built in 1997 at the MTW Shipyard, Wismar, Germany. It has five passenger decks that include a swimming pool, sauna, spa, gym hospital, library, boutique, salon, wine bar and a lounge with a stage and dance floor. The Bahamian-flagged ship is 472-4 feet long, and 70.5 feet wide.

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Rates and additional information available from:
Great Lakes Cruise Company, Website: www.greatlakescruising.com/
Telephone: (888) 891-0203l, Fax: (734) 677-1428,
Email: info@greatlakescruising.com

More Press Releases, 2004