IMMEDIATE RELEASE            September 26, 2006

Duluth, Minn., U.S.A.—The German cruise vessel Columbus is scheduled to make her 10th visit to the Port of Duluth-Superior on Wednesday (September 27).

The vessel is scheduled to arrive at approximately 7 a.m. that day at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC) Berth, where Visit Duluth and the Duluth Seaway Port Authority will welcome Captain Ralf Zander. New security regulations require the specific docking location be closed to the general public, but citizens wishing to view the Columbus are encouraged to do so from the Canal Park and surrounding DECC area.

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 twice in 2006—September 27 and October 3. 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 27 is part of a 10-night cruise that begins in Toronto, Ont., and ends in Chicago, Ill. Additional stops include Windsor, Tobermory, Parry Sound, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and Mackinaw Island.

Visit Duluth is assisting European Receptive Services in setting up “Duluth Sightseeing” and “Gooseberry Falls/Split Rock Lighthouse” shore tours during the vessel’s day-stop here. There is also a “North Shore Tour” arranged by Great Adventure Tours, Canada, for North American passengers. The vessel is scheduled to depart via the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge at approximately 5 p.m. on Wednesday (September 27).

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) 891-0203, Fax: (734) 677-1428,
Email: info@greatlakescruising.com

More Press Releases, 2006