Hello, Columbus!

By October 1997, Duluth-Superior had suffered 22 years without a visit from a luxury cruise ship. That's a long time for a Port that loves its ships.

Perhaps that's why the arrival of the definitely luxurious German cruise vessel Columbus was greeted with such enthusiam by the Port of Duluth-Superior. Even though public tours aboard the vessel were not allowed, more than 20,000 people trekked down to the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, Canal Park and the Duluth Ship Canal just to catch a glimpse of the elegant new ship.

Then only three months old, the 475-foot ship, operated by Hapag-Lloyd Tours Management of Hamburg, Germany, boasts five passenger decks that include a card room, library, cocktail lounge, shops, spa, sundeck and swimming pool.

The Harbor Line

We're No. 1

You Will Know Beans

LSW Needs Warehouse

Hello Columbus

Around the Port

First Call

Changing of the Guard

Port Gallery

Seaway Specials

Nautical Quilt

Taconite Record

No Vacancy

From Japan

Biotechnology and Agriculture

Cruise Ship Evokes Past

Back Cover

Except for an overnight repositioning cruise offered to North Americans, Hapag-Lloyd marketed its three 1997 Great Lakes cruises exclusively to Europeans and sold out all cabins in less than a month.

The Columbus will return to the Great Lakes for four cruises in 1998. She will make two stops in Duluth - Sept. 8-9 and 28. Two of the cruises will be available to North American passengers. The first one begins in Chicago on Sept. 24 and ends in Windsor, Ontario, on Oct. 2. The other departs Detroit on Oct. 3 and ends in Montreal on Oct. 14. To make cruise reservations, contact The Mariport Group Ltd., Cambridge, Ontario, at (800) 319-9997.

The cruises are scheduled between U.S. and Canadian ports, and not between American ports, because of the 1886 Passenger Services Act that prohibits foreign cruise ships from carrying passengers between U.S. ports. This "protection" is despite the fact that no large cruise vessels have been built in the U.S. for more than 40 years and only one ship in Hawaii presently provides such service.

The Seaway Port Authority of Duluth, the American Association of Port Authorities and numerous states, cities and travel associations are supporting federal legislation to stimulate coastwise cruising by large passenger liners. Persons interested in revitalizing U.S. luxury cruise service should contact the Cruising America Coalition, (406) 755-8687.