ONBOARD VICTORY I — When Victory Cruise Lines founder and chairman John Waggoner greets officers and crew in the passageways of Victory I during a ship tour, there are hugs, handshakes and big smiles all around.

Clearly the genuine hospitality thatʻs made Victory Cruise Linesʻ two ships so popular with passengers starts at the very top – with Waggoner himself.

Itʻs no doubt that personable approach to everything he does that helped Waggoner “get the band back together,” as he put it, after he bought Victory I and Victory II and prepared to re-launch Victory Cruise Lines.

The company comes with a backstory that has plenty of twists and turns.

Victory I at Port Toronto

Waggoner is well-known in the industry as the founder of American Queen Voyages (AQV), with its beautiful and historic fleet of paddlewheelers. AQV acquired Victory Cruise Lines, in its original incarnation, back in 2019. After Hornblower Group bought AQV and Victory – and then announced AQV’s bankruptcy and its own acquisition in February 2024 – the Victory I and Victory II went up for sale. In something like a full circle moment, Waggoner bought Victory I and Victory II that spring.

Waggoner then had just three months before the company launched. “We got the boats in April and we launched in July. We had to get the reservations department up and running, hire staff, do the marketing, everything,” he told Travelweek. Even the shipsʻ helpful Victory app was developed during that pre-launch blur.

A self-described ‘analog guy’, Waggoner was ultimately thrilled with the ease of use of the Victory app

The hard work of Waggoner and his team paid off. Reservations opened in summer 2024 and Victory I was christened right here in Toronto this past spring. This inaugural 2025 season features 33 departures, many visiting all five Great Lakes. The cruise line is also the only company to dock at Chicago’s downtown Navy Pier, where Victory II was christened this past May. Both ships are operating 10-15 night voyages from Chicago, Toronto, Milwaukee and Montreal through October.

Waggoner had a strong product, especially for U.S. and Canadian travellers. Then came the U.S. election, the tariffs, the trade war and the sudden and drastic drop in Canada-to-U.S. travel.

He acknowledges that the number of Canadian passengers this year has been “lower than we would like it to be.”

Undaunted by the fact that many vacationers here are currently avoiding the U.S., Waggoner is pressing ahead with plans to court Canadians. “When we started, we had to focus on the market we know, the U.S. But for 2026 weʻll be focusing on both the U.S. and Canada,” he said.

“People do want to travel,” he added. “Weʻre a great alternative for Canadian travellers. Many can sail from their own city. And weʻre the only ones out here. In Europe, river cruises are stacked boat after boat.”

Waggoner said this inaugural season started off with 50% occupancy rates in April and May, and then gained momentum with 85% occupancy in the second half of the season. The last six cruises for 2025 are sold out.

ALL-INCLUSIVE, SMALL SHIP COASTAL CRUISING

Victory I and Victory II were both purpose-built for the Great Lakes, and Victory Cruise Linesʻ mandate is all-inclusive, small ship, coastal cruising.

The most popular itinerary is a 10-night sailing between Toronto and Chicago including a pre-cruise hotel stay, with ports of call including Port Colborne (Niagara Falls), Cleveland, Detroit, Sault Ste. Marie, Mackinac Island and Escanaba, Michigan.

Each Victory Cruise Lines voyage includes …

• One-night pre-cruise hotel stay with complimentary ground transfers between the hotel and ship and from the ship to the airport
• All water view accommodations, some with veranda
• An included shore excursion in every port, from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland to the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Detroit
• Acclaimed cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner served in multiple venues plus culinary events throughout each cruise
• Gourmet selections including freshly prepared lobster and regionally-inspired dishes
• Unlimited beverages including an extensive wine list, choice spirits, local craft beers and specialty coffees
• Open bars and lounges throughout the vessel
• Unlimited WiFi
• Live, daily onboard entertainment and enrichment with the ‘LakeLorians’
• Hiking sticks

Both Victory I and Victory II carry 190 passengers. Waggoner said that while the ships donʻt necessarily cater to kids, families are welcome, and many multi-gen groups have sailed with Victory this season. “Weʻve also seen a lot of mother-daughter duos,” he added.

Waggoner is proud of the shipsʻ culinary offering, bolstered by The Grill, a new space with stunning views (for dinner, it transforms into the Tuscan Stone Grill featuring ʻhot rockʻ cooking). The Coastal Dining Room is the main dining venue; renovations have delivered a first-class space thatʻs intimate but with enough capacity to seat all passengers. The Tavern is modelled after an English-style pub, while the Compass Lounge is the heart of the ship, for entertainment, dancing, conversation and more.

Accommodation ranges from Outside Staterooms, to Club Level Deluxe Outside Staterooms with Veranda, to an Ownerʻs Suite with Semi-Private Veranda.

For 2026, Victory Cruise Lines will offer 43 sailings on its two ships, including 26 turnarounds in Toronto.

According to Waggoner, some 50% of Victoryʻs bookings come through travel advisors. “We always count on travel advisors,” he said.

A new travel advisor portal is in the works and slated for launch in 2026.

What else is coming for 2026, or maybe even earlier? “Weʻre looking at hiring a BDM for the Canadian market,” Waggoner told Travelweek.

For more information see VictoryCruiseLines.com.

Captain Gary Kerr onboard Victory I with Victory Cruise Lines’ founder and chairman John Waggoner