Cruise St Lawrence has announced that in 2025, Ponant's expedition cruise ship, Le Commandant Charcot, will embark on four 12-night sailings on the Saint Lawrence River during the winter season.
This marks the first time a cruise ship will operate in the river during winter. The scheduled itinerary includes several ports of call along Saint Lawrence Seaway, such as Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Gaspe, Sept-Iles, Saguenay, and Quebec City. Quebec and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon will serve as the embarkation and disembarkation points for the cruises.
To provide passengers with immersive experiences of the region's offerings during winter, the itineraries may feature longer stopovers, including at least one overnight stay.
Cruise St Lawrence, the organization that promotes the river cruise industry, expressed excitement about this North American premiere.
Rene Trepanier, the Executive Director of Cruise the Saint Lawrence, stated that for nearly a decade, they had been promoting unique winter landscapes and shore activities to expedition cruise operators. Finally, their efforts seemed to have paid off with the announcement of this thrilling event.