parry sound ontario cruise ship

Island Queen Cruise

• See all photos

Similar Experiences

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Island Queen Cruise - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Parry Sound in Canada

Parry sound.

Parry Sound is a town located in the central portion of Ontario, Canada. It is located on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, part of the larger Lake Huron. The town is known for its stunning natural beauty, with its rugged hills, rocky shorelines, and lush forests. Parry Sound was first inhabited by First Nations people, who used the area for hunting and fishing. The first European settlers arrived in the area in the early 19th century. The town was named after the British explorer, William Edward Parry. The town is home to a variety of outdoor activities, including fishing, boating, and camping. The area also offers a wide range of cultural activities, such as the annual Festival of the Sound, which features classical music performances. Parry Sound is home to several important historical sites, including the Parry Sound Museum, which features exhibits on the area’s history, art, and culture. The museum also hosts events, such as the annual Festival of the Sound. The town is also home to the world’s longest freshwater boardwalk, the Parry Sound Boardwalk. The boardwalk stretches for over 4 kilometers along the shoreline of Georgian Bay, offering stunning views of the area’s natural beauty. Parry Sound is a popular tourist destination, offering a variety of activities and attractions for visitors to enjoy. With its stunning natural beauty, rich history, and vibrant cultural scene, Parry Sound is an ideal destination for those looking for a unique experience.

Excursion tips for a day in Parry Sound

Experience Parry Sound with unforgettable activities by our partner GetYourGuide. The offer is also ideal as a special gift idea for family and friends who are planning to visit Parry Sound. Cancellations are possible up to 24h before the start of the activity (unless otherwise stated in the activity description), with a full refund of the booking price.

The climate in Parry Sound

Parry Sound in Canada has four distinct seasons. In the winter, temperatures average around -10°C and there is usually plenty of snowfall. In the spring, temperatures warm up to around 10°C and the snow begins to melt. Summer is warm and humid, with temperatures reaching up to 25°C, and thunderstorms are common. Fall is mild and brings a mix of rain and sun, with temperatures cooling to around 10°C.

Cruise weather for Parry Sound

Our weather forecast for Parry Sound helps plan your stay according to the weather. For sunny days, pack light and breathable clothes, swimwear, and sunscreen. For winter weather, it's recommended to bring warm clothes, gloves, a hat, sturdy footwear, and a raincoat.

Cruises to Parry Sound

Would you like to travel to Parry Sound on a cruise ship or would you just like to know when a certain ship will dock there? Here you will find an overview of the cruise ships that will be calling at the port of Parry Sound.

Scheduled ship calls in Parry Sound, Canada

Alle zeigen

Galery: Parry Sound

Photos by cruise fans for cruise fans! Share your best pictures with the community and discover authentic images from travellers who have already been there.

- There are no photos available for Parry Sound yet.

Join in, show your holiday photos from Parry Sound

Share your holiday photos with the community and inspire others to their next adventure!

There are a few basic rules to follow

• Your picture should have been taken by yourself (the author) and fit into the current category.
• The picture should not show persons who do not agree to be published. An exception is made for people who only appear as an accessory in the picture. You can find an example of this exception [ heere ].
• Your image should not show any protected buildings, artwork, or other protected objects, unless the architecture is freely visible from a public street or square and the photo was taken from such a publicly accessible location. The same applies to artworks in public spaces that are permanently installed (panorama freedom).
• Naturally, you should ensure that your images are not discriminatory, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate.

Image Upload

Non-public information¹:

By uploading images to the website portguide.org, the user declares that he is the author of the works and that they are free of third-party rights. The author hereby grants DEVEY DIGITAL Inh. Oliver Devey the non-exclusive right to use the images on its websites. However, the user remains the sole owner of the images and has the right to revoke the granted usage right at any time. There is no entitlement to the publication of the images. The operator reserves the right not to publish the images if they violate applicable law or its guidelines. The operator assumes no liability for any claims by third parties regarding the use of the images.

¹If users provide images by uploading them on their own initiative, the name and address of the author will be stored in addition to the actual image file in reduced resolution (1280x720px) for the duration of the usage agreement. This personal data will not be published and will not be used for advertising purposes or shared with third parties under any circumstances. The information is required to be able to legitimize the author of a work, for example, in the event of subsequent modification requests.

Gender note: For the sake of readability, the male form has been chosen in the text, although the information refers to members of both genders.

Maritime AIS Data Parry Sound

Other ports within 300km of parry sound.

DEVEY DIGITAL • Postfach 11 13 49360 Vechta • Deutschland

The contents of this website are created with the greatest possible care. Nevertheless, all information is provided without any guarantee with regard to correctness, completeness and up-to-dateness.

deutsch english español

français italiano polski

Privacy policy Legal notice

WIR❤️KREUZFAHRTEN

30,000 Island Cruise Line

All aboard the Island Queen for a relaxing cruise through Georgian Bay’s 30,000 Islands, the largest concentration of freshwater islands in the world! Passengers can choose between two cruises, our Original Two-Hour Morning Cruise, offered daily in July and August, or our Flagship Three-Hour Afternoon Cruise, offered daily from June 1 to Thanksgiving Monday each season. Our two-hour morning cruise follows a meandering route past charming summer retreats that draw so many generations of families back to the inner islands of Georgian Bay. Our three-hour afternoon tour follows in the wake of early explorers as the captain’s bring the ship surprisingly up-close to the rugged shoreline of Parry Island and the Bay’s remote outer islands. On both tours, passengers enjoy a captain’s eye view of the islands as the ship meanders past granite shoals into narrow channels within an eco-system so unique that it has earned World Biosphere Reserve status from the United Nations.

The newest vessel in our fleet is our 40-passenger Islander! Passengers on the Islander have two tours to choose from, a lunch tour down the South Channel to Henry’s World Famous Fish Restaurant on Frying Pan Island and an eco-tour out to Huckleberry Island where the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve will lead a guided stroll along the shores of the Bay. For more information about schedules and prices, visit us online!

• Book Cruise
• Dinner Cruises

History and Background of M.V. Chippewa III

The M.V. Chippewa III (ex “Maid of the Mist”) is the oldest member of one of the world’s best-known line of small ships. In 1955, a terrible fire consumed the fleet of wooden-hulled Maids of the Mist. With the 1955 season fast approaching, the owners decided to rebuild the fleet in steel.

Build, Launch & Retirement

The well-known shipyard of Russel-Hipwell, in the Georgian Bay city of Owen Sound, was contracted to build this new generation of ships. Launched during the 1955 season, this stout little ship, based on a Canadian design for an Arctic research vessel, plied her trade in the boiling waters below the fall until 1990. She was then retired from that most famous fleet after 35 years of faithful service.

New Ownership

The summer of 1992 found her under new ownership and headed for Lake Ontario waters. Instead of walls of water, towers of glass and steel formed her unique backdrop in Toronto’s magnificent Harbour. The old name, carefully chiselled into her bow so long ago, was now painted over forever. She was now the M.V. Chippewa III and would sail old York Town’s Harbour until the spring of 1994. Fate then intervened again, and she was prepared for a move to a new home.

Celebrating 2nd Half Century!

A delivery crew cast off for the Welland Canal on the south side of Lake Ontario. There, she would be carried up and over the huge escarpment, which gives Niagara Falls its 59 m (195′) fall. Days later, the weary crew sailed into Parry Sound after a transit of Lakes Erie, Huron, and Georgian Bay. Since that time, Chippewa III has introduced thousands of people from all around the globe to the waters of Parry Sound and the magic of the 30,000 Islands.

In this, Chippewa’s second half-century, please join us to celebrate the life of this wonderful little ship and the beautiful northern waters she sails.

Parry Sound Cruise Lines

M.V. Chippewa III

Sightseeing cruises of the 30,000 Islands and Georgian Bay, including restaurant cruises, dinner cruises, sunset cruises and private charters.

Please join us to celebrate the life of this wonderful little ship and the beautiful northern waters she sails.

• THINGS TO DO
• PLACES TO VISIT
• SEARCH ATTRACTIONS
• Mothers Day Contest
• Art-Tractions Contest
• Passport Magazine and Coupon Book
• Field Trip Planner
• Search For Meeting & Event Spaces
• Gift Certificates & Memberships
• Virtual Tours & Online Collections
• Educational Activities For Kids
• Take Our Attractions Quiz
• Members Area

• Field Trip Planner For Educators
• Search For Meeting & Event Spaces
• Gift Certificates & Memberships
• Virtual Tours & Online Collections
• Event Listings

30,000 Island Cruise Line

Discover the rugged beauty of Georgian Bay’s 30,000 Islands, the largest concentration of freshwater islands in the world, aboard the 550-passenger Island Queen. Two and three-hour sightseeing cruises depart daily from the town dock in Parry Sound from June 1 to the Canadian Thanksgiving Monday in October.  Our two-hour morning cruise takes a meandering route around beautiful Huckleberry Island, past charming summer cottages and through narrow channels and shallow waterways that many locals consider the most picturesque on the Bay.  Our three-hour afternoon cruise follows in the wake of early explorers through the remote outer islands of the Bay.  These islands, shoals and waterways support an ecosystem so unique that the area has earned World Biosphere Reserve status from the United Nations.  Tickets for both cruises can be purchased online or at the ticket office.  Purchasing tickets early is strongly encouraged.  Free Parking at dockside. The Island Queen is a modern 132′ cruise ship, specially designed with easy maneuverability and a shallow draft, allowing our captain’s to meander into remote waterways and up-close to the natural beauty of the islands. The ship’s twin CAT diesel engines, twin five-bladed bronze propellers and special hull shape are designed to provide an extremely quiet, smooth and stable cruising experience.

New this year is the Islander, our 40-passenger vessel!  Four tours are available on board the Islander, a lunch tour to Henry’s World Famous Fish Restaurant on Frying Pan Island, a lunch tour to Craganmor Point Resort on McLaren Island, and eco-tours to both Huckleberry Island and Wreck Island where the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve will lead a guided stroll over the rocks!

DOWNLOAD COUPON – $10 off regular ticket

9 Bay Street Parry Sound P2A1S4

• (705) 746-2311 (800) 506-2628
• http://www.islandqueencruise.com

( 30,000 Island Cruise Line )

Claiming your business listing.

Please provide your business email which will be use for claim procedure.

Please provide your verification details which will be used for claim procedure.

NEW USER? TO SIGNUP ENTER AN EMAIL

Claim request is processed after verification..

Island Queen Cruise Island Queen Cruise

• Post a Listing
• Your Listings
• Your Profile
• Your Subscriptions
• Your Business
• Payment History
• Sign up for Daily Headlines
• Sign up for Notifications
• Industry News

Parry Sound prepping for record number of cruise ship visits

• Share by Email
• Share on Facebook
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share via Text Message

The Town of Parry Sound is preparing for a busy cruise ship season, with a record number of vessels set to arrive in port this year.

Six ships, operated by four different lines — from the United States, France, Germany, and Norway — will collectively make landfall 33 times between May 21 and October 20.

That number marks a 40 per cent increase in cruise ship visits from 2022, and will extend the area’s tourism season by a full month, noted Vladimir Shehovtsov, the town’s economic development officer.

“The fact that we will have five cruise ship visits in October alone is very encouraging,” he said.

Cruise ship activity on the Great Lakes is big business, generating an estimated US$125 million in overall economic activity in 2022, according to the industry association Cruise the Great Lakes .

Passengers typically board a vessel while it’s docked in a larger port city like Toronto or Chicago before spending seven to 14 days cruising the Great Lakes, stopping at various ports for day visits along the way.

As they go, passengers spend money on experiences and tours, transportation, food, and souvenirs, among other things, giving a big boost to the economies of the communities they visit.

Plus, the ships themselves serve as “tourism magnets” for local and out-of-town visitors who may have never before encountered such massive vessels, Shehovtsov said.

“These new, big, very high-tech ships, they actually attract visitors from southern Ontario who come, in many cases, specifically to look at those fantastic, huge ships come into Georgian Bay and dock at our waterfront,” he said.

This season kicks off on May 21 with the arrival of the Viking Octantis , a Norwegian Polar 6 Class ship, newly built in 2022, with capacity for 378 guests.

It’s one of a handful of European ships to have recently “discovered” the Great Lakes as a region worthy of exploration, Shehovtsov said.

With destination tourism trending among operators, demand has risen for travel to areas that are still considered pristine and fairly untouched by human activity, he noted. The Great Lakes area is considered by many operators to fit into that category.

Ships will sail to places like the Arctic during the high-activity season, and then dispatch their vessels to the Great Lakes in the off-season — that’s summer for us — enabling the ships to operate year-round.

And as the Ukraine-Russia war continues, limiting operators’ access to the Black and Baltic Seas, the Great Lakes offer an unhampered alternative.

“Those operators are reallocating their cruise ships from Europe to new destinations, and the Great Lakes offer a new opportunity in a safe, predictable market, which is basically shared by Canada and the U.S.,” Shehovtsov said.

Upon arrival in Parry Sound, passengers will be greeted by attendants at an information kiosk chock full of pamphlets, flyers, maps, and other helpful documents that assist passengers in planning out their visit.

Interpreters fluent in French and German are available to provide translation services, and a shuttle bus runs downtown every 20 minutes to transport passengers between the dock and locations throughout town.

“We make life easier for the cruise ship operators, and they like to bring their ships to town because they know that they and their passengers will be well taken care of,” Shehovtsov said.

Last year, the town worked closely with local small enterprises to engage passengers and bump up business.

Trestle Brewing , a local craft brewery, offered beer tastings on board some of the ships, while Parry Sound Bikes , which had previously solely provided bicycle sales and service, began hosting guided bike tours along the waterfront.

This year, the town will set up five waterfront kiosks featuring local small businesses and artisans, including Indigenous creators, selling their wares. Shehovtsov is also in talks with the organizers of Festival of the Sound , the region’s signature summer music festival, to see if the times of some performances can be adjusted to accommodate cruise ship passengers.

Yet the town believes there’s more it can do to fully harness the potential presented by the industry, including encouraging more overnight visits to keep the ships in port longer. This year, the Pearl Mist , a U.S. ship that’s visited Parry Sound before, will overnight for two visits.

The town is also currently in talks with new entrants to the region, hailing from Europe, Australia and Asia, to include Parry Sound on its itinerary.

“I think in two years, the Town of Parry Sound may see up to 40 cruise ship visits per season,” Shehovtsov predicted.

Looking four to five years ahead, the economic development officer said his goal would be to secure Parry Sound as a turnaround port — the starting or finishing point for a cruise where passengers arrive one to two days ahead of their trip.

That will require a significant financial investment on the part of the town, however, since it would need to upgrade its power and wastewater services to accommodate the needs of the massive ships.

Shehovtsov said inspections on the existing infrastructure will get underway this summer to give the town a clearer picture of the feasibility of that plan.

“When we only have 10 to 12 visits of cruise ships per season, the town thought of it as secondary,” he said.

“Now, with the explosive growth of cruise ship visits to the town, we are starting to look into the cruise ship industry very, very seriously.”

• See a typo/mistake?
• Have a story/tip?

This has been shared 0 times

Get your free northern ontario business news briefing., more tourism.

• Oldest Newest

Parry Sound ON cruise port

Canada and usa rivers.

• Coordinates 45.338, -80.036
• Local Time 2024-04-17 23:13

Parry Sound ON cruise ship schedule

• Temperature

Viking Cruise to focus on Nature and Culture

A unique pilot project has started between the Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere (GBB) and Viking. The Viking Octantis is an expedition cruise ship taking an 8-day route in the Great Lakes that includes three days along eastern Georgian Bay, with a focus on the UNESCO biosphere region and local excursions for guests.

“As educators, we want to welcome visitors and teach them why this area is so special,” said Madyson Taylor, Sustainable Tourism Manager for GBB. “We also want to ensure that local livelihoods in tourism are being supported and that Indigenous culture, Anishinaabek territory and the Great Lakes are being respected. Visitor education is something we’ve always done but this year it’s on a larger scale.”

Viking plans to offer tours with local guides, including landscape painting classes, hiking in Killbear Provincial Park, kayaking and zodiac tours, Anishinaabek youth teaching about their birch bark canoe, bike tours along the waterfront, a cranberry farm and winery tour, and a Biosphere tour of butterfly gardens, honeybee apiary and turtle lab.

“The Great Lakes have been opened to the cruise industry. We want to share our values with new partners and to help their guests understand why we are a world biosphere region designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),” said Ron Chase, chair of GBB.

Dr. Becky Pollock, executive director of GBB added: “This pilot is designed around education, science, culture and support for our local economy. We are experimenting with ways to create a travel experience that fits our smaller communities and provides guests opportunities for enrichment and learning that is unique to this place. We also benefit from scientific information gathered by Viking’s equipment, that will help us to understand the health of Georgian Bay and how it is changing over time.”

“In creating ‘the thinking person’s expedition,’ we are offering curious travelers the opportunity to visit some of the most pristine destinations on earth in the most responsible way possible,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking, in a company press release.

Ben John is Climate and Energy Programs Manager for GBB. He said: “The Viking Octantis seems to be an excellent example of how sustainable operations can have economic and environmental benefits. Along with heat recovery systems and an electric propulsion system, the vessel has an integrated bow that creates a longer waterline. Together, these features reduce water resistance, create more efficient propulsion, and in turn results in less fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, these features allow the ship to exceed the International Maritime Organization’s Energy Efficiency Design Index by almost 38%.”

Through a zero-emission chemical incineration process, Viking is able to treat its waste onboard. John explained: “From a lifecycle perspective, this is a major achievement as it eliminates the need to offload and transport waste, avoiding the additional emissions produced during transport and while waste decomposes in our local landfills. While in port, the Viking ship has also been designed to operate solely on electricity, eliminating the need to idle and operate on fossil fuels. Together, all these systems and processes reduce operating costs and avoid the production of GHG emissions in the Biosphere region.” Other ship features include bird-safe lighting developed by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a science lab, and two small submarines that can detach from the ship.

Tour operators see it as a win-win for their business and for tourists. “Offering bike tours is a new avenue for Parry Sound Bikes,” said owner Aleesha Mullen. “Working with Viking has allowed us the opportunity to grow our business and hire new staff. Our guides love this area and look forward to sharing that love with visitors while showing off our waterfront by bike.”

Parry Sound will see 20 ports of call from cruise ships in 2022, according to Vladimir Shehovtsov, Economic Development Officer for the Town of Parry Sound. “Tourism recovery from Covid-19 is a priority for our community,” he says, “and is supported by federal and provincial agencies. Cruise ships represent an opportunity for Parry Sound to grow and to showcase the Biosphere internationally.”

One of the tours is led by the Georgian Bay Anishinaabek Youth (GBAY) – an Indigenous youth-led grassroots initiative for cultural land-based learning. Kyla Judge is Anishinaabekwe and a founding member and she said: “This summer, we have a really unique opportunity to share our stories, our experiences as Anishinaabek youth – and to gain some compensation as reciprocity for the value of that knowledge and our work to revitalize our culture.”

Judge said visitor education in the region has been lacking in Treaty education, cultural knowledge, history, and awareness. “GBAY has the opportunity to change and rewrite the narrative. We have the opportunity to share our love for Mnidoo Gamii (Georgian Bay), to share the stories and the language of the land as told by the original caretakers. Through this work, we are building leadership among youth. I can’t think of a better way to spend the summer than to be out on the bay paddling Oshkinigig, our birch bark canoe.”

We want to hear from you! We know that there are concerns about our involvement in this pilot project with Viking Cruises; we share some of these concerns and respect your views. Please connect with Becky Pollock, our executive director, to share your questions and thoughts about tourism in a UNESCO biosphere region. She can be reached at 705.774.0978 or by email.

Thank you, Miigwech.

Support Your Biosphere

With your support, we can expand our impact in the Georgian Bay region through conservation and education.

We are a registered Canadian charity #87100 1335 RR0001