If you’ve been scouring the internet for the Victory II cruise ship, you might feel like you’re chasing a ghost. One minute it’s there, appearing in old brochures for Great Lakes cruises, and the next, it’s vanished from the booking engines. It’s frustrating. Honestly, the cruise industry has a weird habit of renaming ships every time a company changes hands or a marketing department gets a "bright idea," and this vessel is the perfect example of that corporate musical chairs.
Here is the reality: the ship you are looking for isn't missing. It just changed its outfit.
The Victory II was a coastal cruiser that gained a cult following for doing something most massive ships can't—squeezing into the tiny, charming ports of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. It was built at the Atlantic Marine shipyard in Jacksonville, Florida, back in 2001. Originally, it wasn't even called Victory II. It started its life as the Cape Cod Light. But after some financial drama with its original owners, American Classic Voyages, it sat idle for years. Eventually, Victory Cruise Lines snatched it up, gave it a polish, and dubbed it the Victory II.
The Identity Crisis: From Victory II to Ocean Victory
You’ve probably seen the headlines about American Queen Voyages (AQV) shutting down. That’s the big pivot point. In 2019, the Hornblower Group bought Victory Cruise Lines and folded it into the American Queen brand.
The Victory II cruise ship was promptly rebranded as the Ocean Victory.
Wait. Not quite.
Actually, they named it the M/V Ocean Voyager.
See? It’s confusing even for people who follow this stuff for a living. To make matters more complicated, there is another vessel actually named the Ocean Victory which is an expedition ship designed for Alaska and Antarctica. Our former Victory II—the 202-guest coastal cruiser—became the Ocean Voyager.
Why does this matter to you? Because if you are trying to book a cabin on the "Victory II" today, you won’t find a single listing. You have to look at the secondary market or follow the ship's most recent acquisition. When American Queen Voyages went bankrupt in early 2024, the maritime world held its breath. People loved these small ships. They weren't floating cities with water slides and 5,000 screaming tourists. They were intimate. You could actually talk to the captain.
What It Was Actually Like Onboard
Forget the bells and whistles of Royal Caribbean.
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The Victory II cruise ship was about the destination, not the atrium. With a length of only 286 feet, it felt more like a large private yacht than a commercial liner. It had five decks, but only four were accessible to guests. The vibe was "shabby chic meets classic maritime." Think high-end wallpaper, heavy carpets, and a lot of brass. It felt old-school in a way that made you want to drink a gin and tonic while wearing a linen suit.
The cabins were small. Seriously. If you’re used to a suite on a modern mega-ship, the standard staterooms on the Victory II would feel like a walk-in closet. Most were around 160 square feet. But you didn't stay in the room. You were in the English-style Tavern or out on the Sun Deck watching the sunset over Lake Huron.
The food was surprisingly legit. Because they only had to cook for 200 people, the chefs could actually focus on quality. They did regional menus. If you were docked in Quebec, you were getting local cheeses and poutine-inspired elevated dishes. If you were in New England, it was lobster rolls. It was personal. The crew knew your name by the second day. That’s the magic of this specific ship size that we're losing as ships get bigger and more anonymous.
Where is the Victory II cruise ship today?
This is where the story gets a bit bittersweet for fans of Great Lakes cruising. After the American Queen Voyages bankruptcy, the assets were liquidated.
In a surprising twist, the American Queen Steamboat Company founder, John Waggoner, actually stepped back into the fray. His new venture, American Marine Group, ended up bidding on the vessels. However, the most recent data shows that the Ocean Voyager (the former Victory II) and its sister ship, the Ocean Navigator (the former Victory I), were sold.
The buyer?
A company out of Florida called Coastal Express LLC.
They weren't bought by a major cruise line. This usually means one of two things: either they are being refitted for a niche private charter service, or they are being moved to a different market entirely, perhaps outside of US waters. For now, the "Victory II" is in a state of transition. It is currently not sailing public itineraries for the 2025 or 2026 seasons under its old name or brand.
The Great Lakes Gap
The loss of the Victory II cruise ship from the Great Lakes circuit has left a massive hole in the market.
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There are only a few players left in this space:
- Viking Expeditions: They brought in the Viking Octantis and Viking Star. These are gorgeous, but they are "expedition" style. They are much larger than Victory II and have a very different, minimalist Scandinavian feel.
- Pearl Seas Cruises: Their ship, the Pearl Mist, is probably the closest thing you’ll find to the Victory II experience. It’s small, coastal, and hits those same niche ports like Parry Sound and Little Current.
- Hapag-Lloyd: They occasionally bring the Hanseatic Inspiration into the lakes, but it’s a luxury German product and priced accordingly.
Technical Specs That Actually Matter
If you’re a ship nerd, the Victory II was a "Coastal Victor" class ship.
It had a very shallow draft—only about 14 feet. This is the "secret sauce." Most cruise ships draw 25 to 30 feet of water. Because the Victory II was so shallow, it could navigate the Welland Canal with ease and pull right up to the pier in towns that don't even have a formal cruise terminal.
It was powered by two Enterprise DMG-36 diesel engines. It wasn't fast. It cruised at about 12 knots. But speed isn't the point when you're navigating the scenic narrows of the St. Lawrence. You wanted to go slow. You wanted to see the Thousand Islands.
Addressing the Misconceptions
I see a lot of people online saying the Victory II was "scrapped."
That is false.
As of the latest maritime registries, the vessel is still afloat and structurally sound. It has years of life left in it. The "death" of the Victory II was a financial one, not a mechanical one. The parent company, Hornblower, struggled with the debt load and the lingering effects of the 2020 cruise industry shutdown. The ship itself? It’s a workhorse.
Another misconception is that it was an "ocean" ship. While it was called Ocean Voyager later in life, it was never meant for the open Atlantic. It’s a coastal vessel. If you took this thing into a 40-foot swell in the middle of the ocean, you’d have a very bad time. It was designed for the relatively calm waters of the Great Lakes and the Intercoastal Waterway.
Why People Are Still Obsessed With It
There's a nostalgia for this ship.
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Maybe it’s because it represented a time when cruising was about the lecture in the lounge and the local historian who hopped on board in Mackinac Island. It wasn't about the "Ultimate Abyss" slide or the robot bartenders.
The Victory II was a social ship. Because there were only 200 guests, you ended up eating dinner with everyone at some point. By the end of a 10-day trip from Chicago to Toronto, you had 50 new friends. You can't get that on a ship with 6,000 people. You just can't.
How to Find a Similar Experience
Since you can't book the Victory II cruise ship right now, what do you do?
If you loved the Victory II, you should look at Pearl Seas Cruises. They are currently the primary operator of that specific style of "small-ship Americana" in the Great Lakes. Another option is Ponant, though they are significantly more expensive and have a French flair.
If you want the "coastal" feel but don't mind a different location, American Cruise Lines (ACL) is the giant in the room. They have a fleet of "Coastal Cats" and riverboats. Their new "Project Blue" ships are actually very similar in scale to what the Victory II offered—small, nimble, and focused on US ports.
Practical Steps for Former Victory Fans
- Check the Registry: If you’re a die-hard fan, keep an eye on the IMO number: 9210866. That is the ship’s permanent fingerprint. No matter what name they paint on the bow, that number stays the same. You can track its location in real-time on sites like MarineTraffic.
- Refunds and Credits: If you are one of the many people who had a "Victory" or "AQV" credit that went up in smoke during the bankruptcy, you need to file a claim through the assigned liquidation trust. The deadline for many of these has passed, but it’s always worth checking the official American Queen Voyages restructuring website for the latest updates on distributions.
- Look for "Coastal Voyager" Itineraries: Some boutique agencies are trying to charter these ships now that they are under new ownership. They might pop up under names you don't recognize.
The Victory II represents a specific era of American maritime travel. It was a bridge between the old-fashioned steamship style and the modern boutique cruise. While the name might be gone, the ship is still out there, likely waiting for its fourth or fifth reincarnation.
To move forward with your travel plans, stop searching for "Victory II" and start looking for "Small Ship Great Lakes Cruises" or "Pearl Mist Itineraries." The ship is gone for now, but the route—the rugged beauty of the Georgian Bay and the majesty of the Soo Locks—is still there, waiting for the next small vessel to come along.
If you’re looking to track the ship's current status, your best bet is to monitor the MARAD (Maritime Administration) records or the Coastal Express LLC filings. These will indicate if the ship is being brought back into Jones Act compliance for US domestic sailing or if it's being flagged for international waters. For most travelers, the chapter on the Victory II is closed, but the era of small-ship cruising in North America is actually just starting to see a massive reinvestment from newer, more stable lines.