St. Lawrence Cruise Lines
253 Ontario St K7L 2Z4 Kingston, ON, Canada

Shared for our Canadian travellers.

Thanks to Kingstonist for sharing our good news. https://www.kingstonist.com//st-lawrence-cruise-lines-awa/

St. Lawrence Cruise Lines Awarded Safe Travels Stamp Recognized for Adopting Global Health & Safety Standardized Protocols Kingston, ON: St. Lawrence Cruise Lines has been awarded the #SafeTravels stamp accreditation ahead of the 2021 cruising season. The Safe Travels Stamp is an international symbol designed to help travellers recognize companies around the world that have adopted global standardized health and hygiene protocols intended to ensure that travellers can expe...rience ‘Safe Travels’. The accreditation was the result of enhanced health and safety measures that were developed and enacted by St. Lawrence Cruise Lines for their fall cruise schedule. The measures are specific to overnight small ship cruising within Canada, and include guest screening, reduced passenger loads, physical distancing, masking, and a ship-wide disinfectant program. In Ontario, the #SafeTravels Stamp is awarded through cooperation between the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) and the World Travel and Tourism Commission (WTTC). TIAO President and CEO Beth Potter said, We are delighted to confirm St. Lawrence Cruise Lines has been awarded the #SafeTravels Stamp. Across Canada, tourism businesses big and small are doing all they can to offer Canadians the perfect vacation. More and more Canadians are looking closer to home to escape from the challenges of the pandemic and rediscovering their own provinces. When they see the ‘Safe Travels Stamp’ has been awarded to the destination or hotel they’re planning to visit they will know that they are upholding the highest standards of health and safety and demonstrating they are adhering to the global health protocols issued by the WTTC. Preparation for the 2021 cruising season is already underway and travellers may call 1-800-267-7868 for booking availability. Information on the cruise schedule, itineraries, and safety measures is available at www.stlawrencecruiselines.com. https://www.stlawrencecruiselines.com//st-lawrence-cruise/ RTO 9 Visit Kingston

Writer Tim Johnson was on board for one of our fall cruises. This was part of his experience. https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5714/

St. Lawrence Cruise Lines Completes Fall Cruise Schedule Enhanced Safety Measures a Resounding Success for Small Ship Cruising - Full release at our website.... https://www.stlawrencecruiselines.com//st-lawrence-cruise/

Thanks to Trudy Campbell who shared these beautiful images of the 1000 Islands with us. These were taken during the most recent fall cruise.

Thanks to Kevin Fetter for sharing these two images of the Canadian Empress during a recent visit to Centeen Park in Brockville, ON. The Empress makes her return to Kingston tomorrow.

Thanks to Mate Ross Richardson for sharing these beautiful shots of sunset on the St. Lawrence River from our most recent fall cruise. The next cruise leaves from Kingston on Friday at 5PM.

The Canadian Empress departs for her second cruise of the season. The fall colours should be really starting to show on the river.

Early morning in Gananoque. Thanks to crew member Ross Richardson for sharing these shots from on board. The Canadian Empress returns to Kingston today at 2pm!

After the long wait, the day is finally here. Sunshine and blue skies to kick off the fall crising season.

The first pictures of the season are in and the river looks beautiful.

When travelers are ready, St. Lawrence Cruise Lines is here to take you on the St. Lawrence River. Groups could experience the beauty and history of the St. Law...rence River on a classic Canadian riverboat. www.stlawrencecruiselines.com Ps. St. Lawrence Cruise Lines will be celebrating 40 years on the river in 2021!

Downtown Kingston waterfront. Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises St. Lawrence Cruise Lines #ygk

Experience the sights and sounds of fall on the St. Lawrence River. Our fall cruise schedule is an opportunity for Canadian to travel close to home, with COVID-19 measures in effect on board. 4 night, 5 day return trips departing Kingston, ON. Starting September 18th.

St. Lawrence Cruise Lines is announcing a special fall cruise schedule for Canadian travelers from September 18 to October 20. COVID-19 safety measures will be in effect for all passengers and crew. The condensed schedule will consist of 5 return cruises of 4 nights, 5 days, travelling between Kingston and Morrisburg, Ontario. Cruise schedule, rates, itinerary, and safety measures are all available at stlawrencecruiselines.com, or call 1-800-267-7868 for more details. https://www.stlawrencecruiselines.com//st-lawrence-cruise-

This is the first summer in 40 years that the Canadian Empress has been berthed at Crawford Dock in Kingston and unable to cruise the St. Lawrence River. However, that hasn't stopped us from continuing our work to keep her beautiful and ready to receive passengers when it is safe to do so.

We hope everyone had a safe and healthy Canada Day yesterday. The Canadian Empress is now at her summer home at Crawford Dock in Kingston. She is looking more beautiful than ever, but unfortunately we do not have immediate plans for cruising until the current situation becomes clearer. Rest assured, we will be happy to share good news when we know more. In the meantime, we have been preparing the ship for the future and we look forwarding to sharing the river with you again soon.

CRUISE SCHEDULE UPDATE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 17, 2020... The following is an update for passengers, staff, and the greater cruising community regarding the operations of St. Lawrence Cruise Lines for the 2020 cruising season. This notice is being released in an effort to maintain open and transparent communications during this difficult time. First, I hope everyone had a Happy Easter for those that celebrate Easter, and that it was a happy holiday weekend for all. For many of us, it was a chance to connect with family this past weekend, whether it was through phonecalls or video chats or other means. In Kingston, we are still under direction to maintain social distancing, and our staff continues to work from home and serve customers. Transport Canada has recently released a notice that prohibits all commercial marine vessels with a capacity of more than 12 passengers from engaging in non-essential activities, such as tourism or recreation. These measures will remain in place until at least June 30. According to this directive, I have now canceled all June 2020 cruises, and reservations staff are in the process of calling affected passengers to update their status. St. Lawrence Cruise Lines will continue to take guidance from Canadian health authorities and Transport Canada, and we will be using the extended off-season to develop health and safety policies for our river cruises that comply with the regulations of these agencies. Please direct all booking inquiries through our toll free number 1-800-267-7868 or by email at [email protected]. Wishing good health to all, Jason Clark President St. Lawrence Cruise Lines *To stay up-to-date on all cruising announcements, please follow our newsfeed at http://stlawrencerivercruise.kingstonwebworks.com/

CRUISE SCHEDULE UPDATE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, 2020... The following is an update for passengers, staff, and the greater cruising community regarding the operations of St. Lawrence Cruise Lines for the 2020 cruising season. I am happy to report that at this time all cruise lines staff are safe and healthy. We have made a concerted effort as a company to enact policies of social distancing and working from home for the foreseeable future. I do regret to inform our passengers booked for May river cruises that a decision to cancel those cruises has been made as a matter of precaution for the health and safety of all. I will follow up with an update on June cruising dates no later than April 20th, which is 6 weeks before our first scheduled cruise of June. I appreciate the patience and support of passengers and staff as we navigate this ongoing situation. Our policies will continue to evolve and we shall continue to monitor the situation and stay up to date on the directions of Canadian health authorities. While our physical office remains closed, our office line is open during normal business hours (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) and our reservations staff continues to work to respond to cruising and booking inquiries through our toll free number 1-800-267-7868 and by email at [email protected]. Wishing good health to all, Jason Clark President St. Lawrence Cruise Lines *To stay up-to-date on all cruising announcements, please follow our newsfeed at http://stlawrencerivercruise.kingstonwebworks.com/

Cruising News and Announcements COVID-19 UPDATE March 24, 2020: The following is a brief update for passengers, staff, and the greater cruising community with regard to our policy moving forward during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows recent announcements by the Government of Ontario regarding workplace and community health and safety.... In an effort to continue to make our work environment safe for our employees and customers, we will be adopting the following policies and procedures: - Our office will be closed to clients, and office staff will be working remotely during normal business hours (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) as of March 25, 2020 and extending until further notice - Phone lines will be open during business hours and our reservations staff will continue to communicate with passengers and inquiries - Communication and business via email will continue as normal We will follow up with an additional announcement on the 2020 cruising schedule on March 31st, which is 6 weeks before our first scheduled cruise of the season. We appreciate the patience and support of passengers and staff as we navigate this ongoing situation, and we will provide further updates as required. Our policy will evolve and we shall continue to monitor the situation to stay up to date on the guidelines of health authorities. Please direct any questions moving forward to our reservations team at 1-800-267-7868. Wishing good health to all, Jason Clark President - St. Lawrence Cruise Lines

St. Lawrence Seaway Opens for 62nd Season https://greatlakes-seaway.com//seaway-opens-bringing-vita/

CRUISING NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Statement on COVID-19 Impacts Dear Traveller,... The health and safety of our passengers and crew is our number one priority. With recent news around coronavirus (COVID-19), we know that many of you have questions about the security of cruises and how we can maintain the highest levels of safety and comfort. St. Lawrence Cruise Lines has undergone a number of initiatives at this time to address passenger health and safety, and we wanted to pass that information along to you. Monitoring the situation - We are following updates from the World Health Organization (WHO), Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Government of Canada, and our local Kingston Health Unit in order to guide our decision-making and actions during this time. Planning for Prevention - While our cruising season is still two months away, we are taking precautions to ensure the health of our passengers and crew. This includes developing programs for the 2020 season for passenger screening, cleaning products, hand sanitation, and staff recruitment and training that will ensure everyones good health. We are taking the current situation seriously and we will continue to be vigilant about the health and safety of our passengers. In return, we ask our future passengers to exercise the same care and caution for your health. You can do this by practicing good hygiene, washing your hands frequently, seeing a medical professional if you are sick, and staying informed via the appropriate health authorities. There are two months remaining before the start of the 2020 cruising season. We are using this time to prepare our ship and crew for the cruise season. Additionally, St. Lawrence Cruise Lines will continue to closely monitor for new developments related to COVID-19 and will modify these policies as necessary with the utmost consideration for the health and safety of passengers and crew. Together, we can ensure a healthy and enjoyable cruising season. Jason Clark President - St. Lawrence Cruise Lines

Thanks to Active Life magazine.

Our Seaway Discovery Cruise is a 5-night return trip from Kingston, ON that explores the upper St. Lawrence River. Experience the breathtaking beauty of the river, and the history and culture of the Seaway Lock system. Departures June 6 - 11 and June 11 - 16. Call 1-800-267-7868 or visit www.stlawrencecruiselines.com/cruises/sead/

The Arthur Child Heritage Museum of the 1000 Islands in Gananoque is a frequent stop for our Canadian Empress. This postcard retrospective exhibit looks at steamboats of the 1000 Islands. The Empress (last image) doesn't look so out of place in this collection!

Happy New Year to all of our friends and fellow travelers! All the best to you in 2020 from the staff and crew at St. Lawrence Cruise Lines.

Looking to 2020: The Doran Bay Model Ship Museum is one of our newest excursions and it will be featured on 4 cruises this coming season. 40th Season Kickoff Cruise May 10 - 14 Seaway Discovery Cruise June 6 - 11 Seaway Discovery Cruise June 11 -16... 1000 Islands Heritage Cruise July 6 -13 To learn more about these cruises or request a detailed brochure, call 1-800-267-7868. http://www.doranbaymodelshipmuseum.com/

2020 is our 40th season on the river! Our 2020 Brochure is now available, and we have been mailing them out since mid-November. To request a brochure, call 1-800-267-7868 or you can request a digital copy at www.stlawrencecruiselines.com.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all our fellow travelers -- from all of the staff and crew at St. Lawrence Cruise Lines.

This is it! The 2019 cruise season has ended, and the Canadian Empress returns to her home port of Kingston, Ontario. Thanks to all of our passengers and crew for a wonderful season. We look forward to 2020 and we are already working to get the Empress ready for next year.

Thanks to William Lundy for sharing this image of our own Purser Trevor Houle entertaining passengers with his singing voice. Crysler Park Marina

Another beautiful sunrise in Trois Rivieres, Quebec...photos courtesy of Mate Ross Richardson. The Empress is currently on her way back to Kingston and will arrive on Thursday Aug. 29th.

Thanks to Ross Richardson for these photos of the Canadian Empress near Alexandria Bay on the US side of the river. A beautiful day, and the water is a beautiful shade of blue.

Some regional news featuring the 1000 Islands Boat Museum. The floating dock at the end of this new boathouse happens to also be the dock location for our Canadian Empress when she visits Gananoque! https://www.facebook.com/thousandislandsboatmuseum/

Thanks to Bjorn Risberg for sharing this great video that takes you all the way through one of our Upper River Expedition Cruises. This cruise was very recent - from July 28 to Aug 1. Our next available Upper River cruise is Sept. 8-12.

Now booking for September 8 -12. Our Upper River Expedition leaves Kingston for 5 days on the St. Lawrence River with highlights including the 1000 Islands and Upper Canada Village. Call 1-800-267-7868 for rates and availability, or visit https://www.stlawrencerivercruise.com/cruises/kar2/

Our 2020 Schedule and Rates are now available! For more information, please call our Reservations team at 1-800-267-7868. Updated itineraries will be available at www.stlawrencecruiselines.com by the end of August 2019.

Thanks to Mate Ross Richardson for sharing photos of the Canadian Empress as she passes through the 50+ ft. Carillon Lock on the Ottawa River.

Thanks to David Anderson for sharing this shot of the Canadian Empress passing through the Iroquois lock. Great to see so many out on the top deck to see the sights.

Canadian Empress, a replica heritage style steamboat operated by St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, is at the Morrisburg Docks this morning.

It is with great sadness that St. Lawrence Cruise Lines announces the passing of a long-time member of our cruise line family. Lorne Knutson served on our crew for 15 seasons, working as a Cruise Director from 1986-1995, and from 2011-2015. Lorne was renowned for his great love of cheesecake, and his tremendous care for the company, the ship, and especially for our passengers. His standards of hospitality were at the highest level. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family, as well as our thanks to them for sharing him with us for many wonderful seasons. In Lorne's honour, we are sailing with our company flag at half mast today.

Thanks to Ralph Cooper from The Morrisburg News for snapping some more great images of the Canadian Empress at Chrysler Park Marina near Morrisburg, Ontario.

Happy Independence Day to all passengers and fellow travelers from the United States! Just as we did for Canada Day, we will be celebrating tonight by treating our guests to a fireworks show...this time over Boldt Castle near Alexandria Bay, NY.

Happy Canada Day to all of our Canadian passengers and fellow travelers! Passengers on board the Canadian Empress will be celebrating the holiday tonight with fireworks in the Old Port of Montreal. *Montreal Fireworks Image Credit: Brianglobal - Dreamstime.com

Happy 60th Anniversary to the St. Lawrence Seaway - opened on this day June 26th, 1959 by Queen Elizabeth and President Eisenhower. More information available at http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com//seaw/seaway60/index.html