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About Us

About the Vista Fleet

Duluth’s Original Lake Superior Cruise Company

Vista Fleet is Duluth’s locally owned harbor cruise company, offering narrated sightseeing tours, dinner cruises, sunset cruises, river tours, and private charter events on Lake Superior and the Duluth Harbor. Privately owned by Duluth husband-and-wife team Justin and Sarah Steinbach, Vista Fleet has become one of the most recognized attractions in Canal Park and the greater Duluth waterfront. What began as an excursion boat company has grown into a women-led hospitality team dedicated to creating unforgettable experiences on the water.

Our cruise season runs from early spring through late fall, offering:

  • Daily sightseeing cruises

  • Lake Superior dinner cruises

  • Sunset cruises

  • Duluth harbor and river tours

  • School field trips and motorcoach groups

  • Weddings and private charter events

  • Holiday and specialty themed cruises

Whether you’re visiting Duluth for the first time or planning a corporate event, rehearsal dinner, or family celebration, Vista Fleet is Duluth’s only floating event center and full-service excursion boat company.

Experience Duluth from the water

Our narrated cruises showcase the best of Duluth’s working waterfront and iconic landmarks, including:

  • The Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge

  • Canal Park

  • The Blatnik Bridge (High Bridge)

  • The Bong Bridge

  • CN and BNSF ore docks

  • Midwest Terminal and active shipping docks

Guests enjoy a blend of local storytelling, maritime history, entertaining narration, concessions, and a full onboard bar. Watching a 1,000-foot freighter pass beneath the Lift Bridge from the deck of Vista Star is something you simply cannot experience anywhere else.

Locally owned. Community driven.

Vista Fleet is proudly locally owned and operated. As a Duluth-based business, we partner with local organizations, caterers, vendors, musicians, and community groups to create events that feel rooted in the North Shore. Our leadership team is primarily women-led, with a strong focus on hospitality, safety, teamwork, and delivering experiences that feel welcoming and personal, not transactional.

We don’t just operate in Duluth. We live here. We raise families here. We believe Lake Superior is something to be respected, celebrated, and shared.

Part of a larger adventure ecosystem

Vista Fleet operates alongside our sister brands, Zenith Adventure & Zenith Basecamp, an experience hub & adventure lodge connecting guests to outdoor activities throughout Duluth and the North Shore.

Through Zenith Adventure, visitors can book curated local experiences, rentals, and guided outings that extend beyond the harbor, making it easy to plan a full Duluth adventure that includes both water and land-based exploration.

Together, these brands reflect a shared mission: helping travelers and locals experience Duluth in an active, connected, and meaningful way.

The Vista Fleet’s Core Values

  • Commitment-Understand the Value of Reputation
  • Passion for Hospitality, Outside Recreation, Adventure and Innovation
  • Effective Communication
  • Empathetic Leadership
  • Values Community

The Vista Fleet’s Tour Proven Process

Over the last 65 years we have serviced millions of customers from all over the world. During that time we have developed an unparalleled customer experience that makes Superior Memories. Your perspective of the Northland and Lake Superior will change with each trip in a new and exciting way. Detailed below is our proven process:

  • Make a reservation to ensure a spot upon desired cruise.
  • Arrive at Vista Fleet for boarding 30 minutes prior to departure.
  • Disembark from Vista Fleet docks promptly at given departure time.
  • You will see the Aerial Lift Bridge, Lake Superior, and the Twin Ports Industrial Harbor while being given a new perspective to the Northland and Lake Superior by our charismatic tour guides.