The Victorian Princess, Erie's haunted cruise ship

Jun 29, 2023

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Experience Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie with a trip on the Victorian Princess. This local paddle-wheel ship hosts happy hours, moonlight cruises, drag shows and more.

Built in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1986, the Victorian Princess is 107 feet long, weighs almost 50 tons, sports three decks and is driven by two 14-paddled wheels, according to the ship’s website. The boat first sailed in Florida as The Rosie O’Shea before making its way to Erie as a cruise experience.

Duryea “Dee” Gette, the ship’s owner and cruise director, said, “I think it’s a unique experience, a single-wheel paddleboat. You think you’re in New Orleans.”

Don Cowey has been the ship captain since 2013. He says he could run the boat in as little as four-and-a-half feet of water: “It’ll look like a chocolate milkshake behind it, but it’ll do it!”

There’s one thing you should know, though, before heading onboard: Gette believes the ship is haunted. It all goes back to the woman the ship was originally named after.

Watch the video above to hear the Victorian Princess’s captain share the history of the spirit haunting the ship.

Haunted or not, this is the best way to take in Erie’s waterfront.