The ship Victory II was christened Monday morning at Navy Pier.
It was believed to be the first overnight cruise ship ever christened at the pier.
"It's majestic to see a boat like this at Navy Pier. It's not something you're used to seeing," said Jordan Engerman, Choose Chicago, VP of partnerships.
It's a smaller, higher-end cruise ship, geared toward adults who will travel on all five Great Lakes between Chicago and Toronto.
Some of the other stops include Mackinac Island, Detroit, Cleveland and Niagara Falls.
RELATED: Disney Treasure's inaugural voyage takes guests to Castaway Cay
Victory Cruise Lines is the only cruise line to ever dock at Navy Pier.
It can hold 190 guests, is 300-feet long and has 92 crew members.
"It's real big. That's what first struck my curiosity. I was just eating my breakfast over there, and I'm like, hmm that's a big ship," Logan Square resident Stephanie Knowles said. "I would love to take a trip across all the Great Lakes because I've only seen Lake Michigan and Lake Huron."
A 10-night cruise starts at $6,500 a person, and offers passengers a glimpse at the history of the region.
"We go from Chicago up to Escanaba to Mackinac Island, Sault Ste. Marie, Detroit, Cleveland, Niagara Falls and Toronto," Victory Cruise Lines founder and CEO John Waggoner said.
Waggoner, who was born in Elgin, said people can expect to catch either the Victory I or Victory II coming through Chicago about every week and a half.
Waggoner says passengers will see the Great Lakes in a way they've never experienced.
"Look at all the shipwrecks and the clear water, and you get to go to Door County and Sturgeon Bay, and then you get to hear about ship-building and building 1,000-foot freighters that can't get out of the Great Lakes," Waggoner said.
For Chicago, the cruise offering is another tourism driver. When the ship is docked, it serves as a big billboard to more than 9 million people who visit Navy Pier every year.
"Navy Pier is a huge regional attraction; now adding this just gives another reason for people to come to Chicago, another way to get here, another experience to come through the Great Lakes, through Lake Michigan," Engerman said.
The Victory II's maiden voyage leaves Monday. The first passengers of the new cruise ship were set to push off from Navy Pier at 6 p.m.
Visit victorycruiselines.com for more information.