great lakes cruising

Has any one cruised on the great lakes? Which cruise line have you used?:)

It is nearly impossible to take a cruise on the Great Lakes.

The 2 entrances to the Great Lakes; the Chicago River and the Welland Canal, are so old and so small that only a very few small and old cruise ships can enter the Great Lakes. The only scheduled cruise ship on the Great Lakes is a German company that caters to Germans only.

It is nearly impossible to take a cruise on the Great Lakes.

The 2 entrances to the Great Lakes; the Chicago River and the Welland Canal, are so old and so small that only a very few small and old cruise ships can enter the Great Lakes. The only scheduled cruise ship on the Great Lakes is a German company that caters to Germans only.

The St. Lawerence Seaway (st lawerence river to the st lawerence river basin or something like that) connects the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Ontario. The Welland Canal connects Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. There are 7 ( I think) locks in the Welland Canal which make this possible. I watched a cruiseship in the main lock in St. Catharine's last summer. I hadn't seen a ship in the locks for years and my 80 year old dad loved explaining it all to his 20 year old grand daughter. Nice memory:)

I don't remember the cruise line name but there is a cruise from Ottawa down the Ottawa river to the St Lawrence and over to Kingston. I think it was around a 100 passengers and 3 days.

I don't remember the cruise line name but there is a cruise from Ottawa down the Ottawa river to the St Lawrence and over to Kingston. I think it was around a 100 passengers and 3 days.

We did a cruise on the Canadian Empress - the only ship in the St. Lawrence Cruise Line. It was a delightful cruise and a big change from the main line cruise lines. We would do it again when time permits. They have several different cruises of varying lengths. They do not go into the Great Lakes proper and do not make any port calls on the USA side of the St. Lawrence although they do sail in US waters.

Here is a link to their website: http://www.stlawrencerivercruise.com/

I posted before but...

There are only a couple of cruise lines now doing the Great Lakes

Blount & Pearl Seas

St Lawrence Cruiseline as noted only does the St Lawrence river area

We happened to be in Milwaukee for their summer music festival, Summerfest, and the MV Columbus sailed into the Port of Milwaukee. She was a large, regular size, cruise ship that was filled with nearly all Germans. I don't know if that ship still sails that itinerary, but it did make stops in Chicago and other Great Lakes cities.

We happened to be in Milwaukee for their summer music festival, Summerfest, and the MV Columbus sailed into the Port of Milwaukee. She was a large, regular size, cruise ship that was filled with nearly all Germans. I don't know if that ship still sails that itinerary, but it did make stops in Chicago and other Great Lakes cities.

I think last year was her last year sailing the great lakes

Years ago she sailed the route several time but then stopped for a few years

Apparently the M.S. Hamburg ( formally M.V. Columbus) will be sailing the Great Lakes in Sept/Oct 2014

It's a very small, no frills cruise but we've loved the trips taken with Blount. There's no casino, pool or spa and meal times are set but we like being able to not be in a cast of thousands. Nice to be called by name. Cabins are bare bones but clean. Meals are well-prepared and crew friendly and helpful.

Magical Lake Michigan begins and ends in Chicago and is done several times a year It was a great way to see this beautiful lake.

Last year we sailed from Duluth to Chicago with them (they had come up from Chicago) so got to enjoy Lakes Superior and Michigan. (Hard to believe seeing the pictures this winter of that area all in ice!) That trip was during the Tall Ships festival so got to see all those great ships, too. They do some others in the Great Lakes but I've forgotten exact ports so you'd have to check their small ships site.

Will enjoy another trip with them, leaving New York and ending up in Montreal. We'll definitely be sailing with them even more and hope they expand.

Not sure what all they allow posted on here but if you have specific questions, I have an account for this screen name at hotmail.

The only cruising I've done in this area is on our own personal boat :). There are many marinas in the area that rent boats, the waterways are not difficult to navigate (for the most part). You do need to watch the weather on the Great Lakes, it can go from smooth sailing to hair raising quite quickly.

Ottawa to Montreal via the Ottawa River, then to Kingston via the St Lawrence takes at least a week, and that's with a cabin cruiser and fantastic luck with the locks. The triad of Ottawa-Montreal-Kingston return usually takes about 2 weeks including sightseeing.

The Kawartha Voyageur does trips up and down the Rideau Canal, iirc the trips are a week long. It has cabins, dining rooms and other river boat-type feature. We often run into it going through our local locks, as we live less than 3 miles from the Rideau Canal.

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