great lakes cruises detroit

Detroit , Michigan

New is a word familiar in Detroit. New restaurants, entertainment districts, retailers and businesses are everywhere. All this exciting development is a sign that it’s GO time in Detroit — an undeniable IT place to visit with its own take on renewal that’s inspiring.

Popular shore excursions

• Visit the Motown Museum where the international Motown sound was first recorded.
• Relish in the city’s renowned public art.
• Walk through art history in the Detroit Museum of Art, home to more than 100 galleries.
• Put yourself in the center of the action at Campus Martius Park.
• Take in America’s pastime with a Tiger’s game at Comerica Park.

Cruise Lines

Listed below are the cruise lines that dock at this port.

American Queen Voyages

Pearl Seas Cruises

St. Lawrence Cruise Lines

Great Lakes Cruises

7 best great lakes cruises for 2024-2025, a voyage along the great lakes – with smithsonian journeys, expedition in the heart of the american great lakes, lake superior – a life-sized expedition, great lakes - masterpieces of nature, great lakes - wilderness and history on vast lake backdrops, great lakes and st lawrence river - unlocking the american dream, st lawrence river and nova scotia - canada's lifeline amidst indian summer colors, top great lakes cruise ships for 2024-2025, great lakes cruise tips & travel guide, top cruise ports in the great lakes.

• Lake Superior
• Lake Michigan
• Lake Ontario

Best time to take a Great Lakes cruise

• Cleveland 
• Niagara Falls (Port Colborne)
• Toronto 
• Montreal 
• Quebec City  ( Quebec )
• Mackinac Island
• Sault Ste. Marie

How to choose a Great Lakes & St. Lawrence River Cruise

The best great lakes for cruising, top things to see and do on a great lakes cruise, faqs: great lakes cruises, top great lakes travel destinations.

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Great Lakes Trips by Activity

• Great Lakes hiking (5)
• Great Lakes village visits (3)
• Great Lakes kayaking (3)
• Great Lakes urban exploration (3)

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Great Lakes Cruises

On our unique Great Lakes tour boats, you will traverse great depths, watch the sun rise and set over distant horizons and learn compelling details about the region — both on- and offshore. Along the way, enjoy stops at local wineries, historic lighthouses, museums, aquariums, renowned restaurants and so much more! Niagara Great Lakes Cruise As you’ll discover when you click on the individual Great Lakes cruises listed below, each and every one of our trips has something to write home about.

With our Niagara and the Great Lakes trip , for example, you can write about the sheer volume of water cascading over the world-famous Niagara Falls. (For the record, more than 3,000 tons of water cascade over the falls every second!) The roar can be heard for miles, and you’ll have a front-row seat to this magnificent natural wonder.

Or a bird’s eye view if you opt for the helicopter .

And that’s just the beginning! What follows is a trip that comprises eight days and seven nights of splendor aboard the sleek, modern Viking Octantis . Your cross-two-countries trip will include visits to Point Pelee, Ontario, Detroit, Michigan, the Thunder Bay National Maritime Sanctuary, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where you’ll disembark.

Intrigued? There’s more where that trip came from. USA River Cruises offers a multitude of Great Lakes cruises — something for every taste. Chicago to New York City Great Lakes Cruise Our Great American Waterways: Chicago to NYC trip is a case in point. Onboard the Grand Caribe , which was refurbished in 2009 and carries 84 passengers, you’ll have a grand time cruising across several great lakes. Starting in the Windy City, you’ll traverse Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. You’ll even get a taste of life on the famous Erie Canal and the Hudson River as you wind your way toward the Atlantic Ocean.

This cruise takes its time: 16 days and 15 nights, to be exact. With scenery that rivals any in North America, you’ll see vast cityscapes and picturesque villages in abundance.

Stops include Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Mackinac Island, Michigan, where horse-drawn carriages are likely the only traffic you’ll see, and Cleveland, Ohio, home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The itinerary also includes Buffalo, New York, Rochester, New York, and finally New York City. We promise you’ll be a changed person once you disembark in the Big Apple. Seeing the country from a USA River Cruise is a special kind of experience, after all. USA River Cruises: Great Lakes Cruises That’s just two of our exciting cruises. There’s so much to explore, and we try to design cruise itineraries that make time for both natural and manmade wonders.

Give us a call today to get started on your own Great Lakes Cruise adventure!

Niagara & the Great Lakes-Viking Polaris

Toronto to Milwaukee

• May 11, 2024, September 17, 2024, September 24, 2024 -- 8 more dates available.
• From $6,295
• Viking Polaris

St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes

Quebec City, QC to Milwaukee, WI

• April 28, 2024, September 20, 2024, April 27, 2025 -- 1 more date available.
• From $10,410

Great Lakes Explorer

Toronto, ON to Duluth, MN

• June 14, 2024, June 15, 2024, June 28, 2024 -- 1 more date available.
• From $11,580
• New Great Lakes Itinerary for 2024!!

Longitudinal World Cruise IV

Milwaukee, WI to Ushuaia, Argentina

• September 15, 2025
• From $44,995
• Viking Octantis
• Once in a Lifetime Cruise!! Save up to $6000 off per Stateroom and Free Business Class Air!!

Great Lakes Collection

Duluth, MN to Toronto, ON

• May 23, 2024, June 6, 2024, July 6, 2024 -- 11 more dates available.
• From $14,495

Viking Great Lakes Explorer

Milwaukee to Thunder Bay

• June 1, 2024, June 27, 2024, July 11, 2024 -- 4 more dates available.
• From $6,995

Undiscovered Great Lakes

Thunder Bay to Milwaukee

• June 8, 2024, July 4, 2024, July 18, 2024 -- 1 more date available.

Niagara & the Great Lakes-Viking Octantis

• May 25, 2024, June 15, 2024, June 20, 2024 -- 16 more dates available.

Canadian Discovery

New York to Toronto

• August 3, 2024, August 15, 2024, April 11, 2025 -- 1 more date available.
• From $10,995
• Save up to $2000 per Couple + FREE RT Airfare on Select Sailings!

7-Night Great Lakes & Georgian Bay Cruise

Milwaukee to Toronto

• August 15, 2024, August 22, 2024
• From $6,480

Great Lakes and Georgian Bay Cruise

• May 13, 2024, May 24, 2024, June 4, 2024 -- 5 more dates available.
• From $9,160
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Great Lakes Cruises

Discover natural wonders: from outstanding beauty to historic cities and a deep connection to nature, the Great Lakes are an undiscovered treasure, boasting stunning national parks best explored via tranquil kayaking and hiking. This area is also rich in culture, with world-class museums, vibrant cities and areas steeped in First Nations traditions.

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Highlights of great lakes cruises.

America’s Great Lakes are a little-known, unspoiled wonderland, boasting diverse natural beauty, scenic wildlife and some of the most interesting cities in North America. Over 750 miles across with 10,000 miles of coastline, the Great Lakes cover an area twice as large as Pennsylvania. Glide silently by kayak past otters in Georgian Bay, hear the roar of Niagara Falls, hike through verdant old forests or visit Canada’s prominent museums to marvel at art inspired by these shores. Here are some highlights you may experience during your journey:

• Explore the largest freshwater ecosystem on earth—the Great Lakes
• Watch for wildlife, from bald eagles to moose, bears and beavers
• Hike through stunning forests in this pristine environment
• Learn about Canada’s colonial past and the St. Lawrence River
• Kayak in stunning Georgian Bay—a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
• View the world-class collection of the Milwaukee Art Museum
• Explore tranquil, scenic Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
• Transit engineering marvels like the Welland Canal and Soo Locks

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You are here: Home » Destinations » Detroit/Windsor

Detroit/Windsor

Just outside of Detroit, you can visit the Henry Ford Museum, created to document the genius of ordinary people. Housed in a sweeping, nine-acre, single-floor space with soaring 40-foot ceilings, the design and sheer scope of the museum is as grand as the vision that inspired it. Local expert docents will escort guests to see the museum’s highlights that include: the limousine that carried President John F. Kennedy on that fateful day in Texas, the bus in which Rosa Parks stood her ground and sparked the Civil Rights movement, and the chair from the Ford Theatre in which Abraham Lincoln was sitting when he was shot.

Windsor is located on the south bank of the Detroit River, directly across from Detroit, Michigan. These two cities are connected by the Ambassador Bridge and contribute to making it the busiest international border crossing in North America.

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Great Lakes cruise guide: Best itineraries, planning tips and things to do

The Great Lakes probably isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think of cruising. But in recent years, the region has grown enormously as a cruise destination — and for good reason. Touring the Great Lakes by ship is by far the easiest way to see a wide range of the area's attractions — from vibrant cities to natural wonders — in a single trip.

When planning Great Lakes cruises, you have many things to consider: when to go for the best Great Lakes cruise experience, which cruise line is best suited to your travel style, the best Great Lakes cruise ports to visit and which shoreside activities you want to prioritize. It's not the kind of trip you want to throw together at the last minute, especially since the best fare deals typically go to organized travelers who book early.

For more cruise guides, news and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Here, The Points Guy offers up a guide to everything you need to know about planning a sailing in the Great Lakes.

Why cruise the Great Lakes?

The Great Lakes region may not be a bucket list destination on the scale of Alaska or Antarctica. But it has a lot to offer — more than many people may realize.

Along the banks of the five lakes that are at the core of the region — Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior — you'll find some of Middle America's greatest cities, charming small towns, historic sites and wonders both natural and human-made. Plus, there are the lakes themselves, which together are roughly the size of the U.K. and make up the largest freshwater ecosystem on the planet. Accounting for 21% of all the world's fresh water, they truly are a marvel.

All this can be seen via an overland trip, of course, and many people explore the Great Lakes region by car or on motorcoach tours. But the region is so sprawling — the Great Lakes touch eight U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario — that logistically it's almost impossible to experience the area in a broad way on a single trip without going by ship.

On a single Great Lakes cruise, you can see the world-class architecture and museums of Chicago, take a carriage ride through the carless streets of Mackinac Island, Michigan, and gaze upon the splendor that is Niagara Falls along the New York border — all without having to get behind the wheel of a car or unpacking and re-packing your suitcase more than once.

When do cruises go to the Great Lakes?

The Great Lakes cruise season is a short one, due mostly to the weather. With winters being cold and snowy in the region, cruise lines stick to the warmer months of May to September for Great Lakes sailings.

The weather isn't the only limiting factor. The cruise season in the Great Lakes is also limited in its length by the opening and closing of the St. Lawrence Seaway — the system of locks, canals and channels that connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Cruise vessels that operate in the Great Lakes can't access the region until the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway open for the summer, something that typically happens the last week of March. They need to be out of the Great Lakes before the St. Lawrence Seaway closes for the winter (typically in December).

Great Lakes cruise weather can be chilly at the start of the season, with low temperatures in the 40s in May in some areas and highs in the 60s. It warms up considerably by July and August, with high temperatures in the 70s and 80s.

When you want to go will depend on which activities you want to do, how you feel about cool weather and the price. Cruises at the beginning of the Great Lakes cruise season in May are generally a bit less expensive than those in June, July, August and September.

Best Great Lakes itineraries

A relatively small number of ships sail in the Great Lakes during any given year. But, even so, they offer a wide range of Great Lakes itineraries. Some of the ships that operate in the region will alternate between three or even four different routes during the short summer season, giving you lots of choices.

Lengthwise, you'll find Great Lakes voyages ranging from seven to 15 nights. Some of the sailings travel across all five of the Great Lakes. Others focus on just three or four of the interconnected bodies of water. Some of the ships also offer sailings that combine travel on one or more of the Great Lakes with a passage through the St. Lawrence Seaway. In some cases, these latter trips include travel all the way to Montreal.

The diversity in Great Lakes itineraries extends to their start and end points. A large percentage of all Great Lakes cruises begin or end in Chicago, Milwaukee or Toronto. But there also are Great Lakes sailings that begin or end in Thunder Bay, Ontario; Duluth, Minnesota; Montreal and Detroit.

In most cases, Great Lakes sailings are one-way trips. You'll start in, say, Toronto, and work your way west to Chicago — or vice versa.

Some Great Lakes itineraries only include stops at relatively small towns such as Midland, Parry Sound and Little Current in Ontario; and Muskegon, Marquette and Houghton in Michigan. Others mix in calls at some of the bigger cities of the Great Lakes region, notably Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland and Toronto. On longer sailings, vessels often will overnight in such places as Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Thunder Bay.

Car-free Mackinac Island at the top of Michigan is a common stop on Great Lakes voyages, as is Niagara Falls, which sits between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

Pro tip: If your Great Lakes cruise begins or ends in Chicago, Milwaukee or Toronto, add a pre- or post-cruise stay of a night or two in the cities to see them in more depth.

Best Great Lakes cruise lines

Most of the world's biggest cruise lines — including Royal Caribbean , Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line — can't operate in the Great Lakes because their ships are too big to enter the region through the St. Lawrence Seaway. This has turned the Great Lakes into an exclusive zone for a handful of smaller cruise operators that focus on very small vessels.

The two main players in Great Lakes cruising are Viking (a newcomer in 2022) and Pearl Seas Cruises. Each has one vessel devoted to the region (Viking Octantis and Pearl Mist, respectively).

Both cater to a generally older crowd, which is the main market for Great Lakes cruises. Viking's itineraries have the most outdoorsy options, while Pearl Seas Cruises offers trips with a lot of small-town stops.

Two more lines that occasionally operate sailings in the region are German line Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and France-based Ponant. Tour organizer Smithsonian Journeys also occasionally offers Great Lakes sailings using chartered Ponant vessels.

All of the above lines operate ships in the Great Lakes that carry fewer than 400 passengers. Some carry as few as 202 passengers. In general, the vessels are intimate and relatively high-end, with pricing to match.

As a rule, Great Lakes sailings don't come cheap. For example, seven-night Viking sailings in the region start at $5,995 per person.

Things to do in the Great Lakes

As noted above, the Great Lakes offer a wide mix of attractions and experiences. During a Great Lakes cruise, you might find yourself climbing aboard the bus where Rosa Parks took a stand at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit on one day and kayaking through the wild marshlands of Point Pelee, Ontario, the next.

Of the two lines operating in the Great Lakes, Viking has the greatest focus on outdoorsy stops such as Point Pelee (a tiny sandspit that juts into the northwestern corner of Lake Erie and is famous as a stopover for migratory birds). Some of Viking's sailings include a call at Alpena, Michigan — the gateway to a National Maritime Sanctuary, where passengers can kayak past shipwrecks in shallow waters. Another destination that Viking visits, Silver Islet, Ontario, brings the opportunity for a trail walk through Ontario's 94-square-mile Sleeping Giant Provincial Park — a rocky, forested park named for a long line of mesas that resemble a giant lying on its back.

The city-oriented stops that Viking and the other lines make, such as visits to Milwaukee or Chicago on Lake Michigan, give you time to explore the urban sensibility of the region. Brew-town Milwaukee offers the chance to explore the city's craft beer and brewing scene or to take a walking tour to the city's many outdoor sculptures. Chicago is famous for its world-leading architecture (which you can see on walking and boat tours), its Magnificent Mile lined with more stores than you've probably ever seen in one place and its world-class cultural institutions.

Then there are stops at quieter places such as Mackinac Island, where your sightseeing might include an excursion by horse-drawn carriage to historical sites. Of the three main lines operating in the Great Lakes, as noted above, Pearl Seas Cruises focuses the most on the region's small towns, with fewer stops at bigger cities.

One thing that all three of the main lines operating in the Great Lakes have in common is that they include tours during at least some stops and sometimes every stop in their base fares. Pearl Seas Cruises and Viking are particularly known for including lots of shore excursions in their base fares.

Included tours are part of what you're paying for when you pay the high prices noted above. So you can go off on your own in any of the places these ships visit. But you might just have a no-extra-charge outing including many of the highlights of each place already planned for your voyage.

Best Great Lakes cruise ports

The best Great Lakes cruise ports include the handful of relatively big cities in the region, such as Chicago, that are loaded with cultural sites, nightspots and restaurants, as well as charming small towns such as Holland, Michigan. Great Lakes cruises also bring days that are all about getting up close to wonders both natural and human-made — from towering Niagara Falls to the engineering marvel that is the Welland Canal.

Thunder Bay, Ontario

Known as "Canada's Gateway to the West" because it's the final navigational point on the Canadian side of Lake Superior, Thunder Bay is one of Ontario's most vibrant cities and a center for art and culture. It's also a hub for outdoorsy pursuits including mountain biking, rock climbing, kayaking and angling, as it's nestled within boreal forests.

Great architecture and cultural institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago — along with lots of nightlife, shopping and world-class dining — make Chicago the premier city destination in the Great Lakes region. Many Great Lakes cruises begin or end in Chicago, with some including an overnight in the city, allowing time to explore. Don't miss a stroll down the Magnificent Mile and a sightseeing boat ride on the Chicago River (a great way to get an overview of the city and see some of its architectural gems).

Wisconsin's biggest city is often surprisingly delightful to first-time visitors, home as it is to a Santiago Calatrava-designed art museum with a world-class collection, a Harley-Davidson Museum that our sister site Lonely Planet has dubbed "badass" plus stylish eating and shopping enclaves. Settled by Germans in the 1840s, "Brew City," as it's known, also is a mecca of sorts for beer lovers — and not just because it's home to the original Miller Brewing Company complex, which is open daily for tours. You'll also find lots of craft breweries that you can visit on your own or as part of a tour, and you can tour (and drink at) the original Pabst Brewery.

Holland, Michigan

As the name suggests, Holland is a little bit of The Netherlands transported to the Americas. Settled by Dutch immigrants in the 1800s, it's home to the annual Tulip Time Festival, which takes place every May, and offers up such Holland-themed attractions as Windmill Island Gardens, where you'll find a working Dutch windmill, canals and dikes. Holland's downtown is a charmer with cobblestone sidewalks and more than 100 specialty shops, breweries and restaurants.

Sault Saint Marie, Michigan

Located at the northeastern edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Sault Saint Marie is the site of the Soo Locks, a marvel of engineering that connects Lake Superior to Lake Huron. The locks themselves are the big attractions in Sault Saint Marie — head to the observation deck at Soo Locks Park to watch freighters passing by and learn more at the Soo Locks Visitor Center.

But there are other allures, including the Museum Ship Valley Camp. It's a retired Great Lakes freighter (named Valley Camp) that you can climb into and explore. In addition to touring the living quarters for its 29-person crew, you'll find a 20,000-square-foot maritime museum in its cargo hold with exhibits on the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and more.

Mackinac Island

The Jewel of the Great Lakes has been a summer getaway for Midwesterners since the Victorian era and it retains much of its Victorian-era charm. The iconic attraction on the island is the 135-year-old Grand Hotel , with its seemingly endless, rocker-lined front porch (the longest in the world). Afternoon tea in the hotel's parlor, or a game of croquet at its Tea Garden, are among Mackinac Island's allures. Tours in a horse-drawn carriage are another popular pastime; cars are banned on the island, leaving horse-drawn carriages as one of the main ways of getting around, along with bicycles. When visiting, don't miss Fort Mackinac, which dates to the 1700s.

Niagara Falls

Located on the short waterway between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, Niagara Falls is one of the world's most spectacular waterfall complexes (it's actually three waterfalls, not one) with a flow rate greater than any other waterfall in North America and a vertical drop of more than 160 feet. Visitors can take it in both from viewing areas on land and from a tour boat.

Note that Great Lakes cruise vessels don't travel directly on the 36-mile-long strait that connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, which is known as the Niagara River (lest they go plunging over the falls). Instead, they use the Welland Canal — another marvel of engineering and an attraction in its own right.

Motor City should probably be called Museum City, as it's home to a wonderful array of museums worth a visit, from The Detroit Museum of Art and the Motown Museum to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History. Passengers on Great Lakes cruises will find that stops in Detroit often revolve around an included visit to the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, a sprawling history museum complex that is home to the limousine that President Kennedy was in when he was assassinated, George Washington's camp bed, Buckminster Fuller's prototype Dymaxion house, the bus on which Rosa Parks was arrested and countless other rare artifacts.

When to book a Great Lakes cruise

The best time to book a Great Lakes cruise is right when a cruise line first opens bookings on that sailing, often more than a year in advance. You'll have your pick of itineraries and cabins and often the best fares.

Because the Great Lakes has such a short season with a limited number of ships, sailings in the region are often in high demand and people plan early. Newcomer Viking, notably, has told TPG it has seen brisker sales this year for its Great Lakes trips than sailings to Antarctica — one of the world's ultimate bucket list destinations.

If you wait to book, you're not entirely out of luck. Cruise lines often run sales in the fall or in the early months of the year (a period known in the cruise industry as "wave season" ). You can take advantage of discounted fares and other perks. Some of the most desirable cabins might be sold out; being flexible about your sail date or itinerary can help.

In general, waiting until the last minute is not the best idea, unless you live in a gateway city such as Chicago, Milwaukee or Toronto and don't need to book flights. While some less preferred sail dates or cabin categories may have availability a few months out, spurring cruise lines to drop rates, you might have trouble finding affordable airfare and pre- or post-cruise hotel accommodations that do not eat up your cruise savings.

What to bring on a Great Lakes cruise

When it comes to packing for a Great Lakes cruise, your mantra should always be: dress in layers. It can be chilly in the morning in the more northerly parts of the Great Lakes, particularly at the start of the Great Lakes cruising season, but then warm up fast.

If you're planning to do some outdoorsy pursuits, such as kayaking or hiking, be sure to bring appropriate activewear. And don't forget to pack a rain jacket, if not a complete rain gear outfit, including a wide-brimmed waterproof hat, rain pants and waterproof shoes or boots.

Also, and this is critical: Don't forget your passport. Many of the places you'll visit in the Great Lakes will be in the United States and do not require a passport. But every Great Lakes cruise includes at least a few — and sometimes many — stops in Canada, where a valid U.S. passport, passport card or NEXUS card is required to enter if you're a U.S. citizen.

Bottom line

There's a lot to see and do in the Great Lakes region, and it's hard to argue that there's a better way to see and do it than on a cruise. Cruise vessels departing from such cities as Chicago and Toronto can take you to all of the highlights of the region — from the breweries of Milwaukee to thundering Niagara Falls — in a single trip. That's something that you'll be hard-pressed to accomplish any other way.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• 15 ways cruisers waste money
• 12 best cruises for people who never want to grow up
• What to pack for your first cruise

The Hottest Cruise Destination of 2022 Isn’t Where You Might Think

A flock of sleek new ships is sailing here—and it isn’t far from home..

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Thunder Bay on Lake Superior in Ontario, Canada, is among the natural wonders along the shores of the Great Lakes.

Photo by Shutterstock

You may not think of Cleveland, Chicago, Toronto, or Duluth, Minnesota, as hot ports on the cruise map, but this year they are. In June, Green Bay, Wisconsin, had its first-ever cruise ship visit, American Queen Voyages’ 202-passenger Ocean Navigator .

The Ocean Navigator is one of several vessels sailing what has rapidly become an emerging destination for cruising in 2022: the Great Lakes.

This year’s Great Lakes cruise season, which kicked off in the spring and runs into October, is hosting the largest fleet of ships ever to sail the five lakes that straddle the U.S.-Canada border—Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario (or Super Man Helps Every One, for those who love a good mnemonic device to help remember the names). According to the marketing association Cruise the Great Lakes , nine ships are on the lakes this year, which marks a return after no cruises at all in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. The number of passengers in 2022 has increased by more than 25 percent compared to 2019, the association reports.

An example of a Viking Great Lakes cruise itinerary.

Courtesy of Viking

Detroit alone will have 50 cruise ship visits this year, according to Kyle Burleson, director of port operations for the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority. The previous record was 25. Cruises on the Great Lakes will cumulatively call at 28 different ports in 2022, offering a welcome boon in visitors to the destinations in the American Midwest and Canada that they visit.

Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking , which has a new 378-passenger polar expedition ship, Viking Octantis , summering in the region and returning next year, is so optimistic about the U.S.-Canada cruises that he has begun referring to the embarkation port of Milwaukee as “the Miami of the Great Lakes.”

“The growth of cruise shipping and the arrival of vessels like the Viking Octantis and Ocean Navigator on Lake Superior this year has elevated our communities, the Lake Superior basin, and the entire Great Lakes region to reach new global travel audiences as a premier must-see destination,” says Paul Pepe, manager at Tourism Thunder Bay, a destination in Ontario, Canada.

Exploring Mackinac Island, a popular cruise stop on Lake Huron in Michigan.

The Great Lakes offer cruisers access to wildlife, natural landscapes, quaint lakeside towns, and industrial history on the U.S. Midwest side. And on the Canadian side, highlights include First Nations cultural experiences, more wildlife and scenic landscapes, and the Georgian Bay Biosphere in Ontario, which UNESCO recognized as the world’s largest freshwater archipelago. Cruise itineraries include three or more of the lakes; some touch all five.

While Great Lakes ships have traditionally been smaller, more modest coastal vessels, Viking is shaking things up by bringing a polar-class expedition ship to the region. The Viking Octantis is equipped with features that include a pair of six-passenger yellow submarines that will be used for under-lake viewing in Canadian waters (but not in U.S. waters due to the Jones Act, maritime legislation that precludes a foreign-flagged vessel from operating excursion craft such as kayaks, Zodiacs, and submarines in the U.S.). French cruise line Ponant is also sailing the Great Lakes this fall and next with luxury expedition ships complete with underwater lounges.

If you’re intrigued, here are the cruise ships to watch that are sailing the aptly named Great Lakes.

The best cruises on the Great Lakes

Ocean Voyager Ocean Voyager .American Queen Voyages

©2022 Michel Verdure Studio, In

Ocean Navigator and Ocean Voyager

• Great Lakes sailings: American Queen Voyages sails 10-night cruises between Chicago and Toronto and 14-night cruises between Chicago and Montreal (including a precruise hotel night in the departure city). Fares from $5,000 per person.
• Book now: AQVoyages.com

American Queen Voyages ’ two coastal ships in the Great Lakes are the 202-passenger Ocean Voyager (formerly Victory 1 ) and sister ship Ocean Navigator (formerly Victory II ). The ships debuted in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Especially noteworthy: They are the only ships that dock at Chicago’s Navy Pier. (The only other cruise itinerary on the Great Lakes to visit Chicago will be one hosted by German line Hapag-Lloyd in 2023.)

Both the Ocean Voyager and Ocean Navigator feature recently updated traditional decor. Accommodations range from small, 146-square-foot cabins and deluxe staterooms with a shared outdoor deck to 335-square-foot owner’s suites with private veranda and living room area. Fares include unlimited open bar and use of bikes for shoreside rides.

In addition to the main Coastal Dining Room, the ships have a casual buffet venue. The Compass Lounge is the place for port talks and entertainment. There’s also a small tavern, gym, spa, and outdoor hot tub. Local musicians come onboard for performances, such as a Motown tribute in Detroit.

• Great Lakes sailings: Seven-night cruises between Toronto and Milwaukee take place in September this year and September and October in 2023. Fares from $5,170.
• Book now: Ponant.com

French luxury line Ponant has its 184-passenger Le Bellot (built in 2020) in the Great Lakes this fall, to be joined by sister ship Le Dumont d’Urville in 2023. These six-deck expedition yachts boast the kind of international cuisine and complimentary wine pours you’d expect on French-operated vessels, plus an outdoor swimming pool and a panoramic lounge. And there is the super-cool feature of an underwater sensory lounge, Blue Eye, with submarine-like views of walleye fish and other Great Lakes marine life.

The ships have a subtle contemporary decor and both casual and more formal dining options, 188-seat theaters, spa and fitness areas, and a fleet of nine Zodiacs (for use in Canadian waters).

• Great Lakes sailings: The line sails 7- to 11-night cruises through four of the Great Lakes (Ontario, Huron, Erie, and Michigan). Fares from $5,650 per person.
• Book now: PearlSeaCruises.com

Pearl Seas Cruises (sister line to American Cruise Lines ) has on the Great Lakes the intimate, 210-passenger Pearl Mist , a 15-year-old coastal cruiser done up in crisp, classic decor. One big bonus: All cabins have sliding glass doors leading to balconies.

The ship has lounges, a library, and a general low-key atmosphere. It’s the kind of ship without a lot of activities, where passengers are happy to occupy themselves with views, reading, or conversation. Shore experiences include kayaking, hiking, lobster fishing, and glass-bottom boat tours.

Cruise the Great Lakes in comfort on the ‘Viking Octantis.’

Viking Octantis

• Great Lakes sailings: Viking offers an 8-day cruise between Toronto and Milwaukee and a 15-day cruises between Toronto and Duluth; all-inclusive fares from $5,995 per person.
• Book now: VikingCruises.com

This new, state-of-the-art, long and narrow expedition ship was built for Southern Hemisphere summers in Antarctica and is spending Northern Hemisphere summers in the Great Lakes. Its style and onboard amenities are in a league of their own for cruises in the region. It’s the largest ship in the Great Lakes, though small enough to clear (by a tight one foot) the 27-mile Welland Canal that connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Fans of Viking will recognize the sleek Scandinavian decor and Nordic accents, dining choices (including Manfredi’s for Italian), and a wide range of accommodations, with designs that mimic the interiors of the line’s ocean and river ships. One difference, however, is that rather than have step-out balconies, staterooms feature windows that open to let in the breeze.

Viking has brought expedition-style cruising to the region, complete with submarines.

On a recent tour of the vessel in the port of Milwaukee, I was impressed by the many lounge spaces, which include a “hidden” speakeasy; the indoor/outdoor infinity pool that links to hot, tepid, and cold outdoor dipping pools; the expansive Nordic spa; a lecture hall; and heated outdoor furniture and firepits. The onboard lab where scientists, including from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will conduct research and experiments is another wow factor, as is the 20-person expert expedition team onboard. In addition to the submarine, the ship also carries Zodiacs and kayaks (for use in Canadian waters).

A second expedition vessel, the Viking Polaris, will join the Viking Octantis in the Great Lakes for the 2023 season.

What to know about cruising between the U.S. and Canada

If you are cruising between the U.S. and Canada you will, first off, need your passport. As of press time, Canada requires cruise passengers age 12 and up to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (some cruise lines require passengers age 5 and up to be vaccinated) and to have completed ArriveCAN health forms prior to arrival.

Everyone cruising in Canada must also undergo precruise testing (something that the majority of cruise lines also still require) even though prearrival COVID testing has been dropped for international air arrivals into Canada. Make sure to check with your cruise line and the latest government restrictions as requirements can and do change. Some ships, for instance, require passengers to have booster shots.

>> Next: Get a Smithsonian-Level Education at Sea on These Enriching Global Cruises

Detroit gets its first Great Lakes cruise ship docking for 2023 on Monday

(WXYZ) — The Port of Detroit got its first cruise ship of the 2023 season on Monday as the 665-foot Viking Octantis docked in the morning.

According to the Port of Detroit, the Octantis docked around 8 a.m. and is set to leave at 2 p.m., but not before passengers have a chance to explore the city.

A record number of cruises are expected to dock in Detroit this year as part of a growing Great Lakes cruise industry.

Last year, there were a record 52 cruise ships that docked in Detroit, and according to Cruise the Great Lakes and the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, there will be 67 cruise ships docking during the season.

David Lorenz, the vice president of Travel Michigan, said Cruise the Great Lakes met in Montreal earlier this year to look at the ships that planned to sail the Great Lakes this year. According to Lorenz, they have all the ships they had last year, and a new ship – the Hanseatic Inspiration.

The ships have a variety of routes on the Great Lakes with stops in Michigan including Detroit, Mackinac Island, Muskegon, Sault Ste. Marie and more.

When they stop in Detroit, the team from Visit Detroit works with the Port Authority to provide a welcome for passengers on the dock.

Passengers from the cruises have a variety of options to explore metro Detroit while they're in the area, with locations like The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, the Motown Museum and more.

"Most people from all around the U.S., places like Texas and California, they've heard about places like Michigan, but they might not know the real story about pure Michigan and the rest of the Great Lakes region. So when they come here, they get this two-nation destination experience pretty unique," Lorenz said. "They get to see that people in our region are really friendly and they see this freshwater experience, which not many cruisers around the world really get to see."

The cruise industry doesn't just benefit Michigan and Detroit – it also helps other cities along the Great Lakes like Cleveland and Milwaukee.

According to the Port of Detroit, the cruise ships will continue to dock in the city throughout the summer and last until mid-October.

In all, there will be nine cruises in May, nine in June, 12 in July, 15 in August, 17 in September and five in October. That doesn't include the dinner cruises along the river that use the Port of Detroit.

According to Lorenz, the future of cruising on the Great Lakes is bright, and he thinks the initial visit to Detroit will bring people back.

He also said they're hoping to lure some ships to start and stop their journeys in Detroit in the future.

"I think what you're going to find is that the Port of Detroit is going to continue to make accommodations so that they can lure additional ships, including some of these bigger ships like the Hanseatic Inspiration," he said. "You're going to be able to see more and more ships here. And I tell you, we're going to all benefit from that initial visit because people are going to be able to see Detroit."

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Detroit MI (Michigan)

Cruise port schedule, live map, terminals, news.

Region Canada and USA Rivers

Local Time 2024-04-13 01:27

Port Detroit MI cruise ship schedule shows timetable calendars of all arrival and departure dates by month. The port's schedule lists all ships (in links) with cruises going to or leaving from Detroit MI, Michigan. To see the full itineraries (ports of call dates and arrival / departure times) and their lowest rates – just follow the corresponding ship-link.

Detroit MI (aka Motor City) is USA's 7th largest city and a major port on Detroit River. It is located on a navigable waterway that links the Great Lakes with Saint Lawrence Seaway .

The city is also world's foremost car-manufacturing center. The economic growth was aided by city's transport links to USA's interior and its strategic location on Detroit River - the waterway connecting USA's upper and lower Great Lakes.

On Detroit riverfront is located the Civic Center, with Cobo Hall, City-County Building and Arena (one of the largest convention halls in the US). Here also is Henry and Edsel Ford Auditorium and Museum. Ford Museum takes a look at the man behind the assembly line and at how his ingenuity has transformed American life. The collection includes antique and classic cars including the automobile in which JFK was shot, railway locomotives, farm equipment, kitchen appliances, car advertising posters, early car videos. Greenfield Village is adjacent to the museum. It takes tourists back 150 years to reveal the genius of remarkable Americans. Actual structures like Thomas Edison's Menlo Park laboratory, Orville and Wilbur Wright's home and bicycle shop, have been moved to Greenfield. The village also features a paddleboat on the small lake and an operating steam railway.

Also north of downtown are General Motors and Fisher buildings, designed by the German architect Albert Kahn. Pewabic Pottery (1907) is another place of interest, built for ceramicist Mary Chase Perry Stratton. Her glazed tiles were an important element in buildings of 1920s. West of Detroit's downtown area is situated Fort Wayne Military Museum, Midwest's best-preserved pre-American Civil War fort. It houses Great Lakes Indian Museum and Tuskegee Airmen Museum.

The post-COVID 2022 was the most successful year ever for cruises on the Great Lakes. The season featured ~150,000 cruise ship tourists (+25% over 2019) served by 9x boats. Currently, the largest by capacity Great Lakes cruise companies are Viking Cruises USA ( Viking Octantis ), AQV-American Queen Voyages (ships Ocean Navigator , Ocean Voyager ), Pearl Seas Cruises ( Pearl Mist ), and the Canadian company St Lawrence Cruise Lines ( Canadian Empress ). Other travel brands that offer Great Lakes voyages are PONANT and Tauck ( fleet ).

Due to the increased Great Lakes cruise passenger traffic, in 2022 were opened two new US Customs and Border Protection facilities - in Duluth MI and Cleveland OH, in addition to the existing in Detroit MI and Sault Ste Marie MI.

In 2022, Detroit Port Authority reported a successful season with a total of 52 cruise ship calls/handled berthings.

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Detroit MI - user reviews and comments

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Zlake superior explorer cruise - thunder bay to detroit, our complete program of shoreside discoveries.

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Board the mv Victory II in Thunder Bay

On arrival at the airport, our chauffeured transfer takes you to the pier where the elegant mv Victory II awaits. Settle in to your outside stateroom before joining your fellow passengers for dinner with free-flowing house wines, cocktails and beverages.  Meals D

Discover Duluth, Minnesota

The Sioux and Chippewa were the first to settle in the scenic hills that overlook the far western shores of Lake Superior. By the mid 1600’s, it was a fur trading outpost that was then claimed for France by Daniel Greysolon Sieur du Lhut, the French soldier and explorer for whom the city is now named. Stepping off ship today, your guided exploration begins with the Aerial Lift Bridge which stands guard over the harbor and then continues along the North Shore Scenic Driver, from where you’ll have commanding views over the city and its picturesque setting on Lake Superior. You’ll ascend to Hawk Ridge to learn about the unique natural phenomenon that occurs here annually as raptors migrating from the Arctic crest the ridge and seemingly come to a halt in mid-air as they encounter the vast expanse of Lake Superior below. Back in town, enjoy a guided walk along the waterfront to Leif Erikson Park to see an amazing replica of a Viking ship and then tour the Duluth Depot, which houses the unique collection of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. In the afternoon, you’ll have free time to explore more of Duluth’s vibrant waterfront at your own pace.  Meals B+L+D

The Keweenaw Waterway + Houghton

Comprised of natural lakes and waterways as well as artificial canals that were dredged in the 1860’s, the Keweenaw Waterway traverses the Keweenaw Peninsula and provides a shortcut for freighters hauling ore from the rich copper mines of the Peninsula to larger cities along Lake Superior. Today you’ll off ship in the village of Houghton, situated midway through the Keweenaw Waterway, for a tour of the famous Quincy Copper Mine. The mine operated for nearly a century, right up through World War II, and offers the rare chance for visitors to actually enter the mine itself! After lunch, you’ll visit the Houghton Lake Historic Village to see a restored vintage homestead and tour the Fireman’s Memorial Museum.  Meals B+L+D

Marquette, Michigan

Set on the northern shores of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the lands around Marquette were well known by French missionaries as far back as the 1600’s and in later centuries by intrepid fur trappers. With the discovery of iron deposits in the mid-19 th century, the town of Marquette began to grow and prosper and by the late 1800’s steamships were also bringing summer visitors to fill the city’s hotels and resorts. Stepping ashore today in this historic town, your sightseeing will include the Michigan Iron Industry Museum and the still-operational Famous Eagle Mine site. At the Baumer Heritage Center, informative and entertaining exhibits will offer further insight into Marquette’s development from furs and mining to modern-day tourism.  Meals B+L+D

Through the Soo Locks into Lake Huron

A delightful day of cruising is enriched by engaging talks with our onboard Great Lakes experts. Elegant dining in two distinctive venues, our ship’s Open Bar with house wine, spirits and beer, and convivial conversation with your fellow travelers add to the experience. Today our ship will transit through the historic Soo Locks, where freighters, barges and tugboats traverse the 21-foot drop of the St. Mary’s River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The first lock here was built in 1855 and the canal was navigated by 27 vessels during its first year of operation. Today, more than 10,000 ships hauling 86 million tons of cargo pass through these historic parallel locks each year, even though they’re closed during the winter when ice shuts down shipping on the upper Great Lakes! As we navigate from Lake Superior downward through the locks, our experts will be on-hand to offer colorful historical insights. Once we reach Lake Superior, we’ll continue our voyage toward Mackinac Island.  Meals B+L+D

Mackinac Island

This morning, the mv Victory II will dock in St. Ignace where you’ll board the Star Line Ferry to Mackinac Island. From the Mackinac waterfront, a horse-drawn carriage tour is a great way to experience the Victoria-era ambience of this National Historic Landmark. Learn about the island’s history and see turn-of-the-century homes built by early captains of American industry. Then hop off at the Grand Hotel and take in the views from its famous verandah, the longest in the world! In the elegant main dining room, you’ll enjoy the hotel’s lavish Grand Buffet Luncheon.   Also today, you’ll tour Fort Mackinac - set high on a bluff overlooking the Straits of Mackinac. Built by the British in 1780, taken by the Americans in 1796, and reclaimed by the British at the start of the War of 1812, your guided visit offers rich insight into colorful chapters of American history. Then return to the waterfront where the ferry will take you back to St. Ignace to reboard the mv Victory II .  Meals B+L+D

Little Current on Manitoulin Island

After breakfast, you’ll step ashore in Little Current, Ontario. This charming town is the gateway to Manitoulin, the largest freshwater island in the world. Learn about the island’s nautical heritage and its natural history as you make the scenic 30-minute drive to the Immaculate Conception Church. With a unique in-the-round architectural style that evokes a teepee and the circle of life, this church is the spiritual focal point of the local community and brings together the beliefs and customs of the native Ojibwe culture and the Catholic Church. Later at the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, you’ll enjoy a guided tour through the art galleries and enlightening state-of-the-art exhibits of this heritage museum. If you wish, you can browse in the Foundation’s artisan shop and participate in a smudging ceremony, an ancient purifying ritual that uses the smoke from cedar, sage, sweet grass and other plants that are regarded for their healing powers. A narrated drum and dance performance offers further insight into Ojibwe cultural traditions. We’ll return to the mv Victory II for lunch. In the afternoon, you can relax onboard or step off to explore the charming town of Little Current at your own pace.  Meals B+L+D

Killbear Park + The 30,000 Islands

Today we’ll be docked in the town of Parry Sound, tucked along the eastern shores of Georgian Bay and surrounded by pristine waters, deep forests and the rugged terrain of the Laurentian Plateau. To fully appreciate the grandeur of the region, we’ve arranged two special excursions for the day. In Killbear Provincial Park, an expert team of wildlife naturalists and geologists will guide your exploration of the region’s diverse terrain - which encompasses rocky shores, sandy beaches, and the pine-forested ridges of the Plateau. Enjoy breathtaking views of Georgian Bay and learn about the unique flora and fauna of the park. For a different perspective, we’ve also arranged for an excursion aboard the mv Chippewa III . With insights from an expert local resident, this guided cruise through Georgian Bay’s 30,000 Islands region promises an experience that is both enlightening and fun.   Travelers with a taste for even greater excitement can join an available Flightseeing Adventure in modern 3-passenger aircrafts that will take you soaring above the blue waters, rugged shores and forests of the 30,000 Islands.  Meals B+L+D

Cruising Lake Huron

Delight in this day of cruising aboard the casually elegant mv Victory II . Today finds our intimate ship navigating the second largest of America’s Great Lakes. If you count Huron’s 30,000 islands, the lake actually has the longest shoreline of any of the Great Lakes. Enjoy convivial conversation with your fellow passengers or join an engaging discussion with our shipboard experts; they’re well-versed in the history, peoples and natural wonders of the Great Lakes region. Elegant dining in two distinctive venues with free-flowing wine and beer and our ship’s Open Bar enhance your day.  Meals B+L+D

Disembark in Detroit, Michigan

After breakfast and disembarkation here in Detroit, you’ll be escorted to the airport for your homeward flight.  Meals B

Extend Your Trip

Free pre-cruise stay in thunder bay.

Extend your journey with our complimentary pre-cruise stay in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Set on the western shores of Lake Superior and cradled by the Nor’Wester Mountain Range, this vibrant urban community is a friendly place to relax and explore before embarking your cruise. We include your flight from Toronto to Thunder Bay, arrival transfer, hotel accommodations, and sightseeing.

Fly from Toronto to Thunder Bay

Your flight today from Toronto is included with our Pre-Cruise Stay. On arrival in Thunder Bay, you can arrange your transfer to the comfortable Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton : Simply dial #10 from the Guest Services Phone to contact the hotel and request their complimentary shuttle service. The balance of your afternoon and evening is yours to relax and enjoy as you wish.

Discover Thunder Bay + Embark your Cruise

After breakfast and hotel check-out, our friendly local guide will take you to Fort William Historical Park. Set on 250 acres overlooking the picturesque Kaministiquia River, this leading heritage and cultural center offers a chance to experience and learn about local life in the early 19th century at the peak of the North American fur trade. Start with an informative video presentation and continue through the Park to the old fur trading post where you’ll find finely-reconstructed historical buildings including a working farm and areas for artisans and trades people. Hands-on demonstrations and engaging staff in period garb bring the region’s history to life. After your visit, we’ll take you to the pier to board the mv Victory II .  Meals B+D

$399 port charges are extra

Family + Friends

Every A+R Journey is carefully crafted with more than 7 decades of expertise helping our guests to experience the world in a more authentic and caring way. Choose from more than 105 Original Journeys With Never More than 16 Guests or book your tour as a Completely Private Experience – whether it’s just the two of you, a small group of friends, or your entire family.

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Cruising the Great Lakes

Program overview.

Admire magnificent coastal scenery and discover nearly two centuries of North American innovation and maritime history on this one-of-a-kind cruise itinerary from Toronto to Milwaukee—featuring all 5 Great Lakes. Experience the thunderous force of Niagara Falls; the Henry Ford Museum of Innovation in Detroit; the historical charm of Mackinac Island; and transit the Welland Canal and Soo Locks, among the greatest engineering feats of the 19 th century. Extend your Great Lakes immersion with the Toronto Pre- Program and/or Milwaukee Post-Program Options.

Program Details

• Program Extension Options
• Guest Speaker
• Eight-day, seven-night voyage between Toronto to Milwaukee, featuring a cruise of all 5 Great Lakes, including a call at Mackinac Island.
• In Toronto, cruise through 8 locks of the Welland Canal, one of North America’s most important economic lifelines, linking Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.   
• Full-day excursion to Niagara Falls, with a cruise to Horseshoe Falls and lunch overlooking the falls.  
• Discover the Sir Adam Beck Power Station, the world’s first large- scale hydroelectric generation project, and Niagara’s famous Floral Clock, intricately filled with 20,000 plants and flowers.  
• Visit the Detroit Institute of Arts and see Diego Rivera’s monumental Detroit Industry mural, as well as master works by Auguste Rodin; Michelangelo; Vincent van Gogh; Edgar Degas; and Paul Cézanne.  
• Explore the Edsel and Eleanor Ford Mansion.  
• Private, glass-bottom boat cruise through Big and Little Tub Harbors and around Flowerpot Island in Tobermory, Ontario.  
• Visit the SS Valley Camp , a retired lake freighter that is now a museum featuring exhibits of faithfully restored living quarters.  
• Transit the Soo Locks from Lake Huron to Lake Superior.  
• Watch colossal freighters lower 21 feet from Lake Superior to enter Lake Huron at the Soo Locks Interpretation Center.  
• Horse-drawn carriage tour of Victorian Mackinac Island and clifftop Fort Mackinac with lunch at the historic Grand Hotel .  

Day 1 - Depart Home City / Arrive in Toronto, Canada / Embark the ship/ Welland Canal

Day 2 - Niagara Falls / Lake Erie

Day 3 - Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

Day 4 - Detroit / Lake Huron

Day 5 - Tobermory, Canada / Lake Huron

Day 6 - Soo Locks / Lake Superior / Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S.

Day 7 - Mackinac Island / Lake Michigan

Day 8 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin / Return to home city

View detailed program itinerary >

This elegant, exclusively chartered, 5-Star Luxury Small Ship features private balconies on all staterooms and suites, complementary alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and warm and inviting public areas.

Le Bellot , launched in 2020, ushers in a new generation of five-star small ships, combining revolutionary design and a new standard of luxury for unparalleled cruising. Dock in smaller ports inaccessible to larger ships, where authentic cultural experiences and majestic scenery await you.

View Le Bellot Deckplan >

Learn more about The PONANT Fleet >

Toronto Pre-Program Option

Start your Great Lakes voyage early in cosmopolitan Toronto, one of North America’s most celebrated cultural melting pots. Enjoy a walking tour of the Distillery District, Canada’s premier arts, culture and entertainment destination, and visit Fort York, built in 1793 on the shores of Lake Ontario. Enjoy lunch in the CN Tower’s 360-degree revolving restaurant. Visit Casa Loma, a Gothic Revival mansion and garden built in the style of a European castle by Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. Tour the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto’s crowning jewel with a collection of over 80,000 works. Accommodations for two nights are in the historical Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

Milwaukee Post-Program Option

Rich in architectural treasures and world‑class institutions, vibrant Milwaukee is the perfect extension to your Great Lakes cruise. Enjoy a panoramic tour of the historical North Point neighborhood — home to one of the finest collections of Victorian mansions in the Midwest — and tour the expansive Milwaukee Art Museum, an impressive addition to Milwaukee’s revitalized waterfront. Visit the striking Pabst Mansion, built in Flemish style by Pabst Brewing Company president Frederick Pabst. Accommodations for two nights are in the centrally located Pfister Hotel.

The Pre- and Post-Program Options are available at an additional cost. Details will be provided with your reservation confirmation.  

Maritime historian, journalist and author Ric Mixter is one of the most requested speakers on the Great Lakes. He has dived over 100 wrecks in the Great Lakes, served as cameraman on underwater expeditions to the Edmund Fitzgerald and Carl D. Bradley and interviewed survivors connected to the Novadoc, James H. Reed and Cedarville shipwrecks as well as other wrecks in lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie.

Driven by his passion for storytelling, Ric's impressive work includes over 30 programs for PBS and the Outdoor Channel and he has been featured as a shipwreck expert on the History and Discovery Channels.

Ric has been awarded by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society and the Association for Great Lakes Maritime Historians. He served as president of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association and is a board member for the prestigious Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.

When he's not underwater exploring vessels that once sailed the Great Lakes, Ric can be found flying single‑engine planes as well as time in F-16s, B-52s and the Goodyear Blimp.

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Program Itinerary

Day 1 depart home city / toronto, canada / embark the ship / lake ontario / welland canal.

Arrive in Toronto and cruise through eight locks of the Welland Canal, one of North America’s most important economic lifelines. Constructed in the early 19th century, the canal links Lake Ontario to Lake Erie and was instrumental in opening the Great Lakes to commerce and prosperity; the canal carries nearly 40 million tons of cargo per year. Enjoy a Captain’s Welcome Reception this evening.

Day 2 Niagara Falls / Lake Erie

Drive to Niagara Falls and ride the Hornblower Cruise Funicular up the 19-story rock walls of the Great Gorge and back down. Cruise toward the base of Horseshoe Falls and experience the sheer force of this geological wonder. After a specially-arranged lunch, see the 410 million-year-old layers of the Niagara Gorge and the Whirlpool Rapids, among the world’s most extreme. Discover the Sir Adam Beck Power Station, the world’s first large-scale hydroelectric generation project, and Niagara’s famous Floral Clock, intricately filled with 20,000 plants and flowers. This evening, cruise Lake Erie.

Day 3 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

Visit the Detroit Institute of Arts, one of the most significant collections of art in the nation, housed in a magnificent Beaux Arts building. See Diego Rivera’s monumental Detroit Industry mural, which captures the city’s blue-collar history, as well as master works by Auguste Rodin; Michelangelo; Vincent van Gogh; Edgar Degas; and Paul Cézanne. Continue to Grosse Point to visit the Edsel and Eleanor Ford Mansion.

Day 4 Detroit / Lake Huron

Visit the acclaimed Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. See Henry Ford’s birthplace, two of Thomas Edison’s workshops, and Orville and Wilbur Wright’s bicycle shop. This evening, cruise Lake Huron.

Day 5 Tobermory, Canada / Lake Huron

In Tobermory, embark on a glass-bottom boat cruise from Little Tub Harbor to Big Tub Harbor. See the remains of the schooner Sweepstakes, Big Tub Lighthouse, and the Flowerpot Island. Enjoy time at leisure. Prepare for more stunning views this evening as you cruise across Lake Huron.

Day 6 Soo Locks / Lake Superior / Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S.

This morning, transit the Soo Locks from Lake Superior to Lake Huron and back. Arrive in Sault Ste. Marie and explore the SS Valley Camp, a retired lake freighter that is now a museum featuring exhibits of faithfully restored living quarters and the tragic loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Continue to the Soo Locks Interpretation Center and watch colossal freighters lower 21 feet from Lake Superior to enter Lake Huron. This evening, cruise Lake Huron.

Day 7 Mackinac Island / Lake Michigan

On Mackinac Island, enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride to dramatic Arch Rock. Continue on a guided tour of Fort Mackinac. Stop at the Grand Hotel for lunch and return to the ship by carriage. Cruise Lake Michigan and attend the Captain’s Farewell Reception this evening.

Day 8 Milwaukee, Wisconsin / Return to home city

Disembark continue onto the Milwaukee Post-Program Option or transfer to the airport for your return flight home.

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Tips on Cruising The Great Lakes

Melvin Phillips has traveled all over the world — by land and by sea. The 76-year-old Detroit retiree takes at least one cruise a year and has relaxed and sightseen on the big boats everywhere from the Caribbean to the Baltic Sea to the Nile River. But in 2022, he opted for a cruise a little closer to home.

“Great Lakes cruising is just getting started and it’s something new, and I always wanted to get a visitors’ perspective of our stock in Detroit,” he says.

Phillips was a passenger on the Viking cruise line ship that is the largest currently sailing the Great Lakes , but it’s far from alone. Over the past five years, the lakes surrounding Michigan have begun to play host to more and more cruise lines and ships, with more and more coastal cities coming on board as ports of call.

“It was a great cruise,” Phillips says of his eight days cruising four of the five Great Lakes. He started in Toronto on Lake Ontario and from there visited Port Colborne and Point Pelee on Lake Erie before a stop in Detroit. The boat then headed north up Lake Huron to Alpena and Mackinac Island and ended in Milwaukee on Lake Michigan.

Dave Lorenz is the vice president of Travel Michigan and the chair of Cruise the Great Lakes , an alliance built through the Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers. He says the alliance was formed in 2018 as a way to help increase tourism, including cruising, on the lakes. “We felt that we need to do more to market the Great Lakes area both to consumers and to cruise lines [as] a great place to take a cruisehe says.”

It worked. Since that initial effort, eight cruise lines have come on board with 11 ships currently in operation, visiting 34 ports of call. The more companies and cities that get involved, the more incentive other cruise lines — and port cities — have to get involved as well, Lorenz says.

“It’s the Burger King-McDonald’s philosophy of ‘Hey, if they’re going to be on that corner, we’re going to be on the opposite corner,’” Lorenz says.

The ship Phillips sailed on might be the largest on the lakes so far — and it’s certainly big at 665 feet long — but it’s still quite a bit smaller than what most people think of when they imagine an ocean-faring cruise ship. That’s because the locks that allow ships to enter from the ocean through the St. Lawrence Seaway can’t hold a boat longer than 740 feet.

And having smaller ships is part of what Lorenz says gives cruising the Great Lakes its own special charm.

The Viking ships, for example, have a maximum capacity of 378 passengers, compared with larger cruise ships on the ocean that carry around 3,000 passengers. “So it’s a much more intimate experience,” Lorenz says.

While they’re smaller, that doesn’t mean they lack the same comforts as other cruise ships. There are pools on deck (with fresh water), dining, drinks, and other amenities. The Octantis, one of Viking’s ships, even has a submarine that can show passengers an underwater view of the lakes they’ve never seen — including, if they’re lucky and conditions are right, an up-close view of shipwrecks.

It also doesn’t mean they’re exactly new. Lorenz is quick to point out that this isn’t the first time cruising has existed on the lakes. It just went a bit dormant for a while.

He points to one ship in particular, the Columbus, a German ship that sailed into the Great Lakes for the first time in 1997. “And that ship is still around and occasionally comes into the Great Lakes. … Most of the cruising was done by international ships, and this was a really unique way for them to offer their travelers a North American experience,” Lorenz says.

The Columbus (it has since been renamed the Hamburg), however, was far from the first cruise ship on the lakes.

In the 1800s, ships were an expedient way to travel great distances in the Great Lakes region, and many big boats offered passengers the opportunity to travel in style. One of the earliest records of such travel is from 1847, when Thurlow Weed, editor of the Albany Evening Journal, set off on a steamer in Buffalo, New York, bound for Chicago for the River and Harbor Convention.

“I am afloat, for the first time, on Lake Erie, in that magnificent steamer, the Empire,” he wrote, referring to the 265-foot ship he was on, which featured a main cabin that was 230 feet long as well as salons for men and women, a bar, a library, and live music. “In ascending to her beautiful saloon we found some three hundred ladies and gentlemen grouped around upon sofas, divans, etc., as luxuriously as on board of our own splendid Isaac Newton and Hendrick Hudson [other luxurious steamers].”

In 1895, Mark Twain boarded the SS Northland in Cleveland for a trip to Mackinac with Maj. J.B. Pond, his booking agent. Pond wrote, “All that has been said of this fine ocean ship on the Great Lakes is not exaggerated. Across Lake Erie to [the] Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, and the St. Clair River is a most charming trip.”

Cruising continued to climb in popularity, peaking in the mid-20th century. But as other forms of transportation became more popular, cruising died down. The last cruise ship on the Great Lakes was retired from regular service in 1967.

“We had a lot of cruise ships on the Great Lakes back in the 1940s and ’50s and early ’60s, and they were all right here in this vicinity,” says John Jamian, director of port operations at the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority . “So it’s kind of cool that all these years later they’re coming back to this area.”

Jamian says Detroit currently is a one-day stop for cruise passengers who come into the area, with excursions to places like the Henry Ford Museum and Detroit Institute of Arts .

Cruise the Great Lakes announced in May that they anticipate 25,000 cruise passengers on the Great Lakes this year, a more than 20 percent jump from 2022. On the U.S. side of the lakes, they say cruising will account for $235 million in economic impact from onshore spending and purchased tickets, an 88 percent increase from 2022’s total of $125 million.

As more cities and cruise lines get involved, Lorenz says, prices should start to drop. That’s good news for potential cruisers, as Great Lakes cruises aren’t cheap, starting at around $5,000 and going up to about $10,000 per person (a 13-day Viking cruise in the Amazon and Caribbean, by contrast, currently goes for about $4,000).

Part of the reason has to do with the size of the boats on the lakes. Smaller boats might offer a unique experience, but with fewer passengers in fewer rooms, combined with other factors like a limited cruising season, prices shoot up.

Mark Schrupp, executive director of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, says the agency is currently having a local study done to measure the economic impact on the city. One of his goals, he says, is to have Detroit serve as a launch point for cruises, as it would bring more tourists and more money into the area, with passengers flying in from out of town, staying overnight in hotels, and eating at local restaurants. “When they’re here for just an excursion, they get in at 9 a.m. and they’re usually back on the water by dinnertime.”

Regardless of where the boats are launching from, Phillips says he’s on board. “Overall, I really enjoyed it, and I want to take another Great Lakes cruise in the future,” he says.

What You Need to Know

Cruise lines.

American Queen Voyages , Hapag-Lloyd Cruises , Pearl Seas Cruises , Plantours Cruises , Ponant , St. Lawrence Cruise Lines , Vantage Deluxe World Travel , and Viking

Price Range

Most cruises start at about $5,000 per person and can cost more than $10,000. But there are cheaper options. St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, for example, offers four-night cruises starting at around $2,000.

Length of Cruises

Cruise lengths can range anywhere from a few days to two weeks. (Should you opt to start your cruise in the Great Lakes and end in Argentina, you could take a 70-day Viking cruise, priced at just under $50,000.)

Cruising Season

May-September

For more information, visit cruisethegreatlakes.com .

This story is from the July 2023  issue of Hour Detroit magazine . Read more in our digital edition .

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Cruises on the Great Lakes are giving new life to the Rust Belt

For waterfront cities such as Cleveland, Detroit, and Green Bay, new tourism opportunities are literally sailing in.

The winds of change are coming to the port cities of the Great Lakes . For over a century, the largest network of freshwater in the world had served as a highway for moving bulk products such as grain, petroleum, and other industrial products to and from the interior United States and Canada .  

But as the region’s manufacturing economy withered due to offshoring and other technological changes, the Great Lakes’ ports went quiet.

Now, several cities are investing in their waterfronts—but this time to facilitate cruise ships and the lucrative tourism dollars they bring.  

After years of stagnation due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the Great Lakes will host their largest cruise fleet ever this year, with nine cruise ships setting sail this season, four of them new ships making their inaugural trips through lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario . Around 150,000 passengers are expected to sail—a 25 percent increase from 2019—generating an estimated $120 million in economic impact.  

Making waves

This summer was a historic one for Green Bay, Wisconsin , with the city welcoming its first-ever cruise ship —the 202-passenger Ocean Navigator —into port.

“It really created a sense of pride in our community to bring in these large cruise ships and guests from all over the world,” says Nick Meisner of Discover Green Bay .

( How cruise lines are adapting to COVID-19 in the age of Omicron .)

Shipping facilities in Green Bay, a port city of just over 100,000 people on the northwestern shore of Lake Michigan, have for decades traditionally handled raw materials and goods such as petroleum and other industrial products.

But now, a new cruise roster means the local tourism scene is set to chart a different course. Visitors can take in popular spots such as Lambeau Field, home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, as well as a host of local breweries and stores. In July, work started on an $8.8 million project to revitalize the city’s waterfront that would include a promenade, fishing pier, and an urban beach.

These efforts were not lost on the cruise companies. “Because we have relatively smaller ships, we can get into smaller ports. That’s somewhat unique to the Great Lakes,” says Bill Annand, vice president of marine operations for American Queen Voyages , which operates the Ocean Navigator . “Green Bay worked in terms of time and distance on some of our itineraries, but also, it’s an attractive port. The local community helped us set up good shore excursion activities.”

Green Bay isn’t alone.

In May, Thunder Bay, Ontario , on the Canadian shores of Lake Superior, welcomed its first cruise ship passengers since 2013. Experts estimated that more than 5,000 tourists were expected to debark in Thunder Bay this year for hiking excursions around shipwreck-ridden Sleeping Giant Provincial Park , urban walking tours, and Indigenous-led visitor experiences, generating up to $4.3 million for the local economy.  

Cleveland , situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie and featuring attractions such as the West Side Market , the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame , and a nearby national park , is set to receive about 4,000 passengers via 38 cruise visits this year, up from 19 cruises in 2018.  

When the 672-foot-long Viking Octantis , the newest and largest vessel on the Great Lakes cruise roster, sailed up the Detroit River and docked in the Motor City in May, it stopped traffic . Some people reportedly drove 60 miles just to catch a glimpse of the ship.  

Once the poster boy for America’s manufacturing decline, Detroit now teems with new developments and fresh initiatives. Cruise ship visits doubled to 50 this year, with around 10,000 passengers contributing millions of dollars to the local economy. Many of those are first-time visitors who local tourism experts say might never have considered visiting Detroit as a stand-alone destination.

“This is business that I really didn’t have at all until this year because it didn’t seem to exist much before COVID,” says Bob Goldsmith, owner of the tour guide service Detroit Tour Connections . “We’re hoping for more [visitors] next year.”

Not entirely easy sailing

Catering to this fast-growing industry does have its challenges.

In some ports, access is still an issue. When the Viking Octantis arrived in Detroit in May, it had to dock at the larger Nicholson Terminal because the city’s main port wasn’t set up to receive it. (The smaller Ocean Navigator has been able to dock at Detroit’s main waterfront this year).  

Port authorities say that updates, however, are expected to be made this off-season to allow the Octantis and an additional ship dock at Detroit’s main port from next year.

Access to customs facilities, since the ships regularly sail between U.S. and Canadian ports with passengers from a host of countries, is another issue, say observers. To mitigate the problem, ports such as Cleveland and Duluth-Superior have recently spent millions of dollars on creating new processing facilities, though others still lack the infrastructure.

It is also not ideal that passengers are only projected to spend around $150 to $180 on shore per person, as meals and sleeping quarters are already provided on board, says Annand.

The economic impact “straight away is not huge for our community,” adds Meisner, however, “the big impact is showcasing our destination to new travelers from across the country and the globe.”

With more ships now sailing thousands of miles across the Great Lakes, there is also a greater potential environmental impact on the region. Regulatory organizations, however, are working to mitigate that.  

( The Great Lakes—North America’s most valuable resource—is at risk .)

“We test the ballast water of every ship coming into the St. Lawrence (Seaway) in Montreal,” says Rebecca Yackley of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation , a federal agency that manages and promotes ship activity in the region. Ships are required to flush ballast water (fresh or saltwater held in the gravel tanks that keep boats balanced) before entering the Great Lakes system. Testing the water helps prevent invasive species such as zebra mussels (bivalves that clog water filtration pipes, devour the algae needed for native species to survive, and destroy boat engines) from getting in.  

Cleveland, Detroit, and Thunder Bay, along with several other cruising organizations and port cities have signed the Cruise the Great Lakes sustainability pledge . Compliance with the pledge includes using more biofuel and alternative fuel technology, creating a lighter shoreside footprint, switching to LED lights, locally sourcing food, not dumping waste in the lakes, and repurposing supplies when possible.

Newer vessels such as the Viking Octantis   are deploying cutting-edge ways to save energy. The hot water generated by its engines is recycled to heat the vessel’s living quarters. The Octantis has been designed to minimize disturbances to animals by reducing its noise emission.

Due to the smaller physical and environmental footprint of Great Lakes cruise ships, these and other green energy initiatives implemented mean the Great Lakes cruise scene is poised to flourish in the years to come.  

In Green Bay, tourism officials are expecting to add at least two new cruise arrivals next year and are holding conversations with additional cruise operators about coming to the city.  

“We expect that this year’s cruise visits to Green Bay will lead some to plan an entire trip,” Meisner says. “That will be extremely valuable to our community.”

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Great Lakes Passenger Cruising Adds $1.5M to Detroit Economy in 2023

Visit Detroit announced Great Lakes cruise passenger spending generated nearly $1.5 million in direct economic impact for Detroit in 2023.

This spending supports shops, restaurants, transportation providers, tour operators, and other small businesses in Detroit and elsewhere around the Great Lakes, underscoring the growing economic importance of cruising to the region.

In 2023, approximately 14,000 passengers visited Detroit aboard seven cruise ships — the Pearl Mist, Ocean Navigator, Ocean Voyager, Octantis, Polaris, MS Hamburg, and La Bellot. Regionally, nearly 25,000 passengers made 800 visits to Great Lakes ports in 2023, an increase of more than 20 percent from last year.

“The substantial economic impact of cruise passenger spending in Detroit highlights the city’s growing allure as a premier destination for Great Lakes cruising,” says Jennifer Ollinger, manager of domestic and international tourism at Visit Detroit. “The positive influence on local businesses underscores the transformative experiences Detroit offers to visitors exploring our vibrant city and the surrounding region.”

Cruise the Great Lakes is the region’s cruise marketing program focused on attracting more passengers. It is a forum to bring together the states, provinces, cruise lines, ports, convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, associations, and others to work toward shared goals.

“Cruise the Great Lakes remains committed to promoting the remarkable cruising experiences available in our region,” says Anna Tanski, tourism director of Cruise the Great Lakes. “The year-on-year growth in passengers, port visits, onshore spending, and the increasing premium on Great Lakes cruises reflect the region’s growing popularity as a destination.”

For more information, visit  cruisethegreatlakes.com  and  cruisethegreatlakes.ca .

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Why searching for shipwrecks in Great Lakes has never been easier

One study estimates there are more than 6,000 shipwrecks among the 5 great lakes.

Keith Dunlap , Digital Content Team, Graham Media Group

If you love traveling to any of the Great Lakes during the summer, then there is another activity you could partake in other than swimming, boating or fishing: Searching for shipwrecks.

There are several reasons why this might be the “golden age” of shipwreck searching, according to an article by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation .

Recommended Videos

Citing findings from the University of Buffalo, the article said there is more than 6,000 shipwrecks on the bottom of the five Great Lakes, which have been sunk since the 1600s by vicious storms, accidents or in wars.

It has never been easier to locate such shipwrecks, for four big reasons, according to the article.

1. Climate change

Winters in recent years have been warmer than usual, and this past winter was even more so in the Great Lakes region. The higher temperatures left little to no ice coverage when the Great Lakes usually average roughly 40% for a given winter.

The warmth has had negative environmental impacts, but has been somewhat helpful for locating shipwrecks due to lower lake levels and higher rates of erosion on sandy shores that have destroyed coastlines.

2. Clearer waters due to invasive species

Freighters coming from Europe through the Great Lakes have introduced species such as invasive zebra and quagga mussels. So why is that such a big deal? Because it has made normally muddier Great Lakes water clearer.

The Great Lakes have become so much clearer that some are finding wrecks through Google Earth or other satellite imagery .

Last year, a Canadian man was able to set a Guinness World Record for longest underwater photo shoot in Lake Huron.

3. Technology advances

Whether it’s better cameras, drones, underwater scooters or devices that help people breathe longer underwater, the technology to explore shipwrecks has never been better. In October, a ship called “The Africa” that sank in Lake Huron in 1895 was discovered by a couple filming a documentary on the surface of the Great Lakes.

4. More public interest

Videos and pictures of shipwrecks often go viral on social media, and new discoveries make headlines around the world.

People simply are fascinated by shipwrecks. In Paradise, Michigan, located in the state’s Upper Peninsula along Lake Superior, there is a museum devoted to shipwrecks and paying tribute to those who lost their lives in them.

The article went on to mention that this “golden age” of shipwreck searching might only last roughly 30 years. Because climate change is affecting ice levels, more light and zebra mussels are filtering their way down to the wrecks, causing them to erode and essentially vanish.

No doubt, that explains why so many are trying to locate shipwrecks, and the next couple of decades will likely feature more people trying to do so than ever before in history.

Graham Media Group 2024

About the Author

Keith dunlap.

Keith is a member of Graham Media Group's Digital Content Team, which produces content for all the company's news websites.

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