At 77 feet long, the Red Witch is somewhat smaller than her more northern cousin the Manitou, which resides in Traverse City, Michigan. Still, even though she is a little bit smaller, the Red Witch will carry a respectable 49 passengers for a wonderful afternoon of fun.

The Red Witch is operated by Lakeshore Sail Charters out of Chicago, which also offers Great Lakes cruises on the Crescendo, a 36 foot Beneteau that carries up to 6 passengers.

You can take Great Lakes cruises on Red Witch one of three ways, you can charter the entire ship for your group event, or if you have a small group and you agree to share the ride with another small group, you can enjoy a lower rate. According to their website, a shared charter is priced at $600 for two hours in 2009 pricing. This covers up to 10 people and after that it is $50 for each additional passenger. If you want a 3 hour tour, the fee is $900 for the first 10 people and $65 per person after that. Tours include soft drinks, water and snacks. These rates are a significant discount over the regular rate which starts at over $1000 for the two hour tour if taken on a weekday.

The other way to get a ride on the Red Witch is to take advantage of one of the special events this small charter company offers. The Red Witch offers a few “ticketed” events every year, this means that individuals can buy a ticket to sail on these specially scheduled events. The events that Lakeshore Sail Charters schedules are Wednesday and Saturday fireworks cruises, Whale Watching/Happy Hour cruises, and Musical Mondays. Tickets start at $50 per person, which is cheap enough when compared to the charter rates.

Besides, anyone who has lived around the Great lakes, or knows anything about the Great Lakes will tell you that the Whale Watching/Happy Hour cruise must be very interesting indeed. Even if you don’t see any whales, I’m sure you will return happy, and if you do see a whale…well, I guess you will return even happier.

Like all sailing vessels, the Red Witch makes tours of an approximate length, and the actual time it takes for the cruise may vary slightly based on the wind and weather, but the fun will always be large. If you live somewhere in the vicinity of Chicago and you long for a schooner ride, you might consider taking your Great Lakes cruises on the Red Witch.

The menu for this dinner cruise is also better than you would find on the Spirit of Chicago. The 2009 dinner menu calls for main courses of Syrah Braised Center Cut of Beef, Seafood Ravioli Gratinee, Boneless Pork Chops, North Atlantic Salmon or a Mediterranean Vegetable Purse. The first courses and desserts are equally sumptuous and equal or exceed those found in many of the better land based restaurants. The Odyssey II experience includes the opportunity to order any of these fine meals that are prepared fresh on board every day.

Like the Spirit of Chicago, the Odyssey II offers several decks and each one has live music and a dance floor. The live music varies from jazz to contemporary and is performed by individual artists and groups. Odyssey II promises that the music won’t end until the ship returns to port.

The operators bill the Odyssey II as the “largest fine-dining cruise ship on the Great Lakes,” This may be true. At 200 feet long and 55 feet high above the water line, the Odyssey II is one of the larger Great Lakes ships offering dinner cruises. While there are other ships that are slightly larger, they won’t serve as many diners and those ships that will serve a similar number of diners appear to be slightly smaller in size and certainly not as luxurious. The Odyssey II has 3 climate controlled decks and promises skyline views from every table.

The cruise route runs south from Navy pier to the Shedd Aquarium, then back to the north to Evanston or thereabouts and then returns to Navy pier. This affords an excellent view of the Chicago skyline, and for the Midnight cruises the skyline provides an amazingly lit backdrop for this luxury cruise. The cruises last two or three hours–the exact time and route is determined by weather and the particular cruise offering.

Unlike some of her northern counterparts, Odyssey II offers cruises year around, although in the winter the are fewer days when cruises are offered and passengers may need to schedule their vacation or celebration times more around the ship’s schedule. Individuals, couple and groups are all welcome. Reservations are required, and there is a dress code so be sure to call ahead and plan to dress nicely. Lunch cruises start at $44.90 + tax and fees and dinner cruises start at $79.90 +. That is a very competitive price considering the menu and compared to the offerings of other Great Lakes cruise providers. As small ship cruises go, this one is a winner!

If you want a truly unique dinner cruise experience, the Spirit of Chicago offers a Thanksgiving Dinner cruise featuring Walnut crusted turkey breast, orange glazed ham and slow braised center cut sirloin. There are also two after Thanksgiving Champagne brunch and dinner cruises available on November 27th. There are few other small ship cruise lines that offer this level of dining, or trips as late into the fall as the Spirit of Chicago offers.

For those who like the night, the Spirit of Chicago offers a midnight moonlight cruise. This Lakes cruise includes a professional DJ, cash bar and light hors d’oeuvres. Sorry, this cruise is adults only (over 21) and you must be able to show a valid photo ID before boarding.

Another cruise offering is the Sweetest Day Dinner cruise which is offered October 17th. Offering live music, champagne and memorable views of the Sweetest Day fireworks, this cruise promises to be a winner. Fireworks cruises are always popular among dinner and evening cruisers and small cruise ships offer an outstanding platform for viewing fireworks unobstructed by either buildings or milling crowds. The Spirit of Chicago offers an upper level observation deck as well as several open patios on the other decks and should allow excellent viewing.

Fireworks cruises are available on the Spirit of Chicago on the fourth of July, Sweetest Day and News Years Eve. Since many Great Lakes cruise ships are closed for business during the winter season, this makes the Spirit of Chicago exceptional as it offers cruises most of the year.

The spirit of Chicago offers three dining decks and an observation deck and has a reported capacity of 572 passengers. They will take single passengers, small groups or even large group charters that occupy one or more decks. The decks are open and spacious and appear well lighted. The ship departs from Navy pier and the cruise provider reports that ample parking is available at the Navy Pier parking lot. There is also a continuous running (and free to ride) trolley that carries passengers from the parking a lot along Navy pier.

There is a dress code of sorts for the dinner cruises, so be certain to check with the cruise providers for exact recommendations. These cruises are generally not shirt and tie affairs, but the cruise line prefers passengers on the dinner cruises be a little more dressy. There are also enhancements you can add to your cruise to make to more memorable. These include private tables, balloons, roses, appetizer plates, open bar, champagne, wine, souvenir glasses, photographs, guaranteed window seats and other perks that add to the experience of a Great Lakes cruise on this small ship.

There are several different varieties of cabins available on the Grande Mariner. Some open onto the outside deck and some open onto an inside corridor. Cabins are available with two lower berths or with upper and lower berths. A few cabins have both a double lower berth and a single upper berth. As this ship is smaller than the competing Clelia II and a bit more austere, the cabins are also smaller and less luxurious.

With that difference noted, there are some features of the Grande Mariner that the Clelia II cannot match. One is the bow ramp which allows passengers to simply walk off the ship without the need to worry about jetties and docks. Another is the extremely shallow draft of the ship, which allows it to enter shallow coastal waters where other ships dare not go.

There are also two launches, one of which has a glass bottom. Glass bottomed boats are somewhat of a rarity in Great Lakes tours, and they offer an excellent opportunity to explore sunken ships, rock formations and to view the numerous species of fresh water fish that inhabit the Lakes. The Grande Mariner has a large dining room on the main deck and an auditorium/lounge on the second deck that can accommodate all passengers.

This small ship cruise on The Grande Mariner embarks from Chicago with stops at Holland, Michigan, Manistee, Michigan, Mackinaw Island, Michigan, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin before returning to Chicago. There are seven different waterways that the ship passes through to reach these ports and some terrific scenery.

The published prices for the 2010 Grande Mariner Lake Michigan Getaway cruise run between $1800 and $2200 depending on the cabin choice. There is an additional port charge of $100 that is also shown. Cruise dates begin June and end in late July. This could be the perfect Great Lakes cruise and one of only a few on Lake Michigan. On a small ship cruise like this, there is always the chance for adventure in the small and large port cities where the ship calls and as Great Lakes cruises go, this one offers as nice a selection of ports as any other.

The port at Manistee began in the 1840s when Europeans first arrived and began logging operations. Michigan in general supplied a large amount of lumber to neighboring states and a lot of Michigan lumber wound up in Ohio after the great fire. Manistee had a hand in producing and shipping that lumber and the port at Manistee was a major employment center.

Today, there are 57 buildings in Manistee that are considered historically valuable and are part of the tour.

Manistee also is the home of the Lake Bluff Audubon Center. The center is located on 76 acres that fronts on Lake Michigan and is set up as an arboreum with specimens of many different trees and also boasts two State Champions, a Sycamore Maple and a Giant Sequoia.

There are a number of restaurants available in Manistee and the downtown port area has a large number of shops available.

This would be a good place to have a comfortable pair of walking shoes as there is a great number of things worth seeing in this Lake Michigan port city. Several Great Lakes Cruise lines make calls at Manistee, but this is not just another port for Great Lakes cruises. Manistee is a city worth visiting anytime you are in Michigan.