The locks are located on the border between the United States and Canada in the area of Northern Michigan. A lock-tour cruise is available to those wanting to view the locks and experience the feeling of “locking through.” This is a small ship cruise made on a day-trip basis. From the city of Sault Ste. Marie, your cruise ship will depart on a 2 hour narrated tour of the locks that will not only move you from lake to lake, but from the US side to the Canadian side and back again, for Sault Ste. Marie itself is found on both sides of the river and bills itself as Michigan’s oldest City.

The tour company operates a fleet of 5 boats, so you can imagine this is a pretty popular day-cruise. The boats used for these small ship cruises are climate controlled and have restrooms and snack bars.

Soo Locks Boat Tour’s rates are somewhat lower than other 2 hour tours I’ve examined, with the fare being $21 for adults and $10.50 for children 5 to 12. The company is advertising that no passports are required in 2009 for any of their tours. This is an important consideration as new changes in the law have made some form of passport or enhanced driver’s license necessary for many tours that land at Canadian ports. These Great Lakes cruises operate 3 times a day through the second half of May and all of June, and 12 times a day in July through mid-August. Tours continue at a slower pace in September and October. Most days, tours begin around 10:00 am with the last departure being between 3:00 and 5:00 depending on the time of year. No reservations are required, but it might help to call ahead to verify the schedule.

Travel Dynamics International hopes to change that by introducing the Clelia II, a 50 suite, 100 passenger liner that was completely refitted in 2008 and is currently sailing the Lakes on some of her first trips since refitting. Part of the refitting included many safety items, like a fleet of zodiacs and state-of-the art navigational and communications equipment. Like all ships plying the Lakes, the Clelia II meets stringent U.S. Coast Guard requirements for reliability and passenger safety. The ship has also been equipped with fin stabilizers and an ice strengthened hull which allows it to offer cruises earlier and later in the season than some others.

The company describes the ships’ public areas as “Decorated with rich fabrics, handsome wood, polished brass, rare antiquities and fine works of art…” This definitely puts the Clelia II well within the class of “luxury” accommodations.

The ship has a library with internet access, 2 lounges with audio-video facilities, beauty salon, gym/spa, boutique, hospital, elevator, dining room, 2 sun decks, Jacuzzi, and a swimming platform. And perhaps best of all, everything is new. It’s like the difference between staying in a luxury hotel and a new luxury hotel and doing it while on a Great Lakes cruise.

The cabins of the Clelia II are reported to be 215 square feet and larger, and each one is appointed with a number of luxury features like satellite TV with DVD/CD player, telephone, refrigerator, air conditioning, mini-bar and a marble bathroom with a teak floor, terry robes and slippers, fresh flowers, and a fruit basket. The cabins each have a sitting area or separate living room and a bedroom with twin or queen sized beds. The ship also offers 24 hour room service.

The Clelia II’s 100 passengers are served by a staff of 60, making the ratio of staff to passengers better than most luxury hotels. The men and women who staff these ships are able seamen, and among the best available on any Great Lakes cruise. This ship truly offers a wonderful opportunity to tour the Great Lakes from the deck of a luxury cruise liner.

Cleveland, Ohio is the home of the Goodtime III, which the owners bill as the “largest quadruple-deck 1,000 passenger luxury ship on the Great Lakes.” At 1,000 passengers it is very possible that the Goodtime III is in fact the largest passenger ship on the Lakes. Lakes liners are normally smaller and only carry 300 to 400 passengers on the largest ships. If the Goodtime III is not physically the largest liner on the lakes it certainly ranks among the elite few in the number of passengers it can carry.

The Goodtime III offers regular sightseeing, entertainment and dinner/dance cruises as well as custom charters. Most of the offerings appear to fall into the “day cruise” category with 2 hours cruises being advertised. The ship is heated and air conditioned and has a canvas enclosed upper deck.

The cruises and tours are on the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie and include a commentary on the sights provided by an experienced guide. The Goodtime III is large enough to have an onboard pub and both sandwiches, soft drinks and spirits are available.

The Gootime III’s homeport is the East 9th Street Pier in Cleveland and they advertise that this location is next to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and the Great Lakes Science Center. This is a convenient location for families looking for a vacation stop with a number of different attractions all at one place. Another plus is that the Goodtime III sails rain or shine since there are enclosed and semi-enclosed decks. This is an important consideration when choosing a Great Lakes cruise vacation. Weather can sometimes pose a hazard for day cruisers. The Goodtime III has taken pains to prevent the weather from damping its passenger’s vacations.

The daily cruises and tours are each about 1 ½ hours long. These are lunch and dinner cruises and include a tour around the harbor and a running commentary on the sights given by an experienced guide.

There are a number of other specialty tours that are also offered by the Vista Fleet, these include Mother’s Day Brunch, Father’s Day Beer n’ Brats, Armed Forces Weekend, Blues Cruises, Harvest Festival and Fall Colors Cruises, Halloween Cruises and 4th of July Fireworks Cruises.

Children are welcome on most of the cruises and the prices are reasonable at anywhere from $20 to $60 in 2009 pricing. Of course the prices vary based upon the cruise, with the most expensive being the Fireworks Cruise. There are two locations for the Fireworks cruise; Duluth, Minnesota; and Superior, Wisconsin. The Duluth trip is aboard the Vista Star, the largest of the fleet and includes a prime rib dinner. The Superior trip is aboard the Vista Queen, the smallest of the fleet and includes hors d’oeuvres and a limited Open Bar. Yet a third 4th of July option is added when the Vista King sails from Duluth. This trip is only $30 per person but includes only light snacks and a cash bar.

If you want to try a Great Lakes cruise but you’re afraid you might not like it, or your budget is very small, one of these short “day trips” might be just perfect for you. You can easily test your sea legs without breaking your bank account.

You will find that companies like the Vista Fleet operate in many ports, so if you live anywhere in the area of the Great Lakes, there is probably a cruise company located somewhere near you. The ships these companies operate may have cabins for lodging, or like those of the Vista Fleet, they may be completely converted to passenger seating and dining areas. Either way, these short trips offer a great opportunity to learn about the local harbors and to get on the water and have some fun. At the relatively low price charged for one of these short Great Lakes cruises they also make fun Mother’s or Father’s day, birthday, graduation and wedding presents.

For a unique day cruise, these folks offer two different glass bottomed boats that will take you to view a number of shipwrecks dating from the turn of the century (the last century, not this new one). Ships wrecked in Lake Superior tend to stay in reasonably good condition due to the cold temperature of the water, and the water is relatively clear. The tour company promises visibility of 50 feet or more which is good for many areas in the Lakes.

The 2 hour long tours include stops at 3 wrecks, the Bermuda, the Scow and the Herman H. Hettler. A guide narrates the visits and explains the history of the ship and the wrecks.

The company bills itself as the only glass bottomed boat company in the United States that views shipwrecks. This may be so, it is certainly the only one in Northern Michigan.

This short Great Lakes cruise also includes a view of the East Channel Lighthouse, one of the oldest lighthouses on Lake Superior and the Pictured Rocks, a destination and tour worthy by themselves.

At the moment, fours cruises are offered per day in July and August, two per day in June, September and October. The cost is advertised at $30 for an adult and $12 for children 12 and under which places the pricing in line with other day cruises in the Munising area.

As a unique Great Lakes cruise that is hard to top anywhere, these Glass Bottom Boat tours are unlike anything else in this part of the world, and if you find yourself in or near Munising, you might want to consider giving them a try.

If Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore sounds like an ideal opportunity for a Great Lakes cruise, you would be in agreement with the operators of Pictured Rocks Cruises, Inc. They offer 2 ½ to 3 hour cruises along the 42 mile shore of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The company has been in operation over 50 years and in that time has carried thousands of passengers, both local and tourist. Locals often take this short cruise as they say the rocks are best viewed from the water.

There are 3 cruises available. The Regular Cruise, the Sunset Cruise and the Spray Falls cruise. The sunset cruise is just at dusk and is usually the last cruise of the day. The Spray Falls cruise adds a trip to Spray Falls.

These specialty Great Lakes cruises open in mid-May and Close in Mid-October. Fees for summer of 2009 are listed as $33 each for adults and $10 for children 6 to 12. Pictured Rocks Cruises, Inc also advertises and onsite kennel service for those who travel with their pets.

The Kajama is a 164-foot, 3 masted Schooner. Great Lakes Schooner Company claims that the Kajama cruise can only be duplicated in the Caribbean, and that may very well be true. While there is another tall ship cruise located in Traverse City, Michigan, USA, it is reported to lack a fully licensed bar. On that ship you are allowed to bring drinks on board and to pre-order, but a complete bar is unavailable.

Another interesting thing about the Kajama is that a Fireworks Tour is available. You can watch the fireworks in Toronto Harbor from the deck.

The Great Lakes Schooner Company also operates a steam powered paddle wheeler known as the Trillium, which is large enough to handle up to 500 guests. According to Great Lakes Schooner, the Trillium is the last steam operated paddle wheeler offering Great Lakes cruises. There is also a 97-foot schooner available for cruising the Great Lakes, and a 190 passenger conventional cruise ship that boasts an upper-level dance floor with a retractable roof.

Great Lakes Schooner Company typically offers two boarding times, one just after 12pm and an evening run that starts between six and seven. The company claims they are flexible with the times since their Great Lakes cruises are private.

If you are interested in having them host your Great Lakes cruise or other charter event, whether it is a wedding, company meeting or something else, you will want to contact them early and schedule your time. These are unique ships and you might have to hunt long and hard to duplicate these enjoyable and unique cruises.

The smaller of the luxury cruise liners that Great Lakes cruise companies use are generally less than 200 feet long. These small liners will have several decks with staterooms, a large dining room, a small ship’s store, shuffle board courts, sun decks, etc. The larger cruise ships are generally only a little larger, but that is still enough to offer private balconies for the staterooms, flat screen satellite TV, multiple lounges, elevators, spas, a library and multiple observation areas.

Great Lakes luxury cruise ships always have a fine salon for dining. The exact type of cuisine will vary between cruise lines. Some Great Lakes cruises offer “home-cooked” meals complete with local fruit and vegetables that are picked up along the way. Other luxury cruises offer five-star cuisine.

Most cruise lines will try to accommodate dietary restrictions. So, when making reservations be sure to discuss any special food needs with the reservations clerk. The time to mention a low-sodium or peanut free diet is before buying the tickets. It makes it much more difficult for the staff to provide for special dietary requirements if they don’t have a chance to plan in advance. On a Great Lakes cruise ship, the chef can’t just send out at the last minute for something he doesn’t have on hand.

If time and money is limited, a day-cruise on a local ferry or small yacht may make more sense than a longer luxury cruise. These boats are smaller than even the smallest Great Lakes cruise ship and generally aren’t equipped with staterooms, lounges, or dining rooms. Most will have a cabin that passengers can ride in to stay out of the wind or to take shelter from rain. Ferries often run short routes from the main land to the islands, or around scenic bays in inlets. Often, the ferries can offer better views of the scenery that the bigger Great Lakes cruise ships because they can maneuver closer to the shore.

There are also dinner cruises available. Unlike the luxury cruises, these short Great Lakes cruises are usually only a couple of hours long and very reasonably priced. They include a high quality dinner, wine tasting, or ice-cream social event for the passengers to enjoy. Often, the Great Lakes cruise ships offering these types of trips are of a special design, meaning they may be tall ships or even steam powered paddle wheelers.

Whether booking a dream luxury cruise, a short day trip to see Mackinaw Island, or an 11-day color tour, there is a Great Lakes cruise ship waiting to show you the Great Lakes.

The golf cruise begins with 18 holes at Niagara falls at the Grand Niagra Resort. From there the Great Lakes cruise liner moves on to make stops for courses at Windsor, Port Elgin, Little Current and Houghton.

The outing lasts for eight days and covers courses from one end of the Great Lakes to the other. These are some of the most scenic and spectacular courses the region has to offer. All of these golf courses offer challenges to the advanced golfer and yet are easy enough for the novice.

They also offer spectacular views and marvelous scenery, as does this Great Lakes cruise in general which follows along some of the most beautiful coastline in the U.S. and Canada.

A problem that many golfers have is a spouse who doesn’t golf. A Great Lakes golf cruise might be just right for such couples. At each stop of this Great Lakes cruise, the golfers are shuttled off for the courses while the non golfing passengers are offered tours of the scenic and historic sites the areas have to offer. These tours run from a powwow on Little Manitoulin Island, to museums, arts and crafts shops, and scenic tours. There is enough variety available in this Great Lakes cruise package for it to qualify as both a golf cruise and a luxury cruise.

This Great Lakes cruise also includes a stop at historic Mackinac Island, where guests will have time to tour the island. Sorry, no motorcars allowed on this island that still maintains many of its Victorian roots, so tours here will be by bicycle, foot, horseback or horse drawn carriage.

The Great Lakes cruise ship will pass by the Mackinac Bridge, which is one of the longest bridges in the world and the longest two-tower suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere, and from there will move on to the Soo locks, the busiest locks in the world.

The liner that makes this Great Lakes cruise is the Celia II and she is being newly launched in 2009 after extensive renovation. The staterooms are spacious, and on a small boat like this, that means a limited number of staterooms. In fact, there are only 50 and the ship can only handle 100 passengers. So, make reservations early for this Great Lakes cruise.