Freshwater Welcomes

Trike up the band!

The beauty of he ships and the enthusiasm of their passengers are appreciated in North America’s Freshwater Seas. Each port offers distinctive welcomes—emphasizing their unique characteristics.

With centuries of natural beauty drawing settlers and travelers, the port people are experts in hospitality. City officials, schools, native tribes, historians and culture buffs work together to plan and take part in the official greetings.

Each arrival is celebrated.

The docks host musical performances, presentations of city keys and natives adorned in colorful regalia. For the duration of their stay, passengers become part of the community, discovering its character and heritage. Activities are planned and exploration encouraged.

So whether venturing through the mist of Niagara Falls or the city center of Cleveland, boarding a floatplane to soar above Georgian Bay, attending a pow wow in Little Current, visiting The Henry Ford Museum in Detroit or touring historic homes in Muskegon or Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin in Milwaukee, the ports are reliable partners in making each stop something to remember—steps in making your cruise a success for all aboard.

With so many ports and potential itineraries possible, there’s room for new and unique experiences each year for the cruise lines and their returning passengers.

Multiple waterways

Sailing the Freshwater Seas includes options to tour:

Lake Superior

Straits of Mackinac

Lake Huron

Detroit River

Lake Ontario

St. Marys River

Georgian Bay

Lake Erie

St. Lawrence River

Soo Locks

Lake Michighan

Lake St. Clair

Welland Canal

Glacial Wonders

Natural formations create today’s freshwater wonderland

BEGINNING 1.1 TO 1.2 BILLION YEARS AGO, tectonic plates began to split, forming rifts which provided basins for today’s Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. As the glaciers receded, the highlands became islands—many of which are desirable stops for cruise ships.

Though the Great Lakes appear separate, they are interconnected as the Great Lakes Basin. Water flows from Lake Superior to Lake Huron to Lake Michigan, on to Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and feeding the St. Lawrence River.

AT A GLANCE

The Great Lakes is made up of Lake Superior, Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario.
The Great Lakes span 750 miles from east to west, with all but Lake Michigan sharing the U.S. and Canadian border.
The Lakes have enough water to cover the North American continent at a depth of 1.5 meters.
The Great Lakes coastline measures about 10,500 miles.
The Lakes equal about 21 percent of the world’s surface freshwater.
The coastline of the Great Lakes is rich with the natural beauty of forests and countless species of flora.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

The name Lake Superior is derived from the French “lac Supérieur,” meaning the upper lake which generally refers to its positioning as the northern most of the Great Lakes.
Lake Erie, or “erielhonan,” is derived from an Iroquoian word meaning Long Tail.
Lake Michigan is derived from the language of the Ojibwe people, from “mishi-gami,” where mishi means great and gami means water or lake.
Lake Huron was named after Wyandot, an indigenous group known as Hurons. It was also called Freshwater Sea by travelers.
Lake Ontario’s name comes from the language of the Wyandot people, which called Lake Ontario “ontarí’io,” meaning lake or body of shining waters.