Travel Articles

The Great Lakes have long fascinated mankind. Since humans first arrived in the area, these magnificent fresh water “seas” have been an important transportation route for both business and pleasure. Fully 1/5 of the world’s fresh water flows through these massive lakes. The area which contains the lakes is known as the Great Lakes basin and is it one of the richest and most fertile spots on the planet.

With so much to offer, it is no wonder that a cruise industry developed on the lakes. People began to take Great Lakes cruises for pleasure shortly after Europeans first arrived, and by the early 1900s, there were cruise ships large and small that carried tourists across these beautiful waters.

In the 1930s, two such ships, the S.S. South American and S.S. North American made regular cruises carrying passengers around the lakes. At the time, the U.S. was buried in a great depression much worse than the financial upset we are experiencing today, and those individuals who could afford a vacation often wanted to travel as cheaply as they could. Cruising the lake on these luxury liners gave them the opportunity to cuts costs and still enjoy a luxury vacation. People from around the basin regularly took the tours alongside people from all over the U.S. and even people from Europe since the value of Great Lakes cruises have long been recognized by Europeans.

As the decades passed, Great Lakes cruise companies were forced to competed with ocean liners that grew bigger and glitzier every year and made faster and faster transits to faraway ports and tropical islands. By the 1960s, cruising on the lakes had fallen out of favor and little was left of the industry except private charters and short day trips by private boats.

Then, during the 1990s, a German firm challenged the ocean cruise liners and brought full load of European tourists to the lakes. That single event is credited with reigniting interest in the failing Great Lakes cruise industry. Almost overnight the residents of the basin area awoke to the undeniable value of these waterways that are unique in all the world. New cruise lines were born and new ships ordered. The modern age of Great Lakes Cruises was born.

Today, there are many cruise lines offering excursions that last from mere hours to weeks. None of this new generation of Great Lakes cruise ships are as large as the ocean liners that travel to Hawaii and other exotic ports. These new luxury cruise ships are more like mini-yachts, carrying 100 to 300 people in spacious cabins and with excellent service.

William G. Oatiz is a lifelong resident of Michigan and an expert on Great Lakes cruises and vacations. Great Lakes cruises offer an opportunity unrivaled by any other other cruise tour. Sail the freshwater seas that lie between the U.S. and Canada on the deck of a luxury yacht. Enjoy a vacation unlike any other. For more information on this unparalleled vacation option, please visit the blog at Enjoy a Great Lakes cruise, http://www.greatlakescruiseguide.com