Cruising the Great Lakes with Zam's Zany Travels!

 

This May we ventured back to the Great Lakes with Viking. We really enjoyed their Expedition Ship Polaris and decided to explore our "backyard" a bit more. The Viking Octantis was our ship and the cruise itinerary was Great Lakes Treasure.

Our itinerary began and ended in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We visited Mackinac Island, the Georgian Bay, Fathom Five National Marine Park, The Benjamin Islands, Sault Sainte Marie, Door Peninsula, and Chicago. 

The weather was usually crisp and cool which is my favorite weather for traveling. We did experience a good bit of fog and drizzle during our trip, but it did not dampen our spirits.

One of the highlights of our cruise was the weather balloon launch! Viking works with NOAA and sets off the balloons and collects weather data in real time. Be sure to set your cameras and mobile phones on video for the best capture of this exciting launch. 

Some excursions we enjoyed and would recommend: Mackinac by Horse-Drawn Carriage; Anishinaabek of the Great Lakes; Fathom Five National Marine Park by Boat; Soo Locks; and Chicago for Pizza Lovers!

Be sure to take advantage of the Scenic Sailing by Special Operations Boats and Zodiacs. These itineraries do not overlap and you can gain difference perspectives of your environment. Suggestion: don't sit at the back of the Zodiac. You may get your britches wet! There is no special clothing required here. 

We did do the Fish Fry Lunch and would not recommend. The fish was dry and overcooked and not worth the price in general. The best part of the fish fry were the desserts. Although it was a scenic location, I would suggest trying something else.

Even though Chicago is part of our backyard, and we've had pizza in the city many times, the locations our guide took us were new to us. We experienced several different types of pizza and Uno's and Due's were not on the stop. Give this one a try and see which pizza you prefer! You'll see some photos of those stops on my video. Plus there was a stop at Eatlly for some shopping!

Here's to more happy and safe travels to all!

~ Cindy