The Great Lakes with Victory Cruise Lines

This travel journal is part of our TravelStore Passport Diaries Podcast. Watch the full episode below, and for more episodes, visit our Passport Diaries Podcast page or follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

On this episode of Passport Diaries, we are taking a cruise! But it’s probably not the kind most people picture when they hear the word “cruise.” Instead of boarding a big ship out on the Pacific Ocean or a lean river boat on the Seine, we are sailing on the Great Lakes with the lakes’ resident cruise company: Victory Cruise Lines! They are the only cruise line who sails to all five of the Great Lakes: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. In our podcast, we chat with Barbara Davis of Victory Cruise Lines about what to expect when sailing on their flagship itinerary between Chicago and Toronto. 

Even on just a 9-night cruise, there is so much to see and explore along the shores of the Great Lakes. A variety of shore excursions are included in every port with something for everyone: foodies can enjoy a hands-on fudge making class with master chocolatier on Mackinac Island; History buffs can tour the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation to learn about cars, suffragette history, and Thomas Edison; Architecture lovers can visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio in Chicago, Illinois; Rock & Roll fans can spend the day at the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio; Culture seekers can spend the day with an Anishinaabe Tribe to learn about their customs and lived experience. From maple syrup farms to Niagara Falls, the Great Lakes are packed with wonders – and right in our own backyard! 

Here is a snippet from our conversation with Barbara. Watch or listen to the full Passport Diaries episode to discover what else awaits your discovery along the Great Lakes! 

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TRAVELSTORE 

I would love to get a sense of the flagship itinerary from Chicago to Toronto. Can you take me through the journey? 

BARBARA DAVIS | VICTORY CRUISE LINES 

Absolutely! Let’s put ourselves on board and just picture the wind in our hair. We really are kind of an all-inclusive cruise, so before you even set foot on board the ship, we provide a pre-cruise hotel night. That way you can get into the destination and enjoy the city before you sail away. We are also the only cruise line that is allowed to dock at Navy Pier, so we have a really iconic location.

For excursions, there’s like an architectural boat tour that goes along the river. There’s another one that does kind of a walk in Frank Lloyd Wright’s footsteps to see some of the buildings that he’s created around town. So that’s just kind of a little bit before you get on the ship. 

TRAVELSTORE 

What is one of your favorite ports of call after leaving Chicago? 

BARBARA DAVIS | VICTORY CRUISE LINES 

Really, to me, the piece de resistance is our stop in Mackinac Island. I mean, when you talk about special destinations, we’re talking about an island that has no vehicles. It is all horse drawn carriages, bicycles, and people walking around on foot. Also, because of our size we can dock right at her pier, and so it’s a very easy 5min walk into that main strip of town. Not only is there great shopping, but there’s lots of fudge. Mackinac Island is known for its fudge – there’s like 15 different fudge shops along the waterfront.  

We also include the horse drawn carriage ride that actually goes through the national park. We visit the Arch Rock, we hit Fort Mackinac where there’s some military history, and then we end at the Grand Hotel, which is quite notable for being in some movies and a lot of presidents and dignitaries have stayed there before. We give everyone a self-guided voucher to explore the Grand on their own. They can also add on the famous lunch that takes place at the Grand Hotel, or, where you’re going to find me, I’m going to get hands on with the master chocolatier and make some Mackinac Island fudge.  

So, Mackinac Island is one of my favorite stops. It’s just so beautiful.

TRAVELSTORE 

What is one more unique stop on this itinerary? 

BARBARA DAVIS | VICTORY CRUISE LINES 

I know that I said Mackinac Island was kind of our piece de resistance, but I may not have given the full truth. I think it’s kind of a bookended piece de resistance because after Cleveland, we go to Port Colborne and Port Colborne is our gateway to Niagara Falls.   

We actually visit on the Canadian side at Horseshoe Falls, the biggest, most impressive viewing. And we take guests in that boat right up close to the falls and give them a poncho to try and stay dry. But, you know, they get that up close feeling with Niagara Falls itself. So, truly unique.   

It’s just a really surreal experience. I mean, you almost kind of fantasize about those old days where they say somebody would get in a barrel and go down the falls. It just has this sense of nostalgia. I remember, taking my mom there for the first time, and her jaw just dropped. And when you compare it to Bridal Veil Falls across the way on the New York side, it’s not anything in comparison. I really think the Canadian side where we take our guests is so much more impressive. Bridal Veil Falls is still beautiful, but it’s not this Horseshoe Falls where you are completely surrounded by it all. It’s really incredible. 

TRAVELSTORE 

What other excursions do you offer at Port Colborne? 

BARBARA DAVIS | VICTORY CRUISE LINES 

Maybe you’ve done Niagara Falls and you just want to try something different. We do have something very different that’s kind of for your sweet tooth.  

We will take guests to a place called White Meadows Maple Syrup Farm. They can walk amongst the maple trees and see them tapped to get the sap out of it! And then they’ll take that sap and put it in ice or snow and do kind of this hands-on taffy making workshop. Then we’ll have like a tasting of course, maple iced tea and stuff, but it’s something a little different than the falls.

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Check out our full conversation with Barbara on our YouTube channel or anywhere you get your podcasts to hear more! 

Passport Diaries is a travel podcast by TravelStore, here to bring you amazing stories from around the globe from our travel experts and partners. Subscribe to our channels on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a stamp in your podcast passport.