Seven Cruise Ships to Tour Great Lakes This Year; Why Not a Bay City Stop?
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Motor Vessel Columbus, a German ship, will cruise the Great Lakes the eighth straight year.
Great Lakes cruise lines will make 50 tours with seven ships this summer, bypassing Lake Huron ports like Alpena, East Tawas and Bay City.
While Iosco County last week declined to put up $2,000 toward a proposed $68,000 study of a "Tawas Bay Port of Call" for cruise ships, Bay County hasn't even discussed the idea.
Economic developers, although desperate for growth, so far have ignored shipbuilding, a historical industry here that has been revived elsewhere in the Great Lakes area, as well as lakes cruising that would tie into local tourism initiatives.
"We have known for the last 25 years at least that the auto industry and suppliers were downsizing but for some reason there is no move toward creative shifts into other economic areas," says a longtime community leader, adding: "It really is quite a baffling situation."
Two years ago Iosco was on board with the idea as an economic development tool. Visitors might be attracted to golf courses, Corsair, Tawas Point and other sights in the county.
The Iosco County News reported recently that the county may reapply for a 2004 grant request that was turned down by the U.S. Department of Commerce Coastal Management Program.
The Great Lakes Cruise Co. (GLCC), Ann Arbor, now about to launch its eighth season of lakes crusing, states:
"With concerns over the cost and safety of international travel, one new destination is becoming very popular, especially for cruisers -- the Great Lakes."
Cruises of varying lengths range in price from $1,400 to $8,000, depending on the ship.
Ports of call for the firm's ships include: Windsor, Toronto, Tobermory, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Welland Canal, Parry Sound, Midland and Little Current, all in Ontario; Traverse City, Mackinac Island, Marquette, Port Huron, and Saugatuck, Michigan; Duluth, Minnesota; and Chicago.
"There was a time at the start of the last century when it was common to see cruise ships sailing lakes Michigan, Ontario, Huron, Superior and Erie," the firm's publicity states. "By the time the '60s ended, the luxury cruising customer had switched allegiance to tropical, international waters, and the aging Great Lakes ships ceased offering vacation cruises.
"The Great Lakes offer new and unexplored waters. Close to home and inexpensive to travel to, the Great Lakes are proving to be the hottest new cruising destination in North America."
In 1997, the German cruise line Hapag-Lloyd sailed the Great Lakes with their 420-passenger MV Columbus.
That sparked the interest of travel industry veterans Tom Conlin and his son Chris, who formed GLCC in 1999 chartered the Columbus and the 90-passenger French luxury yacht Le Levant the next three years.
"Guests on our Great Lakes cruises include both veteran cruisers as well as those new to cruising," states Christopher Conlin, GLCC president. "Comments we've received from our passengers are very positive with many people raving over the beauty of the North Channel and the vastness of the Great Lakes."
Shipbuilders have built cruise ships specifically designed for Great Lakes travel with its narrow connecting canals and locks. Unlike the wider and less environmentally friendly ocean vessels, these fresh water cruise ships must adhere to stringent environmental regulations established by the U.S. and Canada. However, these Great Lakes cruises provide passengers international flavor with foreign crews who speak impeccable English with a delightful accent.
Seven cruise ships will sail over 50 voyages during the 2006 season. Ports of call on these inland seas take in the civilized pleasures of Chicago, Windsor, Toronto and Traverse City as well as dramatic cliffs, canyons and waterfalls just beyond the shore. Passengers enjoy stops at historic Mackinac Island, Niagara Falls, Marquette, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Saugatuck while savoring the northern wilderness and the lakes themselves.
Three 10 and 11-night cruises will be offered aboard the German cruise ship MV Columbus in fall 2006: September 20 - 30; September 30 - October 11; October 11 - 21.
For more information, visit the GLCC Web site at http://www.greatlakescruising.com/ or call toll-free 1-888-891-0203.
Reservations: 888-891-0203 or e-mail info@greatlakescruising.com
Website: http://www.greatlakescruising.com/ ###
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