A CRUISE FROM TORONTO TO CHICAGO:Yes, you heard that right

It’s been a long time coming, but Great Lakes cruising is back. And the experience is different than you might imagine. On a nine-day cruise from Toronto on Ocean Voyager, guests visit Niagara Falls, Cleveland, Detroit, Little Current, Mackinac Island and Sault Ste. Marie before the cruise ends with a sail down Lake Michigan to Chicago.

You’d think an itinerary like that would mostly appeal to folks who have never visited the American heartland. But you’d be wrong.

Most of the guests boarding Ocean Voyager in Toronto are Americans and Canadians doing a cruise close to home , says Isis Ruiz, American Queen Voyages’ new chief commercial officer, who guided a preview of the ship for a small group of visitors at the start of its inaugural sailing. The embarking passengers had mostly arrived in Toronto a day early for a complimentary stay at a downtown hotel and a sightseeing tour. The must-sees on a tour of Toronto these days: Casa Loma, Queen’s Park, the CN Tower, the Distillery District and the whimsical dog fountain at Berczy Park.

Read it all in The Cruisington Times

A Cruise from Toronto to Chicago—Yes, You Heard that Right