our cruise director asked at our welcome gathering. Almost every hand went up. The chance to discover new destinations while enjoying excellent food, friendly, caring service, and enriching lectures and excursions—all hallmarks of the Viking Cruises brand—were reason enough for most fellow passengers to choose the eight-day Undiscovered Great Lakes sailing on the Viking Polaris. The ship is one of the line’s two expedition ships.

 

These relatively small, maneuverable and luxurious ships are ideal for exploring the remote wilderness and small ports of the Great Lake Region. As we traveled from Thunder Bay, Ontario through Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan to Milwaukee, WI., its in-ship marinas provided a comfortable launch point for a fleet of exploration vessels, including submarines, zodiacs, kayaks and easy-to-board, super-charged Special Operations Boats. And nothing beat a post-excursion soak in their indoor and outdoor hot tubs, heated pool, and sauna, steam and snow (yes, icy-cold) rooms.

 

Passengers tended to be between 60 and 80 years of age. Many praised the tranquil, adults-only ambience—no casinos or loud nightclubs—and big-windowed, cozy lounges, ideal for watching the scenery and connecting with new friends. The serenity was enhanced by the ship’s graceful minimalist Scandinavian design and an itinerary that featured secluded parts of Lake Superior where a lone cabin was sometimes the only evidence of humans.

 

Research in Action
Viking Polaris was designed with a working lab and sails with a 36-person multi-disciplinary expedition team who added perspective to our Great Lakes outings and led on-board, interactive activities like observing living microscopic phytoplankton and tracking weather patterns. Each evening brought a lecture by an on-board expert. A feel-good benefit is the ship’s important work. During our trip, we witnessed several data collection projects done in conjunction with universities and NOAA, including microplastics water samplings and the ship’s weekly weather balloon launch. The scientists, many PhD professors, were excited about their research and thanked us for helping fund their work by joining this cruise. They also introduced us iNature and other apps to use back home to share information about local flora and fauna that feeds into scientific databases.

 

My husband and I arrived a day before the ships departure from Thunder Bay, Ontario and stayed at the waterfront Delta Hotel by Marriott, the city’s only four-star hotel. The next day, we hiked around Akabaka Falls and toured Fort Willam Historical Park, one of North America’s largest living history sites. Here, costumed interpreters at the fort, a farm and an Anishinaabeg encampment spoke to us about their lives.

 

The Ship
Thanks to Viking’s pre-trip “Comfort Check-in” (including scanning in our photos and entering a credit card and other personal information), getting onboard was fast and friendly. I was so happy exploring the ship that I missed the kayaking and submarine orientations in the Aula auditorium, but that was not a problem; like all Aula events, it was shown live and on demand in our cabins. However, clients should be aware that they need to pass a fitness test to go kayaking (it requires climbing in and out of the kayak). If they miss the test, they’ll need to ask
to reschedule.

 

Dining choices were surprisingly varied for a ship with only 378 guests. The World Café showcased an extensive buffet. We learned to check the full buffet before loading our plates since tempting offerings change daily. They even had roast suckling pig one day. Also, a tucked away section called the Grill specializes in burgers, franks and hot sandwiches for lunch and choice cuts of beef and fish for dinner. A second corner serves fresh sushi and seafood every evening.

 

Two reservations-required dining rooms offer attentive waiter service: The Restaurant and popular Italian Manfredi’s. At cozy Mamsen’s, (“mom’s” in English), the focus is on casual Norwegian snacks and specialties; think herring or waffles for breakfast, pea soup, fish cake and gravlax sandwiches later in the day, and at tea time, scones and clotted cream. And yes, there is 24 hour room service at no added cost.

 

Pick-up scrabble, dominoes and card games and a daily trivia match were popular and evening entertainment included live music in several venues, and story-telling sessions by crew members in The Hide, a cozy speakeasy-style bar.

 

Exploring the Great Lakes
From Thunder Bay, we headed to the tiny village of Silver Islet, where zodiacs transported us to the remains of an abandoned offshore silver mine to see how creative capitalists were able to extract $78 million in silver from 1,200 feet below Lake Superior.

 

We also could tender to tiny Silver Islet village to explore on our own or join guided hikes. We opted for the Sea Lion Trail hike. Our guide Tom, whose wife’s family has lived here for generations, shared stories about area history and ecology and talked about life in a tiny community with only a handful of year-round residents and a single general store/cafe.

 

The next morning, we found ourselves in Terrace Bay gliding along in a ten-person Zodiac as geologist Kelly Carroll, “read” us a timeline of the formation of the Great Lakes in the layered rock formations. After lunch, we tendered to Terrace Bay Beach at Slate Islands Provincial Park to walk along the grand beach and hike up to a waterfall and gorge.

 

McGarvey Shoal, our next destination, came with a morality tale of hubris and the dangers of being penny-wise and pound-foolish. In 1911, the owner of the Gunilda, a luxury yacht, refused to hire a pilot to navigate through this archipelago of low-lying islands. While no lives were lost, his boat sank. The shoals are actually the tops of underground mountains and from our Zodiac, it was easy to see how this could happen. Also exciting, we spotted a bald eagle, a beaver and several beaver dams.

 

U.S. immigration, set up pier-side in Duluth, was a quick formality. We docked at the lively downtown waterfront, steps from two learning centers: Duluth Maritime Center and the William A. Irvin, a historic ore and coal boat, now a museum.

 

A highlight of our next day, “at sea”, was passing through the Poe Lock, one of two Soo Locks that enable passage through the 21-foot drop into Lake Huron. With lectures, the spa and a visit to the on-board laboratory, the day went way too quickly.

 

Our nicest weather came in Mackinac Island. Tour options included a horse-drawn carriage ride, bicycling and lunch at the Grand Hotel. It was also fun to stroll around town, stopping into one of the 17 fudge shops along the town’s main street.

 

All too quickly, we found ourselves disembarking in Minneapolis and heading to the airport. Back home, I feel an almost mystical connection with the natural and human forces that formed and continue to re-form the Great Lakes and I am looking at my local landscapes and wildlife with new eyes.

 

For more information, visit www.VikingCruises.com and www.viking.com/advisor