Carved millions of years ago by nature herself, the Great Lakes are a treasure cherished by both Americans and Canadians. Our carefully crafted itinerary includes the natural wonder of Niagara Falls, and picturesque Mackinac Island. For our shore excursions, we’ve struck a balance between the serene and the exciting: we’ve included the galleries and shops of quaint Saugatuck, a popular summer destination since the early 1900s, as well as Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, where the collection is housed in a superb building designed by famed architect I.M. Pei, among other sites. Most of the places we visit are small towns, where people move at a different pace than city-dwellers. This cruise gives you an opportunity to experience the unhurried rhythm of life along the lakes.

As a special musical component to this cruise, you will be treated to a series of onboard opera recitals and other informal evenings with world-renowned mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and her longtime colleague and collaborator, composer Jake Heggie. And as an educational component, we are very fortunate to have with us award winning maritime historian Walter Lewis, who will share with you his passion for the lakes through lectures and informal discussion onboard.

Most of the ports on our Great Lakes itineraries are off limits to foreign vessels, but because Yorktown flies the American flag, we can access small port towns that are the hidden gems of the inland seas. Aboard Yorktown, you will travel with a small group of people who share your interests, and at many of the ports we visit we offer a choice of excursions and options of other activities, such as kayaking, at no additional cost.