Your 2012 Great Lakes Cruising Calendar for the m.v. Yorktown

.
Travel Dynamics International has been offering small ship cruises since 1969, first in New England and the St Lawrence and later also in Antarctica. The company returns to the Great Lakes in 2012 with a proven ship that can carry about a third more passengers than the Clelia II, which it used in the Great Lakes in 2009 and 2010.

Fares for the 2012 Great Lakes cruises are in US Dollars, as outlined below. All cabins are outside. There are four S Superiors with private balcony; four AA’s, convertible twin/double beds; fourteen A’s and nine B’s with twin beds on corridors; twenty-six C’s and six D’s with twin beds with access to the outside passageways; and six E’s with twin beds, portholes and access to a corridor. All cabins are en suite. All except Category E have picture windows.

* Fares are $300-$400 higher for the July 21 Great Lakes Grand Discovery departure. See Single Supplements below.

Cruise Fares Include:

• Cruise aboard the 138-guest Yorktown
• Complete program of tours and excursions
• Welcome and farewell cocktail receptions aboard ship
• All meals aboard ship
• Wine with lunch and dinner aboard ship
• Educational program of lectures and discussions by accompanying study leaders
• Professional Travel Dynamics International tour staff
• Complete pre-departure materials
• Port and embarkation taxes
• Gratuities to guides and drivers

Cruise Fares Do Not Include

Airfare; visa and passport fees (if applicable); transfers; luggage and trip cancellation insurance; meals, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages other than those specified above; personal expenses such as laundry, telephone calls, faxes, and e-mail service; and gratuities to shipboard personnel.

Single Supplements

A limited number of cabins are available in Categories C-A at the following supplements to the per person, double occupancy rates:

• From the St Lawrence Seaway to Chicago: $1,095
• Discovering a North American Treasure: Voyage to the Great Lakes: $895
• Great Lakes Grand Discovery: $995 ($1,095 for July 21 departure)
• North America’s Enchanting Seaway: $895

Airfare

Airfare is not included in the cost of these programs.PaymentsA $750 deposit per person is required to confirm your reservation. Final payment is due 90 days prior to departure & must be by personal check.

Cancellations & Refunds

All cancellations are subject to a $300 per person fee. Cancellations received 61-90 days prior to departure will be assessed a penalty equal to 50% of the total program cost per person. Cancellations received within 60 days of departure are subject to 100% cancellation penalties.

Travel Insurance

The Cruise People recommend Travel & Cancellation Insurance.  Please click on the link above for further details.

Itinerary

Itinerary, accommodations and arrangements are subject to change at the discretion of Travel Dynamics.

Rates

Tour costs are based upon tariffs applicable at the time of the printing of the brochure. While Travel Dynamics do everything possible to maintain the listed prices, they are subject to change.

Fuel Supplement

Travel Dynamics International (the company that owns and operates the Yorktown) reserves the right to charge a fuel supplement, without prior notice.  This supplement may be charged even if the cruise fare has been paid in full.

Ship’s Registry:  USA

For UK and European Reservations

Full details of these new Yorktown cruises are available from The Cruise People Ltd in London, England. Please call  +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk for further information. Travel Agents welcome.

The North West and North Land offered seven-day cruises on the Great Lakes

Most people don’t realize that the five Great Lakes – Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior – are where the seven-day cruise originated. This dates to 1894-1895, when the Northern Steamship Company introduced the North West and North Land, with their motto “In all the World, no trip like this.” Among the North Land‘s first passengers was one Samuel L Clemens, better known to most as Mark Twain. Part of the Great Northern Railway system, these ships were described as the “largest, most complete and luxuriously equipped passenger boats in the world.” The return voyage from Buffalo to Duluth or Chicago took seven days, and one of the most popular stops was at Mackinac Island, where automobiles are still not allowed to this day.

A Georgian Bay Line cruise advertisement from 1916

Many more cruise ships followed, on both sides of the border, carrying happy crowds for many decades, with cruise directors, live bands and even radio broadcasts from on board. The better-known included Great Lakes Transit’s Juniata, Octorora and Tionesta and Georgian Bay Line’s North American, South American and Alabama, and, on the Canadian side, Canada Steamship Lines’ Hamonic, Huronic and Noronic and Canadian Pacific’s Assiniboia, Keewatin and Manitoba. These ships were all between 300 and 400 feet in length, 3,000 to 7,000 tons, and carried between 280 and 500 passengers each.

The great Seeandbee offered seven-day cruises around the Great Lakes in the 1930s

Overnight lines also got into cruising when the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Company began a Detroit to Chicago service via Mackinac Island in 1924, with the 500-berth Eastern States and Western States. This service became  the company’s “Cruise Division.” In 1933, the Cleveland & Buffalo Transit Company, which had been offering end-of-season cruises from 1921 with its four-funnelled 1,500-passenger 6,381-ton Seeandbee, began offering seven-day Great Lakes cruises all summer long. Unlike the traditional cruise ships, these were big side-wheel paddle steamers, the largest in the world, and they continued cruising until 1950, when D&C, deprived of its overnight business by the advent of the superhighway, closed down. Their most interesting amenity was suites with private balconies, many decades before they were introduced into modern-day cruise ships.

Canadian Pacific's Assiniboia offered weekly cruises between Georgian Bay and the Canadian Lakehead

Most of the traditional ships, in typical lakes fashion, had their engines aft, presaging modern-day cruise ship design. These ships carried on for several years, until Canadian Pacific’s  Assiniboia and Keewatin were withdrawn in 1965, and the Georgian Bay Line’s South American in 1967, victims of obsolescence and new fire regulations. The Keewatin is now a museum ship near Saugatuck, Michigan, while the 100-passenger Norgoma, which sailed between Georgian Bay and Sault Ste Marie for the Owen Sound Transportation Company, is at Sault Ste Marie, Ont.

The Stella Maris II cruised the Great Lakes for one season in 1974, photo by Richard Duncan

Overseas ships have also cruised the Great Lakes. From 1959, when the St Lawrence Seaway opened, to 1963, the Oranje Line offered cruises on three passenger/cargo ships carrying 60 to 115 passengers each between Montreal and Chicago while on their voyages to and from Europe. In 1959, Sun Line operated the first Stella Maris into the Great Lakes on a number of cruises from Montreal to Toronto, Hamilton and Rochester. Midwest Cruises of Indianapolis offered two seasons of Great Lakes cruises between Montreal and Chicago with the 233-berth Stella Maris II in 1974 and the 168-berth Discoverer in 1975, but then closed down. More recently the lakes have seen the 90-berth French-flag Le Levant, built in 1998, and the 96-berth German-owned Orion, which Travel Dynamics engaged for the trade in 2004.

In 2009 and 2010 Travel Dynamics operated the 100-berth Clelia II on two full Great Lakes seasons

Between 1997 and 2011, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ 420-berth 14,903-ton Columbus became the largest ship to cruise the lakes, but she will leave the fleet in 2012. Most recently, in 2009 and 2010, Travel Dynamics operated the Clelia II, soon to be replaced by the Yorktown. With thirteen Great Lakes cruises in 2012, the Yorktown will more than double the capacity being offered this year by the much larger Columbus, which did only two Great Lakes cruises in her 2011 farewell season.

Full details of the new Yorktown cruises are available from The Cruise People Ltd of London, England. Please call  +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk for further information.

Built: 1988 by First Coast Shipbuilding Co, Coral Springs, FL

Registry: USA      Gross Tonnage: 2,354  

Dimensions: 257 ft LOA x 43 ft x 8 ft draft (78.3 x 13.1 x 2.4 m)

Passenger decks: 4    Lower berths:  138

Cabin Categories

Category E Outside cabins,   two lower beds,    two portholes, and private bathroom. Cabins M11-M17....	Category D Outside cabins,      two lower beds,       two windows, and private bathroom. Cabins L43-L48	Category C Outside cabins,    two lower beds,    two windows, and private bathroom. Cabins P49-P76	Category B Outside cabins, two lower beds, two picture windows, and private bathroom. Cabins M18-M26
Category A Outside cabins,      two lower beds,    two picture windows, and private bathroom. Cabins L29-L42	Category AA Outside cabins, two lower beds convertible to a queen bed, two picture windows, and private bathroom. Cabins L27, L28, P59, P60	Category S Superior outside cabins with walk-out balcony, queen bed, and private bathroom. Cabins S77-S80

The Best of the Inland Seas on board the m.v. Yorktown

Cruise Dates:
June 5–16, 2012

On this voyage, discover America’s most vibrant towns and vast expanses of natural splendor. Starting from Montreal, sail through the St. Lawrence Seaway and scenic Thousand Islands to reach Lake Ontario. Spend a day visiting Toronto’s many cultural sites before transiting the seven locks of the Welland Canal, the gateway to nearby Niagara Falls. Nature enthusiasts will not be disappointed with a visit to Point Pelee National Park, with its abundance of birds. Also attend a powwow on Manitoulin Island, home of the Ojibwe Native American tribe; savor the sunsets upon Lake Huron; transit the Soo Locks, known as the busiest in the world, where some 12,000 ships pass annually; and explore beautiful Mackinac Island, a Victorian-era haven at the entrance to Lake Michigan before sailing its shores to magnificent Chicago.

Full details of these new Yorktown cruises are available from The Cruise People Ltd in London, England. Please call  +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk for further information.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Voyage to the Great Lakes

The Best of the Inland Seas on board the m.v. Yorktown

Cruise Dates:
June 16–23, 2012*
June 23–30, 2012
June 30–July 7, 2012*
July 7–14, 2012
July 14–21, 2012*
August 11–18, 2012
August 18–25, 2012*

First used as a means of transport by Algonquin and Iroquois tribes, the Great Lakes later became a thriving commercial hub and a heavily travelled waterway with the arrival of European settlers. And more than fifty years ago, the Great Lakes were North America’s treasured summer destination. On this unique itinerary, which encompasses American and Canadian ports, travellers will enjoy the delightful town of Saugatuck, nestled along Lake Michigan’s great sand dunes; the splendid landscape of the Door Peninsula; and Mackinac Island’s bygone Victorian charms. Also experience the majestic grandeur of the shores of Lake Superior at Whitefish Point and Native American culture on Manitoulin Island. A highlight of the voyage will be transiting the Soo Locks that connect Lake Huron and Lake Superior.

* This voyage operates in the reverse, from Chicago to Detroit.

The Best of the Inland Seas on board the m.v. Yorktown

Cruise Dates:
July 21–August 1, 2012*
August 1–11, 2012

The history of America—from the traditions of its native peoples to the arrival of the Europeans to the dawn of the industrial revolution—comes alive in the Great Lakes. Sailing from Duluth, venture through Lake Superior to revel in the pristine beauty of the Apostle Islands and the Keweenaw Peninsula, relax aboard as the Yorktown sails along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, see the abundant wildlife of Whitefish Point, and transit the Soo Locks into stunning Lake Huron. Also witness the natural beauty of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula, visit Michigan’s charming Victorian-era Mackinac Island, attend a traditional Native American powwow on Manitoulin Island, and navigate the 60 islands that make up Georgian Bay Islands National Park.

* Note: The July 21-August 1 voyage is one day longer (12 days) and includes a call in Parry Sound, Ontario. It operates in the reverse direction, from Detroit to Duluth, and rates are $300-$400 higher in each category.

Full details of these new Yorktown cruises are available from The Cruise People Ltd in London, England. Please call  +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk for further information.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

The Best of the Inland Seas on board the m.v. Yorktown

Cruise Dates:
August 25–September 1, 2012
September 1–8, 2012*
September 8–15, 2012

In the waning days of summer, as the air becomes crisp and the skies turn deep blue, a special beauty envelops the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. On this splendid voyage through Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River, set sail from Detroit and call at historic Cleveland. Here, visit the Great Lakes Science Center and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or the Museum of Art and Botanical Gardens. Next, pass through the seven locks of the Welland Canal into Lake Ontario and thrill to the thundering of Niagara Falls. As you traverse through the resplendent Thousand Islands, take part in lectures and discussions with onboard experts about the natural and cultural history of the places you visit. Finally, navigate the historic St. Lawrence River en route to Montreal and Quebec City.

* This voyage opterates in the reverse, from Quebec City to Detroit.

Full details of these new Yorktown cruises are available from The Cruise People Ltd in London, England. Please call  +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk for further information.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Completed by First Coast Shipbuilding in Coral Springs, Florida, in 1988, as the Yorktown Clipper, she is the largest active US-flag coastal cruise ship. She was operated for many years by Clipper Cruise Line of St Louis, Missouri, and first came into the Great Lakes in 1992, when she operated a series of cruises between Charlottetown PEI and Rochester NY and Rochester and Quebec City, before being replaced in the Great Lakes by the smaller 108-berth Nantucket Clipper. In 2006, the Yorktown Clipper was acquired by Cruise West of Seattle and became the Spirit of Yorktown, under which name she operated in Alaska and on the West Coast until Cruise West closed in September 2010.

The Yorktown is the perfect vessel for relaxed and convivial exploration of America’s great coastal waterways. With a 257-foot length and 43-foot beam, on a draft of 8 feet, she has the same dimensions as the old St Lawrence canallers, the maximum size ship that could reach the Atlantic Ocean from the Great Lakes before the opening of the St Lawrence Seaway in 1959.

By comparison with the Yorktown, the Georgian Bay Line’s 2,317-ton North American, which operated Great Lakes cruises for fifty years, had a slightly lower tonnage but slightly larger dimensions, at 280 x 47 feet, and carried 400 passengers. Her near sister ship, the 2,662-ton South American, was slightly larger again.

With her compact size, the Yorktown is able to manoeuver into secluded waterways and to visit small ports that are inaccessible to larger vessels. And Yorktown’s American registry makes it possible to operate domestic itineraries unavailable to foreign-flag ships. Like the  Georgian Bay Line ships, the Yorktown features a walk-around promenade deck and all-outside cabins, but unlike the older ships, which were retired in the 1960s, the Yorktown is fully air conditioned and every cabin is en suite, in addition to which all the passengers dine at one seating.

Fares include your cruise, all meals, all shore excursions and lectures, welcome and farewell cocktail parties, all soft drinks and wine and beer with lunch and dinner, the on-board educational program and port and embarkation fees. They do not include flights and transfers and you are left to your own discretion to tip your service personnel. Sample fares for 7-night cruises range from $3,995 to $6,995 in a private balcony cabin and 10-night cruises from $4,995 to $8,695. Fares are per person in double occupancy but single supplements are only $895 for 7-night and $995 or $1,095 for 10-night cruises.

The Cruise People Ltd
88 York Street, London W1H 1QT England
T +44 (0)20 7723 2450 F +44 (0)20 7723 2486
cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk

Full details are now available from The Cruise People Ltd of London, from whom international guests (and agents) can obtain details and make bookings. Please call us at +44 (0)20 7723 2450 or e-mail at the link above to find out more.