Description: Great Lakes cruises explained: which ships sail the five lakes and the St. Lawrence River, routes, locks, ports like Mackinac Island, and when to go.
Five freshwater seas, the St. Lawrence River and a chain of locks — North America’s most surprising small-ship cruise region.
Great Lakes cruises have grown from a niche into one of the busiest small-ship regions in North America. The five lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario — are linked by rivers, straits and locks to the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic. Cruise ships sized to fit those locks can sail from Duluth or Chicago to Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City, calling at island resorts, lighthouse towns and big lakefront cities.
This site is about that region: the Great Lakes cruise lines , the St. Lawrence River , the locks and canals that make it all possible, and what is new for 2027 . For rivers elsewhere in the country, see our sister site US River Cruising .