Depending on whether you choose ocean, river, or Great Lakes, your entire cruise can shape your entire vacation.
Experience a Great Lakes Cruise with Victory Cruise Line
USA TODAY’s Nathan Diller shares his experience on a nine-night Victory Cruise Lines Great Lakes cruise from Chicago to Toronto.
- Ocean cruises offer a variety of ship sizes, destinations, and onboard amenities.
- River cruises often have small, boutique-style vessels docked in the center of a city.
- Great Lakes cruises, like river cruises, use small ships for port-based itineraries.
In the last few hours of my visit to Milwaukee, I scrambled to decide on my final destination.
My Victory Cruise Line ship made a day stop in Wisconsin City during a cruise around the Great Lakes. I explored earlier in the day and returned to the ship. But as my 8pm departure approached, I walked briskly to pick up dinner at the Milwaukee Public Market. I had missed it when I went out before, but it was about a 20 minute walk away.
I ordered a Thai bowl from Forage Kitchen, a road snickerdoodle from C. Adam’s Bakery, and returned to Victory I with 45 minutes to spare. In addition to the ease of boarding and disembarking the 190-passenger ship, the walkability to Historic Milwaukee District 3 and late departure times allow for added sightseeing that would be difficult to do on many ocean cruises.
The kind of cruise experience a guest has depends largely on the type of waterway they choose, with lake, ocean, and river itineraries ranging widely. Here are some of the key differences between ocean, river, and lake cruising.
Ocean: Options for every type of traveler
Ocean cruising is defined by a wide range of cruise lines and ship types. They range from small boats that hold about 100 people to huge ships that carry 7,000 or 8,000 guests, said Gary Smith, Travel Park’s owner and CEO.
Destinations range from classics like the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Alaska to less-visited places like Antarctica and the Galapagos Islands. An itinerary can function as a three-night weekend getaway or last several months on a cruise that visits multiple continents.
Smith said travelers can choose from upscale lines like Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which have a more “spa-like” onboard atmosphere, or family-friendly operators like Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines, which have plenty of onboard activities from ice skating rinks to roller coasters, and many brands in between.
“In fact, as ships get bigger, they become part of the destination, if not actually the main destination for things to see and do, because of entertainment and ‘wow’ features,” he said.
Ocean cruises often have lower base fare bundles than other types of voyages, but this can vary widely between cruise lines. For example, large mainstream brands tend to charge extra for alcoholic beverages, shore excursions, Wi-Fi, and other amenities, while luxury brands have more comprehensive pricing structures.
River: “Floating Boutique Hotel”
River ships have little in common with the flashy mega-ships that characterize modern ocean cruises. “Honestly, I think of it as just a boutique hotel on the water, where you don’t have to unpack as much,” Smith said.
Capacity often ranges from 160 to 190 people, he added, with “a very narrow range from low end to high end.” River ships sailing through Europe, one of the most popular destinations for this type of cruise, are usually designed to be as large as possible while passing through the necessary locks along the waterway.
“The size of the boat doesn’t matter at all,” he said of the differences between the brands. “The question is what the company chooses to do within that window.” Some allocate space for more guests and omit amenities like gyms and spas, while others reduce the number of guests and offer amenities like gyms and spas.
The base price for a river cruise typically includes beer and wine, dinner, and at least one excursion in each port (though details vary by cruise line).
“Whether it’s the Danube, the Rhine, any of the major rivers… most of the time you can anchor wherever you need and it’s within walking distance,” he said. “In the worst case scenario, they’ll give you a small shuttle or a tour bus.” There are also many rural rivers, such as the Douro.
The Viking Mississippi cruise I took in December also had to stop at another pier outside of town due to low water during a scheduled visit to Vicksburg. However, the cruise line offered a complimentary shuttle bus to and from the city’s shops, museums, and cafes along Washington Street, just 20 minutes away.
Viking is a major player in the river cruise game, along with operators such as AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises. Celebrity Cruises also plans to launch its first river cruises in 2027.
great lakes
Great Lakes ships also tend to be small, “typically with only a few hundred people on board,” Smith said.
Cruise lines operating here include Victory, Viking, Pearl Seas Cruises and, starting this year, its sister brand American Cruise Line, offering a variety of ships and accommodations. Itineraries typically range from short journeys of a week or so, “which may be a little less city-oriented and a little more nature-oriented,” to more extensive journeys lasting up to 15 days.
My itinerary on Victory, which also sails the East Coast and Canadian waters, lasted nine nights from Chicago to Toronto. Stops include major cities like Milwaukee and Detroit, as well as smaller destinations like Mackinac Island in Michigan and Port Colborne in Canada, the latter with access to nearby Niagara Falls.
“The experience is very similar to a riverboat in that it’s more comprehensive,” Smith said. “I don’t want to say it’s slow, because the misconception most people have about river rafting is that it’s somehow relaxing, but it’s actually very active.”
My cruise was port-centric, with only one day at “the sea” (Lake Huron) and multiple tours offered in various locations. Guests can also explore on their own, and I took 10,000 steps or more almost every day while sailing.
This article has been updated to update the headline.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. Please contact us at ndiller@usatoday.com.
