Day 4: Georgian Bay, Ontario - Killarney

 July 19

The day started bright and early with Kim & I joining our friends Mary Pat & Tom on an excursion ashore to Killarney - another of the 30,000 islands in the Georgian Bay.  Today we were heading out on a hike.  "Oh a hike, that sounds fun" you say.  Well, there are hikes and then there was this hike.  I WAS appreciative that we are able to travel again.....that we were able to visit somewhere new.....that we were able to walk through a woods and see a picturesque waterfront site.  But today's morning activity is all about perspective.  IF you are a hiker, or you are enjoy physical activity then you would have appreciated today's excursion.  If you are a vacationer, and you are looking for an enjoyable activity for which you've spent a lot of money to enjoy, then perhaps this wasn't for you.  First, by the numbers.......we were gone on the hike for a good three hours and change.  Stopped frequently you ask?  NO.  Flat terrain?  NO.  Well how far did you go?  OVER FOUR MILES.  So from a physical fitness activity, it was a great work out.  A pleasurable experience on an expensive cruise, ehhhhh, not so much :)  The worst part - if you're NOT a hiker by nature, was that for well over 2 1/2 of the three hours what we all saw were roots, rocks, and our own feet.  The terrain was up and down - no, not a foot or so, but multiple many inclines over rocky surfaces where you carefully had to watch where you were going.  The biggest feeling most people expressed was that they were just constantly trying to be sure they didn't fall.  Very much an exercise that even fifteen years ago would have been challenging.  But, we all made it and can say we did it.

The pontoon boat ride (2 minutes) was very pleasant to the base of the trail :)

That's pretty much what we all saw for two and a half hours :O

One thing that was pretty cool about the experience......this is only the THIRD time that the Viking Expedition ship has been here, ever.  And on both of the previous two visits, this hike was NOT taken.  The first time, the trail was buried in snow, the second time it was flooded from spring rains.  So WE were the first guests to "experience" the trip.  That's, ummmm, "something" :)  After the "hike" Viking had arranged for a fish fry luncheon at the lodge which sat on the waterfront.  It was very nice - probably would have enjoyed it more if we weren't exhausted from the "walk in the woods."  We finished our lunch around 1 pm and hustled back to the pier to catch the next tender to this ship because we were due below deck at 1:45 pm for a zodiac ride!

The cool part about this afternoon's activity, again like yesterday, was the uniqueness of the watercraft experience the Viking Expedition ship was providing us.  Ten guests loaded onto the zodia, sitting on the sides with a rope to grab onto if you felt the need, and we were off!  Unlike yesterday we did not go nearly as fast - although a couple of times I was thankful to have the rope!  Another thing different was that we could literally cruise right up and bump into the rocks jutting out of the lake.  Incidentally, the rocks are the oldest on planet earth, more than a billion years old!  We cruised into some inlets and got up close and personal to the outcropping of rocks in search of wildlife while our guide explained about the ecosystem here.

One of the coolest things about the zodiac experience was when the guide explained how when Viking Expeditions goes to Antarctica, you are out on zodiacs JUST like this in the Arctic Ocean and they take you right up to the land where you get off and explore.  A few of the guests commented, as did we, that we are so very excited we will be having this experience (ours is in November).  And like every other Viking personnel that has talked about Antarctica with us, our pilot said the same thing - it is the most amazing experience we will ever have.  Glad we got an opportunity to "play" with all the expedition toys, like the zodiac ahead of time!

After about 45 minutes on the bay we headed back to the ship.  Our pilot pointed out how unique our ship was, and talked about how state of the art it is - that's there's nothing like it anywhere.  We are so fortunate to be aboard and having this experience, which (again) serves as an excellent preview for our Antarctic adventure.

The day was topped off by a wonderful dinner with a superb view of the Great Lakes passing by through the picture windows!

Day 3: Georgian Bay - Parry Sound

 July 18

So the BEST part of the day was the second half of the day on our Special Operations Vessel adventure.....but let's start at the beginning........

During dinner last night we set sail from Mackinac Island on the upper Michigan Peninsula heading for Canada.  This morning about 8am we arrived in Georgian Bay, Ontario in Parry Sound.  There are over 300 islands in this area and you can get a sense of where we are on the map above.   We took a tender to the dock, then the group boarded a bus for about a 45 minute ride to the actual Parry Sound waterfront area.  There we met with the guide and began our hike first through the woods, then over the rocks.  While on the hike she explained the importance of saving the rattlesnakes in the area.  Go figure!

We finally emerged from the woods and were pretty much walking over uneven rocks that were at times steep up and steep down.  But nothing too bad.  And then we eventually ended up on the waterfront with some scenic overviews.

We walked further, around the bend and got another scenic point for photo ops before heading back to the bus and then another 45 minute ride back to the ship.

Once on board, Kim and I went upstairs to the World Cafe and had a burger & fries on the Aquavit Terrace before readying ourselves for the second half of the day.

At 4pm we met with a small group to head out for a "Scenic Sail" over the harbor in what's called a "Special Operation" vessel.  These are identical (except a little longer to hold more passengers) to military special operations boats used for example in Vietnam.  And they are strong enough that when Viking uses them in Antarctica - where we will be with them ON THIS SAME KIND OF EXCURSION - that the vessel can cut through the ice.  The first very cool thing is that these vessels, as well as the "zodiac" which we will ride tomorrow (and the submarine, which we will ride later in the week) are housed in "The Hanger" on the bottom deck.  And as you can see in the photos below, they are lowered and raised right into the water from the ship.  JUST amazing to see this, but even more so to be onboard while it's happening.

So we got on board, were lowered into the water and then TOOK OFF.  Kim quickly removed her hat as we flew across the water at speeds reaching 45 mph.  Several times as we turned the boat was at such an angle that I was several feet above Kim and vice versa.  Just a wild ride.  Slowed down to look at some scenery, go through a narrow passage between small islands, and then circled the ship for good vantage points.  Speaking of the ship....it was pointed out to us that the anchor was NOT in the water and never has been - WHAT?  The technology is so advanced that they lock in a GPS position and tell the ship to "stay there."  Then using the thrusters and other engine maneuvers the ship never moves.  WOW.  C-L-E-A-R-L-Y the coolest thing we've done yet and why this isn't your everyday cruise.  These vessels will be used for all kinds of scientific purposes - for example, they can put a sonar on the back of one of these and they plan to map the bottom of the Great Lakes and the Antarctic Ocean :)

Day 2 - Mackinac Island

 July 17

Today we were docked just off Mackinac Island.  We were up early and opened the "balcony" window and listened to the water rush by while we drank our coffee.  We had to be downstairs by 8:30 to get a pair of pants....WHAAATTT?????  Yes, we had to pick up a pair of water-proof pants for the days (beginning tomorrow) that we will be out on the water on the Exploration boats and Zodiac boats.  Then we went to a submarine orientation meeting so we would be able to book a trip down below the water to a depth of between 100 to 250 feet!  

More on that when we get our booking.  We then had a little time to return to the room (well, Kim went to the gym for a half hour) and then we were off the ship onto a tender to take a short ten minute ride to the dock on the island where we were met by our guides.  We were then led to our first of several horse-carriage transportation "cabs."  By the way, did you know motorized vehicles are prohibited from the island and because of that, during the season the horse population is about 500-600! 

We headed to the Grand Hotel (see panoramic above) where we looked around before being escorted to the grand dining room, the Salle A Manger where we enjoyed a delicious lunch (as part of the tour) and then we walked up past some amazing homes which overlooked the water.  

We got an excellent view of our ship, the Viking Octantis, from our vantage point as well.  We boarded another horse-drawn carriage and took a tour through the state park with the highlights being the Rock Arch and Fort Mackinac.  The Native American legend surrounding the arch bears repeating......many moons ago a princess was told by her father the chief that it was time to marry.  She did not care for any of the braves from her tribe.  When told she would be introduced to braves from another tribe she was less than happy.  Then a god from heaven appeared to her and told her he'd been watching her for years, was in love with her and would take her to heaven and make her his wife.  When she told her father the chief this he was not happy.  He had her tied up and placed on top of the rock formation for three days after which she would meet the braves from the local tribe.  She cried and cried the entire three days and her tears, the legend goes, eroded the rock and formed the arch AND a portal to heaven.  The god appeared, and took her away to be his eternal bride!

We ate dinner tonight in "The Restaurant" - which unlike other cruise ships you need to make reservations to eat there.  Had a wonderful meal of lobster and scallops (with wine).  Then we walked the upper deck as the sun set on another fabulous day.  Note these photos below were taken at 9:30 pm!  Hard to believe for us Florida kids that it would still be that light at that hour!!!

Day 1: Travel & Board The Viking Octantis

 Saturday July 16

Viking Expeditions:  Great Lakes Explorer

FINALLY we were back to "exploring the world" as we headed out early Saturday morning for Fort Lauderdale International airport for a flight to Detroit and then connecting to Milwaukee where we would be taken to the Viking Octantis and meet our great friends Mary Pat and Tom who were coming from their home in Cincinnati.  We were all anxious about our pre-trip testing and multiple forms we had to fill out via apps on our phones to be able to travel.  And once those were all completed, would our flights be on time and get us to our final destination without issue.  EVERYTHING went smoothly!  Mary Pat & Tom did have their flights moved up but they just arrived early, where Viking treated them to breakfast before taking them to the ship.  Both our flights were smooth and on time and by mid-afternoon we'd arrived at the ship.

When we checked in at the airport we were greeted by a surprise.....our rooms had been upgraded from a "Deluxe Veranda" to a "Penthouse Deluxe Veranda" stateroom with about 65 more square feet and a few extra perks while on board.  AND we were greeted with a glass of champagne!

A couple pics of our room....first, standing on the "indoor balcony" area looking back towards the door.  You see the open closet?  Look to the left, see the shaft of light?  That's ANOTHER full closet.  And we have a mini-bar which is replenished DAILY, at no additional charge!

The "balcony" is pictured here, looking to the left, then below to the right.  The left of the photo is right next to the edge of the bed.  The cool thing about the design is that instead of having a smaller room with a balcony, the "balcony" is INSIDE the room to give you more room.  And the window goes virtually ceiling to floor.....

And check this out....all automated.....Kim presses a button and the shade comes down, as far as you want, all the way to the floor to block out all the light.  I push the other button and the top window drops all the way down (or stop it anywhere you want) and voila your balcony is now open to the water!

Before dinner we had our nightly meeting to preview the next day's activities.  It became very apparent that this is NOT a "cruise" adventure but truly an "expedition" with science labs and a lot of learning and exploring about to take place over the next week.  The first part of the presentation was from the lead scientist who previewed many of the things we'd be studying this week while sailing on the Great Lakes.  The second photo I took because unlike other cruise ships where the auditorium is closed off, this one is surrounded by glass where you can see outside.  AND.....the main screen you see in the first photo....it all retracts into the ceiling so that this becomes one gigantic observation room - with doors that lead to the front deck of the ship.

After the meeting we had time for cocktails and I had my traditional frozen mud-slide.  Ahhhh, live on a cruise ship - it's been way too long!

We had dinner at the specialty restaurant, "Manfredi's" which is far, FAR and away the best.....THE BEST restaurant ever on a cruise ship (if not anywhere).  EVERYTHING thing was amazing and before the meal was over Mary Pat and Tom both agreed we needed to make at least two more return trips here for our evening meal!

The day ended with a gorgeous sunset as we left the restaurant and Kim and I headed to the top deck for a day-ending selfie!  Tomorrow we will be on Mackinac Island on Lake Michigan where we have a four and a half hour horse-drawn carriage tour of the island, topped off by lunch in the historic Grand Hotel.