September 24, 2022 - Happy 75th Birthday, Colonel Kleimon!
Let's celebrate!!! Off we go - and the sweet Delta gal got our TSA precheck on the ticket, after several unsuccessful phone calls. While in line, I heard my name being called only to discover Susan Sims and Kendall Keesling also in line for a girls' trip to Scottsdale, AZ. Amazingly, we received another Delta Upgrade!! After an uneventful flight to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Viking provided an easy transition to the ship, lunch, and to Cabin 2017. Viking does it right - even the Muster Drill, complete with champagne was lovely.
I ordered an Uber to the Harley Davidson Museum Shop to purchase t-shirts for Richard.
After a couple of successful purchases, I headed back to the Public Market, then onto the shuttle to return to the beautiful Octantis. The views from the harbor are so amazing.
Not to mention the fabulous views inside, as well. Our ship has a full bakery, which means the smells are enough to make you drool! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the World Cafe and slept great!
September 25, 2022 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Remember that bakery - well the sticky buns were under a hot lamp, and I simply couldn't resist. I can honestly say that it was worth every calorie! We boarded our luxurious bus for the "Highlights of Milwaukee Tour" which included the Lakeshore Lighthouse, three main "towns", Art Museum, the Harley Davidson Museum (Shed, Tsunami Cycle, Elvis bike and Military bikes)
Then we ventured over to the Pabst Mansion, Cpt Frederick Pabst's owner, with intricate ceilings, walls, PBR pictures. Did I mention that each guest was handed a cold PBR to sip while touring?
We purchased a few items in the PBR Mansion gif shop, then rode the bus back to the ship for lunch. As we sailed away, I took pictures under the Horne Bridge.
We rode past The Grand Hotel which was lovely. Did you know, that if you'd like to stroll around the hotel, you must first pay $10?
We called home to check in with Ari, then the rain started AGAIN, we were cold, so we took the tender back to the ship. We enjoyed an amazing lentil soup for lunch. I worked out at the beautiful gym and later attended our daily briefing. Dinner was at Manfredi's Italian Restaurant - another delicious dinner. When we returned back to our room, we found a small box of fudge from Mackinac. I forgot to mention that the island is known for it's fudge. There are 13 fudge shops on that small island.
September 27, 2022 - Alpena, MI
We slept in. After breakfast, we went to the Travel Consultant and booked another Viking Cruise. Vietnam - Feb 2024! Sooooo excited! It is overcast, drizzly, and chilly, so Rob opts to stay on board while I visited Thunder Bay Maritime Sanctuary. Unfortunately, due to the lousy weather/high swells and winds, our Shipwreck Cruise is canceled. Fine by me. The museum was pretty cool.
Rested, read, worked on needlework, and then it was time to attend the Daily Briefing. Tonight we tried The Restaurant where we enjoyed a fabulous meal.
September 28, 2022 - Detroit, MI
It was an absolutely beautiful sail into the Detroit Harbor. We lucked out because our bus guide, Glen, was hysterical and very entertaining. The Henry Ford Museum was FABULOUS!!! Henry Food was definitely a collector! The museum was filled with cars, planes, trains, violins, etc. Many items told America's story - The declaration of Independence, Lincoln's chair he was assassinated in, Kennedy's car, the Wright Brothers' plane, Rosa Parks bus, Game Boy, Atari, etc.
Back on board, I worked out at the gym and then attended the Daily Briefing. We had "our" table at Manfredi's.
September 29, 2022 - Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada
We awoke to the best weather yet on this cruise! After breakfast, we boarded our bus for the 45-minute ride to the Canadian Niagra Falls. The drive here was lovely with the sun glistening on the rivers and falls. After a quick bathroom break (the guide assured us that even if we thought we wouldn't have to go, upon hearing all the water falling, we'd be looking for a bathroom IF we didn't go now) we put on our pretty pink ponchos to sail away!
We chose to stand behind the port side glass window where we could see everything very clearly, both the American and Canadian Falls, without getting drenched. I ducked outside a couple of times for photo ops until I started getting wet. Sooooo beautiful!
We took cat naps on the way back, so we were ready for our hamburger and hot dog splurge once we were back on board. As we left the bus, we noticed a beautiful sea of red umbrellas - it was the staff forming a lovely arch for us to walk under. Like I always say, Viking does it right.
Rob rested while I walked the promenade deck for an hour until we started going through the Welland Canal - 26.7 miles dropping the ship 323 feet from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario which takes about 10 hours. The berth of our ship was 77 feet and the canal was 80 feet wide. Whew!
