A Voyage Along the Great Lakes – with Smithsonian Journeys

Toronto is Canada’s largest city and well worth a full day of exploration. Take advantage of a specially designed program to get acquainted with this vibrant, multicultural city on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Day 1 – Disembark |Toronto, Ontario, Canada

After breakfast and disembarkation, your guide and driver will meet you at the pier to accompany your discovery of Toronto. Begin with a panoramic tour of the central city, including University Avenue, the Legislative Building, the Theater District, and City Hall, ending at the Art Gallery of Ontario, one of Toronto's finest museums. A docent-led tour will introduce you to the museum's preeminent permanent exhibition—the oft-awarded McLean Centre for Indigenous & Canadian Art. After the tour, enjoy time to look around on your own or visit the extensive gift shop.

From the museum, drive to Toronto's emblematic CN Tower, where glass-enclosed elevators take you to the top floor for lunch at the 360 Restaurant, which provides constantly changing views of the city from a vantage point more than 1,000 feet above street level, as the restaurant completes a full revolution every 72 minutes. After your meal, enjoy time at leisure to visit the Observation Deck, before returning to the ground to drive to the Fairmont Royal York hotel, where you check in for overnight. Dinner this evening is independent.

Day 2 – Toronto

Following breakfast at your hotel, transfer to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport for flights homeward.

Your hotel:

The Fairmont Royal York, Toronto’s landmark hotel, is located in the heart of Old Toronto. Recently revitalized, the Fairmont offers all of the facilities and services one would expect from a luxury hotel in a world-class city, including two restaurants and access to a health club, spa, and pool.

Your program includes:

·        1 night at the Fairmont Royal York

·        Sightseeing and programming as noted in the itinerary

·        Transfer and luggage handling from the ship to the hotel

·        Local English-speaking guide

·        Lunch on Day 1

·        Breakfast on Day 2

·        Transfer and luggage handling from the hotel to the airport on the scheduled program departure day

·        Gratuities for the drivers and local guides

·        Your program does not include:

·        Transfer from the hotel to the airport on any day other than the scheduled program departure day

·        Personal expenses and other services and meals not mentioned as included in the program

Please note:

·        It is imperative that your flight departure details are communicated at least 60 days prior to the beginning of your cruise in order to secure your transfer from the hotel to the airport.

·        Early check-in and/or late check-out are available depending on availability and at a supplement. An additional night is possible, upon request and depending on hotel availability. Please, contact reservations or your travel agent for further details.

·        The official currency is the Canadian dollar. Credit cards are widely accepted in hotels, shops, and restaurants.

·        This post-cruise program is offered as a package. There will be no refunds for unused accommodations, meals, or excursions.

·        Program is offered on a space available basis.

·        Program is subject to change without notice. Order of sightseeing may vary.

Hotel contact information:

The Fairmont Royal York

100 Front St W

Toronto, Canada

M5J 1E3

Telephone: +1 416 368 2511

This specially curated pre-cruise program is designed to acquaint you with some of the special charms of Milwaukee, a major American city with a proud history created by the labor of waves of immigrants, many from Central Europe. A panoramic tour on the first morning serves to orient you to Milwaukee and its neighborhoods, while an excursion on the following day starts with a visit to Milwaukee's first-class art museum and ends with an introduction to some of the culinary delights for which the city is known—a perfect beginning to your voyage in the Great Lakes.

Day 1 – Milwaukee

Arrive at the Milwaukee airport, where you will be met and transferred to the Pfister Hotel, your home for the next two nights. A local representative will be available at our hospitality desk to welcome you and answer any questions you may have. This evening, gather with fellow travelers for a Welcome Reception in the hotel. Dinner is independent.

Day 2 – Milwaukee

After breakfast at the hotel, meet your guide for a panoramic tour of Milwaukee and visits to several of its most important landmarks. Begin with a narrated drive through the city's neighborhoods and along the Lake Michigan shoreline, stopping briefly for a treat at a local historic bakery before heading to the Harley-Davidson Museum Campus, where you are free to stroll the grounds on your own, learning about Harley-Davidson through interactive displays and seeing legendary bikes, including the original "serial number one." Stop next at Pabst Mansion, the opulent former home of beer baron Frederick Pabst, and tour the richly furnished rooms that testify to the luxury enjoyed by Milwaukee's brewers in the Gilded Age.

The final stop on the tour is at Milwaukee Public Market, a center of shops, galleries, and food vendors. Grab an independent lunch here before driving back to the hotel. Or you may want to stay longer and return to the hotel on foot (less than half a mile). The balance of the day is at leisure. Dinner is independent.

Day 3 – Milwaukee | Embark

After breakfast and check-out, travel to the nearby Milwaukee Art Museum for a tour of one of the Midwest's best collections. The Museum is itself a work of art, featuring a dramatic atrium pavilion designed by Santiago Calatrava with giant "wings" that open and close to the sky. A docent will lead you through the museum's main galleries with works by artists like Winslow Homer and Claude Monet, as well as a large selection of Georgia O'Keeffe paintings. After this guided introduction, enjoy time at leisure to explore the museum on your own, perhaps visiting the modern and contemporary wing with works by Warhol, Miró, Rothko, and Johns.

Leaving the museum, set off on an afternoon exploring Milwaukee cuisine. Begin at the Hill Valley Dairy Bar to sample their award-winning locally crafted cheeses paired with a small-batch spirit cocktail. Then head downtown for lunch at Mader's Restaurant, a landmark of German cuisine since the turn of the 20th century. Following lunch, stretch your legs with a walk through the Deer District, Milwaukee’s buzzing downtown hub, home to the Milwaukee Bucks and public art displays, before ending your tour with a scoop of the frozen custard for which Wisconsin is famous. After this culinary journey, transfer to the pier to embark Le Bellot and set sail.

Your hotel:

Since its opening in 1893 in downtown Milwaukee, the Pfister Hotel has been an iconic landmark—"The Grand Hotel of the West." The hotel's lobby is a 3-story atrium with marble staircase, massive fireplace, and frescoed ceiling. In addition to the original building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Pfister features a modern 23-story tower, fitness studio, indoor pool, spa, and a cocktail lounge on the top floor, with views of the skyline and Lake Michigan. The hotel has been awarded AAA's prestigious Four-Diamond status since 1978.

Your program includes:

·        2 nights at the Pfister Hotel (or similar)

·        Transfer and luggage handling from the airport to the hotel on the scheduled program arrival day

·        Transfer and luggage handling from the hotel to the ship on the day of embarkation

·        Welcome Reception on Day 1

·        Breakfast on days 2 and 3

·        Lunch on Day 3

·        Sightseeing and programming as noted in the itinerary

·        Local English-speaking guide

·        Gratuities for the drivers and local guides

Your program does not include:

·        Transfer from the airport to the hotel on any day other than the scheduled program departure day

·        Personal expenses and other services and meals not mentioned as included in the program

Please note:

·        It is imperative that your flight arrival details are communicated at least 60 days prior to the beginning of your cruise in order to secure your transfer from the airport to the hotel.

·        Early check-in can be arranged, depending on availability and at a supplement. An additional night is possible, upon request and depending on hotel availability. Please, contact reservations or your travel agent for further details.

·        This pre-cruise program is offered as a package. There will be no refunds for unused accommodations, meals, or excursions.

·        Program is offered on a space available basis.

·        Program is subject to change without notice.

Hotel contact information:

The Pfister Hotel

424 East Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53202

Telephone: +1 414 273 8222