Top 3Small-Ship Canada Cruises: Expert Reviews

Canada Calling — 3 Small-Ship Canada Cruises: Expert Reviews

by Ted Scull & Judi Cohen

Think Canada cruising and what tends to surface straight away are the Canadian Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island.

Or British Columbia’s Vancouver and Victoria and the famed Inside Passage to Alaska.

And, just maybe the Canadian Arctic and Northwest Passage. Or more recently the five Great Lakes, all but Lake Michigan featuring Canadian territory.

What about guaranteed calm inland waters Canada cruising?

With land always in sight and often just one or two steps away, lovely provincial parks, pretty small towns, major cultural and urban centers at the start or end of your cruise.

So, let’s focus on the triangle formed by Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and/or Quebec City.

How do you get about without driving around in a car?

Well, before we share 3 Canada cruises you should know about (including all about driving your own boat!), let’s have a quick look at what there is to see that is accessible by boat in the provinces of Ontario and western bits of Quebec.

Quebec City in autumn. * Photo: Ted Scull

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The Mighty St. Lawrence Seaway is Really Something to See

We know it as a major river that flows down to the Atlantic Ocean and one that the big cruise ships use to access the Saguenay Fjord, Quebec City, and Montreal.

In the 1950s, the poorly navigable sections of narrow channels and rapids west of Montreal were transformed into the St. Lawrence Seaway, opening the route to all the Great Lakes for a wide range of vessel sizes.

Tourism got a big boost, and water travel became highly sought after.

The St. Lawrence Seaway. * Map: https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Lawrence-River

The seaway itself is a cruising attraction, with locks to pass through that are used by sailing and motor yachts, and deep-sea ships stacked with containers and lakers — the long low vessels with navigation bridges, crew accommodations and tall funnels all the way aft. They haul grain and iron ore in their deep holds.

One cruise operator, St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, with its 66-passenger Canadian Empress (more on this boat soon!), enables you to wander amongst the beautiful 1000 Islands (actually, the number is almost twice that).

The area has been a major spring, summer and autumn destination since the late 19th century for those who own or rent houses, and small boat owners who may sail from the Ontario or New York State landings.

Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands on Canada cruise

Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands. * Photo: Ted Scull

In order the create the Seaway, a number of villages had to be abandoned and were flooded. As a result, a popular stop is Upper Canada Village, a kind of low-key working Canadian Williamsburg, made up of salvaged houses and public and farm buildings.

The Canadian Empress ties up within walking distance and depending on the itinerary, can do the same for Kingston, Canada’s first capital and, of course, Montreal and Quebec City.

Ontario’s Inland Rivers & Canals

The inland waters of southern Ontario offer a complex system linking rivers and lakes with stretches of canal that allow water travel by small vessels from Kingston to Ottawa via the Rideau Canal. The 222km (138-mile) waterway is a UNESCO World Heritage site completed way back in 1832.

Rideau Canal slicing through Ottawa’s capital district to meet the Ottawa River. * Photo: Ted Scull

Ontario Waterways operates the 32-passenger Kawartha Voyageur (more on this charming vessel below!) on several different itineraries along rivers, sections of canal and across lakes to access beauty spots such as parks and charming small towns than grew up along the completed canal.

The Kawartha Voyageur hasn’t changed much over the years. * Photo: Ted Scull

Le Boat, an international company (highlighted below), has a fleet based in Ontario as well as many European countries. Here you can do the driving and determine where you want to stop or tie up for the night. Your neighbors will be liked-minded souls, so strike up a conversation.

Whatever cruise operator you are using for small-ship Canada cruises, the overnight stops (daylight lingers even longer in late spring, summer and early fall Canada) allow for walks along the waterway, into local parks or to the nearest village to see what might be open. Maybe an ice-cream parlor.

A big thrill, coming up the canal from the south with either operator, is sailing into the heart of Canada’s capital complex in Ottawa, with the magnificent Parliament building looming nearby.

The Rideau River and Canal end here, and the waterway steps down to the Ottawa River and the twin city of Hull on the opposite side.

Plan to visit the Canadian Museum of History. It gets a very high rating especially for those who want to know more in depth about Canada, a highly complex country.

Ted’s Two Cents …

Judy Cohen recently sailed these waters on all three cruise line options, and I sailed aboard two of the three (not Le Boat) some years ago when the area was less well known.

As a teenager I spent a month in the Loughborough Lake district, fishing, canoeing, and hiking, all just west of the Rideau Canal.

None of the cruising options included here were available then.

These days, you can simply park your car and let someone else do the driving, picking out what is best to see.

But if you are a stickler about being in charge, Le Boat will satisfy that craving.

Now, let’s get to Judi Cohen’s reviews of her three small-ship Canada cruises!

The Toronto-Canada native spent the summer of 2021 really doing a deep dive on cruising in her own back yard. And we couldn’t be more pleased to offer our dear readers details on this trio of wonderfully quirky small-ship Canada cruises.

3 Small-Ship Canada Cruises You Should Know About

St Lawrence Cruise Lines’ Canadian Empress

by Judi Cohen

“…We’ve been determined to experience as much of Canada as possible on small ship cruises.

One of a handful of such cruises (which operate within driving distance of our home in Toronto) is St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, operating the Canadian Empress along the St. Lawrence River between Quebec City and Kingston, Ontario.

I had the opportunity to do a 4-night/5-day round-trip cruise with my husband Lawrence, from Kingston to Upper Canada Village and back to Kingston, to revisit an area I had not seen since childhood.

As I cruised, memories flooded in of stopping at Gananoque and visiting Upper Canada Village with my public school and then with my parents on our way to Expo ’67 in Montreal…”

Canadian Empress is a small ship Canada cruise you should know about

The old-timey Canadian Empress. * Photo: Judi Cohen

Le Boat’s Self-Drive Canada Fleet

by Judi Cohen

“After 17 months of COVID lockdowns here in Canada, I jumped in with both feet to plan a Rideau Canal houseboat adventure just a two-hour drive from my hometown in Toronto. This was no ordinary adventure for a family of “landlubbers” with no previous boating experience.

For four days my husband and I along with our daughter, Alison, and her one-year-old Samoyed puppy, Joni, made memories captaining a luxury houseboat provided by LeBoat Vacations on Ontario’s iconic Rideau Canal…”

Judi & her family on a Le Boat Rideau Canal cruise in the summer of 2021.

Ontario Waterway Cruises’ Kawartha Voyageur

By Judi Cohen

“… I’ve been on a mission to cruise on every small ship in the Province of Ontario, close to home in Toronto.

Cruising aboard Ontario Waterway Cruises’ Kawartha Voyageur was my third small-ship adventure in Ontario in a single month during the summer of 2021.

I welcomed the opportunity to cruise the full length of the UNESCO World Heritage designated Rideau Canal system from Kingston to Ottawa, passing through 39 of its historic locks along the way. In total, according to Parks Canada, there are 47 locks in 23 lockstations; 45 locks on the main route, plus two locks that link the Tay Canal and the Rideau…”

Kawartha Voyageur, a Canada cruise you should know about

The Kawartha Voyageur in the summer of 2021. * Photo: Judi Cohen

Looking Back — Ted Explores the Waterways of Ontario Aboard Kawartha Voyageur Back in 1997

by Ted Scull

“A glance at the map of Ontario Province shows the land lying between the Great Lakes Huron and Ontario laced with watery patches and meandering streams.

To encourage the region’s commerce and tourism, 19th-century Canadian visionaries joined them with a series of short canals and 43 locks into the continuously navigable 240-mile Trent-Severn Waterway.

In 1982, a farming family named Ackert went into the cruise business by offering overnight trips here and along the 125-mile Rideau Canal, the latter connecting Kingston and Ottawa, Canada’s former and present capital.

They named their one-boat company Ontario Waterway Cruises…”