Canadian Empress 1000 Islands Cruise Review
By Heidi Sarna
One chilly afternoon, after spending some time alone up on the Sun Deck admiring the scenery of the 1000 Islands, I paused and peered through the lounge’s etched glass doors. I could see (and hear!) that just about everyone else on the ship was in the lounge seated at tables and singing together like kids at summer camp. I quietly pushed open the door and made a sharp left to the coffee-tea station and let a wave of the warm fuzzies wash over me.
The entire room was singing “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).” Simple, back-to-basics, old-school bonding between 60 people who had just met two days earlier. Nearly every seat was filled for the afternoon’s Name That Tune competition run by the charismatic Cruise Director Fernando Cunha.
VIDEO: See the heartwarming singalong for yourself, below.
The Canadian Empress Cocoon
Our four-night “1000 Islands Celebration” cruise in late October was a cozy blend of leaf-peeping and lingering, as much about the camaraderie in the Grand Saloon (the hub that serves as both the ship’s living room and dining room) as the scenery outside its large windows.
Aboard the quirky 66-passenger Canadian Empress — squat and endearingly old-fashioned, with a stubby black funnel rising from her compact frame, a throwback to early 20th-century steamships — we meandered roundtrip from Kingston, Ontario, through the storied 1000 Islands of the St. Lawrence River.
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Brief Summary
7 Reasons To Do A Canadian Empress 1000 Islands Cruise
The Canadian Empress has a folksy down-to-earth vibe with one main lounge-dining hub where everyone hangs out.
A Sun Deck encourages passengers to enjoy the fall foliage and views of the 1000 Islands (dress warmly!).
Open seating dining means you become chummy fast with your fellow cruisers, chatting over tasty food and drinks.
Evening entertainment included local performers — musicians and a talented magician/illusionist.
Small sleepy ports are quiet during off-season non-summer cruises.
Crew was friendly, hard-working, and no-nonsense — pros at making passengers feel at home — with several (including the chef and captain) working for the company for more than 25 years.
All-inclusive fares include wine and beer during lunch and dinner, and also walking tours in most ports.
Potential Drawbacks
Cozy down-to-earth vibe with one main lounge-dining hub where everyone hangs out!
Small cabins, foot-pump-flushing toilets flush, and a rumbling HVAC system.
Itinerary Overview Of SLCL’s “1000 Islands Celebration Cruise”
Here is the four-night fall foliage itinerary I experienced in late October (2025), at the height of the autumn colors, which was a huge plus for me.
There are daily stops at small towns (if there are shops, most are closed in the off-season). Note, the ship is always docked at night, cruising for several hours a day, sometimes doing loops and covering scenic areas more than once.
Day 1
Kingston
Afternoon: Board Canadian Empress at 5:30 pm; then cruise the scenic 1000 Islands during dinner.
Day 2
Gananoque
Morning: Visit the 1000 Islands Heritage Museum, steps from the boat.
Brockville
Afternoon: Go on a guided waterfront walking tour that includes the famous railway tunnel; and also enjoy tea and scones at Cosies Tea Room.
Day 3
Prescott
Morning: Take a guided tour of nearby Fort Wellington led by knowledgeable guides in period garb.
Afternoon: Cruise along the old 19th-century Galop Canal, into Lake Lawrence, and through the Iroquois Lock at Seaway Control Dam; watch huge freighters pass through the area.
Day 4
Crystal Marina
Morning: Visit this nondescript port, with a bit of time for walks around a pleasant-enough RV park; not too much to see, but nice to get off the boat to stretch our legs.
Afternoon: Cruise the Canadian Channel to see the statue of St. Laurens (which is only visible from the water).
Day 5
Gananoque
Morning: Our second stop here featured a tour of the nearby 1000 Islands Boat Museum.
Early Afternoon: Cruised around the scenic harbor near Kingston.
Departure at 2pm, after lunch.
Boarding the Canadian Empress
In 1981, the Ontario-based Clark family built the Canadian Empress, not far from where she docks in Kingston, to cruise the St Lawrence River on a ship that looked like it belonged there. Victorian-style touches like tin ceilings, brass railings, ornate door handles and keyhole plates, (plus, retro touches like a big red fire-fighting ax attached to the corridor wall) evoke the traditional steamships plying the Great Lakes and St Lawrence River in the early 1900s. As we lined up to board, it felt like we were about to enter a floating museum.
When passengers began crossing the short gangway, it wobbled in the current, prompting a few giggles. No one seemed fazed; this was an easygoing, can-do crowd game for quirky travel experiences like this one.
Inside, we got our keys for cabin #20 and went down some stairs (there are no elevators) and along hallways lit by old-fashioned fixtures and dotted with nostalgic artwork meant to evoke another era. There was a faintly musty, medicinal scent at first — a whiff of grandma’s house — but before long it faded into the background, just part of the ship’s vintage charm.
Canadian Empress Cabins
The compact rooms aboard the Canadian Empress resemble the private train compartments you might see in an old film. Most have fixed twin beds pointing towards a small window; each also has a sink and vanity (in the room), plus a few hooks and hangers for clothes, and some under-bed storage space (pack light!).
The toilet and shower share one petite space; surprisingly, the shower curtain managed to contain the water and keep the floor dry. The toilet, operated by a foot pedal (RV-style!), was a momentary surprise when I first opened the door — but Eureka, it worked perfectly well and did the job, so to speak.
While some slept like babies, the Canadian Empress isn’t exactly quiet. By the second day, I tuned out the steady rumble of the HVAC system in our cabin, though other passengers mentioned it disrupted their sleep — a few even switched theirs off entirely, preferring cooler nighttime temperatures to the hum. Note the beds are not super long; hubby and I are about 5'10” and our feet touched the foot of the bed.
VIDEO: Below is Heidi's brief tour of her standard cabin, #20, on St Lawrence Deck.
Pillow Talk
If you’re tall, speak up! When booking, let SLCL line know if you’re 6 feet plus, as, based on availability, there are 7 rooms that have the capacity for a bed extension.
Premier Rooms on St Lawrence Deck
Staterooms 24 and 25 (the pair of forward-facing “Premier” rooms) have a double bed plus a sofa bed that is designed to accommodate a third person. It works best if it is a couple traveling with their petite mother perhaps, or a child or grandchild (12 and up). The sofa bed would not be recommended for a large adult. On St Lawrence Deck, you'll also find a pair of corner “Sterling” cabins at the stern with several windows each.
Ottawa Deck Rooms
The 8 cabins on Ottawa Deck are about the same size as most cabins below on St Lawrence Deck; the difference with the Ottawa rooms is location location location. The Ottawa cabins are on the same level as the Grand Saloon dining room-lounge space and the main gangway, so they do not require the same amount of stair climbing as folks bunking a deck lower (remember, there is no elevator). The Ottawa cabins are in much higher demand, especially by people with mobility issues or who may use a walker.
Public Areas
There’s one indoor public space: the Grand Saloon. It’s where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served, and the rest of the time, where passengers hang out to not only sing, but read, snooze, mingle, play scrabble with new friends and listen to presentations.
Outdoors, there’s the Sun Deck up top, plus two small aft and forward observation decks; thanks to the frequent drizzle and chilly autumn temps, the outside decks didn’t get much action. I was an exception, bundling up to enjoy walking laps in the late afternoon — the first mate told me 25 laps = 1 mile — while soaking up serene views of forested islands dotted with cottages and mansions, under an orange-streaked twilight sky.
VIDEO: Weeee, Heidi enjoys some laps up on the Sun Deck, below.
VIDEO: And here's a quick scan of the Sun Deck …at normal speed!
Daily Rhythm Onboard Canadian Empress
The ship always docked overnight, and by day, cruised for several hours. Witty Fernando kept things lively in the Grand Saloon, organizing low-key fun like trivia games and introducing guest speakers, which are offered on only a handful of cruises each year.
On our sailing, talks from Seaway historian Viktor Kaczkowski and murder mystery author Maggie Wheeler added depth to the scenery slipping past our windows. They traced the vital role of shipping between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, explaining how that commerce led to the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the 1950s, with its massive network of locks and dams engineered to get around rapids and currents. Before that, vessels relied on 19th-century canals such as the Rideau to bypass treacherous stretches. The Seaway’s construction, they noted, came at a cost: entire villages were intentionally flooded, and communities uprooted (in fact, we cruised over the site of the original villages).
From time to time a recorded commentary highlighted notable sights we could see from the Canadian Empress, from the Iroquois Lock and forests of wind turbines to Gilded Age showpieces like Boldt Castle and the Singer estate. Some passengers were interested in the massive bulk carriers lumbering past, often loaded with gypsum, gravel, sand or cement — reminders that this storied waterway remains a working river.
VIDEO: Passing Boldt Castle, below; though visiting is possible, SLCL doesn't offer this option.
VIDEO: Near the Iroquois Lock, as ships large and small waited to transit, we got close-up views of many large freighters, like below, that travel between the Great Lakes and Atlantic Ocean.
On our final evening near Kingston, the small, perky Canadian Empress nosed so close to some islands that it felt as if we could reach out and brush a rocky shoreline or tap a cottage fence.
Port Highlights
Each day we stopped for a few hours in small towns along the St Lawrence for guided rambles and independent wanders. The crew would tell us when the ship was departing (approximately!) on a given day, to be sure we were all back on board (there is no electronic tally of passengers' whereabouts); however, the most accurate way to know it's time to hightail it back to the Canadian Empress, is to listen for the ship's traditional steamship-y horn that would blast 10 minutes before the ship would depart.
In Gananoque, it was a few steps from the gangway to the Heritage Museum of the Thousand Islands, housed in a late 19th-century Victorian “grand cottage” wrapped in verandahs and crowned with a widow’s walk that seemed made for scanning the river. Our visit to Gananoque on the way back brought us face-to-face with a collection of vintage boats at the nearby 1000 Islands Boat Museum, with a guide sharing stories of how these waterways, like highways, once served as the lifeblood of trade and daily existence.
In Prescott, history took center stage at nearby Fort Wellington, where spirited guides in period dress transported us to the early 19th century and Canada’s role in the War of 1812. Later in Brockville, a waterfront stroll led to the restored Brockville Railway Tunnel, its 19th-century bones illuminated with playful, modern lighting.
With time to spare, we walked the one-third mile through the cool, echoing passage. We emerged into daylight alongside a couple we’d only just met, and strolled back to the ship, sharing family stories as if we’d known one another for years.
VIDEO: Here's a peek at Brockville's Railway tunnel, below.
When we had an extra hour to wander the small towns on our own, we imagined the busy summer months when shops and restaurants are buzzing with visitors. In October, they were relative ghost towns, making these river towns feel like well-kept secrets.
Dining & Entertainment On Canadian Empress
Meals are served at set times at tables mostly for four or six, with breakfast and dinner offering a choice of entrées; there is one set offering at lunch. With advance notice, the crew easily accommodated our “no beef” request as well as my husband’s gluten- and dairy-free diet. The cuisine isn’t the main draw of this cruise, but there were standouts for me: roast turkey with all the trimmings and crispy honey-glazed chicken thighs with corn on the cob. Wine and beer — both Canadian and American labels — are included at lunch and dinner; if you want a drink at any other time, it’s a cash bar.
At the back of the dining lounge, a 24-hour coffee and tea station also offered muffins for between-meal nibbling (though I kept hoping a plate of cookies might magically appear).
Evenings brought pleasantly surprising entertainment. On the first night, Fernando emceed a lively trivia contest that had tables competing and spirits high. The following evening, an eccentric, multitasking magician charmed the crowd with deft sleight of hand, storytelling, and philosophical asides set to music. Live musical performances rounded out the two other nights, giving each evening its own rhythm.
READ MORE: Canadian Writer Judi Cohen reviews her Canadian Empress cruise a few years ago.
Getting There & Hanging Out In Kingston
Our 60 or so shipmates were an even mix of Americans and Canadians. Many drove to Kingston from other parts of Ontario and relatively nearby states like New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, parking their cars in a hotel next to the dock. Others, like us, flew into Toronto and made the roughly three-hour journey to Kingston by train, rental car, or Uber. We chose Uber — relatively cost-effective once you factor in transfers to and from the train station.
Set at the head of the St. Lawrence River and the northeastern edge of Lake Ontario, historic Kingston has long been a strategic trading and military hub. Today it’s a lively college town — home to Queen's University and others — and a gateway to the Thousand Islands. It’s well worth arriving a day early (or lingering after the cruise) to explore the city.
We didn’t stay the night but had a few hours in Kingston before boarding the Canadian Empress. We dropped our bags with the crew and walked across the street for lunch at an Irish pub tucked inside the 19th-century Prince George Hotel.
With time to spare, I squeezed in a quick dash to admire the beautifully preserved SS Keewatin, a 1907-built ocean liner with a razor-sharp bow that that’s permanently docked and open for tours. Her dramatic bow points inland as if improbably parked on a city street.
And do check out QuirkyCruise Contributor Peter Knego’s excellent video about the Keewatin on his YouTube channel: Peter Knego's MidShipCinema!
VIDEO: In the meantime, below is Heidi's quick look at Keewatin's beautiful profile.
Is This 1000 Islands Canadian Empress Cruise For You?
If your travel MO is to slow down, mingle with friendly fellow passengers , and savor a slice of Canada best appreciated from the water — especially in autumn, when the foliage flares in brilliant reds and golds — then this delightfully quirky voyage may be just your speed. It’s less about bells and whistles and more about easy conversation, unhurried views, and a ship with personality and purpose.
At nearly 45 years old, Canadian Empress has been carefully tended over time, from fresh coats of paint on the Grand Lounge’s tin ceilings (once yellowed back when indoor smoking was the norm, the bartender James told me) to upgraded furniture. The captain acknowledged that major engine and HVAC work will be needed in the coming years but noted a silver lining: cruising the fresh waters of the 1000 Islands has spared the Canadian Empress’s hull the corrosive effects of saltwater.
In an era of cookie-cutter shipbuilding, Canadian Empress remains refreshingly singular — a charming riverboat rooted in tradition, just as her owners intended.
Hope You Enjoyed My Canadian Empress 1000 Islands Cruise Review — Here's Some Booking Info
The cruise season is April through October, when you can choose from 4-, 5- and 7-night itineraries, either round-trip from Kingston or between Kingston and Montreal.
Fares for the 4-night “1000 Islands Celebration” itinerary I did start at $2,480 CAD per person (about $1,800 USD), including wine and beer at lunch and dinner, evening entertainment, and guided walking tours in port. For more details, check out the St Lawrence Cruise Lines website here.
Availability is limited for the 2026 season, with few cabins left; though sailing do have some space:
- Heritage Summer Cruise
July 18-25 (2026) — 7 nights/8 days, Kingston to Montreal and Return - Seaway Discovery Cruise
August 22-29 (2026) — 7 nights/8 days, Kingston to Montreal and Return - 1000 Islands Celebration
October 21-25 (2026) — 4 nights/5 days, Kingston to Upper Canada Village and Return
If you’d like help booking this cruise with a travel advisor we highly recommend, who can also help with airfare, hotels and any other reservations you may need, drop me a note at [email protected] and I’ll connect you to Kevin.
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HEIDI SARNA
