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7 Unforgettable Cruising Experiences In South Eastern Ontario

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The pristine water beckons in South Eastern Ontario! Immerse yourself in the full experience here and get out on one of our rivers or lakes. Local cruises reveal mystery, tales of treasure, and stunning beauty around every bend. Take the plunge and set sail to explore like never before!

Kingston 1000 Islands

See Kingston in a different light and view it from a new vantage point. Hop aboard The Island Queen; Island Belle or Island Star vessel to discover the city from the water. These boats are unique unto themselves – look for a 300-passenger paddle wheeler, a smaller boat with two decks, or get closer to nature and enjoy a translucent glass canopy.

Brockville 1000 Islands

Do the St. Lawrence River differently with 1000 Islands and Seaway Cruises – in a high-speed catamaran that gets the adrenaline pumping! A soft adventure experience of the 1,000 Islands sees visitors board the Wildcat, a 54-passenger cruise vessel that is able to cover a lot of distance with maximum excitement. Departing from Brockville, these tours feature a view of Boldt and Singer Castles, historic lighthouses, the Shortest International Bridge and much more. Traditional cruises are also available.

Rockport 

Rockport Cruises showcases the grandeur of island life and whispers of a fabled past. The most popular cruise, Palaces & Palisades of the 1000 Islands, features famous island sights such as Zavikon Island, Millionaire’s Row and Casablanca on Cherry Island, with seven different cruise options. Enjoy a lunch or dinner cruise or take in a two-castle tour, which showcases Boldt Castle and Singer Castle.

1000 Islands Gananoque

Rumrunners, pirates and explorers beware: Gananoque Boat Line’s Lost Ships of 1,000 Islands cruise gives shipwrecks in the St. Lawrence River a voice, by displaying diver video footage coupled with compelling commentary, when the vessel glides over wrecks lying silently on the river bed. This two-and-a-half-hour cruise is a Canadian Signature Tourism Experience. Check out four options with Gananoque Boat Line, some of which take in romantically tragic Boldt Castle, as well as dinner and event cruises.

Rideau Heritage Route

Be a part of the Rideau Canal National Historic Site tradition and cruise the calm waters with Rideau Tours to enjoy the locks, communities and lush greenery with wildlife around every bend. Departing from Chaffey’s Lock along the Rideau, Rideau Tours offers an accessible pontoon boat guided tour experience with Captain Luc that allows visitors the experience of being locked through the world famous locks on the Canal.

Prince Edward County

Prince Edward County is known for its beaches, but gliding over the crystal clean water is a relaxing way to experience it in a new way. Picton Boat Tours takes visitors into shallow coves and past waterfalls to witness nature and history from a different perspective. This covered pontoon boat holds six passengers and whisks visitors and residents on one-and-a-half tours to see the shoreline from a different perspective. Feed your adventurous side and set sail with Stay and Sail over the well-protected waters of South Bay, while hearing rich history of the area from experienced crew members – including intriguing stories of the Marysburgh Vortex and Main Duck Island. Personalize your tour and choose to go sailing (skippered), anchor and dive into the water for a swim or even enjoy refreshments on deck.

Bay of Quinte

Marvel at the Trent-Severn Waterway while traversing it on a Quinte Cruise! As one of Canada’s National Historic Sites this is a 386-km stretch of locks, rivers and even lakes. The Kawartha Voyageur has been likened to a county inn on the water and its Quinte Cruises offers lounging areas, plenty of outside time on the deck and even overnight accommodation. The Kawartha Voyageur also traverses the Rideau Canal on many scheduled excursions throughout the boating season.

Located along the north shore of the St Lawrence River, the South Eastern Ontario region spans from Cornwall and The Counties to Ontario’s burgeoning wine and craft beer country known as Prince Edward County and the Bay of Quinte. Along the shores of these waterways, you’ll find fascinating history, quaint villages, inspiring art, live theatre and gastronomic delights. No matter how you choose to experience it, South Eastern Ontario offers some of the best places to visit in Ontario.

Splash Into Summer; 7 Water Activities To Do In South Eastern Ontario

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South Eastern Ontario is a water-lover’s dream. With over 5,000 lakes, a myriad of rivers and Ontario’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Rideau Canal, to traverse and play on, it’s not a question of what to do – it’s what to do first!

Kayaking

Share an intimate guided tour of the 1000 Islands by kayak to explore the magnificence up close and personal. Glide through the water with a 1000 Islands Kayaking guide or on your own, paddling at your own pace to discover island life surrounded by nature. Guides can offer cultural significance along the way, and even prepare an island gourmet lunch!

Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) rentals are another way to get a new appreciation for the water in South Eastern Ontario. Rent SUP equipment from GoActive in Bay of Quinte, or Ahoy Rentals in Kingston.

Cruising

Make waves with family and friends while seeing the 1,000 Islands in style aboard one of the region’s cruising boats. Creating traditions is easy on a cruise from one of the boat lines operating in the region: choose from seeing the fabled 1000 Islands complete with castles, opulent cottages and local folklore departing from Rockport, Gananoque, Brockville, and Kingston. Boat cruises from Bay of Quinte and other locales also showcase the area on the water, as do pontoon tours of the Rideau Canal that showcase the Rideau Heritage Route in a world heritage, photo-ready, on-water experience.

Scuba Diving

After you see sights on water, revel in the mystery of what lies beneath the surface. Sunken ships dot the underwater landscape of the St. Lawrence River waiting to be discovered through fresh-water wreck diving. The 1,000 Islands region is a scuba diver’s dream. Closer to shore, the Brockville Underwater Sculpture Park includes submerged sculptures off Centeen Park on Brockville’s waterfront. Underwater intrigue awaits further up the St. Lawrence near Cornwall as divers from beginners to experts can explore more than 40 dive sites from Glen Walter, to Iroquois, including the famed Lost Villages underwater cemetery, Rail Bridge and Lock 21—known as one of Canada’s top five shore dives.

Fishing

Reel in the big one for tall tales about the St. Lawrence River or Lake Ontario! Hire a fishing charter to get the inside scoop on the best spots to cast a line. World famous muskie have been hooked near shoals of the St. Lawrence by Gananoque while provincial records have been set in Land O’ Lakes region. This isn’t just an anglers’ playground – it’s a verified fishing haven.

Walleye or pickerel fishing is serious business on the Bay of Quinte. This area is known as the walleye capital of the world, meaning this is the spot for some amazing trophy fishing. 

Rent A Houseboat

Experience a new perspective on the water and stay overnight on it! Renting a houseboat is a unique way to explore the water and is simple for beginners – but leaves visitors vowing to return. Along the St. Lawrence River near Gananoque, Houseboat Holidays offers private charters that come with instruction, amenities, and even docking fees are including for Thousand Islands National Park islands. Or, rent a boat for a week or a weekend and traverse the Rideau Canal on your own.

Action-Packed Water Adventure

Try something adventurous and get wet at Westlake Wakeboard School –  located on beautiful West Lake in the heart of Prince Edward County. Private professional wakeboard training is available, as well as a weeklong kids camp and even tube rides to the beach. Or maybe you’re interested in taking a trip to the beautiful Bay of Quinte to view the historic Trent-Severn Waterway, stop by Trenchtown Wake Park for cable wakeboarding! The park has two straight-line cables with jumps and rail features that will cater to both the seasoned riders, or someone who is just getting started.

Sailing is another coveted water activity here, with County Sailing Adventures departing on daily cruises and offering private sailing packages.

Of course, there is ample space on our waterways to try waterskiing, sailing, tubing, kitesurfing and just relaxing in a boat and enjoying the views.

Paddling

Through Rideau Tours out of Chaffey’s Lock along the Rideau Heritage Route, you can rent a kayak, canoe or paddleboard for total personal immersion in the stunning scenery along the twists and turns of the Rideau Canal. Paddle tours are also available, as are luxury paddling packages.

If backcountry canoe trips, river runs or local paddles are your style then feed your adventurous side in Bay of Quinte with Cruising Canoes. From group trips to solo kayak trips with the crew and evening Pint and Paddle events, Cruising Canoes provides Quinte with a unique experience on the water.

The pristine waters of South Eastern Ontario are calling – achieve an authentic experience by getting on the water.

Everything You Need to Know About Cruising the 1000 Islands

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Once patrolled by pirates and bootleggers, the 1000 Islands between Kingston and Brockville are now a sightseer’s paradise where you’re just as likely to discover historic castles and quaint waterfront villages as opulent vacation homes and rich wildlife. And perhaps the best view of it all comes while aboard one of the many different cruises offered in the region. Here’s what you can expect from the six cruise operators setting off in the 1000 Islands this summer.

Brockville

1000 Islands & Seaway Cruises

The sightseeing and dining tours offered by 1000 Islands & Seaway Cruises should satisfy almost every one of your cruising needs. In 2011, the Brockville-based company introduced a high-speed catamaran called the “WildCat” that whisks you into the heart of the 1000 Islands on a two-hour “AdrenIsland” cruise ($59.95) featuring views of Boldt and Singer Castles or a one-hour “Singer Castle Express” cruise ($32.50). If speed isn’t your thing, there are traditional tours, including the 1.5-hour Jewels of the St. Lawrence Tour ($22.50), which features a tour of the Eastern Group of the Thousand Islands, Millionaire’s Row and Brockville’s historic waterfront. There are also fully licensed lunch, brunch and dinner cruises available starting at just $37.17. 1000islandscruises.com

1000 Islands Gananoque

Gananoque Boat Line

With five triple-decker aluminium vessels at its disposal, Gananoque Boat Line is the oldest and largest cruise operator in the 1000 Islands. That size and experience allows it to offer traditional one-hour tours of the islands around Gananoque ($20.95) and Ivy Lea ($20.95) as well as a rare five-hour Boldt Castle Stopover Cruise ($40.74) and a 2.5-hour Lost Ships of the 1000 Islands Cruise ($31.43) that uses side sonar technology, researched interpretation, underwater video and historical photos to reveal several shipwrecks in the area. They also have a full lineup of evening tours, including a pirate cruise, dinner and dancing cruises, live music cruises, and a murder mystery dinner cruise. ganboatline.com

Rockport Boat Line

Rockport is a tiny village about twenty kilometres east of Gananoque that’s now a major terminus for seven Thousand Islands cruises offered by the Rockport Boat Line. The relaxing “Heart of the Islands” cruise is a one-hour tour that takes you past Boldt Castle, Zavikon Island and Millionaire’s Row ($22). For castle lovers, there’s the “Boldt Castle Tour,” which takes you on a 3.5 hour long voyage and includes a stopover at Boldt Castle ($30 plus $8 admission fee to the castle), and the “Two Castle Tour,” which includes stops at Boldt Castle and Singer Castle ($95). The two-hour “Palaces & Palisades Cruise” features the Canadian Palisades where a statue of St. Lawrence watches over the river that bears his name ($28). There’s also a “Sunset Cruise” without a dinner option ($30). rockportcruises.com

Kingston

Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises

One of two cruise companies operating out of the Limestone City, Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises has three ships for you to choose from. The Island Star is a 200-passenger capacity glass top vessel perfect for cruising the islands while sampling from the lunch or dinner menus, which feature items like Atlantic salmon and chicken Florentine. The Island Queen, a 300-passenger capacity Mississippi Paddlewheeler, takes you on three-hour “Heart of the Island” tours through the small cottage islands of the Admiralty group, past the new Mandalay Mansion and by the historic sights of Kingston. The Island Belle is a 150-passenger capacity replica St. Lawrence Steamer that offers 90-minute “Discovery Cruises.” Narrated by the living spirit of Canada’s First Prime Minister and Kingston native son, Sir John A. Macdonald, these cruises are the perfect introduction to the unique sights and heritage of the region and Canada’s first capital. 1000islandscruises.ca

St. Lawrence Cruise Lines

This family business that’s been operating for thirty plus years offers a four-day, three-night voyage of the 1000 Islands that boards and disembarks from Kingston. The stately Canadian Empress — which features two decks, a dining room, a grand salon, a lounge and three observation decks — will be your guide as you meander your way amongst the bays, channels and passages of the Thousand Islands. The tour also includes stops at Fort Wellington and a bus trip to the 1000 Islands SkyDeck, among a variety of other activities. Your overnight ports will be 1000 Islands Anchorage, Ivy Lea and Brockville. stlawrencerivercruise.com

Everything’s Better on the Water

Local cruises of South Eastern Ontario reveal the mystery, tales of treasure, and stunning beauty around every bend. Discover more cruising options here.

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