Great Lakes of North America

When the HANSEATIC inspiration sets course for the Great Lakes of North America, the world's largest freshwater area covering around 244,000 km² (94,209 mi²), guests will enjoy unique nautical experiences: the passages through the canals and locks are truly remarkable. The St Lawrence Seaway connects all five Great Lakes with the St Lawrence River, the Gulf of St Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean. The most famous and spectacular canal of the St Lawrence Seaway is the Welland Canal with its eight locks. In some lock chambers, the ship is raised by up to 15 metres (49 feet) as it travels from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. Experiencing how the HANSEATIC inspiration will navigate around Niagara Falls in this way is one of the most thrilling moments on this journey across the Great Lakes.

On a Great Lakes cruise, vibrant cities and metropolises like Toronto, Quebec, Montreal, Detroit or Milwaukee meet untouched wilderness - it combines natural beauty, cultural depth as well as active exploration. Each day reveals new scenery: rugged coastlines, island-dotted waters, cascading waterfalls, dramatic cliffs, and iconic lighthouses. In September/October, guests will be immersed in the magic of the Indian Summer, with guided hikes through colourful forests and along scenic shores. Beyond nature, cruises offers rich cultural insights. Our onboard historian provides engaging narratives about Indigenous peoples and immigrant communities, bringing history to life with compelling stories and expert knowledge.

- Due to the size of the expedition ship (max. 230 guests, 138.7 m/455 ft length, 22 m/ 72 ft beam and 5.70 m/18.70 ft draught), small harbours and bays can be called at and when in larger cities, the ship often moors close to the city centre where there is no or only a short shuttle to the centre necessary

- Thanks to retractable bridge wings, retractable tender boats and a special design that ensures nothing ‘protrudes’ from the ship, the HANSEATIC inspiration can pass through the small, narrow locks in the St Lawrence River, Welland Canal and Sault Ste Marie Canal. 

- Particularly spacious open deck areas: glass balconies, a deck tour at the bow and the Observation Deck above the bridge, as well as generally high windows – this means that guests are right up close during all lock passages.

- Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is one of the few cruise operators that offers cruises in all five Great Lakes and is the only operator who offers the long voyage from Milwaukee to Halifax (or back)

- In a small group of maximum 230 guests, your customers have plenty of space for intensive insights into life on the shores – picturesque fishing villages alternate with Victorian-style villas and modern cities. A journey through time from the indigenous people, the First Nations, to the legacy of the European settlers and today’s culture.

- In Lake Superior, we offer many Zodiac landings and hikes (not during 2026 cruises)

With our experienced team of experts, your customers will learn about the background and details – both on board and on land. Exciting lectures and direct exchanges make every day of your trip an experience. The hiking enthusiast Captain Thilo Natke will accompany cruises INS2614 >> and INS2615 >> as a guide. Instead of the bridge, this time the wilderness is his home. He will take our guests down new paths, show them the destinations from surprising angles – and comment on the impressive lock passages in the St Lawrence River and the Welland Canal with his experience.

• Cruises with respect to nature and wildlife and with a small group of no more than 230 guests
• Closer to nature on board thanks to an exceptional amount of open deck space
• Captains and crews with decades of expertise
• See and understand more thanks to teams of experts who accompany the numerous Zodiac rides and landings (Zodiac use only in Canada possible, not in 2026)
• State-of-the-art navigation, positioning and communications systems
• Since 2020, we have been using marine gas oil with a maximum sulphur content of only 0.1 %. By entirely foregoing heavy fuel oil, we are reducing sulphur emissions by 80 % and particulate emission by 30 %.