Cruising Ontario Canals

KAWARTHA VOYAGEUR: Our floating home for five nights is the Kawartha Voyageur. The ship was specially built in 1983 by Lloyd and Helen Ackert to cruise the Trent-Severn Waterway, then lengthened in 1995 and 2000 to its present 36.7 metres (121 feet). It is 6.7 metres wide (the beam), so these dimensions allow it to travel through most of the 43 locks on the canal with inches to spare. The Ackert family still owns the ship and the personal touch of a family business is very evident with the attention to details and service. Kawartha Voyageur carries 45 passengers if all berths are occupied. There are 3 decks. The bottom deck has 23 cabins, four showers shared by all passengers, and an outdoor sitting area at the bow. The second deck has the dining room, lounge, library, and a bathroom. An elevator serves these two decks or there are stairs. The sun deck is reached by stairs from the lounge area and is an open area with lots of chairs and a canopy for shade that lowers when passing under a low bridge. The pilothouse is forward of the sun deck and visiting is allowed unless the captain is steering into a lock. The cabins are tiny and all identical, measuring 2.9 metres long and 2 metres wide (9.5 feet by 6.5 feet). Each cabin has two single beds (with space underneath for suitcases), a window with a roller blind, and a small desk. There is a clothes rack with hangers and two shelves above each bed. The toilet and sink are separated from the sleeping area by a curtain. Two people sharing a cabin probably need to take turns getting into bed. The cabins are typically used only for sleeping, dressing, and the toilet, and the rest of the time you are in the lounge area or on the sun deck. The tap water in the cabins is not potable, but there is a drinking fountain and water bottle filler along the hall. There are four showers at the stern end of the hall. Each has a locking door with a dressing area and a curtain separating the shower itself. Bring your own hair dryer if needed. Meals are served promptly at 8 AM, noon, and 6 PM. The menu is on the table and is fixed so there are no choices, but every meal is different. All meals are excellent quality and it is remarkable how the staff can produce so much from the small galley. Breakfast is typically muffins and porridge followed by a hot dish such as pancakes or omelette with toast, plus fruit, juice, coffee or tea. Lunch and dinner are usually a salad, hot dish, and dessert. Menus for every meal are on the website. All food is served from a trolley and the server asks what you want and how much, then returns later to see if you want seconds. Only a few food allergies can be handled on board (see next page). Snacks are served at 10 AM, 3 PM and 10 PM and brought around to wherever you are sitting in the lounge or sun deck. Wells Gray Tours has arranged an open bar, but the ship’s selection is limited to red and white wine, beer, some mixed drinks, or soft drinks. There are some very low bridges along the canal and sometimes the shelter canopy on the sundeck must be lowered and the pilothouse flattens as well. The crew warns everybody sitting on the sun deck to stay seated and don’t stand up at the last minute. Some of the locks are too short to accommodate the ship, so the bow sitting area folds up. Sometimes the ship docks below a lock and you can get off, stretch your legs, take photos, and walk above the lock to reboard. The ship does not travel at night and usually docks by 4 PM, so there is time for a walk before dinner, sometimes led by the host.

TRENT-SEVERN WATERWAY: The Trent-Severn Waterway extends 386 km from Trenton on Lake Ontario to Port Severn on Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay. With 43 locks, it provides uninterrupted water travel for small vessels between these two Great Lakes. Beginning with the construction of a small wooden lock at Bobcaygeon in 1833, the canal system was not completed until 1920, by which time its value for long-haul commercial transportation was outmoded. The entire system is a National Historic Site, managed by Parks Canada. From Lake Ontario at an altitude of 74 metres, vessels ascend 182 metres to Balsam Lake, then descend 80 metres to Georgian Bay at 176 metres. Half the locks are 45 metres long and the rest are 36 metres long, and the standard width is 10 metres, so the Kawartha Voyageur just fits. The standard lock lift varies considerably, ranging from 1.5 metres to 8 metres. The Peterborough Lift Lock and the Kirkfield Lift Lock use different technology which can be likened to two counterbalanced bathtubs and one going down pulls the other one up. The Waterway has about 1,600 km of shoreline and 160 major islands. Dams are visible at most of the locks but altogether there are 125 dams maintained by the Waterway. The Rideau Canal took 7 years to build, the Erie Canal 8 years, the Suez Canal 10 years, and the Panama Canal 30 years, so the Trent-Severn Waterway holds the record at 87 years of construction. In 1976, over 18,000 pleasure craft travelled the canal and in 2025 about 121,000 boats passed through it.

TOUR NOTES: Please book early. Wells Gray Tours has booked all the cabins for this voyage on the Kawartha Voyageur. The ship will be entirely for Wells Gray customers, provided there are at least 30 bookings by December 1, 2026. The ship is extremely popular, so this is a rare opportunity to have an exclusive cruise. The ship gets many repeat cruise customers who book a year in advance, so Wells Gray is fortunate to have secured this cruise week. This tour can take a maximum of 40 people. Food Allergies: Most food allergies cannot be handled on board Kawartha Voyageur. You can request sugar-free syrup or jam, gluten-free bread, and lactose-free milk. This tour may not be suitable if you have other food allergies. An allergy causes medical distress, a preference does not. Please consider bringing your own snacks or food items, so you are not dependent on what the ship or other restaurants are able to serve. You must notify us no later than at final payment if you have a food allergy. Flight seating: We are unable to take requests for window or aisle seating on the planes. The airline will not accept them, as group seating is assigned as a block. If this is important to you, we suggest you take the “No Flight” option with a fare reduction and book your own flight which allows seat selection. As flights cannot be booked until early August, the fare reduction will be available then. Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for more information on the “No Flight” option. Flight upgrades: Please enquire about current prices for upgrades on the flights to and from Toronto. Business class may be available. Flight delays or cancellations: In the event flights are delayed or cancelled by airlines due to weather or other reasons, there may be additional costs to you. Wells Gray Tours will not pay for hotel rooms and meals during the delay. Most travel insurance policies cover expenses incurred for flight delays.

TOUR POLICIES: Payments: A deposit of $800 per person is requested at the time of booking and balance is due February 11, 2027. By paying the deposit, you agree to the Terms & Conditions, Activity Level and Cancellation Policy outlined. Payments can be made by online banking or cheque (3% discount on tour fare), or by Visa or Mastercard. Early Booking Bonus: Receive a $300 discount on the first 12 seats and $150 on the next 8 seats for booking early with deposit. The discount is not offered after February 11, 2027. Cancellation Policy: • Up to January 11, 2027, the cancellation charge is $100 per person. • From January 12 to February 11, the cancellation charge is $400 per person. • From February 12 to March 11, the cancellation charge is 50% of the tour fare. • From March 12 to April 11, the cancellation charge is 80% of the tour fare. • After April 11, there is no refund. Itinerary and Fare Changes: Please refer to Wells Gray Tours’ Terms & Conditions. Travel Insurance: A Comprehensive Insurance policy is available through Wells Gray Tours and coverage is provided by Travel Guard until September 8, 2026 and Battleface after that. Policies purchased at deposit include a waiver of the pre-existing condition clause for medical and cancellation claims, otherwise policies can be purchased no later than at final payment. This tour stays in Canada, but medical costs can vary a lot from one province to another. While your BC Services Card may partly cover you for a medical issue that arises during the tour, you will probably benefit from trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage in case of illness or a mishap before or during the tour. Many other benefits such as luggage insurance are included. Medical questionnaire is not needed. Please contact us for details. If you have your own travel insurance, please read the policy carefully to be sure that you are adequately covered for medical, cancellation, interruption, and luggage. Insurance premiums are not refundable whether or not you make a claim. Photo Credits: Pexels (Toronto) and Roland Neave (all others). Experience Points: This tour earns 144 e-points. Each time you travel on a Wells Gray tour, you earn Experience Points, or e-points. One e-point equals $1. Redeem your points on select tours or accumulate enough points to earn a free tour! Redemptions offered until February 11, 2027.