Cancelled our Mackinac Bridge tour 2 hours before hand. They " tried to call " but when I answered…read morethe line was dead. When we arrived at our time we were told there wasn't enough booked so they had to cancel and she " tried calling me". So frustrating when celebrating our 30th Anniversary, we did get a full refund but would not recommend and poor customer service. At this point it was too late to make different arrangements for our night.

Nice boat ride with great views and lovely staff. It would have been better to have some narration…read moreof the area to go along with the ride. But it was an enjoyable time.

Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry June 2026…read more With friends from Albion and Grand Rapids, the four of us were heading from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island earlier this summer. Parking was smooth - we would be on the island for three days and could leave the SUV in an adjacent parking lot. Short line to the ticket booth, and seamless booking for our ferry, which would leave in about an hour. Time enough for us to cross the parking lot (standard overnight parking - $25 per night; premium dock lot parking - $50/75 per night) and have a light lunch of fries and onion rings at The Dixie Saloon, accompanied by a Kentucky Mule. The ferry was very well organized, from the ticketing to the lining up. The only downside was ferry staff required the 80 or so passengers who were not a part of a local tour group leave the protection of the covered queue: the unfortunates in the line (including my group) had to wait in the cold wind and rain for more than 20 minutes while a ferry boarded the fortunate (in the special tour group) in comfort, sans wind or rain. (Adult basic round trip $39) Once aboard, the trip went great. This is not a slow boat - we were tooling right along for the 20 or so minutes it took to get from the City to the Island. Given the raw weather outside it was great to shelter in the covered seating below the outside seating. Shepler's crew also did their best to help with our luggage: they gathered our stuff when we purchased our tickets, so we were free to wander around Mackinaw City until it was time to board. (Tipping is appropriate.) Offloading was a bit trickier, as we sought to have the luggage gathered by the horse-drawn taxis that would take us to our condo on the island. Took a while but ultimately Shepler's crew got our bags and transferred them to a taxi. Great service, good coordination, slight bumps making us wait in the rain so that the privileged few could board their own ferry ahead of us, but altogether a great experience.

They offer two different types of parking here, and they both cost money. The regular parking costs…read moreless, but you need to take a shuttle to the parking lot, which is off site. The premium parking costs more but it's near the dock. So you choose! We chose the regular parking, but we almost missed getting on the ferry because it took a while to get to the parking and back. Ferries leave every hour, usually, so we would have had to wait an hour. So, four stars because of the parking situation. It's kind of a bummer, but they got you by the cojones because where else are you going to park if you want to catch the ferry to Mackinac Island? The rest of the ferry experience was great. The people expertly tag and handle luggage, and the ride is smooth. You can sit on the deck and take in the view, but keep in mind that it's very windy and can get cold, even during the summer months. Or you can sit below deck where it's climate controlled. You can still get a great view below deck. The trip from the mainland to Mackinac Island (and vice versa) takes about 17 minutes, and they depart right on time. Don't be late, or you'll have to catch the next ferry.

Been lucky enough to ride along for a tour a few times. Most recently July 26…read more As expected, it was another relaxing and informative excursion at The Soo. It has been said that "A Captain is only as good as his crew" The people of OSLBT have proven this EVERY time. My only "wish"....More Interlake swag available for purchase in the gift shop.

What a great tour! We had an amazing time. Thank you to the team for giving us a great first visit.read more

We were traveling through the Upper Peninsula, and made a side trip to Sault St. Marie specifically…read moreto take a boat tour of the Soo Locks. We chose the Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours, and purchased our two adult tickets online for $30 each. ($33 online). (May, 2023). This company has been providing tours since 1959, and they're distinguishable by their 150-seat yellow and blue boats. They offer many departures daily from mid-May to mid-October. From their (free) parking lot, our narrated "Classic Lock" tour began with a leisurely cruise along the American and Canadian sides of the St. Mary's River with the conductor pointing out some of the sites and their historical significance. It was evident that we were waiting for our turn to enter the up bound lock between Lake Huron and Lake Superior, as were some other tour boats and a gigantic freighter. The lock itself is an amazing engineering feat, allowing boats to travel between the two lakes that have a 21-foot variance in their heights. We alternated between being comfortably seated in, and walking around, the climate-controlled boat to take photos, as did many other passengers. Going through the locks, both up-bound and down-bound, was a slow but interesting process -- as we waited for the gates to close and for the water to fill or drain. The narration was very good and was of an appropriate duration -- providing useful information without being too long as to be distracting. Are there picturesque views along the river banks? No. The scenery, both in the American and the Canadian sides near the locks is mostly industrial -- though we did pass some parks and some tribal land. Am I generally "into" learning about engineering or industrial feats? Largely, no, my husband (an engineer) generally finds this more intriguing, but, that said, I did find this tour to be well-narrated and sometimes interesting even for my tastes. Did the tour company provide a worthwhile tour? A resounding YES. The tour was professionally done, and for a fair price. Our tour ended up being almost 2 hours given traffic through the locks. The captain truly seemed to enjoy his job, both navigating the boat and doing the narration. The boat itself was comfortable. Also note that no passport is needed to go into Canada as you won't disembark from the boat.

I enjoyed the informative boat tour of the locks and the friendly crew. The weather October 1st was…read morea nice time to go - not hot and no bugs. I did not like the bathrooms because there was no outter door.

Get tickets to Beaver island out of charlevoix, Michigan…read more Round trip tickets to and from. You will have to check their website for departure times, amount of baggages you can take and Freight that you can send. Were able to find parking for vehicle and shuttle service back to the boat dock in time to board the ferry. We departed at 2:30 p.m.,arrived around 5:30 pm and desembarked.

Staff is very accommodating helping us sort out a stand by vehicle transfer. Everyone was extremely…read morefriendly!

Perfect evening on the water! Our large family booked two back to back tours and each group…read moreenjoyed. Wonderful tour full of history from retired teacher from harbor springs high school. Boat is beautiful and it was fun to see Harbor from the water!

The Pointer Boat, has quite a history that matches the community in which it is set: Harbor Point…read moreand Harbor Springs. The boat was originally commissioned to carry supplies, teachers, musicians and more from the main part of Harbor Springs out to the residence of Harbor point which it did until the mid 60s. The residents of Harbor Point couldn't do this themselves because it's an exclusive community. You get the gist -money and privilege. The boat ride was a little over an hour long and took us up and down the coast line with a great narration at least the parts we heard. There were 12 people on the boat which is the capacity plus the captain and first mate. Captain and first mate are great individuals but neither one of them could clearly articulate what they were trying to share on top of the wind and engine noise. At the end of the trip, we suggested they use a microphone. They said oh yeah that's a great idea we will have to consider that. Now really this boat has been in service doing this over decades and no one else has mentioned this?! I would venture to guess they are not allowed by the residents. The boat is docked behind Stafford's pier restaurant. When the restaurant is open, a drink can be purchased from their bar to enjoy while on the boat tour. Unfortunately for us, the restaurant was not open due to the lack of people to staff it. So sad! I would not say this is in any way a luxury tour. You are sitting on hardwood benches. And you need to be somewhat agile as you are stepping down four stairs that are steep from the dock to the bottom of the boat. The boat tour Is intended to provide an overview of the city and its history. I would have given it four stars if we had been able to hear the narration.

They were almost 15" late and because of that rushed us through for next group…read moreRides were very short 8-9 minutes They should make that clear in their advertising

So much family fun! They crew was very accommodating and gave us the early morning price later in…read morethe day. We had a big group with many kids. Everyone had so much fun and felt safe and comfortable! Would definitely recommend this adventure to anyone visiting the area!

Fun cruise on a wide, covered boat. The time f kept the sun off of us and the breeze off the lake…read morekept us reasonably cool. The lower deck had refreshments including beer and wine. The cruise was fir two hours and was very relaxing. We enjoyed the stories of the water.

Despite being a cloudy misty day, the captain and crew made this an enjoyable tour. We learned a…read morelot about history and geography of the area, and enjoyed some adult beverages and some outstanding shortbread cookies.

We booked a private tour for my bachelorette with Captain George and Patrick and they were…read morewonderful! They made sure we had a great time and enjoyed every second of it! The only thing I didn't like was when it was over, I wish we could have stayed all day!

On our very first night on Mackinac Island, the weather was showing off--mid-60s, sunshine all day,…read morenot a cloud in sight. With the forecast looking more meh-kinac than Mackinac for the rest of the trip, we knew this was our golden hour (literally) to get out on the water. Enter: Sip 'n Sail's Sunset Cruise under the Mackinac Bridge. Let me tell you--this wasn't just a boat ride, it was a floating block party with the best views in Michigan. The boat itself is a two-tier beauty that holds around 100 folks, but lucky for us it wasn't packed. We snagged cushy patio sofa seats on the top deck (pro tip: get in line early!) and parked ourselves right in front of the live entertainment. And what entertainment it was! Our singer had charm, pipes, and a playlist straight out of the Yacht Rock Hall of Fame. Think Michael McDonald meets "Dancing With the Sunset." Everyone was singing, swaying, and probably rethinking their life choices if they didn't know all the words to "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)." The crew? Absolute gems. From the captain steering us smooth as butter under the Mighty Mac to the bartenders slinging drinks like it was happy hour at sea, they were all fantastic. Special shoutout to Emma, who kept spirits high (and beverages flowing). Drink-wise: the margarita was a bit too sweet for me--like sipping liquefied Skittles--but once I switched over to wine, I was smooth sailing. The highlight? Cruising directly under the Mackinac Bridge while the sun melted into the horizon in a blaze of pinks and golds. It was so breathtaking I half-expected Christopher Cross himself to appear on deck and whisper, "Sail away..." The night closed with a surprise duet: our singer invited a guest up for a Bob Seger number, and let me tell you--dude nailed it. I almost yelled "Play it again, Seger!" All in all, $55 for an hour and a half of boat-side bliss was a steal. Considering Mackinac Island charges $12 for a cup of grapes, this felt like highway--er, waterway--robbery in the best possible way. So if you're on the fence about booking this? Don't be. Just hop aboard. As Christopher Cross says, think of me when you sail away.

Really fun trip. The views underneath the bridge are incredible. There was a singer on board who…read morewas wonderful. She played a good mix of music. Great service by the staff.