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    Apostle Islands Cruises

    3.8 (56 reviews)

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    Melanie C.

    We took the Grand Tour. We were able to change our tour time the day before by calling - they were very flexible. Tour was very informative. Great narration. The highlight was the devils island and seeing bald eagles! The staff was very good about pointing things out. I felt appreciated and safe on this cruise.

    Nice clean boat
    Michael S.

    It was a great trip. I would highly recommend this charter service. Staff were so kind and informative. Our captain is was the owner. She was great!!!!!! We would go out with them again anytime.

    Map
    PJ C.

    A very nice cruise with an excellent narration by the captain. We saw some excellent scenery and learned a lot about the history and geology of the area. We even saw some young eagles in their nest. As others have mentioned if you want to get on the upper deck it appears you need to show up an hour early. We got stuck inside since we were only 20 mins early. It was not too bad since it was cloudy and overcast. We did venture up top at times to take pictures that were not through the windows of the cabin. If it were a sunny and hot day (we went of the 10am cruise) it would be miserable inside - a real oven. We tried sitting on the back of the boat on the first level but the roar of the engines drowned out the narration. Despite the seating issue I would still recommend if you want to see the islands.

    cold October day
    Rob H.

    We booked it online weeks before we were going to be in Bayfield for the weekend. Everything about the online reservation process, office staff, supporting staff on the boat, and the Captain was great. The tour itself was fun, Mike the Captain, is very knowledgeable and passionate about the tour. He did great at giving historical stories and information about the islands and truly make the 3 hour tour a memorable time. The only part I would have changed is nothing the Cruise can control - The weather. The day we when was 38 degrees, overcast with drizzle/snow flurries. Once you are out on Superior, that 38 degrees drops 10-15 degrees and the wind really picks up. Mike said the waves were 3-4 foot so being on the upper deck for sight seeing became a different world with the weather. I will come back in July and do it again!

    Apostle Islands boat trip
    Carmen J.

    Very relaxing day Wonderful three hours on the water so beautiful. It was a great way to see the fall leaves. I didn't even know there were islands like that. It was very cold tho. We drove up from the twin cities. If I did it again I would try staying there instead of driving right home. It was a dark wet ride home.

    Hermit Island
    Jacqueline T.

    We did the 10am grand tour. We booked a few months in advance. When booking, we were advised to get there by 9am for a good seat. We were running early and ended up getting there before 8:30 so we were the first in line. They start boarding right at 9:40 as advertised. We got seats right at the front of the boat up top. I think the left side would have been slightly better because that's where all of the views were, but they did always turn around so that the other side could see too. The views at Hermit Island on the way out were pretty good. The cliffs were pretty and there were some bald eagles that they pointed out. After that, there wasn't much to see until Devil's Island. They tried to make it more entertaining with commentary, but I think they need louder speakers because it was hard to hear with the wind up top. The views of the sea caves at Devil's Island were gorgeous and definitely made the trip. The whole trip was about 2.5 hours. The ride was incredibly smooth. I'd definitely recommend this tour!

    Sea caves
    Lily W.

    Lovely experience seeing the beautiful Apostle Islands in one afternoon! The tour guide was very personable and shared interesting facts without being overly talkative or cheesy. A few tips: they sell water, soda, and coffee onboard, but you're allowed to bring your own food and beverage. Several folks brought coolers with beer which we didn't realize was an option. Get there early!! We arrived an hour early and still were behind 10 or so people in line. Sit up top- and sit on the left side of the boat. Bring a sweater, because we were there on a very choppy day and got pretty sprayed with cold water from Lake Superior. Overall, highly recommend - this tour exceeded my expectations!

    Raspberry Island Lighthouse
    Justin G.

    This was a fun and very pleasant boat ride along Lake Superior to view the Apostle Islands. The guide was quite informative about the lake, geology, and the history of the area. They informed the passengers that the waters were rough as a courtesy. It wasn't bad at all. The boat wasn't overly full either. This is a great way to see Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The boat ride was even better than the one for Pictured Rocks NL.

    Willard D.

    For our first time in the area we decided to do the cruise to get an overall sense of the place. Although it was overcast and a bit hazy, our captain and his crew were exceptionally friend,y and helpful. The captain narrated throughout with great stories about each island and the lake itself, taking us through history and geology of this unique area. Although I'm sure he's done it many times, he sounded spontaneous and enthusiastic as if it were his first cruise, which made it more fun. I was surprised to learn there are bears and deer on some of the islands--I didn't know they could swim and I'm still skeptical, but there you go. Seating is on an upper open deck or a lower inside deck, which has more comfortable seats but more limited view. It's a hefty trip at about 2.5 hours, but worth it for an overview of the islands. There are bathrooms and a small concession stand as well. There were lots of small children on board but I wouldn't recommend it for them as most seemed restless and bored, wandering around, wriggling, etc. I don't blame them; it's just not an activity for small kids. We adults enjoyed it though!

    Olivia R.

    I'm so happy we got to do the grand tour. It was 3 hrs. A bit long for my 2 kiddos but sooo worth it. The captain was incredibly knowledgeable and funny. He grew up and volunteered on the islands most of his youth, so he had quite the insights. Thanks to him we got to see Bald Eagles at their nest and flying around which was really exciting for the 6yr old. Overall a great and quality experience. Boat crew were sanitizing the rails every hr. Everyone wore a mask.

    Apostle Island Cruises ticket office
    Julie B.

    We took a weekday vacation to Bayfield (October 15th is winter season, so it is low tourist time). A long-but-short 4 hour drive to see the Fall colors and the Apostle Islands. I've never been but have many friends that come for the Apple Fest Getting cruise tickets online was easy. Many different options available during summer season, but I'm glad kayaking isn't the only option in October. We chose the Grand Tour (3 hours). You show up 20 mins before the tour starts, head down to the yellow line on the dock and wait. You can also purchase tickets beforehand in the Ticket Office off of Front Street. **There is no parking lot so you have to park on 1st Street or find a parking lot and walk a couple of blocks. Hint: if you stay at the Bayfield or Bay Front Inns, keep your car in the Inn lot and just walk over. We stayed at the Winfiel Inn & Gardens about 1 mile out of town. Too far to walk on a cold, October morning.** There were 3 boat staff, the captain and two ( I don't know what to call then) 1st mates. One helped with launching and docking, and the safety demonstration. They both helped with keeping the glass fog free (You know the breathing, cold air and glass don't work.) and they worked the popcorn and beverage stand. The captain did all of the speaking during the tour. He was very knowledgable about the islands and he controlled the boat in windy conditions. **We didn't get to see Devil's Island or the sea caves due to the poor weather conditions. But the captain made that transparent before we launched so we could get a refund, but no one got off.** The Archipelago was built in 2018, and in service since Aug 2019. It was a beautiful boat. It has two (Men/ Women) bathrooms on board. The below deck seats are black leather, cushioned. But the seats are precurved. So anyone with a big butt or wide hips, it doesn't feel too good. I'd also sit more on the aisle because sitting near the window, the ledge is in your shoulder. Also, if you want to move around when you get out on the Lake, you don't have to crawl over people to get out. Plenty of leg room though. There are windows on the sides that can open for clearer photos. The upper deck seating is much better. Even though they are plastic seats, they don't dig into your hips. Much more shoulder room too. And a much better, open-air view. **Please advise that our boat was at half capacity, so I could go from below deck to top deck. Not sure how that'd work with a full boat. Also most views are on the port (left) side. I didn't feel too bad for the people of the starboard (right) side because they got up and moved to a better viewing spot. I would love to come back in nicer summer weather and see Devil's Island and the sea caves. I'd say the highlight of the tour was the Raspberry Island Lighthouse. Also, if you stop by the gift shop next to the ticket office after you disembark, they choose a random ticket holder for a gift shop prize. It was not me so I don't know what you get.

    The sea caves
    Kelley S.

    We did the "Grand Tour" on a Wednesday night, 6-30-2021. Absolutely beautiful weather! Our Captain MIKE and deckhands RANDY and SIERRA were excellent & attentive. We could not have asked for a better crew. We got there 10 minutes early (our ship departed at 5:30pm) but I wish we would've gotten there a little sooner, as all of the top seats had been taken as well as the bottom window seats. However, this did not matter about halfway into the cruise, as people get up to move around and see the sights from different areas of the ship. When you arrive for your cruise, you head down to the dock right away. You do not need to check in at the ticket shop if you purchased your tickets online. They do a mobile check in on the dock, 10 yards from the boat. Once onboard the boat, it was a quick untying of the ropes and we were off! We had a quick safety briefing and I am thankful we did not have to use lifejackets! The tour itself was unique, informative & a smooth ride! Captain MIKE is the best! He was so knowledgeable because he actually lived on Devil's Island after high school. He knew all of the local stories as well as hundreds of years of history about Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands. The deckhands were busy during the entire cruise, whether it was tending to their mini concession stand downstairs or sanitizing the railings and bathroom (I appreciated that they were still trying to respect some Covid cleaning guidelines because nobody on the ship was wearing a mask, despite the policy posted stating the only unmasked people should be the vaccinated ones). The grand tour lasted about 2 1/2 hours and Captain Mike told stories about each island we were approaching them. The nice thing he also did was turn the ship around so each side could see the island and get pictures (smart thinking on his part - we all didn't run to one side of the boat to get a picture of the bald eagle at the same time!). We saw three bald eagles which was a real treat as well. Overall, great activity to do if you're in the Bayfield area - highly recommend. At the end of the cruise, they list 4 names in the gift shop as winners from tonight's cruise (they won a cool sketching). Tips: - Buy your tickets ahead via online or over the phone - Get there 30 mins early to get a good seat selection - Bring a blanket and/or a hoodie/sweater (even in June) - Take Dramamine if you're easily seasick - Bring your nice camera for some epic photos - Tip your captain & deckhands-they deserve it!

    Front of the boat

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    6 years ago

    Social distancing is a joke. No attempt was made to limit the people on the top deck.

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    Ask the Community - Apostle Islands Cruises

    Review Highlights - Apostle Islands Cruises

    The grand tour lasted about 2 1/2 hours and Captain Mike told stories about each island we were approaching them.

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    Bayfield Kayak - Lake Superior kayaking at night

    Bayfield Kayak

    (20 reviews)

    Here is my google review…read more Would not recommend. Beware! They are NOT an approved kayaking company by the National Park Service. They rented my son tandem kayaks to go to the Apostle Islands. They gave him a broken radio, no bilge pump and no cockpit cover. They ended up refunding him after he told them that the National Park Service and L5 Kayak expert they ran into told them that this company was putting them at risk for injury or even death. They refused to allow me to talk to the owner. They are comfortable renting broken equipment, allowing you to kayak in a tandem without a cockpit cover so that it fills with water and then not supplying the required bilge pump to get the water out. Go on the National Park Service web page and find a kayak group that meets standards- stay away from this company as it could put your life at risk. The company responded to my google review with this lie "We provided your son and his friend with a detailed two-hour safety course before their rental, clearly demonstrating how to safely use a tandem kayak as intende, with two people paddling together. Despite this, they made the unsafe decision to paddle solo from the back seat and load gear (including beer) into the front cockpit -- a configuration we specifically warn against and prohibit in our waiver. Even though they knowingly violated the rules and misused the equipment, we still issued a full refund as a courtesy. We did this not because we were at fault, but because we recognize that Lake Superior is unforgiving, and we want all our guests to stay safe, even when they make poor choices. We sincerely hope future renters follow our safety training and use the equipment as instructed. We are always here to help, but we cannot prevent incidents when guests ignore the guidance they are given" This is a lie. My son and his friend rented 2 single kayaks. The company gave them 2 tandems. The ranger and another L5 kayak expert saw them before they launched and recommended they not go because they were rented improper equipment. They never even loaded them. What beer?! They are lying to make the reader think they are safe. Please call the Bayfield National park service yourself and talk to the rangers there. They are very familiar with this unsafe and deceptive company. Don't rely on social media. Talk to the experts yourself. You can email or call the park service and they will advise you.

    Beware. 2 different canceling policies on web site. Then when you call them on it they tell you…read morethey are done with the conversation. Shady company

    Madeline Island Ferry Line - Ferry

    Madeline Island Ferry Line

    (20 reviews)

    Staff is very efficient in traveling to and from apostles Island!! it can be a little cold... be…read moresure to bring hat and gloves early and late in the season if you want to get out of your car to check out the beautiful scenery!

    The only way to get from Bayfield to Madeline Island so you gotta make the most of it!! As a first…read moretimer, I had more enthusiasm round 1 as opposed to round 5. Upon entry, you can purchase your ticket directly on the dock in either a 1-way or round trip. If you're good with keeping a ticketed piece of paper, you can attempt the round trip if you need to come back. Otherwise, we didn't like the idea that our ticket could get lost so we always did a 1-way. Vehicles of all kinds load onto the ferry with an extremely efficient staff and then magic happens as you are transported in about 20 minutes. Dogs are welcomed on the ferry along with bikes, scooters and walk-ons. Our lesson learned was that we didn't need to take our vehicle everywhere and the next time we visit, we plan to do a lot more commuting via foot. In addition, it's way cheaper to travel without a vehicle. There is a ferry schedule posted online and lots of hard copy handouts around town. Once the ferry is going across Lake Superior, if you can exit the car (sometimes you can't depending on how tight parking is), you can walk up the steps to the observation deck or stand near your vehicle. I like that there's a variety of ways to travel and I imagine locals see this is just another bus or train route like any other means of transportation. Contrary, visitors will always be in awe as it's not something you see everyday. Shout out to the staff and operations as the ferry was always on time, on schedule and staff were kind. We had beautiful weather in late September / early October so the air and colors were poppin'. Thank you!!

    Apostle Islands Cruises - boating - Updated May 2026

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