A feeling of stepping back in time while you ponder life's greatest debates. Is it Pee-can or Puh-con? Is it Tom-ay-to or -Tom-ah-to? Is it Mackinack or Mackin -awe? For the record, the official pronunciation of this no car island town at the top of Michigan is Mackin-awe. Though if you ask Dad he'll say we went to Mackinack and then swear he pronounced it as Mackin-awe if you correct him. Also, he'll probably not even remember we went there until you describe it as the town where he got ice cream and fudge.
Our day started early with a spotting of our sister expedition ship, Viking Polaris. Polaris was in the middle of the itinerary that went further north and embarked in Thunder Bay. This was their port day for Mackinac Island as well. Didn't think you'd end up having more than one ship in port during an itinerary like this, did you? I snapped some photos of their ship anchored across the water and posted them with a friendly hello message to the Facebook group for the Viking Great Lakes itinerary. Several Polaris passengers replied with hellos back and their own photo view of Octantis. It was like the Caribbean ports where you often see other ships docked across from you but close enough to wave and yell back and forth.
Our view of Viking Polaris taken from our cabin window on this foggy morning in Mackinac:
While Mackinac by Horse-Drawn Carriage is the only included tour for this port, it was beat out in popularity by the Mackinac by Foot option for our sailing. It certainly felt though like the bulk of the passengers went for the two main options, the included Horse-Drawn Carriage or the extra cost Mackinac Island & the Grand Hotel. Mackinac by Foot lasts two hours and is listed as moderate. This is a guided tour and what guided tour would be complete without leading you to a gift shop at the end, in this case a fudge shop. This is the only tour today that required use of the QuietVox.
This was another tender port so anyone with a tour in the afternoon had to budget their time for the tender ride to meet their tour on the pier. The streets and sidewalks were packed with two ships visiting in the middle of tourist season on a decent weather day so except for the narration, I felt like we did that tour too just trying to find our way back to the tender pier.
There was one session of Mackinac Island Natural Wonders by Bike which lasts two hours and 30 minutes and is listed as demanding. The bike ride covers the eight mile Lake Shore Drive that encircles the island with guided narration and occasional stops at viewpoints. There was also only one session of Mackinac Island and the Grand Hotel which lasts two hours and 45 minutes and is listed as moderate. The main difference between this excursion and the included Mackinac by Horse-Drawn Carriage is that you get lunch after the carriage ride at the Grand Hotel versus a "drive-by." The moderate activity level comes from the fact that they leave you to walk back into town after lunch or get your own horse drawn taxi. This is also one of the pricier excursions and we couldn't see spending the extra just to get a buffet lunch.
Mackinac by Horse-Drawn Carriage lasts two hours and 30 minutes and is listed as easy. Everything we read about the tour beforehand described the first carriage ride from downtown to the Surrey Hills Museum as a narrated taxi ride. You would get some history during the scenic ride and then time to browse the museum boarding the next larger carriage when you were ready. There were carriage employees there helping people into the higher carriage but I had trouble being able to lift my legs and twist to get into the row over a wheel well that they directed me to. Their intent was to fit four people per row so it's not very fluffy friendly. Finally, the employee saw my continued struggles and allowed me to move to the next row beyond the wheel well and eventually brought over a small step so I didn't have to lift my leg as high.
Other than being sandwiched in and bounced around, the ride was enjoyable with a funny and charismatic carriage driver. We did intentionally ride along the front of the Grand Hotel to give a very brief glimpse of the outside before moving on. One of my favorite sights was a beautiful personal flower garden with a sign out front that said "Gardener wanted. You must look good bent over!"
The infamous garage door where the only motorized vehicles (emergency services) are allowed and housed at the police station.
What our carriage driver joked was "rush hour traffic"
Once our group arrived at the Surrey Hills Museum we were helped off the high carriage and set off for bathroom breaks and time to browse. We had just barely started browsing when we hear a woman yelling from the opposite exit for the Viking group to come to the exit as our next carriage was about to leave. We walked over to ask about what carriage ride she meant and the expectation that this would be more like a hop on/hop off system to grab at our leisure. She was very adamant that as part of the Viking group that this was the only carriage and the only chance we had to catch the rest of the promised tour. I don't know if it was a matter of only allowing one carriage that didn't require purchasing like any public visitor or that they had something else to offer on the tour that the general public wasn't getting. We were really disappointed to miss out on exploring the museum grounds and barely got a seat in the last row of the carriage. Thankfully this carriage was lower to the ground and more like a trolley. There was also room to spread out so we could seat four to five comfortably versus having to really get to know your neighbor.
While this carriage had a different driver, he was just as funny and charismatic. He was enamored by dogs and would routinely stop mid story to point out a dog being walked by someone as we passed. After a leisurely ride through a wooded area, we reached Arch Rock and were given time to hop out and walk up a handful of steps to the viewing platform.
The last stop on this portion of the tour was Fort Mackinac. As passengers on the Viking tour, our fee to view the fort was waived. Those who didn't want to go in could stay on the trolley to be taken back to town. Dad was interested in seeing the fort so we chose to stick around. I found it funny that after letting in several of our group who had just hopped off the same supposedly Viking only trolley, the ladies manning the gate entrance stopped me to be sure I was really part of the Viking group. Thankfully a simple yes ma'am was all it took to be allowed through but I would have gladly produced my Viking seapass for them.
There is a good bit of walking to do at this fort with minimal exhibits but we had all the time in the world to go at our own pace. There were some catwalk style bridges with a few steps up and down but also easy ways to go around on the grass. Several uniformed Boy Scouts were stationed throughout the fort to help direct people and answer questions.
While officers on the Viking Octantis bridge may have preferred Coke and Fanta, it appears that Fort Mackinac soldiers, guides, and reenactors prefer blue Gatorade:
Once we asked a Boy Scout how to get back to town, he directed us to this long steep sidewalk that takes you from the top of the fort to the downtown area. While we did get passed by a few people picking this uphill climb to get into the fort from town, I was glad our entire stretch was downhill. The higher vantage point looking out at the water from the fort made for some great views:
Once back in town, Dad rewarded himself for our walk around the fort with some ice cream from the Good Day Cafe. I love not only how proud of his treat he looks in this photo but also how that random photo makes it look like the lady on the bench behind him has an ice cream cone for a head.
Momentarily appeased like a toddler with a snack, Dad was willing to follow me around as I popped in and out of the gift shops. After passing several fudge shops, we settled on picking up a three slice variety pack from Ryba's Fudge Shop. We chose the flavors of vanilla, chocolate peanut butter, and sea salt caramel. Once back on board, we stowed the box in our cabin fridge and ended up bringing it all home in our checked luggage. Held up well and we enjoyed it for weeks after stored in our home fridge. One thing to watch out for when you're ready to head back to the tender pier is to take note of which Ryba's Fudge Shop you were standing by when they tell you to use the shop as your landmark to find the pier again. Turns out the one we bought our fudge from was several blocks down the road from the one we where we boarded the tall carriage. We walked back and forth so much repeatedly asking shop owners and local police before we finally found the pier that I'm convinced we worked off all the calories we replaced while eating that fudge.
One of the nice touches I enjoyed about our port days on Viking Octantis is that the video screens in each elevator changed the message to fit whatever port we were in that day. On that one screen as you rode the elevator down to your meeting point, you could learn the name of the port, where the gangway was located, what documentation you needed to get on/off the ship, and what time you needed to be back on board.
After evening turndown service tonight, each cabin was gifted with a one hour back time change notice and a small block (about 1/2 the size we bought from the fudge shop and just perfect for two people to indulge) of chocolate fudge from the other popular chain, Murdick's Fudge Shop.
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