Yesterday, while giving a tour of Buffalo, I swung out to the Erie Basin Marina. At the end of the marina we came across a vacationing tour boat that had pulled up near the observation tower. I asked the young man, who was sitting in a chair at the end of a boarding ramp, how many times the cruise made a stop into Buffalo, and he answered, “two.” Then he proceeded to hand me a cruise catalogue.
The tour company is called Blount Small Ship Adventures, and the tagline of the company is, “Go where the big ships cannot.” Cruises offered by Blount include the US, Canada, Caribbean and Central America. I flipped through the pages until I came across the Great American Waterways section, from Chicago to Rhode Island. Buffalo was listed as a “port city” along the route. Other ports included Manistee MI, Cleveland OH, Erie PA, Rochester NY, Kingston NY – all total there were upwards of 16 stops along the 15 night (16 day) Signature Series trip.
While the brochure was certainly handy, and chock full of intriguing port descriptions, I found that Buffalo’s description paled compared to the rest of the port cities that sounded welcoming and fun. Actually, to say that it paled would be lenient. The description of Buffalo was this: “Buffalo, NY is known for sports, snow and special sauce.” Then the description went on to highlight regional adventures that included the Whirlpool Overlook, the Table Rock area, the Maid of the Mist, and The Falls. It also mentions that “there will be a musical performance that evening”, which I am assuming takes place on the boat, since nothing positive about Buffalo is mentioned. Obviously, this touring company knows nothing about our architecture, Canalside, Larkinville, or any other quality destinations within minutes of the Erie Basin Marina. For all we know, the guests aboard the cruise ship are relegated to the ship’s lounge for the day so as not to get caught in a surprise August blizzard or Buffalo Bills’ rally.
Despite the abysmal welcome that the Blount brochure describes, I am glad to see these types of cruises coming through Buffalo. Packages start at $4999 and feature the Grande Caribe (seen in photos) and Grande Mariner. Guests on the Great American Waterways tour are invited to learn how to make pierogies in the ship’s kitchen (that must be what they do while they visit Buffalo), among other entertainment highlights.
Hopefully someone can help Blount to update the Buffalo section of the tour brochure (help VBN!)? In the meantime, if you’ve got some extra scratch floating around and you want to experience the Great American Waterways in style and comfort, then check out their website for details. Or call 800-556-7450.