Vista Fleet

We did the 1 hr 45 min grand sightseeing tour and it was an absolute highlight of our Duluth vacation. The vessel had a nice bar with reasonable priced and well made drinks and lots of great outdoor decks. The tour was full of one superlative view after the other. But by far the best experience was our young tour guide/narrator Bill. He was so enthusiastic and spoke clearly and was full of historical information and fun local anecdotes with plenty of witty puns sprinkled in. Most of all his smile and attitude were 100% genuine and he clearly loves what he does and is VERY good at it....and I speak from experience as I was once a tour guide in Alaska in a past life and this kid is a natural!

This is something we have done twice and loved it both times. Great food and drinks, some history of the area and amazing service. It was a definite plus to be able to get close to a ship and circle it. Duluth is an amazing town and being able to have this option brings it up another level for sure!

This was a lot of fun! We went on the dinner cruise. They are willing to work with you on nut allergies so you can still go, as the ravioli has walnut sauce. But the tenderloin is gluten and nut free. And Vista fleet was willing to seat us at a no nut eating table. We also were served first and the ravioli was covered so there's no cross contamination. We were also seated far from the nut stuff. But I did talk to the company that does the food before the day we went and again on the day. Belicios is who does the food. Everything is washed down good so it's as safe as they could make it. I do suggest you bring an epi pen though just in case. If a freak thing happens and there's a reaction your out on a lake. Quite awaze from help. The food was yummy! The salad is not gluten free though. It has croutons already in it. If you let them know ahead of time I'm sure it's something that can be arranged ahead of time. There is a bun too. But the food is served buffet style so you can just tell them no thank you on the bun. I suggest you start your phone calls like a month ahead of your trip. As vista fleet is hard to get ahold of. And half the time when they do call back the number comes up as other things rather than vista fleet. That was really frustrating. And belicios, you have to talk to the catering department. So they are always busy, so the call back can take days to get back to you. You may have to call them a few times. But the trip was worth the extra work! We saw a lot of fun stuff! And there's a person who tells you about them over a loud speaker, that's not horribly loud. It's just right. And you can hear it from all over the ship. After you eat, you can wander the ship. There is 3 floors. And two bathrooms. If it's to cold or windy outside, on the second floor there were a bunch of chairs by the windows so you could see while being warm. Bring a jacket, out on the lake it's windy. If you want to be outside you will need it. We actually went out on lake Superior and saw seagulls diving for food. Had to have been at least 100 of them. That was fun! There were a couple happy birthday shout outs for people on our trip too. Thought that was nice. We came back into the harbor area under the lift bridge at nighttime. Which was beautiful! Loved the shore line at night with all the lights!! That was amazing! Ok, so I gave you a taste of the food and fun. If you want the rest of the secrets, you'll just have to go experience it yourself! :) one last thing! The Popeye doll was an awesome touch! You all will have to look for it!

Super fun way to experience lake superior, drink in the stunning views of Duluth, and learn some stellar history. This is priced really well. Our host.. gosh I wish I could remember his name.. was funny and fabulous. I really enjoyed hearing about the piers, both new and old. And the evolution of Duluth and Superior harbors.
It is also pretty nifty to have the loft bridge go up for you! Best way to experience it.

Thanks to the Vista Fleet crew on the 10/8 Sunday morning's coffee/sunrise cruise. The Captain and crew provided good humor and detailed, historic story telling, (sprinkled with a few tall-tales) while sharing their passion for Duluth's harbor and our beautiful Lake Superior.

Great experience and definitely recommend. Bring ear plugs if you're sensitive to noise - they helped soften the announcer talking (the whole time) and the horn blowing. Plan to get in line early if you want to sit on top outside - all the seats were taken by the time we got on. Dress in layers bc it gets cold and windy heading out but was hot coming back! The shorter trip would have actually been plenty for us, was kind of bored at the end touring the harbor area where all the boats load and unload and preferred being out on the lake cruising. I took the shorter ride years ago and it was great.

I had fun! I enjoyed hearing about the history of parts of Duluth and the lake, it was fun to walk up and down the boat during the ride. It was beautiful, took pictures.

We enjoyed the evening for the "superior sips" sail on the Vista Fleet. It was such a fun evening! A thick layer of fog rolled in as soon as we set sail, giving us a very cool looking lift bridge.

Highly recommend if you are looking for a fun evening on Lake superior!

Staff on board were very knowledgeable and personable. Ride was beautiful and smooth. A few things to be aware of is if you have a small group/couple you will likely be seated with others. Also, the food was very good, but they outsource catering so not always familiar with allergens.

Took the sunset dinner cruise. I was pleasantly surprised. Wasn't sure how great sunset would be as it tucks behind the bluffs...it was pretty great! So glad we took the tour...great history lesson too! Also sat with another couple, they made it so fun...shout out to a beautiful young couple!! Francois & Melissa from St. Paul!!

We went on an evening kids friendly cruise. I think it is called family fun. All of us enjoyed this unique way of exploring Duluth and Lake Superior. The cruise was well organized and the boat was pretty spacious. Shout out to the tour guide ( Bill I think) and the staff from Children's museum Duluth for engaging the kids in fun activities.

Be sure to carry a sweatshirt even in summer, the winds were a bit chilly. The cruise started on time and docked on time . The snacks and cookies were a win with the kids .

You can snap some really cool gram worthy pics from the boat.

Really an amazing experience. My 10 year old daughter said it was the coolest day ever!! Very smooth ride that day, no waves. You can book your tickets online in advance, get there early if you want to ride up top but you can wander around the ship as you please. They have snacks and drinks on the first deck and lots of seating with a few tables. The gentleman with the microphone was super informative, great with the guests and made sure everyone was having a good time and asked if anyone had any questions. Would 100% make this an annual thing!!

We did a sunset dinner cruise. The food was delicious and the staff were great. It was a beautiful cruise and the sights were absolutely dazzling. I definitely would recommend going. Some tables are 2 a table and other tables have 6. It's a great opportunity to meet new people or to bring along some friends and/or other couples.

It was pretty great! The staff was friendly- I loved the tour guide- she had me laughing with her jokes.
I will come back with the kids.
We got the pizza dinner cruise. It is important to note they did not skimp on the pizza. We went back for seconds and there was plenty still left over at the end. GOOD pizza.

The captain even allowed us to check out the big cruise ship passing by - I learned so much about Duluth. We got to them load a tender (small boat) in to the ship. Also he told us to watch the cruise ship go under the lift bridge. Cool!

Thank you vista fleet for the fun time!

We had a great cruise on the last day of the season! The entire crew was very friendly and entertaining! The tour guides gave us a lot of information on the history of Duluth and the industry that was built within the Twin Ports. Bill was AMAZING with any questions or information about the ships that come in and out! I would definitely recommend this to anyone!

Took my whole family on this. And everyone from the 9-year-old to the 80-year-old had a blast! If you are new to the area or are just visiting Duluth. You should totally take this trip

We thoroughly enjoyed the Grand Sightseeing Tour! Well worth the cost! We were fortunate to go on Lake Superior, in calm weather on a late September day. In the 7-9 days prior, the weather wasn't conducive. The shore views were nice. Within the harbor, it's amazing to see the huge tankers, to learn what materials are loaded and to see the various means for loading. Going under the Lift Bridge was awesome! Cover your ears coming back in from the lake! We parked right next to the tour shop corner.

Had an awesome on the Vista Fleet today. Our tour guide, Bill, was amazing. Enjoyed the jokes and enjoyed going under the lift bridge!

The Grand Sightseeing Tour on Lake Superior by Vista Fleet is a must-do when visiting Duluth. To fully appreciate the beauty of the city, I feel it’s important to take and learn from this tour. We took the last tour of the season which had the leaves at prime fall colors. Sam was our tour guide and he was cracking dad jokes the whole time. You can park by the Convention Center for $10. Please take this lake cruise!

Fun activity on Lake Superior. Great way to get out on the water and learn a bit about the harbor, shops, and the lake. Our tour guide did a nice job of explaining things along our path. Couple of tips: top deck has the best view but show up 20 -30 minutes before boarding to claim a spot. First level has open windows and a bar for drinks and snacks. 2nd level does not allow open windows and can be stuffy this time of year. Update: took an evening dinner cruise in late September. Beautiful night and great way to see the sights as the sun goes down.