As if champagne, a prime rib dinner, and Central New York’s majestic waterways weren’t reason enough to take a Mid-Lakes Navigation cruise, now there are a few more.

Throughout the summer, Mid-Lakes Navigation will offer a variety of special events and theme cruises.

“We’ve been in business many years, and we know that people are looking for different kinds of experiences,” says Sarah Wiles, a co-owner of Mid-Lakes Navigation. “So, to keep things fresh, we’ve added new sightseeing and dinner options.”

Included among them:

DJ Dinosaur Dinner, July 23 and Aug. 6

This three-hour dinner cruise along the Erie Canal, departing at 6 p.m., features entertainment by the Great Music Company and catering by Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Tickets are $53 adults, $38 children.

Full Moon Cruise, July 25, Aug. 24 and Sept. 23

This one-hour sightseeing cruise on Skaneateles Lake, departing at 9:30 p.m. in July and August and 8:30 p.m. in September, offers a romantic nightcap aboard the Judge Ben Wiles, with “moon music” in the background. Tickets are $12.

Glen Haven Excursion, Aug. 1 and Sept. 5

This four-hour cruise, departing at 10 a.m. aboard the Judge Ben Wiles, visits the south end of Skaneateles Lake, recounting the Glen Haven Water Cure and other historical attractions. Tickets are $50 adults, $38 children, and include a continental breakfast and buffet lunch.

Donna Colton Live, Aug. 2

This two-hour cruise on Skaneateles Lake, departing at 7 p.m., features musical entertainment by Donna Colton and Sam Patterelli. Tickets are $30 per person and include one cocktail.

Dixieland Dinner Cruise, Aug. 4

This three-hour dinner cruise, departing at 6 p.m., travels the Erie Canal and features entertainment by Dick Sheridan’s Soda Ash Trio. Tickets are $50 adults, $41 children.

Pirate Day, Aug. 11

All cruises throughout the day, on both Skaneateles Lake and the Erie Canal, will have a pirate theme. Prizes will be awarded for best costumes, and drink specials and pirate loot will be offered, along with lots of other surprises.

Reservations are required for most theme cruises, and may be made by calling 315-685-8500.

For more information on Mid-Lakes Navigation cruises—and coupons—go to http://www.midlakesnav.com or become a fan on Facebook.

Summertime, and the living is easy.

That’s particularly true if you’re cruising the New York State Canal System at about 7 mph on the Emita II.

Mid-Lakes Navigation offers all-day, two- and three-day cruises aboard the Emita II, a double-decked tour boat that accommodates up to 42 passengers. Tours depart from Syracuse, Oswego, Amsterdam, Buffalo and Macedon.

Doug Wilson, of Macedon, recently took the daylong cruise from Syracuse to Oswego along the Oswego Canal, which runs 23.7 miles and connects Oswego to the Erie Canal at Three Rivers, where the Seneca, Oneida and Oswego rivers converge. The cruise passes through seven locks and includes a side trip to the H. Lee White Marine Museum in Oswego.

Wilson started taking Mid-Lakes Navigation canal cruises in 1994, and found them so relaxing that he has taken close to a dozen since. His original goal was to traverse all four canals—the Eastern Erie Canal, the Western Erie Canal, the Oswego Canal and the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. Once he did that, he began to retake the cruises in reverse.

“The different sections of the canal system offer very different experiences,” he says, noting that the eastern section, which runs along the Mohawk River, is his favorite.

“Along the eastern section, the river gets wider the further east you go, so there are massive dam structures at each lock,” he says. “The central section passes through some small towns and undeveloped areas—the edges of the canal there are often irregular. The western section, which is man-made, is uniform in width. It passes through 11 canal towns and has a 60-mile stretch with no locks, but 15 lift bridges that must be raised to allow boats to pass.

“If you haven’t done them all, you haven’t gotten the full experience.”

The Emita’s captain is Dan Wiles, now in his 31st year at the helm. Wiles notes that almost 30 percent of his passengers have sailed previously with Mid-Lakes.

“With the wide-open spaces, the wildlife and the scale of the canal system, these cruises are a lot more picturesque than first-time passengers expect,” he says. “It keeps them coming back for more.

“The biggest charge I get is from hearing passengers say this was the best vacation of their life, and so much more than they expected.”

Mid-Lakes Navigation was founded in 1968 by Dan’s father, Peter Wiles Sr., and remains a family business. In addition to the one- to three-day canal cruises, Mid-Lakes offers self-skippered canalboat charters, and sightseeing, dinner, jazz, brunch and lunch cruises on both the Erie Canal and Skaneateles Lake.

For more information on Mid-Lakes Navigation cruises, which run through early October, go to http://www.midlakesnav.com or call 315-685-8500 or 1-800-545-4318.

Mid-Lakes Navigation Co., Ltd.
11 Jordan St., PO Box 61
Skaneateles, NY  13152

315-685-8500
800-545-4318
315-685-7566  fax
info@midlakesnav.com