I recently watched a Bob Newhart episode (Bum Voyage) in which Bob and Emily leave on a 63 day cruise to Europe. At the end of the show they are on the cruise ship and all of their friends show up to see them off. Then I realized that this ocean cruise was originating in Chicago. Is this even possible? Did ocean going cruise ships leave from Chicago in the 70’s? I know the show was fictional but this just struck me as strange. To me this would be as strange as a cruise ship departing from Kansas City.
Well, maybe Howard got them all K passes on his airline to New York.
It is theoretically possible, but you’d spend more than a week just getting to the Atlantic Ocean. Oceangoing freighters, and the royal yacht Brittania, have been known to sail all the way up the St. Lawrence to Chicago.
Also, it was relatively rare for commuters to disembark from the Evanston L at Isabella and then walk all the way back to an Edgewater highrise. I don’t know why Bob didn’t just catch the 147 bus in front of the Realtors Building.
The whole point of opening the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 was to make Chicago accessible to oceangoing vessels - mostly freighters, of course. My understanding is that the traffic never rose to the hoped-for levels, and most of the oceangoing ships that do arrive here go to Lake Calumet. I don’t ever recall hearing about a cruise ship making the trip. Cecil might want to inquire into this.
Haven’t some US Navy ships found their way to Chicago for either training cruises or recruiting events? I seem to recall some destroyers actually docking at Navy Pier.
Then again, it was years ago, and the drugs have taken their toll. 
Cheers,
bcg
I’m pretty sure the answer to this is “Yes”. I don’t have any pictures, unfortunately.
I don’t know about ocean-going, but I do know I’ve seen some (relatively) big cruise ships at Navy Pier. It might have even been this one: http://www.cruisebruise.com/MS_Columbus_Leaving_Great_Lakes.html .
(Hmm, I can’t edit my post)
Here’s a link to the ship (which is ocean-going, even if the cruises themselve don’t/didn’t start from Europe):
[URL=“Hapag Lloyd Cruises - GREAT LAKES CRUISES”]
See the Gallery section for a photo of the ship at Navy Pier!
Oops, here’s the link:
http://www.great-lakes-cruises.com/redwork/do.php?layoutid=820&language=2
Greetings:
I just wanted to comment - as to the ocean going cruises – on the Great Lakes –
Cecil - why did you omit the fact of the Welland Canal - which connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario?
The Erie Canal is yes, quite shallow and in parts - as mentioned - only 4 feet deep.
The Welland Canal is fully functional for much larger ships.
Did you omit this important canal because it was on the Canadian side of the lakes?
Wanted to keep the collumn ‘Amero-fixated’?
LOL
Cheers
Steven Roberts
Courtice, ON
Cecil’s column http://chicago.straightdope.com/sdc20090326.php mentions invasive species like zebra mussels invading the lakes via canal, but overlooks one of the most notorious: the sea lamprey. A voracious predator that tolerates fresh water (it spawns and incubates it’s larvae in freshwater streams), it came close to wiping out native Lakes species until aggressive measures to control it were instituted, and it’s still a problem.
The Welland Canal is mentioned in the fifth paragraph of the answer.
LOL LOL Bob Newhart show. It sure does seem strange but an interesting question. Bob did like to travel and travel with his friend Don Rickles
Love that Billy Goat Tavern:)
Do someone know if it’s possible to sail by a sailing boat from Chicago to Atlantic Ocean in these days?