The Great Lakes form the largest freshwater ecosystem on earth, containing 21% of the world's surface fresh water by volume. Shared by two nations, eight states and one province, the region has a rich cultural history of First Nation peoples and European settlers. Later the Great Lakes provided a route for commerce and made possible the immigration that led to the growth of the major industrial and population centers of middle North America. On small ships people are rediscovering what past travelers enjoyed on the steamboats of the 1899s. Today, in safety and luxury you can enjoy this world wonder which, for many people, is right in their own backyard and accessible without long international flights through foreign airports. Richard Detrich has lived along the shores of Lake Michigan and provides you with what you need to know to get the most out of your cruise, as well as providing you with the information you will want to remember long after you return home. Hooked on travel since wandering around Europe as a student, living on $4 a day, Detrich is a popular destination consultant on luxury cruise lines and has lectured on 294 ports around the world, including on two world cruises. He has written about the Panama Canal and Cuba, and when not at sea, lives in the Chiriqui Mountains of Panama on a coffee farm with his wife and dogs.