October 6, 2024 - Windsor, Ontario/Detroit, Michigan - Sunday

October 6, 2024 - Sunday 

Windsor, Ontario – Our berth is across the river from Detroit, MI 

We entered the St Clair River this morning a little after 5:00. Full dark, but we could see lights on the shore, so we knew we were in the River. Sunrise wasn’t until close to 7:30 am, so we sailed quite a way in the dark before we began to see the details of the shore. Wow! Beautiful homes all along the river, most with boat docks/houses. Huge sloping lawns. From our room we are watching the American side of the River.

We aren’t scheduled to dock until around noon in Windsor. It is supposed to be warm today. But early on it is quite cloudy and the wind is really blowing. We docked on time, and we are glad to be at a dock for a change. 

We are scheduled for a tour of the Henry Ford Museum of Innovation. The amount of time for the tour is quite lengthy, but a lot of that time is allotted for the fact we will all need to clear US Customs on our way to the Museum. Then, on our return, we will need to clear Canadian Customs before getting back to the ship. 

Our route to the Museum takes us across the Ambassador Bridge. Ambassador Bridge is one of the busiest crossings along the border of the US and Canada. We got in the bus line along with several others full of Viking passengers. We probably sat for about an hour, before it was our turn. We needed to unload the bus, walk past a CBP officer, then back on the bus. It all went very smoothly and the CBP officers were great. Pleasant, personable and caring. Once in downtown Detroit, we stopped, and a local guide jumped aboard. She talked about Detroit on the ride through Detroit and out to the Museum in Dearborn. Although the commentary was interesting, there wasn’t a lot to see as the freeway we were on was mostly lower than the surrounding land, and the berm on either side hid a great deal. Not a complaint, just the way it is.

From the Ambassador Bridge - Detroit on the left, Windsor on the right.

We got off the bus at the museum, were given a ticket that was then scanned. The first order of business was a comfort stop. Then we accompanied our guide as she showed us many highlights of the museum before turning us loose to wander on our own.

Teddy Rosevelt's Carriage

The Allegheny - One of the largest locomotives every built.

Canadian Pacific Snow Plow

Early Ford racing car. It took 4 people to drive it.

'49 Volkswagen. Volkswagens were the only car to outsell Model Ts.

Where the money came from. Henry Ford's mass production
reduced production time to 90 minutes.

The museum was fascinating and overwhelming. We were touring a huge indoor area divided into themes. There is so much on display, it was next to impossible to get meaningful photos. That’s okay. We have many great memories of what we saw. You could spend weeks inside this area. There are literally thousands of exhibits. And there is more to the complex that we didn’t get to see. WOW! 

Because of the delay in getting into the US, the guides in Detroit figured out a way to get us back to the ship more quickly. There is a tunnel that goes under the Detroit River with customs on both sides. The tunnel opened in 1930 as is one lane of traffic each way. It is less than a mile long and right in the heart of Detroit.  That was way quicker than the Ambassador Bridge. We lined up for Canadian customs and that moved quite quickly. One by one, the busses pulled to the side and two Canadian officers boarded the bus, one started at the back, one at the front, and they scanned everybody’s passport within a few minutes, and we were on our way. 

We became quite concerned when the bus driver took us way past where the ship was, and it seemed like we were headed back to the Ambassador Bridge. Finally, the bus did a U-turn, and we were headed back in the right direction. Was she lost? Or confused? When we got back to the ship, it became apparent that she had been given a heads up and was killing time. There was a Palestinian Protest going on right where our busses had to enter a parking area and only one could get in at a time. 

What we faced as we arrived back at the ship.

Something Viking does on occasion, is to welcome back to the ship the passengers that have been out touring during the day. A lot of staff (from all areas of the ship) will be on the dock, music is playing, staff are singing, dancing, and welcoming you home. Once you clear security to get back on the ship, you are offered a libation of some sort. Viking chose today to give us this special welcome back to the ship.

Detroit as we sailed towards Cleveland