The Great Lakes offer opportunities to cruise through new cities without flying to a big port of call like Miami or New York City. At the same time, these massive bodies of water come near some incredible cities.

Just like booking a traditional ocean cruise, booking one on the Great Lakes comes with a number of considerations — the biggest one: deciding which cities you want to hit. Chicago, Milwaukee, Toronto, Montreal, Niagara Falls and many more are excellent options.

Once you have your destination in mind, check out the cruise lines available.

Great Lakes Cruise Company, operating since the late 1990s, boasts four vessels offering small-ship cruising. A perfect example is Pearl Mist, with 100 oversized staterooms in six categories for every type of traveler.

Unsurprisingly, Great Lakes Cruise Company makes the inland seas its No. 1 priority. A few itineraries include New England portions of the Atlantic Ocean, but its bread and butter lies in the massive freshwater deposits.

Victory Cruise Lines offers Great Lake itineraries, usually connecting two key cities or landmarks. The line offers Montreal, Buffalo, Boston, Portland and more cities. Pearl Seas Cruises also offers a Great Lake itinerary, which hits many of the big-name destinations, including Milwaukee and Toronto.

Depending on who you ask, one of the biggest benefits to river and fresh water cruises is the size of the ship. Specialty lines also offer small-vessel ocean sailings, but in a river or lake, even ones as large as the Great Lakes, smaller ships become a necessity.