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Old 04-27-2009, 05:56 PM   #1
Mauimouse
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Lake Michigan crossing via ferry

Has anyone ever used one of the two ferries going from Michigan over to Wisconsin or visa versa? I'm going over to my brother's the end of July and this would cut off a lot of miles on my vehicle. Right now I'm leaning toward the S.S. Badger out of Ludington.
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Old 04-28-2009, 09:55 AM   #2
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I personally have not, but have heard from 2 others who have gone from Milwaukee to Muskegon round trip. They both happened to travel on days when the water was extremely choppy and said that was a bit scary. In both cases, they said there were multiple people who got sick! Other than that, they both agreed it was much faster than driving (obviously!) and might consider it again. Although, it was pretty expensive. Not sure how much the Manitowoc run is compared to Milwaukee, it may be less $$.
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Old 04-28-2009, 10:50 AM   #3
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My parents have done it. Great way to cut miles off a trip. I hope you try it, it's something we've wanted to do, but haven't had the opportunity yet.
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Old 04-28-2009, 04:32 PM   #4
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I've looked it up because I live in IL and travel to MI a lot. You're better off driving vs. the expense of taking the ferry.
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Old 04-28-2009, 08:06 PM   #5
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We did the Badger from Ludington to Manitowac a couple of years ago. It was pretty spendy as I recall -- we did it mostly because the ferry schedule let us spend another full day with DH's family in MI.
Price wise, the Badger is better than the ferry to Milwaukee (a high speed boat as I recall). But Manitowac is rather out of the way, so unless you're going to Green Bay, it can take a while to get back to the interstate you want.
The beltways around Chicago have improved in the last couple of years so avoiding that route isn't the advantage it used to be. The ferry was a nice change of pace, but I don't know that I'd do it again.
Feel free to PM me if you have specific q's.
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Old 04-29-2009, 09:29 AM   #6
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Ah yes, the infamous Borman expressway through Gary, IN (I-94/I-80) has finally had construction completed and it's almost a pleasant drive. That construction took forever to complete. Here's to hoping there won't be any new construction for the next few years!
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Old 04-29-2009, 09:30 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by Carousel96 View Post
We did the Badger from Ludington to Manitowac a couple of years ago. It was pretty spendy as I recall -- we did it mostly because the ferry schedule let us spend another full day with DH's family in MI.
Price wise, the Badger is better than the ferry to Milwaukee (a high speed boat as I recall). But Manitowac is rather out of the way, so unless you're going to Green Bay, it can take a while to get back to the interstate you want.
The beltways around Chicago have improved in the last couple of years so avoiding that route isn't the advantage it used to be. The ferry was a nice change of pace, but I don't know that I'd do it again.
Feel free to PM me if you have specific q's.
Thanks for the information. My brother's place is west of Green Bay/Appleton so it would be better to take the Badger. What I was thinking is that we might take the boat over and drive back home. It's would actually be 10 hours both way if we take the boat verses driving. I would also go through the UP as we would bypass Chicago (my brother actually lives in NW area of Chicago and I hate driving through Chicago area). We are going to his summer home in WI. The reason too for driving through the UP is it's actually a little less driving too. So we shall see.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I never thought about rough seas, but that can happen. So we shall see.
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Old 04-30-2009, 09:36 PM   #8
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If you're going to Green Bay anyway, then the Badger probably is worth it.
We were coming from Hougton Lake MI -- went over via the UP.
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