Mid-Lakes Navigation

Did the 3-​hour dinner cruise on Skaneatelas Lake on a beautiful summer evening. What a wonderful way to spend an evening!
Staff are friendly and professional, and the lake is beautiful, with interesting houses to look at, and kids waving from shore all along the lake. The food is pretty good, considering the tiny size of the boat — prime rib or salmon or mushroom ravioli.
The cabin is enclosed enough to be comfortable in all weather, and there are windows that the staff can open when the evening is nice. Only one small step to get into the boat, and then you walk right to your table… It’s very accessible.
Some tips:
— the shoreward side has the most interesting views
— you can hear the captain’s commentary (mostly at the beginning and end of the trip) better from some seats than others
— if you can, go on a Captain Karl night — his commentary is hilarious and good-​natured. If you wander up to the upper deck during the tour, you can ask him questions and get bonus jokes :-)

We sailed on the Erie Canal and Onondaga lake dinner cruise for our anniversary with our family.
The crew and Captain were great. The food and service was top notch. The views were fantastic.
They even arranged for a blue sky and beautiful sunset over Onondaga Lake for us on our anniversary. (Which is almost an impossibility in Syracuse)

The Good — Mid Lakes provides quality cruises on Skaneateles Lake. The scenery coupled with the narratives are very good.
The service was outstanding! The waitstaff are very professional.
The Bad — We paid $ 142 for the meal tax and tip. In my opinion, the $ 42 is for the drinks and tip were reasonable. The other $ 100 is where the problem truly lies…
We paid $ 100 for prime rib and chicken cordon blue dinners. They included 2 small wilted salads and 2 small cups of soup.
The prime rib was tough and dry. The codon blue was cold. Not what we expected. There was no choice in how the rib was cooked. It was well.
Even with the 3 hour cruise (and snack cracked) to me it is over priced.
In conclusion, the overall experience was ok

Very nice, efficient, beautiful, relaxing cruise.
You can pick between a simple cruise that tour the beautiful homes on the lake and take about 1 hr ride, or a longer one and having a nice dinner for a 3 hrs ride at dusk … simply very romantic :)
we took the short one with the kids, but we are planning on having a nice date on the long one cruise :) soon, very soon :)
Wonderful family time :)

This is a review of a charter rather than a an evening or day sail.
My wife and I rented a 34′ Lockmaster canal boat over the Internet for a for a 4-​night Erie Canal charter. Mid-​Lakes’ pre-​rental service was excellent and we received a two-​hour hands-​on training session before taking the boat. Neither of us had any real sailing experience to speak of.
We picked up the boat in Macedon Landing and found it to be clean, well-​equipped (linens, cooking equipment, etc.), and easy to handle on the Canal. Docking and passing through the canal locks were a bit more challenging, but we improved as we received help and advice from other cruisers. The boat came with two bicycles, but we never used them
Our plan was to head east from Macedon Landing, and we went as far as Holley, NY. We docked each night at a town along the Canal and walked to local restaurant. Breakfast and lunch were prepared on the boat. Although it contained a very nice head and shower, we generally attended to those functions at dockside-​facilities provided at little or no cost in the towns we visited. We spent the final night back at Macedon Landing.
All in all, the experience was terrific. The Canal ranges from rural to urban (it passes through Rochester!), and the ambiance is similar to camping in an RV (so I’ve been told, never having done it). The boat moves slowly (about 4 to 6 mph), so you can’t get hurt or go very far, but you see herons, fish, deer, and the occasional wild turkey and eagle. It’s very restful in a «sitting on the beach and zoning out» way.
Mid-​Lakes provided fine service (they found my lost glasses) and we hope to do it again with some friends in a larger boat.

As a wedding gift (thanks Dan and Sherry) we received a gift certificate for a champagne dinner cruise on Skaneateles Lake with Mid-​Lakes Navigation. In celebration of our one year anniversary in June we decided to give it a try.
The business website provided lots of info, and the customer rep was very pleasant and helpful when I called to book our seats.
Skaneateles is a picturesque town with a variety of gift shops, coffee shops, and (key to our hearts) fairly clean and plentiful public restrooms. We recommend arriving early to wander around, then sit by the dock and watch the ducks till boarding time. The dock used by Mid-​Lakes Nav. is in the heart of town and not at all difficult to find.
The cruise itself was relaxing and enjoyable. The wait staff were young, pleasant, and hardworking. We were provided with a substantial multi-​course meal while looking out on handsome homes and lovely scenery. Was the meal superb? Not really, but it was pretty good and the cruise made the whole experience something truly special. We heartily enjoyed ourselves and hope to go again.

I went here for the sightseeing cruise, lasted ~ 1 hour.
Prices: $ 11.00 Adult /​$ 7.00 Child /​$ 35.00 Family
Now you would think that the family deal is a great deal, but it only counts for children under 13!
Other than the hefty price tag, the cruise offered great views and photo ops. The guide (who spoke over the loudspeaker) sounded kind of bored and repeated some information verbatim.