Ironically, I was originally booked on the Viking Octantis, but switched to AQVs Ocean Voyager because 1) I prefer a cruise over an expedition (including on-board entertainment); and 2) the Viking expedition was too scientific-oriented for me. But ironically, AQV’s 14 night Great Lakes cruise turned out to be even more expensive than the Viking Octantis expedition, although on the other hand it was twice the length.
That all being said, the 10-night Ponant expedition (Thunder Bay to Milwaukee or the reverse) looks nice and will consider it for the future. The itinerary is exactly what I want, focusing primarily on Lake Superior; I did the other Great Lakes last summer on the Pearl Mist (Pearl Seas Cruises) as a 70th birthday present to myself.