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A Free Sociology Lesson On Sheplers Ferry

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Sheplers Children Ride Free Labour Day Weekend is a nightmare. Kids love Sheplers (and wear the stickers like Purple Hearts) without riding for free but this weekend it was even worse. Not only were the kids kicking back rent free pondering all the shit they are going to beg and cry for in the coming hours, the parents were unusually happy because they didn’t have to pay. Lovers kissed, wives who forgot which husband they brought were blowing kisses to every second male, mistresses were admiring the boats, boyfriends were posing for selfies with their girlfriend. What this means for me – travelling solo back and forth 6 times in 3 days – is that I’m unusually educated about things I normally don’t care for. I am not sure if what I learnt from the advice-wheeling grandfathers was true and I question how grandfathers know something about everything but now I have a PhD in quantum physics and bridge architecture for the price of a Sheplers return.

Sitting on the top deck of Sheplers approaching the bridge you can see on every male face the same look and you can tell they are thinking 1 of 2 things – If I built that, I would have done this and this, trimmed that, spun that around, shortened that.

 No you wouldn’t have, sit back and relax.

The other guy is just thinking nice job. And while the Frank Llyod Wright wanna be wants to impart his knowledge on everyone around him, his wife (unfortunately) tuned him out years ago and the kids he is with just want the fudge he is saving for the ride home. The second guy is sitting there hoping for some peace and then his kids sense it, and start asking a tonne of questions– which is when I sit back and watch the show.

 Kid: Dad, why is the bridge so long?

Dad: Because that’s how long they wanted it son

Kid: But it looks kinda bent. It’s not straight. Why is the freaking bridge not straight?

Dad: It’s straight. (Faces wife) Honey, we need to get Jack’s eyes tested

Sheplers Captain on speaker: …the bridge bends naturally and was designed this way…

Dad: (Embarrassed and pretends not to hear)

Kid: See, my eyes are fine, the driver just said it’s bent. Maybe we need to check your hearing

Dad: Did the Sheplers Captain build the bridge? He is like 25, how does he know it bends?

Kid: History books

Dad: Here, have some fudge

Wife: (Peers over her iPhone without making eye contact) We were saving that

Dad: (Leans over and whispers) Honey, shut the hell up. We will talk about this when we get home

Kid: If we make it home, maybe the roads are bent out here too

Dad: (Rolls eyes) They aren’t

Kid: How do you know, you thought the bridge was straight. I’m asking the Captain

Dad: (Pissed off) So every question you have in life you’re going to call a Sheplers Captain?

Kid: Maybe, you don’t seem to know the answers

I was afraid at this point some domestic violence was going to take place. That, I didn’t pay for. As I got off the ferry on the Island side, there are three types of people. The ones who work here and want everyone to part like the Red Sea out of their way, the people asking everyone else how they get to the Grand who themselves are looking at maps, and then those who walk out and say, “Holy shit, this place stinks.” As I walk across the road, I can smell it, I can see it, I can hear people complaining about it and then a little potty mouth runs after me…”Ma’am, watch out for the shit. It’s everywhere!” If only he knew.

Did you ride Sheplers this Labor Day Weekend? What did you overhear?

How to Save Money on Mackinac Island Part 2: 2012 Edition

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Voluntary and unnecessary cranial exams without anaesthesia will probably become legal before Mackinac Island is a budget destination. Nevertheless, here are a few cheaper ways to visit the island without having to sell a vital organ to fund it.

THE FERRIES.

It’s nearly always cheaper to buy your tickets online. All prices below are online prices only unless stated otherwise. They will increase if purchased on the dock.

Discounts and Coupons.

Arnolds has a $21 adult round trip online special. Sheplers and Star Line are $22.

Shepler’s Facebook and Twitter pages run Fan Friday and other contests to win free tickets and promotions.

Shepler’s and Arnold’s offer AAA and Military discounts at the dock with a card present. (I believe $19 instead of $24)

If staying in Mackinaw City, view the Mackinaw City Chamber of Tourism site, with accommodation you can pre book Shepler’s tickets for $20.45 or Star Line and Arnold for $21.45 per adult round trip at the time of reservation.

You can text ‘sheplers’ to 33938 for specials.

Star Line has $15 round trips if purchased here, they are sold out this season but they are available usually in May and sell out quickly for the two available – Shepler’s and Star Line.

Your hotel can offer discounts. Inn on Mackinac and Murray Hotel patrons discounts are here for example.

Cheapest Ferry for Children: All of them. Children are $11 at all 3 ferries if purchased online. ($12 at dock) All 3 have a ‘child travels free deal’ with 2 full adult fares. Online purchases only. Star Line also offers 2 adults/2 children for $59 saving $11. (At the dock it will be $72) On all ferries – 4 and under travel free and a child is  5-12 years.

Cheapest Round Trip:  Use any of the above coupons for a $21 round trip at the dock. Arnold has a $21 round trip online only. Star Line and Shepler’s offer round trips for $22 online. At the Dock, the price will increase to $24 unless you bring your AAA and military card.

Cheapest Parking: Star Line offers free secured parking for up to 5 nights. Shepler’s and Arnold’s offer free parking in an unfenced open lot. (Fenced is $5 night)

Cheapest for Bikes: All ferries offer bikes and cart transportation for $8.

Best Ferry Package - The best saving packages from the ferries.

Shepler’s Mack 2 Day Tickets. You’ll get 2 round trips within 4 days. An adult will cost $36.50 saving you $7.50 per adult. A child is $19.00 saving $2 (Brought from dock)

Star Line: (Adult Mackinac Island Package Regular) The package will get you a round trip ferry ride, 1.5 hour narrated carriage ride, and entrance to Fort Mackinac. It costs $52.00, saving you $7.50 per adult.

CARRIAGE TOURS Your AAA and military card will get you $2 off the ticket price. (22.50) This coupon will save you $2 off the Carriage Tour with Butterfly House entry. Note: they will not combine discounts.

BIKE RENTALS  You don’t need a mountain bike if you just want to ride around the waterfront of the Island. You will need one however, if you want to explore inland – there’s a hill in the middle of the island, from Market Street past the Grand Hotel and here are hills from downtown to the Cemetery, Governors House and Fort Mackinac and the East Bluff.  Based on a Mountain Bike rental, here are the best bike rentals for your buck.

Mackinac Island Bike Shop. This shop offers some of the best deals – no deposit, free water, basket and bike lock. They also offer $1 off the first hour rental. A Comfort/Mountain (7-21 Speed) is $8 p/h, $28 h/d, $44 f/d.

If you are looking for full day hire try Ryba’s Bike Shop. Click here for $1 off coupon (2nd hour) A full day is $45 with a $50 deposit. The Island House Bike Shop offers this coupon, which will get you $5 off each $8 hour rental.

Orr Kids offer a free helmet, basket and trail map. The manager here is nice, he fixed my bike for free! A mountain bikes will set you back $8 hour or $48.00 daily.

Mackinac Wheels offer free helmet use. A Mountain bike is $8 p/h, 30 h/d, 48 f/d

ACCOMMODATION

Basics: The cheapest rates for accommodation are Monday – Thursday. Avoid weekends. During festivals and public holidays, hotels are the most expensive, sell out quickly, are over crowded and require minimum stays. Try avoiding the below dates and consider the post season in October. The crowds have gone, the sales are on and accommodation can be half price. The main three are:

Lilac Festival: June 8-17, 2012

Bell’s Beer Bay-view to Mackinac: July 14-17

Yacht Races: July 21-24

Bring your AAA, Student and Military cards. Front desk staff are sometimes instructed not to bring them up at all until you mention it. You need to ASK to receive. Advertised hotels accepting AAA are the Grand Hotel, Harbour View Inn, Hotel Iroquois, Island House, Lake-view Hotel, Mission Point Resort and The Inn at Stonecliffe.

Sign up on the hotels webpage for email offers and promotions. I signed up for The Island House and was recently sent 30% of rooms for 2 nights stays on July 11, 12th, 14th and 15th.

Places other than the major hotels/resorts 

Bogan Lane Inn -  $85-125. One of the best value places on the island to Continental breakfast included.

Harbour View Inn -  If you book online you’ll save 10% and access rooms for as little as $99 a night.

Harbour View Bed & Breakfast - Rates: $89-299.

Inn on Mackinac - Rates: $84-359

Main Street Inn & Suites  – The Main Street Inn in low season will cost you about $110

Bay View At Mackinac  - Rates: $95-395

Cottage Inn of Mackinac -  Rates: $95-250

Lilac House -  Rates: $95-125

Cloghaun -  Rates: $100-175. A room can run for $125 and includes breakfast.

Windermere Hotel -  Rates: $100-250

For those wanting a larger hotel try;

The Inn at Stonecliffe –  Rates: $139-504. Has pre and post season rooms for $99. This is a favourite wedding location. They have some enchanted little gardens, a bluff that overlooks Lake Huron and located next to the Woods restaurant.

Lilac Tree Suites & Spa - Rates: $130-360. Lilac Tree is opposite a few of the bike rental places towards Shepler’s.

Mission Point Resort - Rates: $129-1000 Pet-friendly. Mission is about a 5-10 minute bike ride from the centre of Main Street heading towards Arch Rock. It’s a big resort and is away from the bustle of downtown.

Click here for a complete accommodation phone numbers and webpages.

Have you been to Mackinac Island this year? Did you find any good deals?

The Monopolisation of Mackinac Island. Part II

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Sheplers: Mackinaw City, MI

After the last year or so of litigation over the merger of Star Line and Arnold Ferry and the supposed attempt to monopolise Mackinac Island, it seems the Council has pushed Sheplers into full gear; if you have seen their boats in the last few weeks (or spoke to any of their staff) Sheplers has been riding capacity shipments of people to the island daily.

It wasn’t too long ago that Arnold Ferry Line had more specials and packages online than Sheplers but now it’s the latter who holds the most variety and social interaction and ticket “add-ons”. Sheplers have increased their online presence through their updated and interactive website, a Twitter account as well as a Facebook page which is updated daily with photos, competitions and videos and a recently added ‘Buy Your Ticket’ button. To show Sheplers increased marketing campaign online and their current success in acquiring and interacting with potential and existing consumers compared to Arnold’s; 877 people ‘like’ Arnolds Facebook page and 4172 people ‘like’ Sheplers. (Many of whom are a veritable cheer squad for the ferry line, minus the napkin sized skirts and defensive tackler fantasy, often declaring Sheplers as the only and best ferry line to get to the island).

Sheplers in the Media. (Source: Sheplersferry)

 Sheplers presence on TV has increased with at least two news appearances on morning TV in Michigan. One featured on Memorial Day on Fox 17 in Grand Rapids featuring Chris Shepler (who I am impartial to since he has spent time in Australia and liked it). Sheplers was more recently featured on Michigan This Morning (9&10 News and Fox 32).

Sheplers is also the most family orientated and commercially branded of the Island’s ferry companies and it’s this  ’branding’ of Sheplers which is the most effective part of the company.  From the instantly recognisable logo, their ‘branded dock’ with blue and white awnings that extend into the crew member uniforms. Sheplers then tops it off with a catering to everyone technique, with military, AAA discounts, disabled access, allowing baby strollers, bike holders, overnight parking, allowing leashed dogs on their boats, a café on their dock, an out in the community campaign for trash clean ups and charity work, family atmosphere stemming from the 65-year-old family company, Captain for a day programmes, group discounts, lighthouse tours, contributing profits to the lighthouse conservation, ticket give aways online and a commitment to hiring within Michigan colleges for its staff members.

One has to ask whether this commercial push is in line with the renewed enthusiasm for the company after the Arnold/Star Line merger  to secure consumer loyalty or if it’s a smart business manoeuvre commercially positioning yourself above the competition so you are, in effect, unable to be “pushed out” of the market because you have effectively become the market. It seems since the incident happened Sheplers has taken steroids and has upped the ante and is emerging not only as the most commercial force on the ferry companies (granted most of its contributions other than a dominant online presence has been in development for years) but one that is the most aggressive in attaining loyalty through interaction and branding. I mentioned this to a resident recently who then asked me, “So, you think Sheplers is now doing to Arnolds what they did to them through smart business and marketing – just without the Mayors help?”

 What I think really doesn’t matter but my answer was, “I think their strategy is to increase their visibility and commercialism, capitalise on the merger situation and the general unease felt by the people opposing it and sympathising with Sheplers. They are re-establishing themselves with these guests, and have effectively increased their interaction online this year, (gaining 4172 fans who are now, I suspect loyal customers since 4000 of them have posted personal photos of them on Sheplers) they have introduced an array of packages and add ons for the island re enforcing their relationship with many of the island hotels and businesses and are using this to not only increase business overall, but to cement their place on the island – attracting not only families and groups but a younger crowd including young parents with a child or those families taking their dogs and own bikes. If you look at Sheplers operations it literally has its finger on every segment of the market. Sheplers recent success and seamless branding has been a proverbial giant middle finger – and it was the most effective way to do it.” Here is a video of Chris Shepler’s thank you video on YouTube.

So here are some of Sheplers packages and I answer the question I get asked a lot, “Does it actually save you money or should I purchase the tickets when I get there?”

Here are the biggest savings on Sheplers website.

Mackinac Island Carriage Tour Deal

$41 gets you return trip plus a carriage tour with Sheplers

$42.50 if you bought a discounted return trip and the carriage tour yourself

Sheplers saves you $1.50 per person (even after comparing it to a discounted $19 per person ticket, so really it can save you $4.50)

 Sheplers 2 Day Ferry pack

If you are travelling to the island for 2 days, don’t buy two lots of return tickets, buy this pack. It will save you $7.60 per person. ($36.50 instead of $44)


Arnolds

Arnolds has used the merger with Star Line to offer a“One Ticket, Two Choices” marketing strategy. While it looks convenient on paper to have a choice of two ferries for your ticket, it’s really no different to how it was before except you can choose to go to Arnold or Star line with the same ticket. (I for one don’t even know what Catamaran means, I had to google it) All that matters to me is if I want to go home at 3 there better be a ferry waiting, catamaran or not.

What surprised me the most was Arnold’s package savings. They only have 2 packages but they are able to save you the most money per person in comparison to Sheplers.

Package One on the Arnold site gets you a 1 adult round trip to Mackinac Island, a carriage tour, entry to Wings of Mackinac and Entry to Fort Mackinac for $44. If you brought each thing individually yourself it would be over $60. Arnold’s is saving you $16.50 with this package.

 The second package entitles you to an adult round trip to the island, Fort Mackinac entry and a carriage toour for $49. If you brought all of this individually it would cost you $55. It is a saving of $6.50 by doing package two.

Conclusion

So while I do write about Sheplers and the monopolization of the ferry services on the island, don’t forget this is the reason we were all against it – the right to choose and to keep up competition and price competitiveness. If you need package savings, go to Arnolds. If you need overall helpful service and family orientated business go to Sheplers but be thankful no matter which company you choose, that you still have the choice.

Do you travel to the island exclusively with one ferry company or do you go with whoever has the lowest price?

How To Save Money On Mackinac Island: Travel Tips for the Budget Conscious.

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I have updated this blog for the 2012 season. Click here.

Mackinac Island isn’t cheap – ask any parent with children travelling there in July. After working on the island for over a year and having travelled the world on a (very tight!) budget at times, I will dispense some advice for the money conscious and ways to save on the tourist attraction that is Mackinac Island.

Main Street, Mackinac Island

Ferries and Tours

The first step to saving money on anything is to google coupons. I always end up at this site, where I found a current coupon, “facebook” for Sheplers that will get you a round trip for $16 instead of $19. (I tried a “mock” version to see if the coupon worked -it did happily!) Sheplers also has give away competitions for tickets on their facebook page as well as a ‘Fan Friday’ competition that will give away tickets to the fan of the week on the same site. Another way to get discount tickets through Sheplers is to use your AAA card which entitles you to a saving of $3. ($19 instead of $22)

If you know you will travel to the island for 2 days, instead of buying 2x return tickets, buy the Sheplers 2 Day Ferry pack. You will save $7.60 per person. ($36.50 instead of $44). A final way to get discounted tickets? The front desk of the hotel you stay at will probably has some form of association with the company and offer a promotion. Make sure to ask when you check in or make a booking if they do discounts. (I know a few Main Street hotels do discounts for Sheplers so I suggest you ask)

You can buy a return trip on Star Line for $13 with this coupon.

If you would like to go on the Carriage Tour of the Island, they accept AAA and military discounts which will entitle you to $1 off your ticket price. They also have this coupon which saves you $2 off the joint Butterfly/Carriage Tour. Note: they will not combine discounts. But $1 is better than nothing, for a family of 4 that’s $4 off your total! You can also try here, as occasionally they have carriage Tours for $19.

Surprise! Dont stay on the Island.

The Colonial Inn at St Ignace

 A secret I use: stay at the Colonial Inn at St Ignace instead of the Island. While every other hotel in Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island almost triple their prices in peak season, Colonial stays roughly the same. (Depending on your room) One thing to bear in mind when travelling to Mackinac Island is the season is an incredibly short one. I have worked on the Island and most people view the season as June-August as being “peak” and the rest is quite slow in comparison. Having said that, you can now see why business almost triple their costs during peak times – to cover their expenses and make enough profit in those 3 months to make up for the rest of the unpredictable season and winter closure. Three months out of every year to make money isn’t much, but believe me, they do make up for it. I know a bellman from one hotel on Main Street who brags he earns $40,000 in 4 months every year.

A night in peak season at The Grand will run close to $300-400 and the once $45 a night Mackinaw City motels/hotels (which many are in dire need of an upgrade) are now pushing $129-$350. I would suggest you skip them and head to the Colonial Inn. Not only will you save big on accommodation costs, it’s directly across from the Arnold Ferry Line and minutes from Sheplers. If you stay at the Colonial Inn in a Queen room for $69 for 3 nights and booked return tickets to the island for all 3 days for 2 adults it would be $264 which is $486 cheaper than staying on the island for $250 a night. With discounted Sheplers ticket, you could take an extra $15 off that.

The hotel is Victorian style, with its mid 1800′s architecture and furnishings but it’s charming and clean. You can book online at http://www.colonial-house-inn.com . It is also located next to a fairly cheap and decent Diner. And surprise! I have actually stayed there!

You want to stay on the Island?

I would suggest, if you don’t have to, don’t visit during June/July or August. You will be overpaying for the same room someone was in for about 1/3 of what you’re paying only a month earlier. Here is a secret I learnt while at the Grand. The best time to visit the Island is in October. Sure, there are no festivals going on but the tourists have gone for the most part and rooms can be almost 75% off peak season rates. An added bonus? October is when the island starts to commercially shut down for the winter, so all merchandise is also on clearance. Last year I found a $160 North Face Ski jacket for $55. And you can still use your AAA cards for further discounts. The downside is it is starting to get cold here around then. (But the jackets will be 75% off!)

If you were to book online, the hotels that accept AAA on the island are The Grand Hotel, Harbor View Inn, Hotel Iroquois, Island House, Lakeview Hotel, Mission Point Resort and The Inn at Stonecliffe. Always ask about military discounts, most places have them but don’t advertise them. (At one front desk I worked at it was almost 40% off!) Also ask in advance for AARP discounts. The bottom line is discounts mean less money in their pockets so most places will not advertise it.

 The Inn’s on the Island are slightly cheaper than the hotels (though not by a lot) The best tips are to book directly from the hotels websites and stop using the third-party sites, you are paying sometimes triple what the room is worth. My tips:

1. Go directly to the website of the company you want to stay at for discounts and packages 2. Search Google for coupons and discounts 3. Compare your top 3 choices for price, coupons and AAA discounts. One will always end up being a surprise catch. 4. Sign up for the hotels newsletters for promotions if you are booking well in advance

If you know someone who works at a hotel and are a legitimate friend of theirs they often have employee rates. For The Grand it was $100 for a standard room (plus taxes and baggage fees etc at restricted times) The employees can book this special on behalf of their family and close friends. Most employees work at the hotel up to 14 hours a day so I have rarely heard of someone using the deal for themselves.

Bike racks at Stonecliffe.

 Most direct websites have promotions on them under “specials” or it could even be on their homepage. Be smart and if you want to travel here, know what dates will be peak periods (which means the rooms will be the most expensive and some even need a minimum stay during those periods such as The Pink Pony)

If you still want to visit during the heavy times book as early as you can in advance and use your discounts and look for specials. Also bear in mind the island connections – the Lilac Festival will mean pricey rooms, but there is a Lilac Parade which means The Lilac Hotel and Suites will fill up the fastest as they have the best direct views. The yacht races are all about the The Pink Pony. It’s the “it” place during the race which means of course, The Chippewa Hotel will sell out, their rooms will be twice as expensive and they also start minimum stays during peak weekends. The Pink Pony will be full every night of drinkers, yachtsmen and those girls looking for a honey with a yacht.

For hotels, I do recommend going to the hotel website directly but you can also try this reliable site.

Another tip? At the Grand Hotel (daytime only) there is a $10 entrance fee if you are not a staying guest. There are two ways to get around this. The first is go there after 6pm. There is no entrance fee but formal attire is required (or the bars will not serve you) you can walk around freely. Once in, look around and head to The Cupola Bar for a great view and free piano player after 8pm. The second is High Tea if that’s your thing. It is more expensive at $25 but you get tea and finger food and entrance to the hotel all in one. It starts in peak periods at 3pm. You do not need to be in formal attire. Also, one last note on The Grand, if you do stay in October when the rooms are cheaper, the merchandise found in the stores downstairs is also on sale. Glasses that were $25 are now $10 or $15.

Waiting for the fireworks on the 4th of July

 Do the free things, sometimes they are better than those you pay for

The archaeological sites, Arch rock, Skulls Cave and Devils Kitchen are all free and within walking distance from downtown. You can also walk around the island instead of hiring a bike. It takes about 40 minutes to bike so assume around 1.5 hours for walking. The bonus is you’ll burn more calories, you’ll take in more scenery and can easily stop for pictures or experience the beaches. Even pack your own picnic and bring it with you and then sun-bake on the beach. Another idea is to spend an afternoon lazing around at Marquette Park, walking around the docked yachts, or visiting the Island’s Museum (a resident is curator and has an interesting Titanic/Island reference.) The back of the library has a great view, to sit and watch the ferries go by and sometimes….just sometimes you can pick up a decent wi-fi signal there too.

Thirst and Hunger:

While the Grand Hotel itself is no tipping, their outlets stores are tipping places. The Gatehouse, The Jockey Club and The Woods. If you want to experience the Grand and not eat the 5 course $75 dinner, go to the island resident favourite The Woods out by Stonceliffe. Bavarian style menu, one of the oldest wood bowling alleys in the US, a popcorn machine and an elegant out-of-the-way atmosphere.

You  can save 10% on Joanns fudge by heading into Mighty Macs burger place (next to Joanns) for a discount card and for the month of July pick up free Joann fudge for riding with Sheplers. If you purchase your ticket online during July, Sheplers will give you a voucher for free fudge. Most fudge shops have the buy 2 pounds get one free. It works out $7 cheaper than buying 2. Around Lilac festival and the 4th July, they offer other discounts.

Millies on Main, another local favourite has $3 domestic beers during their happy hour and it is a quieter alternative at night than their neighbour – Horns. The food is mostly made from scratch.

If you are bringing your own car, stop at Walmart and bring some food with you. Food on the island is expensive (and gets hard to buy fresh food, and Douds is aways busy) bring some fresh food to put in the fridge, and most of all, if bringing kids buy some sweets or snacks. Otherwise once you hit the island they will want fudge from every fudge shop and to go to Douds every four minutes where you will buy the same thing for twice the price from Walmart.

If you need to buy bottled water on the Island go to Douds instead of stopping in at a restaurant. Most sell a small 300ml bottle of water for $2; at Douds a Smart Water litre bottle will be $1.89. You can buy 1 gallon water bottles for $1.69 at Douds also. Before getting on a tour or biking the island, stop in and buy your stuff from Douds. It’ll end up cheaper.

 The Winners!*

All prices were correct for Saturday, July 8th booked 1 week in advance without any discounts, room type varies

The cheapest hotel on the Island during peak times is; The Murray on Main Street ($149*)

The most expensive hotel on the island during peak times;  The Grand and/or The Iroquois (followed closely by The Lakeview)

Cheapest Inn/B&B on the Island during peak times is: The Harbor View Inn ($160) and The Inn at Mackinac ($160) (I have since been informed thats it’s actually the Bogan Lane Inn, I had never heard of it and it didn’t come up in my Google searches. Find it by googling their name directly. $85-$125)

Cheapest Bike Rentals on the Island: Orr Kids (Near Sheplers, based on hourly adult and day rental one adult) $5 an hour or $30 day with NO deposit. If putting a $30 deposit down doesn’t bother you then try Lakeside Bikes $5 hour and $25 day.

Cheapest place to have lunch on the island: Mustang closely followed by Horns and Millies on Main.(A bit more expensive -the Wings at Goodfellows and the patio seating at The Pink Pony are local favourites. I like the Mussels at Seabiscuit.

Cheapest/best all round ferry service: Sheplers.

If I was to book one of these rooms with discounts and made an effort to look for specials I could have gotten the Harbor View Inn for two nights for $240. Still cheaper than a night at The Grand. Look for Discounts it can save you hundreds – literally.

Is there anything in particular you want to know about Mackinac Island?