The Viking Polaris docked in Milwaukee on Thursday, marking the first cruise ship to call on the city for what is projected to be a record-breaking 2026 season.
Port Milwaukee is expecting 64 cruise vessel calls this season, with more than 80 itineraries in Milwaukee, between late April and October. This also includes 32 turnaround visits and 11 Milwaukee round-trip itineraries. There will be six cruise companies and eight vessels serving the market.
Port Milwaukee officials are estimating 20,000 global passenger visits this season. Last year, the port hosted 23 cruise ship calls and 11,255 passengers, a significant dip from the 2024 total of 13,568 passengers.
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The 2025 cruise season created $2.5 million in local economic impact, a figure that is expected to exceed $3.5 million this year.
“Every time one of these ships comes into our harbor, it’s not just not just about movement on the water. It’s about real momentum in our city,” Milwaukee Alderwoman and Harbor Commissioner Andrea Pratt said at press conference on Thursday at Harbor View Plaza, the waterfront public park in the Harbor District, with the Viking Polaris docked nearby. “It’s people getting off the ship and heading into our neighborhoods. It’s folks sitting down in our restaurants, shopping in our local stores, walking our streets and getting a feel for who we are.”
For many cruisers, it will be their first visit to Milwaukee, she noted.
“We already know Milwaukee leaves an impression, and that matters, because behind that experience is real economic impact,” Pratt said. “Our small businesses benefit, our hospitality industry grows, and there are real opportunities for people in our community, from service jobs to skilled trades.”
Pratt said “smart investments” have been made at Port Milwaukee to accommodate and attract the cruise industry.
“We’ve built strong partnerships globally, and we’ve been thoughtful about how we position Milwaukee as a place cruise operators and passengers can count on,” she said. “We’ve created an ecosystem where everyone plays a role. Local retailers help restock ships, trade people are ready to maintain and repair vessels, hospitality workers making sure visitors feel welcome the moment they arrive. That’s what makes Milwaukee stand out.”
American Cruise Lines Comes to Milwaukee
Adding to the projected growth this season is the arrival of American Cruise Lines, which will kick off service to the Great Lakes this season, including two new itineraries to Milwaukee operated by the 130-passenger American Patriot. Eight calls, all turnaround visits, have been scheduled to Port Milwaukee for the 2026 season.
This will mark the first time in decades that an American ship will offer domestic cruises in the growing Great Lakes cruise market. Connecticut-based American Cruise Lines is the largest river cruise line in the country, with American-built ships and domestic itineraries.
“This is an American flag vessel and has American Crew, and there’ll be six calls, turnaround visits scheduled throughout the 2026 season,” Port Director Benjamin Timm said.
New South Shore Dock Opening Offers a Better Experience
The city is also poised to open a new cruise dock, a major investment to further position Milwaukee as a premier Great Lakes cruise destination. The South Shore cruise dock, slated to open this cruising season, is designed to accommodate the largest cruise ships operating on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system, a 2,300-mile, bi-national, deep-draft waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Midwest.
The South Shore dock will offer a more welcoming site for arriving cruise passengers and will replace the city heavy lift dock on Jones Island, a gritty industrial location where the Viking Polaris previously docked.
“The new and beautiful South Shore cruise dock is a major investment in Milwaukee’s future and will ensure that we can continue to grow as a premier destination and attract more and more ships,” Visit Milwaukee President and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith said.
With ports along the Great Lakes vying for increased cruise traffic, Milwaukee broke ground in September on the new $17 million deep water dock, located at 2320 S. Lincoln Memorial Dr., just east of the Lake Express high-speed ferry terminal.
The dock, which Timm said is expected to be completed by August, is designed for Seawaymax vessels (or ships of the maximum size that can navigate through the St. Lawrence Seaway canal locks). It will join the dock at Pier Wisconsin/Discovery World in hosting cruise ships.
The public is encouraged to stay up-to-date on cruise ship arrivals and departures throughout the 2026 season by using Port Milwaukee’s virtual vessel tracker. Port Milwaukee will also be sharing upcoming cruise calls for the 2026 season here.
