MIDLAND, MI – With the warm winds of spring here and summer approaching, the cruising season is about to get into full gear, and the Great Lakes are expected to see record numbers.
American Patroit will be new to the Great Lakes this summer.
Cruises along the Great Lakes to various cities and ports are projected to have an economic impact that could exceed $300 million this year. That is a 25% increase from 2025, according to Cruise The Great Lakes. The organization also notes a domino effect of benefits for port communities, including “more passengers, more port visits and higher shoreside spending,” among other factors.
“I think one of the reasons Great Lakes cruises are growing is because a lot of cruising folks, people who are passionate about cruising, have done the big cruises, and they’ve done river cruises in Europe, and they are thinking, what’s new and what’s next,” Sally Berry, tourism director of Cruise The Great Lakes, told CBS Detroit. “You know, it’s fascinating to me, the economic impact that these cruise ships have … I think the demand is really just starting. I think we’re going to see cruising in the Great Lakes grow for many years to come.”
According to Viking Cruises, travelers can choose from various Great Lakes itineraries, including routes from Detroit to Toronto with a stop in Cleveland along the way. There are also more open-water itineraries from Duluth, Minnesota, to Michigan’s Mackinac Island. That route takes travelers over the wreck site of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
“As we look to 2026, we’re excited to see continued growth in the Great Lakes cruise sector,” Berry added in a statement. “We forecast this upcoming season to be even stronger than 2025, both in terms of passenger numbers, destinations visited, and economic impact, which underscores the appeal of cruising in the Great Lakes.”
Midland Daily News/CBS Detroit
Visit the Cruise the Great Lakes site here:
