The 2023 Great Lakes cruise ship season is poised to be record-breaking.
Officials expect nearly 170,000 passenger visits – an increase of 15% over 2022 – and a total economic impact of $180 million.
The passenger increase will be due in part to more ships traversing the freshwater seas: 11 compared to nine in 2022. The new ships are the Viking Polaris – twin to the huge and luxurious Viking Octantis that debuted in 2022 – and the Hapag-Lloyd Hanseatic Inspiration.
The 11 vessels are operated by eight cruise lines: Pearl Seas Cruises, American Queen Voyages, Viking Cruises, St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, Ponant, Vantage, Hapag-Lloyd and Plantours Cruises.
The season runs from May through October.
For Michigan, Mackinac Island in particular is expected to have a banner year with 92 cruise ship stops scheduled, Tim Hygh, executive director of Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, told WPBN/WGTU.
Detroit also has more than 50 calls on the schedule, according to itineraries listed with Great Lakes Cruises. The third most popular Michigan port of call appears to be Sault Ste. Marie.
Other Michigan ports of call are Alpena, Fayette, Houghton, Marquette and Muskegon.
“The lifestyle that we live in our areas is supported by the tourists,” Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan, told the TV station. “So we need them to come here to make sure to help fund those restaurants and those hotels and those attractions and all the things that we love to see and do ourselves. We need those visitors.”
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