Viking
The Great Lakes region celebrated a record-breaking 2022 cruise ship season. “It was a tremendous year,” says Mark Schrupp, executive director of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority. “There were twice as many dockings than we have had in any previous year. We saw nine different ships and almost 10,000 passengers—this is in Detroit alone.”
Figures released by the port authority and Cruise the Great Lakes indicate that there were nearly 150,000 passenger visits to Great Lakes ports including Sault Ste. Marie, Houghton, Muskegon, Holland, and Mackinac Island in addition to Detroit. That’s an increase of more than 25% from the last cruising season.
Officials predict this year will be even busier in terms of the number of ships and passenger traffic. Nearly 170,000 cruise passenger visits are anticipated, and two new ships are joining the Great Lakes cruise fleet, bringing the total to 11. Cruise lines operating on the Great Lakes in 2023 include Pearl Seas Cruises, American Queen Voy- ages, Viking Cruises, Ponant, Vantage, Hapag-Lloyd, and Plantours Cruises. The vessels will offer luxurious accomodations for guests alongside breath- taking views of the lakes.
“We don’t have all of the bookings in yet, but they are coming in at maybe a 15% to 20% increase,” Schrupp says. “We are expecting another strong year.”
