Port Milwaukee has closed a record-breaking 2026 cruise season on Saturday, October 31, welcoming nearly 20,000 passengers throughout the season.
The port said that the arrival of the Viking Polaris kicked off the season in Milwaukee on April 23. The American Patriot marked the season’s conclusion on October 31.
“Milwaukee’s 2026 cruise season was another exciting opportunity to showcase our city to visitors from around the world,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. “I am grateful for the Port Milwaukee team and our cruise industry partners that make this possible. I look forward to building on this momentum in the 2027 season.”
“The 2026 season truly showed Port Milwaukee’s growing presence in the Great Lakes cruise industry,” Port Milwaukee Director Benji Timm said.
“We are grateful to our cruise line partners, local tourism organizations, and community stakeholders who helped make this season a success,” added Timm.
Throughout the season, Port Milwaukee recorded 62 cruise ship calls from eight ships. In 2025, Milwaukee welcomed approximately 11,000 cruise passengers across 22 ship calls.
Cruise lines welcomed to Port Milwaukee in 2026 include:
- American Cruise Lines
- Pearl Seas
- Ponant
- Hapag-Lloyd
- Victory, and
- Viking.
The 2026 season also marked an exciting milestone with the arrival of American Cruise Lines, which launched its Great Lakes itineraries through Port Milwaukee this year.
This season included nine occasions with two simultaneous cruise visits, as well as three dates when three cruise ships were in the city concurrently.
In a press release, the port said that on May 17, the Viking Octantis and Polaris docked at the City Heavy Lift Dock. This was the first time these sister vessels have shared a dock in Milwaukee.
The port added that the construction of the new South Shore Cruise Dock remains on track and on budget for completion by the end of this year.
The new dock is designed to accommodate the largest cruise ships operating on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System.
The port stated that the 2027 cruise season will officially kick off on May 8, 2027, with the arrival of the Viking Octantis at Port Milwaukee’s new South Shore Cruise Dock.
