Port Milwaukee welcomes 1st cruise ship of 2026 season

MILWAUKEE - Port Milwaukee welcomed the Viking Polaris on Thursday, April 23 – the first cruise ship to call on the city for the 2026 season.

1st cruise ship of season

Dig deeper:

From April through October, Port Milwaukee is expecting a record-breaking season, with 64 ship visits and over 80 itineraries.  This also includes 32 turnaround visits and 11 Milwaukee round trip itineraries. 

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Officials estimate that 20,000 global travelers will visit Port Milwaukee over the course of the current season. 

What they're saying:

"What a gorgeous day to celebrate our first ship of the season," said Milwaukee Alderwoman Andrea Pratt. "Because every time one of those ships comes into our harbor, it's not a not just about movement on the water. It's about real momentum in our city. 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, work, walking our streets and getting a feel for who we are."

"This year, with six cruise lines and eight vessels choosing Milwaukee as a stop between now and October. We're especially excited to see more turnaround visits and even more Milwaukee-based itineraries," said VISIT Milwaukee President and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith.

Photo gallery

New cruise ship dock

What's next:

South Shore Cruise Dock-East—Port Milwaukee’s third designated dock—is slated for operations beginning in August. A news release says the facility can host the largest cruise ships currently sailing the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway route. 

"It's going to really enhance our capacity and our opportunities here in the city," said Port Milwaukee Director Benjamin Timm. 

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"Cruising is projected to add $300 million in economic impact to the wider Great Lakes region this year," said Wisconsin Department of Tourism Deputy Secretary Maria Van Hoorn. "This is big for Wisconsin. This season. Cruise ships will dock at ports up and down our coast. Stops are planned in communities of Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Algoma, Sturgeon Bay and Green Bay."

Cruise ship arrivals and departures 

What you can do:

Last year, Port Milwaukee hosted 23 cruise ship calls and 11,255 passengers. The 2025 cruise season created a $2.5 million local economic impact and is projected to exceed $3.5 million this year.

After generating $2.5 million last year, Port Milwaukee’s cruise activity is forecasted to inject more than $3.5 million into the local economy this year.

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. 

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