Among passengers flying into MKE this year will be those ready to board luxury cruise ships destined for
Toronto and Thunder Bay, Ontario in Canada. Say the word “cruise” and what destinations do you think of? The Caribbean? Mexico? The Bahamas? The Mediterranean? Well, it’s the Great Lakes that’s the next big thing!

Currently a hidden gem amongst travelers, the region has started to make big waves in the cruise
industry. In the past five years–which, lest you forget, include a global pandemic– Port Milwaukee has seen the city’s cruise business boom.

In 2018, the organization welcomed four port calls with approximately 1,200 total passengers onto the
shores of Lake Michigan. This year, according to Port Director Adam Tindall-Schlicht, they are
anticipating 27 different cruise visits, bringing over 11,000 passengers to Milwaukee, an over 800%
increase in that timespan.

The efforts by Tindall-Schlicht and his team to position Milwaukee as a turnaround port, where voyages
start and end, as well as both a domestic and international cruise destination, are paying off.
But as they say, it takes a village, or, in this case, a city.
Tindall-Schlicht credits the Milwaukee Cruise Collaborative, a network made up of MKE airport, hotels,
cultural institutions, entertainment destinations, restaurants, nonprofits and more, formed by the Port, for
much of the success in attracting more cruise lines, more trips and ultimately, more passengers, to the
city.

Tindall-Schlicht notes that the Port staff has also developed a reputation for operational excellence, by
demonstrating the highest level of safety, efficiency and passenger care when welcoming the ships to the city.

“And more contemporarily, I would add a third piece, which is a commitment to healthfulness – which is
imperative – especially in this pandemic. Port Milwaukee was one of the first to sign the Great Lakes
Governor’s Safety Pledge,” Tindall-Schlicht said, referring to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence
Governors and Premiers, an organization that represents the chief executives of all the Great Lakes
states and its commitment to the international cruise industry, protecting not only its passengers, but the
citizens of its host communities as well.

Thus, while a handful of cruise operators including French carrier Ponant, German-based Hapag-Lloyd
and Plantours Kreuzfahrten, Blount Small Ship Adventures and Victory Cruise Lines have visited
Milwaukee in the past and will continue to do so, Tindall-Schilcht says two in particular have recently really embraced the city as their home port: Pearl Seas, which recently signed a 20-year agreement with
the Port of Milwaukee to maintain its long-term home port service in the city and international cruise giant

Viking, which is entering the Great Lakes market for this first time this year, with over 20 voyages that will
start or end at Port Milwaukee in its inaugural year.

GREAT LAKES EMERGES AS A TOP CRUISE DESTINATION

In 2019, Travel Weekly ran a feature on the Great Lakes entitled “Cruising the Eighth Sea.”
“The potential is tantalizing. The five lakes form the largest group of freshwater seas on Earth, with
dozens of underexplored ports of call,” the article stated. “The Great Lakes are emerging as the rarest of
unicorns: a bona fide new destination for the cruise industry.” Now, in 2022, thanks to Viking and the additional voyages to the region, the Great Lakes have officially emerged. The region was recently named one of the 22 best places to go in 2022 by Conde Nast Traveler
magazine.

“The Great Lakes comprise 95,000 square miles of freshwater flanked by thick forests, historic sights, and skyline-speckled cities. But despite the waterside attractions, this stretch of the upper Midwest and
Canada has long been off the cruise-industry map. Soon, those tides will turn,” the article predicts and
alluding to the efforts put in by the Milwaukee Cruise Collaborative, states, “Thanks to new infrastructure
and accommodations, Great Lakes port cities stand ready to host disembarking guests.”

In addition, last October, Travel and Leisure magazine featured Viking Expeditions’ “Undiscovered Great
Lakes” cruise as one of its “13 Adventure Cruises to Stunning Destinations Around the World.”

FRESHWATER. FRESH EXPERIENCE.

According to highseacruising.com, the average cruise ship has a passenger capacity of approximately
3,000 guests, and a length of 1,000 ft (300 meters).

However, because of the uniqueness of the Great Lakes region, cruise ships traveling there must be
designed to fit through the narrow locks on the St. Lawrence River and are thus smaller than traditional
cruise ships, which ultimately creates a unique experience for the traveler, one that is simultaneously both intimate and more spacious.

Pila Johnson, a former travel industry executive who now travels just for fun, loves to take cruises. Since
2001, he and his wife have been on 17 different cruises, including an 8-Day Castles and Cathedrals run
from Amsterdam to Basel on Viking.

“Amazing service. Nice small ship. Refreshing from the behemoths of over 3000 passengers,” Johnson
said of the brand. “Intimate and cozy. There were only about 190 passengers. Easy to navigate and find
your way around”

The service he experienced with Viking was top notch and personal. “In my experience cruising, it was the best ever. Viking had excellent food. Your waiters got to know you quickly and by name. Your service is first class down to knowing your tastes. They were attentive to every detail. We were pampered.”

When Viking launches its Great Lakes service starting in April, their new vessel, the Octantis, at 665 feet
(203 meters) in length, will be the largest passenger vessel the Great Lakes has ever seen. It will have
189 rooms and can carry 378 passengers.

At that size, the Octantis could hold more passengers, but instead, its rooms are more spacious and the
ship offers more amenities and unique attractions, including a 380-square-foot wet and dry laboratory in
which scientists and guests can collaborate on marine research, including studying sea birds in the polar
regions and the Great Lakes.

Kurt Feiten took a Rhine Getaway-Basel to Amsterdam on Viking in 2019. He was just one of only 104
passengers and echoed Johnson’s thoughts on the brand, noting “The experience is more relaxing than
those big cruise ships. You won’t find dance clubs, or loud deck games, just a refined elegance that I
greatly appreciated.” Feiten adds that he’s already booked his next Viking cruise for 2022.

Make no mistake, the Viking and other Great Lakes expeditions are luxury cruises, starting at around
$6500 per person for a week-long trip. However, cost doesn’t seem to be much of a deterrent for the
average passenger, who is typically an older, often-retired, highly-educated, experienced traveler. In fact,
several of the cruises are already sold out for 2022.

Jazmine Jurkewicz, Trade Development Representative for Port Milwaukee says, “The demographic has
skewed toward an older crowd that is affluent, well-traveled and looking for a new and fresh experience.”
The largest freshwater ecosystem in the world certainly offers that experience.

And, although Jurkewicz says passengers have typically been U.S. based so far, the potential to attract
more international travelers to the region is huge as the offerings continue to expand and word starts to
spread.