'Cruise the Great Lakes:' 2 cruise ships to dock in Milwaukee, let hundreds explore the city

MILWAUKEE -- A unique event is happening at the lakefront. For the first time in recent history -- two passenger cruise ships will be docked at the Port of Milwaukee.

The "Pearl Mist" docked Friday morning, Aug. 31 at the Lake Express dock. The other cruise ship -- the "Grande Mariner" -- will dock by Discovery World at 10:30 p.m. Friday night.

Pearl Mist

Cruise ships dock in Milwaukee

Between the two ships, there will be up to 300 passengers coming from around the world. A majority of visitors will be embarking on tours around Milwaukee. This is part of a new collaboration called "Cruise the Great Lakes."

"(Saturday), another set of passengers will board the Pearl Mist, so we have folks that will be overnighting here and experiencing our town. That's a new opportunity for Milwaukee and one I hope to see grow," said Port Milwaukee director Adam Schlicht.

Port of Milwaukee

Next year, the Port of Milwaukee is expecting more than 10 cruise vessel visits from at least five different ships.