Milwaukee cruise ship season; 2025 summer tourist forecast

MILWAUKEE - Tourism industry leaders expect more than 22,000 people to tour the Great Lakes this year, and there's an effort underway to bring more visitors to Milwaukee.

South Shore cruise dock

Local perspective:

As part of his 2025 proposal, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson included $5 million for the new South Shore cruise dock. The project is now priced at $17 million.

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The dock would be built on vacant land east of the Lake Express ferry terminal and provide the same port of entry for vessels of any size.

Cruise ship season

By the numbers:

The economic impact of cruising on the Great Lakes is expected to exceed $230 million in 2025, reflecting a 15% increase from 2024. Tourism leaders said, in 2025, the more than 22,000 individual expected passengers represent a nearly 10% increase from last year. 

AAA said 2025 is expected to mark the third consecutive year of record cruise passenger volume.

Cruise lines scheduled to operate on the Great Lakes in 2025 include Pearl Seas, Viking, St. Lawrence Lines, Ponant, Hapag-Lloyd, and Victory. 

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What they're saying:

Cathleen Domanico, tourism director of Cruise the Great Lakes: "As we look to 2025, we’re excited to see continued growth in the Great Lakes cruise sector. We forecast this upcoming season to be even stronger than 2024, both in terms of passenger numbers and economic impact, which underscores the appeal of cruising in the Great Lakes."

Anne Sayers, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and chair of Cruise the Great Lakes: "The beauty and diversity of our region continue to attract visitors from around the world. With more ships and ports on the itinerary, the positive economic contributions of Great Lakes cruising will continue to be felt across the region."