MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Wednesday announced that the "Viking Octantis" will be the first cruise ship to visit Port Milwaukee as part of the 2022 season.
The Seawaymax vessel is scheduled to dock in Milwaukee’s Harbor on May 6.
The Viking Octantis’ arrival in Milwaukee will begin a summer season where 33 port calls by various cruise ships are planned, bringing more than 10,000 passengers to the city. This is compared to the 10 stops made during the 2019 season, before Great Lakes cruising halted for two years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Operated by Viking Cruises, the Viking Octantis can carry up to 378 passengers on voyages throughout the Great Lakes. The 2022 cruising season represents the first time the ship will designate Milwaukee as an embarkation and debarkation port for the company’s itineraries.
Port Milwaukee recently received $3.5 million in capital tourism grant funding from the state of Wisconsin to build new Seawaymax infrastructure at the port's South Shore Cruise Dock.
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