Port Milwaukee Concludes 2019 Cruise Ship Season

Ten Passenger Ship Visits Brought Thousands of Visitors

For Release: Tuesday, October 8, 2019
For more information: Jeff Fleming, 414-286-8580, [email protected]

On Tuesday, Port Milwaukee will welcome the season’s final passenger cruise ship when the Hamburg arrives with more than 300 passengers. Milwaukee will have a total of ten vessel visits this year, which is more than double the number from 2018.

“Milwaukee is an important and growing port-of-call for Great Lakes cruising, and that means more visitors, more tourism dollars, and greater attention focused on our city,” Port Director Adam Schlicht said. “I am pleased with this year’s increase and optimistic that we will see even more cruise ship visits in the coming years.”

The Port estimates that cruise ships brought more than 32-hundred passengers to Milwaukee in 2019. Those visitors toured local attractions and spent money at local businesses. Increasingly, Milwaukee is a turnaround port, so passengers are not just visiting for the day; they are also starting and ending their itineraries in our city which means additional business activity at the airport and local hotels.

The Hamburg is expected to arrive at 1:00pm on Tuesday at the dock just east of the Lake Express ferry. That vessel, which markets its cruises to German tourists, has visited Milwaukee a number of times in recent years.

Several efforts are underway to promote the passenger cruise business in Milwaukee and throughout the Great Lakes. Port Milwaukee is a founder of the Milwaukee Cruise Collaborative. It is also a participant in the Cruise the Great Lakes initiative of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers.

Port Milwaukee is an economic entity of City government governed by the seven-member Board of Harbor Commissioners, a panel appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Common Council. It administers operations on the 467 acres that make up the Port. It promotes shipping and commerce throughout the region by providing access to domestic and international ships, rail, and over-the-road transportation.