More cruise lines, more ships and more visitors are in the forecast for Great Lakes ports in 2026 including Wisconsin’s ports, officials said during a press conference in Green Bay Thursday.
Cruise the Great Lakes expects the economic impact of Great Lakes cruises to reach $327 million which is about a 25% increase over 2025, according to Sally Davis Berry, tourism director for Cruise the Great Lakes.
They attributed the increase in part to the addition of American Cruise Lines to the line up of companies already offering cruises. Those include Pearl Seas, Ponant, St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, Victory, Viking and Hapag-Lloyd.
Green Bay expects to see six cruises stop in 2026, up from two in 2025 with all of the added stops coming from American Cruise Lines. The port also expects two stops from Victory. Victory also will make stops in Sturgeon Bay during 2026 and Vikings Cruise Line is scheduled to stop again in Algoma.
“The thing that excites us the most is that as people are getting back on the ships, we often hear from them that they want to come back,” said Brad Toll, CEO of Discover Green Bay. “The economic impact that comes just from the ship arriving continues to pay us back.”
Toll said Green Bay could welcome up to 785 passengers in 2026 and they are already working with cruise lines for popular excursions that include Lambeau Field and the National Railroad Museum.
Gov. Tony Evers said Wisconsin ports are poised to take advantage of the increasing presence of cruises and passengers, pointing to the $17 million South Shore Cruise Dock expected to be completed in Milwaukee in 2026.
“From Milwaukee to Superior we’ve expanded docks for cruising and built new harbor facilities because we know how vital these hubs are to our state’s major industries including tourism,” Evers said.
The Port of Green Bay also is expanding and Port Director Dean Haen said the new facility will allow Green Bay to host the largest cruise ships on the Great Lakes.
“I’ve watched this industry grow from its infancy and we are definitely not at its maturity, so there’s opportunity there and we are working hard with the city of Green Bay to realize this,” Haen said.
David Speigelberg of Travel Wisconsin said, “Our research at Travel Wisconsin shows that outdoor recreation is the top reason that people choose to visit our state. Some of our biggest outdoor assets are the Great Lakes. Wisconsin’s 800 miles of Great Lakes shoreline perfectly positions us to welcome cruise ships.”
In 2026, Great Lakes cruises are projected to welcome over 23,000 individual passengers, a 5% increase from 2025. More than 800 port visits are planned, which is nearly 15% higher than last year. And the total number of cruise passenger visits across the region is estimated at nearly 175,000, up nearly 15% from 2025.
