The Revival of Cruise Ship Tourism on the Great Lakes: A Comeback Story

By Jack Springgate

July 29, 2024 / 7:57 PM EDT / CBS Detroit

(CBS DETROIT) — Anchored in downtown Detroit, cruise ships are docking at the Port of Detroit in numbers many haven’t seen since the mid-60s.

Viking Octantis dropped off more than 375 passengers on Monday. While tourists were off exploring the city for the afternoon, CBS News Detroit explored the renewed attraction behind touring the Great Lakes on the massive vessels. 

Long before Detroit claimed its title as the Motor City and before air travel was accessible to the masses, cruise ships were frequent sights at the Port of Detroit, both for transportation and tourism.

“Fast forward to the 60s, cruise ships were doing quite well, and then the business started dying out until 1998 when the Columbus came back to the Great Lakes, and then ever since then, it’s been booming again,” said Detroit Wayne County Port Authority operations director John Jamian.

More than 12,000 passengers spent a day in Detroit in 2023, and that’s not all they spent during their time away from the boat.

“The passengers that spend their money here in Detroit, definitely a couple million dollars, but in terms of overall economic impact, it’s upwards of $20 million for the region,” Jamian said.

The entire voyage can cost couples upwards of $10,000, with rooms on the Octantis running roughly $1,000 per night per person for trips starting at five days in length. That’s worth it for many of these passengers who are seeing the Great Lakes and the Motor City for the very first time.

“I didn’t know much about the Great Lakes and it’s unbelievable how massive they are. And the wildlife, the ecology of it, it’s just amazing,” said Mary Leavell from Charlottesville, Virginia.

“We’re heading to the Henry Ford Museum. I’m a Ford dealer in Jacksonville, Carolina,” said Mat Raymond from North Carolina.

They’re getting a chance to see all five big lakes through these Great Lakes cruises with stops in other cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, and Cleveland. They also stop at some other amazing tourist destinations like exploring Mackinac Island and going on a shipwreck tour in Alpena.

The days of cruising the Great Lakes for transportation are far behind us, but the era of cruise ship tourism is entering a new horizon with a very bright future.

Ships like the Octantis, including its sister ship, the Polaris, came to port here 67 times in 2023. Jamian said they’re adding more cruise ships in 2025 to meet this growing demand.

Jack Springgate joins the CBS News Detroit team after working for nearly seven years as a news reporter and anchor in South Bend, Ind., and Minot, North Dakota.

© 2024 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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