(WXYZ) — The Port of Detroit got its first cruise ship of the 2023 season on Monday as the 665-foot Viking Octantis docked in the morning.
According to the Port of Detroit, the Octantis docked around 8 a.m. and is set to leave at 2 p.m., but not before passengers have a chance to explore the city.
A record number of cruises are expected to dock in Detroit this year as part of a growing Great Lakes cruise industry.
Last year, there were a record 52 cruise ships that docked in Detroit, and according to Cruise the Great Lakes and the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, there will be 67 cruise ships docking during the season.
David Lorenz, the vice president of Travel Michigan, said Cruise the Great Lakes met in Montreal earlier this year to look at the ships that planned to sail the Great Lakes this year. According to Lorenz, they have all the ships they had last year, and a new ship – the Hanseatic Inspiration.
The ships have a variety of routes on the Great Lakes with stops in Michigan including Detroit, Mackinac Island, Muskegon, Sault Ste. Marie and more.
When they stop in Detroit, the team from Visit Detroit works with the Port Authority to provide a welcome for passengers on the dock.
Passengers from the cruises have a variety of options to explore metro Detroit while they're in the area, with locations like The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, the Motown Museum and more.
"Most people from all around the U.S., places like Texas and California, they've heard about places like Michigan, but they might not know the real story about pure Michigan and the rest of the Great Lakes region. So when they come here, they get this two-nation destination experience pretty unique," Lorenz said. "They get to see that people in our region are really friendly and they see this freshwater experience, which not many cruisers around the world really get to see."
The cruise industry doesn't just benefit Michigan and Detroit – it also helps other cities along the Great Lakes like Cleveland and Milwaukee.
According to the Port of Detroit, the cruise ships will continue to dock in the city throughout the summer and last until mid-October.
In all, there will be nine cruises in May, nine in June, 12 in July, 15 in August, 17 in September and five in October. That doesn't include the dinner cruises along the river that use the Port of Detroit.
According to Lorenz, the future of cruising on the Great Lakes is bright, and he thinks the initial visit to Detroit will bring people back.
He also said they're hoping to lure some ships to start and stop their journeys in Detroit in the future.
"I think what you're going to find is that the Port of Detroit is going to continue to make accommodations so that they can lure additional ships, including some of these bigger ships like the Hanseatic Inspiration," he said. "You're going to be able to see more and more ships here. And I tell you, we're going to all benefit from that initial visit because people are going to be able to see Detroit."
