Michigan’s shoreline towns will welcome thousands of visitors who step off luxury Great Lakes cruise ships in 2026. Who are they?

“Cruise passengers are generally retirees with disposable income who are experienced travelers and prefer unique, intimate experiences over the larger vessels,” said Craig Clark, spokesman for Cruise the Great Lakes, a regional marketing program.

The largest ships cruising the lakes, the sisters Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, have a passenger capacity of 378. Compare that to the average ocean liner capacity of 3,000 passengers.

Most of them are from the U.S. and Canada, Clark said. However, the number of French- and German-speaking tourist is climbing.

Great Lakes cruising is expected to generate $300 million of economic impact for the region in 2026. T

See Full Page