An increase in cruise ships docking at Port Milwaukee is bringing $6M to help accommodate the traffic

A big increase in cruise ships docking at Port Milwaukee is bringing around $6 million in improvements to help accommodate that traffic.

And a major piece of that funding will be a $3.5 million grant to help expand maritime infrastructure for larger cruise ships, Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday.

That grant will help pay for upgrades, including a new platform, at Port Milwaukee's south shore dock, located just east of the Lake Express High-Speed Ferry terminal, 2330 S. Lincoln Memorial Drive.

That work, to include funding through other grants and port revenue, could be completed by 2023. 

That dock will handle some of the largest cruise ships on the Great Lakes, including visits from the Viking line, said Adam Tindall-Schlicht, Port director.

Both Viking's Octantis ship, which can carry up to 500 passengers, and the Pearl Mist line are expected to operate on the Great Lakes this year, starting in May, Tindall-Schlict said.

That's pending approval from public health officials in the United States and Canada, who barred Great Lakes cruises in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cruises could resume as early as May, Tindall-Schlict said. 

Port Milwaukee estimates it will host at least 10,000 cruise ship passengers in 2022. That compares to 3,000 in 2019 and less than 1,000 in 2018.

"The increase has been exponential," Tindall-Schlict said. 

Along with the new Viking service, that higher traffic is tied to a December 2020 lease agreement approved by the Milwaukee Board of Harbor Commissioners.

It guarantees that Port Milwaukee will be a turnaround location for the Pearl Mist cruise ship through 2030 — with an option for the cruise line to extend that service to 2040.

The lease provides priority docking rights at Pier Wisconsin, the downtown dock immediately east of Discovery World, to Guilford, Connecticut-based Pearl Seas Management (USA) LLC.

The lease guarantees the Pearl Mist will use the pier for turnaround operations at least five times annually — marking the site where westward Great Lakes cruises end and eastward cruises begin for new passenger groups.

That means passengers both coming and going can be attracted to extend their stays in Milwaukee — bringing more business for hotels, restaurants and cultural attractions.

Other cruise lines that visit Milwaukee include American Queen Voyages.

The port's grant is part of $21.9 million awarded to 27 local governments and organizations through the Tourism Capital Investment Grant Program, according to the governor's office.

That program is funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

Other recipients include Milwaukee County Zoo, which will use a $3.5 million grant to upgrade the zoo's main entrance area — including the Humboldt penguin exhibit.

"The penguin exhibit expansion will allow the Milwaukee County Zoo to add interactive features while providing a state-of-the-art habitat for the penguins," according to the announcement.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.