See The Largest Cruise Ship on the Great Lakes in Milwaukee

The Viking Octantis floats into Milwaukee. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The biggest cruise ship on the Great Lakes floated under the Hoan Bridge Monday morning, bringing ashore the first of more than 11,000 passengers expected to visit Milwaukee in 2025.

Viking Cruises‘ Octantis, a 665-foot-long, Seaway-max-sized ship, backed into the inner harbor with dozens of passengers watching from the rear deck while even more seagulls flew around the vessel looking for what the ship and its large draft might kick up. Spectators looked on from several different points, watching as the captain and crew guided the vessel into Milwaukee’s most challenging parallel parking spot.

“By the numbers, 2025 will bring 22 cruise vessel calls, 44 itineraries in Milwaukee, five cruise companies, six different vessels and we’re estimating about 11,000 passengers,” said Port Milwaukee director Jackie Q. Carter at a March press conference.

The Octantis arrival marks the end of one Great Lakes cruise and the start of another. Known as turnaround service, Milwaukee’s geographic position enables it to double up on the passengers and grow local spending as passengers start or end their journey in Milwaukee, the ship refuels, and the crew spends more time on land.

In 2024, the Pabst Mansion attributed $76,000 in revenue to cruise ship passengers and the Harley-Davidson Museum estimated more than 5,000 of its visitors came as a result of cruise itineraries.

And while 2025 passenger counts are expected to be down from a near-record total of 13,568 in 2024, port and Great Lakes officials are banking on a huge year in 2026 when a new cruise ship dock comes online.

A total of 18,486 passengers are expected in 2026, driven in large part by Viking and Victory Cruise Lines dramatically expanding their presence in Milwaukee. Viking is planning to return the Octantis’ sister ship, Polaris, to the Great Lakes, and the newly reformed Victory plans to visit Milwaukee approximately 30 times, up from three in 2025.

The $17 million terminal, located in the outer harbor, is intended to be a point of leverage in securing a long-term commitment from Viking and possibly other providers. The Seaway-max vessels are too large to use the port’s existing cruise ship facilities, and must currently dock at an industrial heavy-lift dock. The new dock, being built near the northeast corner of Bay View, is intended to be more aesthetically pleasing while also including the necessary utility lines that are currently temporarily run to service vessels.

“It’s coming. It’s going to be great for the city. It’s going to bring more passengers to the city,” said Alderman Peter Burgelis, the council’s Harbor Commission representative, in February. At least one council member has raised concerns about the dock’s rising cost and the viability of securing long-term business, but the council approved the final funding allocation believed to be necessary to build the dock last fall. A bid for dredging the area around the dock was issued Monday.

Viking’s two Great Lakes vessels can each carry up to 378 passengers and several hundred crew members. Eight-day Great Lakes cruises start at approximately $6,000.

On the smaller end, Victory operates two vessels that can carry up to 190 passengers.

In addition to Viking and Victory, Pearl Seas, Ponant and Hapag Lloyd are scheduled to send vessels to the city. Pearl Seas has a 20-year lease for the Pier Wisconsin dock at Discovery World for its 210-passenger Pearl Mist vessel.

Ships pay a per-passenger tariff of $11, a dockage fee and other fees for utilized services.

You can track the Octantis on Marine Traffic. The vessel, according to the port, was most recently in Mackinac Island, Michigan.

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Viking Octantis Tour Photos From Inaugural 2022 Visit

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