First cruise ship of 2023 arrives in Milwaukee, Viking Octantis

MILWAUKEE, WI – Thursday, May 4, at 1:15pm (CT), Mayor Cavalier Johnson and local leaders will welcome the Viking Octantis, the first cruise ship to visit Port Milwaukee as part of the 2023 season.

The Viking Octantis’ arrival in Milwaukee will begin a 2023 summer season where 31 port calls by various cruise ships are planned, bringing an estimated 12,000 passengers to the city.

Operated by Viking, the Viking Octantis can carry up to 378 passengers on voyages throughout the Great Lakes. This will be the second season where Viking will designate Milwaukee as an embarkation and debarkation port for the company’s Great Lakes itineraries. Viking will also be introducing a second, identical ship, the Viking Polaris, to the Great Lakes in 2023, doubling this cruise line company’s capacity in the region and creating more recreational tourism opportunities in the City of Milwaukee.

Following two years of pandemic-related cancellations, Milwaukee’s Great Lakes cruise season returned with significant momentum and success in 2022. An unprecedented number of international passengers and cruise vessels traveled to-or-from Milwaukee last year. Learn more about the 2022 Great Lakes cruise season through Port Milwaukee’s Annual Report [portmilwaukee.com].