Erie’s bayfront is being considered as a possible port destination for a cruise ship line by area officials and a Great Lakes marketing organization.
On March 25, Cruise the Great Lakes, a regional cruise marketing program, met with representatives from Erie to discuss why they think Erie could be a port destination.
Cruise the Great Lakes, founded in 2018, focuses on attracting more passengers by bringing together the states, provinces, cruise lines, ports, convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, associations and others to work toward shared goals.
The organization offers four cruise lines that tour all five Great Lakes. Those lines include Pearl Seas Cruises, Ponant, St. Lawrence Cruise Lines and Victory Cruise Lines.
Where do Cruise the Great Lakes cruise lines go?
With these cruise lines, visitors can choose from dozens of itineraries from May through October to explore destinations throughout the Great Lakes.
Those port destinations include:
Bay City, Michigan
Buffalo-Niagara, New York
Cleveland, Ohio
Detroit, Michigan
Duluth, Minnesota
East Tawas, Michigan
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Holland, Michigan
Houghton, Michigan
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Muskegon, Michigan
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan
Shores and islands throughout Ohio
Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The additional ports and destinations include:
Erie, Pennsylvania
Chicago, Illinois
Killarney, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Little Current, Ontario
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Marquette, Michigan
Midland, Ontario
Montreal, Quebec
Morrisburg, Ontario
Parry Sound, Ontario
Point Pelee, Ontario
Quebec City, Quebec
Rochester, New York
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Silver Islet, Ontario
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Tobermory, Ontario
Toronto, Ontario
Welland Canal/Port Colborne, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Wyandotte, Michigan.
No cruise line has officially been set for an Erie stop, but Julie Slomski, executive director of the Erie-Western PA Port Authority, said Erie is ready and excited for when it happens.
Erie officials excited about Great Lakes cruise line possibility
