Nearly 600 cruise passengers arrive in Cleveland to explore the city

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Nearly 600 cruise passengers are on the town in Cleveland.

On Sunday morning, the Viking Octantis and Pearl Seas ships docked at the Port of Cleveland near Browns Stadium, as it opened its Great Lakes passenger cruise season. This is the second time both cruise lines made multiple calls at the Port of Cleveland, a news release said.

The 378-passenger Viking ship’s itinerary for its “Great Lakes Collection” named Cleveland, along with Toronto and Welland Canal, Ontario, Canada, Niagara Falls, Detroit, Alpena, Michigan, Door Peninsula, Wisconsin, Mackinac Island, Michigan and others as some of the “culture-rich” stops on its cruise.

Pearl Seas’ “14-Night Great Lakes Explorer Cruise,” which will make similar stops between Duluth, Wisconsin and Toronto, Ontario is set to give riders the chance to sail all five Great Lakes on its journey as well.

The 588 passengers who spilled out of the ships this weekend had the chance to visit several notable Cleveland landmarks, like the West Side Market and the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Other activities included beer tasting at Great Lakes Brewing Company, culinary tours, a tour of the Cultural Gardens, Downtown or Little Italy, hiking and biking tours of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, along with a trip to Amish Country in Geauga County.

A spot that was undoubtedly popular with visitors was the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Kevin Guzman and El Haj Akhalil Fareed Muhammad of Detroit were among them. Though it was Guzman’s second time at the Rock Hall, the visit was a first for Muhammad.

“I just enjoyed the whole experience because I like all genres of music except acid rock,” he said. “So, I took a lot of pictures and I’ve been trying to get down here for three or four years.”

Muhammad noted that he was now the proud owner of a hoodie purchased at the museum’s gift shop.

“My favorite was, of course, Motown because I’m from Detroit, so I liked that connection,” Guzman said. “And it just brought back some memories of my high school years of the music I enjoyed.”

Great Lakes cruises have become increasingly popular over the last several years. In September, The Points Guy, named Cleveland the hottest new cruise destination in North America, adding that cruise ship arrivals in the city were up 700% from 2021.

Port of Cleveland estimated that 10,000 cruise passengers docked in Cleveland in 2023.

Tickets for this year’s Great Lakes cruises aboard the Viking and Pearl Seas ships range between $10,000 to $15,000.

Viking Octantis and Pearl Seas passengers are expected to begin reboarding to their next destination by Sunday night.