American Patriot Begins Milwaukee Turnaround Calls
Built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Maryland, American Patriot is about two hundred forty-three feet long and carries about one hundred thirty guests in fifty-six balcony staterooms.
American Cruise Lines’ American Patriot made its first Milwaukee call June 24, adding the 130-passenger U.S.-built ship to Port Milwaukee’s 2026 cruise schedule. The vessel has eight scheduled Milwaukee calls this season, all turnarounds, and brings American Cruise Lines in as the sixth cruise line calling the city.
The arrival is part of a projected record year for Milwaukee cruise traffic. Port Milwaukee expects 63 vessel calls across eight ships and more than 20,000 passengers between April and the end of October, up from 23 calls and 11,255 passengers last year.
American Patriot begins Milwaukee turnaround calls
American Patriot arrived at Pier Wisconsin at 8 a.m. It was scheduled to depart the following day at 2 p.m. Milwaukee is included as a turnaround point on the ship’s new Great Lakes itineraries, giving the port embarkation and disembarkation activity tied to American Cruise Lines’ first season in the market.
Built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Maryland, the 2025-built American Patriot is about 243 feet long and roughly 3,000 gross tons. The ship carries about 130 guests in 56 balcony staterooms and is the first vessel in American Cruise Lines’ Patriot Class.
The ship’s Lake Michigan & Upper Peninsula itinerary listed Sheboygan as the first stop after Milwaukee, followed by calls in Green Bay and Michigan before returning to Milwaukee for the final two days. In Sheboygan, local excursion programming included Sheboygan Visual Artists, Nourish Farms and 3 Sheeps Brewing, with additional American Patriot calls scheduled there in July and August.
Port Milwaukee expects economic impact to rise
Milwaukee’s 2026 cruise season opened April 23 with Viking Polaris and is scheduled to run through October. The city has projected local cruise-related economic impact of more than $3.5 million this year, compared with an estimated $2.5 million in 2025.
“Cruising in Milwaukee represents more diners in our restaurants, more overnight stays in our hotels, shoppers in our neighborhoods, and visitors experiencing our cultural attractions,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.
The growth is part of a broader Great Lakes season that Cruise the Great Lakes projects at more than $300 million in regional economic impact, up 25 percent from last year. The organization expects 10 ships across seven cruise lines to operate in the region this year, carrying more than 23,000 passengers.
New cruise dock is slated for August
Port Milwaukee plans to begin operations at South Shore Cruise Dock-East in August. The $17 million deep-water facility, located behind the Lake Express Ferry Terminal, is intended to become the port’s third designated cruise dock and accommodate the largest cruise ships currently sailing the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway route.
“It’s going to really enhance our capacity and our opportunities here in the city,” Port Milwaukee Director Benjamin Timm said in April.
Compare current Great Lakes cruise fares on Cruise Lookup.
