New York Sets 2028 Opening for Buffalo Outer Harbor Cruise Terminal

New York officials have released renderings for Buffalo’s planned Outer Harbor cruise terminal at Slip 2, setting a July 2026 construction start and a summer 2028 opening for the city’s permanent Great Lakes cruise facility. The project would give Buffalo a dedicated terminal for domestic and international cruise calls while interim operations use a temporary berth near Erie Basin Marina.

The state-backed project is intended to move Buffalo from a bypassed point between Toronto and Cleveland into a regular Great Lakes cruise port. It follows a market demand study that reviewed six waterfront locations and recommended the south berth area of Slip 2.

“By transforming this long-vacant Slip 2 site into a cruise line terminal, we are ensuring that Buffalo is no longer a city that cruise ships bypass,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

Slip 2 plan includes customs space and public access work

The terminal site is on Fuhrmann Boulevard at the former Pier Restaurant parcel, which has been vacant since the restaurant was demolished in 2007. Plans call for a facility serving multiple ships, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection areas, public restrooms and cruise-related passenger services.

Site work will include seawall shoring upgrades, remediation, drainage, lighting, landscaping, a small parking lot and new public-access elements. The waterfront improvements include a multi-use path, promenade and a seating area described as a sunset point.

Bermello Ajamil & Partners is the lead design architect, working with Buffalo-based Chiang O’Brien Architects as architect of record. LiRo Engineering is serving as the owner’s prime consultant. The building and site design are intended to align with recent Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. projects at nearby Bell Slip and Wilkeson Pointe.

Jim Rowe, principal, maritime buildings program director and senior project architect at Bermello Ajamil & Partners, described the design challenge. “This project represents the unique challenge of balancing highly prescriptive CBP requirements generally tailored to serve mega ships, with a much smaller fleet size mix for the Great Lakes market,” Rowe said.

The cruise terminal adds a passenger-ship component to the wider Outer Harbor redevelopment program led by the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. The broader Buffalo Outer Harbor Civic and Land Use Improvement Project has been planned in phases over about 20 years, with a total estimated budget of about $151 million.

Temporary berth brings cruise calls back to Buffalo

Buffalo has already begun handling cruise traffic at Erie Street Dock near Erie Basin Marina. American Cruise Lines’ 2025-built, U.S.-flagged American Patriot, a 130-passenger ship, arrived there as the city’s first passenger cruise call in decades.

Visit Buffalo Niagara said seven cruise calls are expected in Western New York this year, with a potential regional economic impact of about $1 million. Passengers on the first call were scheduled for visits to attractions including the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House and Niagara Falls.

“They get a little taste of Buffalo during the trip, and it motivates them to come back,” said Patrick Kaler, president and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara.

American Cruise Lines is using Buffalo in two Great Lakes products: a nine-day Great Lakes and Thousand Islands itinerary operating between Syracuse and Buffalo, and a 14-day American Great Lakes cruise operating between Buffalo and Milwaukee. Both routes have reverse itineraries. The company includes a hotel stay for embarking passengers on its U.S. cruises.

“Buffalo’s investment in its waterfront inspires us to continue investing in our fleet on the Great Lakes,” American Cruise Lines President and CEO Charles B. Robertson said. Robertson said the company was “honored to be the first U.S. cruise line to visit Buffalo regularly.”

Great Lakes growth underpins the terminal push

Great Lakes cruise volume rose from about 9,000 passengers in 2010 to more than 25,000 in 2023. Buffalo officials have cited the city’s position at the southern end of the Welland Canal and its visitor attractions as reasons the port can be added to Great Lakes itineraries that already call at cities including Cleveland, Milwaukee, Duluth and Detroit.

The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. used the market study to open discussions with Great Lakes operators and received two commitment letters to add Buffalo to future itineraries. American Cruise Lines has opened 2027 and 2028 Great Lakes dates, with most 2026 departures already sold out.

Victory Cruise Lines has separately committed to bring its 200-passenger ships to Buffalo in 2027.