Erie Added to Great Lakes Voyage for 2028 Say Victory Cruise Lines

Victory Cruise Lines will include Erie, Pennsylvania, in a new Great Lakes Voyage launching in 2028, with the first scheduled call set for July 21, 2028. The itinerary will take guests across all five Great Lakes and visit each of the eight U.S. states that border them, with Erie serving as a port of call for the company’s 190-passenger ships.

The addition comes after several years of discussions and more than 18 months of planning involving local stakeholders. Erie officials said the city’s existing waterfront infrastructure is capable of accommodating the ships, eliminating the need for significant port upgrades. A detailed schedule of cruise calls and projected economic benefits has not yet been released.

Shelly Hartfield, Vice President of Destination Development for Victory Cruise Lines, said the company will be the first cruise operator to offer a voyage that includes all five Great Lakes and every bordering state.

Erie will play a major role in that,” Hartfield said.

Passengers will arrive at the dock located at the foot of Holland Street before spending the day exploring Erie and the surrounding area. Planned attractions include the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, the Bayfront Maritime Museum, the Hagen History Center, Presque Isle Lighthouse, Romolo’s Chocolates and other local destinations.

Interim VisitErie President and CEO Mark Jeanneret welcomed the announcement, saying, “It brings an audience of tourism to town and, frankly, tourists we wouldn’t otherwise be able to attract.”

The Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority already operates commercial docking facilities and deep-water infrastructure along the bayfront.

We are very excited. It’s not going to require a major investment from a port perspective,” said Julie Slomski, Executive Director of the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority. “The ship will be docked right here.”

Erie County Executive Christina Vogel said the new cruise calls will not result in higher taxes for local residents because the required facilities are already available. Victory Cruise Lines will pay docking fees to the Port Authority and cover the associated operating costs.

Representatives from Victory Cruise Lines first visited Erie in March 2025 to evaluate the destination and meet with Port Authority officials. Hartfield said the focus then shifted to designing an itinerary that could incorporate Erie, with the new all-lakes, all-states voyage creating the opportunity.

Victory Cruise Lines currently operates two sister ships, Victory I and Victory II, on itineraries throughout the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway and the French Canadian Maritimes.

The company’s broader cruise program also features itineraries to East Coast ports stretching from Portland, Maine, to Jacksonville, Florida, as well as destinations in Chicago and Canada. Cruise fares currently range from $5,000 to $15,000, although pricing for the new Great Lakes Voyage has not yet been announced.

Before the inaugural call in 2028, Vogel said the remaining work involves finalizing a safety plan and “get all the pieces in place.”