A total of 30 cruise ships are scheduled to make a stop in Windsor-Essex during the 2024 Great Lakes cruising season.
That's according to Brad Manor, Operations Manager of the Windsor Shipping Agency, which works as a liaison for foreign-owned cruise ships, helping them schedule dock space in Windsor and Leamington.
"On every one of these ships, people disembark, come ashore, they spend time in Windsor-Essex, and find things to do. I think it's a fantastic hub, fantastic thing,' he says.
Manor says May looks to be the busiest month, with nine cruise ships scheduled to dock in the area, while July and September will also be busy.
He says overall, the volume seems to be a little bit higher than last year.
Manor says he's had to fulfill special requests in the past for the ship's crew as they work to supplement their menus and replenish the food stocks.
"We've taken them shopping. They like to have local food on the ship. So we take them to the local farms and different areas, and we take them shopping," he says. "For the most part, they're pretty self-contained, but from time to time, they do like me to make arrangements for them."
Manor says during one stop last year, they helped fill two minivans full of eggs for that particular ship.
"If they need 500 kilograms of beef, I have to take them to a distributor," he says. "But they like to go to vineyards and wineries, so we take them there. They like to go to different farms sometimes to have local produce on the menu."
Officials with the multi-state coalition Cruise the Great Lakes are forecasting nearly 600 port visits across the five Great Lakes in 2024, bringing over 20,000 individual passengers—roughly double that of a decade ago.
Cruise the Great Lakes anticipates the regional economic impact generated by cruising all of the Great Lakes will surpass US$200 million in 2024, driven by the upward trend in passenger numbers, port visits, shoreside spending, and the growing domestic and international appeal of Great Lakes cruises.