MUSKEGON, Mich. — The welcome wagon turned out in full force in Muskegon Tuesday to welcome a significant ‘moving’ milestone: the return of cruise ships to Muskegon Lake.
The stop marked the first such appearance in more than two years.
The Pearl Mist tied up at Heritage Landing around 9 on Tuesday morning, inbound from Mackinac Island.
“Just being able to share these experiences, not only with the guests, but the community, it's a huge deal,” Kristen Lambert, Pearl Sea Cruise’s manager of guest programs relayed.
Nearing the end of their circuit around the Great Lakes, it was all smiles from disembarking passengers.
“Many of our guests have rescheduled their cruise a number of times just to be with us.”
And crew as well.
“This is their lives,” Lambert said. “They've been on board with us, the majority of them since 2014. And many of them had waited out the pandemic just to sail with the Pearl Mist again.”
The 210 guest ship got underway in Canada, departing the shores of Lake Ontario days earlier, before making its way into Georgian Bay and later, into the Straits.
The stop in Muskegon Lake marked one of the final calls of the cruise.
“The first call of the year is always a big day,” Bob Lukens of Visit Muskegon said. “The people that are visiting have no idea or perception of what Muskegon is like or West Michigan in general… So it's pretty amazing when they come here.”
Those visits began with the Pearl Mist back in 2015.
The ship marked another milestone when it became the first cruise liner to dock in Muskegon since the pandemic mothballed the industry.
“We’re just excited that the ships are here again after a two year hiatus,” Lukens said.
The appearance makes dollars and cents for local businesses, many of which were just as eager for the return as disembarking passengers.
“It's great for our economy, of course, and certainly it's great for public relations, because everybody likes to come down and take a look at the cruise ships and see these beautiful vessels,” Cindy Larsen, president of the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce explained.
The Pearl Mist was scheduled to depart for Wisconsin Tuesday evening and return Thursday.
There are 17 cruises scheduled to stop in Muskegon throughout the 2022 season, several more than in 2019.
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