Cruise ships to return to Muskegon after canceled seasons

MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) - Cruise ships will visit Muskegon again this summer, after stops were canceled for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Seventeen stops are planned for this summer, and more could be planned in coming years, the Muskegon Chronicle reported.

“It’s going to be a very, very busy summer,” Muskegon County Community Development Director Robert Lukens said. “We’re looking forward to it.”

Muskegon is located in western Michigan and has a port on Muskegon Lake, off Lake Michigan. It had busy cruise ship seasons scheduled before COVID-19 canceled plans. In 2020, 35 stops were planned, and there were 25 stops expected in 2021.

The cancelations had an impact on Muskegon County, where tourism is a more than $300 million industry, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

The first cruise ship this season is scheduled to stop on June 7, Lukens said. The Pearl Mist, a 210-passenger, six-deck ship, is scheduled for 10 ports of call this summer. It will stay overnight in port on five stops.