TRAVERSE CITY, MI – The owners of the only cruise ship port in Traverse City have decided to no longer allow the ships to dock.

Previous plans to begin welcoming large international ships at the Greilickville pier in 2022 are now dead in the water after the board of nonprofit owner the Discovery Center voted on Monday, March 9, to disallow cruise ships, The Ticker reports.

The vote effectively scraps plans for Traverse City to serve as a port of call for Viking Cruises. The cruise line had planned to stop seven times in Traverse City in 2022 with as many as 378 passengers aboard for each visit.

In the face of environmental and overcrowding concerns from the community, Discovery Center leadership opted to prioritize projects closer to the organization’s mission, the report said.

Greilickville pier was certified as a cruise ship port by the Coast Guard in late 2019; it’s the only deep-water port in the Traverse City area that can accommodate the traffic. However, the pier is also being renovated as a large public space, and is home to Traverse Tall Ship Co. that offers day cruises in Grand Traverse Bay. The pier also hosts the Inland Seas Education Association program that offers a range of maritime and educational programming.

Traverse City is still listed as a port of call during the Viking Cruises “Niagara and the Great Lakes” expedition from Toronto to Milwaukee. The stop is advertised to highlight hiking at Sleeping Bear Dunes and shoreline kayaking. Other Great Lakes stops on the itinerary include Detroit, Mackinac Island, Alpena and Milwaukee, Wis.

Trevor Tkach, CEO of Traverse City Tourism, told The Ticker he’s disappointed in the Discovery Center’s decision, adding that the ships would bring visitors to the city with minimal impact on infrastructure. He suggested that Frankfort in Benzie County might be a viable alternative stop. Frankfort, although smaller, is also near to Sleeping Bear Dunes.

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