CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW) — Cleveland is once again setting sail into cruise season — and this year could be its biggest yet.

The Port of Cleveland welcomed its first ship of 2026 on Tuesday, bringing visitors and a boost to the local economy along with it. Local leaders told Fox 8 that this is just the beginning.

“This is a great day. It’s officially the kickoff of the 2026 cruise season in Northeast Ohio and at the Port of Cleveland,” said Dave Gutheil, chief operating officer at the Port of Cleveland.

The arrival marked the start of what could be a record-breaking cruise season for the Port of Cleveland. Since launching cruise operations in 2017 with just nine ship visits, the port now expects 57 — its highest ever.

“Really a big economic impact on the city. Each passenger spends about $100 to $150 when they come in. So, we should have close to 10,000 passengers this year,” said Gutheil.

That excitement is exactly what local leaders are counting on as cruise tourism continues to grow year after year. Visitors are stepping off ships and straight into Cleveland’s top attractions — from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to the West Side Market and beyond.

“We are super excited. We have friends here, they’re going to show us around,” said cruise passengers, Margaret Niehaus and Robert Niehaus from Santa Barbara, Ca.

For travelers from across the country like the Niehaus’, the Great Lakes cruise is both scenic and personal.

“The cruise is great. The food is delicious, the staff is great, the ship, only about 200 passengers, it is very nice, really intimate,” the Niehaus’ said.

Victory I carries about 200 passengers on 10-to-14-day Great Lakes routes, with stops including Chicago, Toronto and Cleveland. For many, it’s a chance to see the Great Lakes in a completely different way.

“The Great Lakes are a very special ecosystem, very special environment, of course, you know, and having a chance to see them from the shore is a lifetime experience for a lot of people,” said cruise passenger Steve Kaverman from Denver, Colo.

Ships like this will continue arriving through mid-October — bringing thousands more visitors to Cleveland’s waterfront.

“If you see passengers from the cruise vessels out in Northeast Ohio, wish them a warm welcome to Cleveland and let’s put out the red carpet for them,” said Gutheil.

Trips can be booked directly through Victory Cruise Lines website. Port officials said they expect both visitor numbers and economic impact to keep growing in the years ahead.

Among the Democratic Party primary races Signal Cleveland is following is the one for Ohio House District 19, which has drawn three major candidates to the open seat. (Incumbent Phillip Robinson Jr., of Solon, is term-limited.) The district includes Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood and all or portions of a string of eastern and southeastern suburbs. 

The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party’s endorsed candidate is Nicole Sigurdson, a Cleveland resident and union organizer with SEIU District 1199 who narrowly won enough support to secure the party’s influential backing. 

But Sigurdson has been under fire from fellow party members and others for a comment she made on social media in 2025 about the Israel-Hamas war. Her comment – which she has since deleted – especially stood out because her district includes communities with sizable Jewish populations, including Solon and Pepper Pike. 

In the post, Sigurdson shared an image of the Palestinian flag that read, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” It was a phrase used by protesters against the war. Prior, it was used for years by some advocating for the elimination of the state of Israel. And it’s been a slogan used by terrorist groups. 

She posted a video earlier this year apologizing for the post. 

“The post contained an image with an antisemitic slogan of which I failed to grasp the full significance of,” she said. “At the time, several people reached out to me expressing their hurt and sharing the full context of the phrase. After listening carefully to their concerns, I immediately deleted the post, but I should have known not to post it at all.”

Signal asked Sigurdson what motivated her original post. She said it was made in reaction to seeing a lot of coverage of Palestinian civilian deaths in Gaza during the war. (The Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed 1,200 civilians and Hamas took 250 people hostage. Israeli’s military response left tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza dead.)

“I made them out of humanitarian concern, wanting autonomy for all people, wanting safety for all people,” Sigurdson said. “And part of what has driven me to politics is I never want to shy away from controversial topics.” 

Fliers were recently mailed to residents in Solon attacking Sigurdson for her antisemitic comments. One flyer featured the headlines from a Cleveland Jewish News story about the comments. “Nicole Sigurdson is wrong for Ohio,” it read.

Sigurdson is campaigning around workers’ rights, including increasing the minimum wage, protecting the environment and the need to be more “caring about people.”

She faces two candidates in the primary: Dionne M. Gore of Solon, who works for Medical Mutual and is backed by Robinson; and Cheryl Perez, a small business owner from Brecksville, who was endorsed by Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer. 

(There was only one Republican primary candidate, but he recently died unexpectedly.)

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