Great Lakes cruise passengers who are disembarking in Cleveland OH (USA) later in 2019 may notice an improvement in the process of their arrival.
Port Cleveland is now planning to spend US$600,000 to develop a more permanent US Customs and Border Protection facility in order to process cruise tourists. More improvements may also be on the way, such as the possible building of a new cruise ship terminal behind FirstEnergy Stadium.
Cruise vessels currently tie up at Dock 28 at the port, just west of FirstEnergy Stadium, located in an industrial area which is not far from docking cargo ships. Eventually, the port might wish to move the cruise ships to another, more tourist-friendly location, part of the development planned for lakefront land north of Cleveland Browns stadium. The area situated behind the stadium is slated for eventual development, with plans including a hotel, retail, apartments, and more. Building on the site may start later in 2019.
In the meantime, planned refurbishments to the new Customs facility are awaiting the federal government's approval. The renovations should be complete by October 2019.