Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Four years ago, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul gave one of her closest friends, Joan Kesner, a mission, or - more accurately - a challenge.
Kesner, Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. chair along with the agency's president, Mark Wendel and Visit Buffalo CEO Patrick Kaler, were asked by Hochul to find a way to get Buffalo on the radar screen of Great Lakes cruise ship operators and, then, make the city a port for the passenger ships.
Shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon, that tourism and hospitality-based vision became a reality when the 130-passenger American Patriot pulled into the Erie Basin Marina for a 48-hour Buffalo stop over.
"It was a dream come true," Kesner said. "As I was walking up and saw the ship, I thought 'it's here and now everyone can see it.'"
As passengers began to make their way down the walkway from the ship to terra firma, they were greeted by warm sunshine and blue skies.
"Where's all the snow?" joked Cindy Jones from Marietta, Georgia.
Chicago's Eric Peterson was in search of a beef on weck while the husband and wife tandem and Gary and Betty Studenic - also from Marietta were looking forward to seeing Niagara Falls and the Darwin Martin House.
"I'm an architecture buff," Betty Studenic said.
Great Lakes cruises are becoming increasingly popular among tourists. For many, it's a chance to see and discover new cities.
In Cleveland, for instance, serving as a Great Lakes cruise ship port translated into a $16 million economic impact last year.
Patrick Kaler, Visit Buffalo president and CEO, estimates the seven visits this summer by the American Patriot could have a local economic impact north of $1 million.
American Cruise Lines - the American Patriot parent company - is expected to add more stops in Buffalo in the coming years, says Mark Wendel.
And, Victory Cruise Lines - another Great Lakes cruise ship operator - has also committed to bringing at least seven, if not more, ships to Buffalo beginning next year, Wendel said.
While the Erie Basin Marina is a temporary berth for the ships, construction on a permanent terminal along Fuhrmann Boulevard - on the former The Pier and Shooters site - will start this summer and be passenger-ready by early 2028.
As for this stop, American Patriot passengers will be making side trips to Niagara Falls, the Botanical Gardens, AKG Gallery and the Darwin Martin House and Graycliff - among other destinations.
" I can tell you already, we will be coming back next year and the year after," said Doris Darknell from Santa Clara, Calif.
American Patriot and its 130 passengers will remain in Buffalo for two days
American Patriot and its 130 passengers will remain in Buffalo for two days
