BUFFALO, N.Y. — Fred Holender and his wife are at AAA to book a Music City cruise that sets sail from Nashville to Memphis.

“We were looking for a tame cruise. A small ship, calm waters, interesting sights and the excursions looked fun,” said Holender.

They’re sailing with American Cruise Lines, the same company that sailed into Buffalo at the end of May.

What You Need To Know

Millions of people are expected to set sail this summer 

The cruise industry is expanding across New York state

AAA says that they are seeing an uptick in bookings 

That stop in the Queen City marked the first time a commercial cruise ship docked in Lake Erie in decades, and now joins other stops along Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River.

“Our focus is to obviously get Buffalo up to speed with all the other ports, to provide them as a landing spot and really grow with this industry,” said Mark Wendel, president, Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation. “Tens of thousands of people cruising from New York state. It’s extremely popular,” said Elizabeth Carey, director of public relations, AAA WNY and CNY.

AAA estimates more than 21 million people to cruise from the U.S. this year, up 4.5% over last year. They also report that an estimated 10% increase in cruise sales year over year through May.

“People love the experience of setting sail and also being wined and dined on the ship and also getting to visit multiple destinations all in one trip,” said Carey.

She says there is a growing interest in sailing through New York, which will help boost the state economy.

“It just puts New York state on the map. The more the merrier. You have visitors coming in, spending money, dining out. This is amazing to a lot of people, so they want to have that experience,” said Carey.

Like Holender, who recommends travelers, including first-time cruisers, to hit the waters across the state.

“I think anything that brings people to Buffalo and across the state is good. The tourism is good, a lot of history in New York, lots of things to do, so this is one more reason to come,” he said.