The 423-passenger German cruise ship "Columbus" - which is as tall as a five-story building -- is expected to dock at the Port of Milwaukee on Wednesday, Sept. 29, according to Port officials. The ship, with a crew of 170, is returning to its 10-day Great Lakes route after having spent the past few years cruising Mediterranean destinations.

Seventy-five percent of the ship's passengers are from Germany and the rest are from North America and Milwaukee was chosen as a port of call thanks to its German heritage. Other stops on the itinerary include Traverse City, Mich., Mackinac Island, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, a cruise in the Georgian Bay, Lake Huron and Chicago before arriving back in Milwaukee on Oct. 8.

Alas, there will be no public tours of the ship and access to the dock is restricted.