By
Elizabeth Robinson |
Canada’s Port of Montréal welcomed a record 114,517 passengers and crew members during the 2017 cruise season, a 33% increase from 2016.
A total of 21 ships from 16 international cruise lines visited the T1 Terminal at the Alexandra Pier in Old Montréal and Terminal T3, which is located east of Jacques-Cartier Bridge.
The 2017 cruise season opened on 6 May with the arrival of Holland America Line’s Veendam and closed on 27 October with the departure of Seven Seas Mariner from Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Highlights of the season included maiden calls from Silversea Cruises’ Silver Muse and Viking Cruises’ Viking Sky and Viking Sea.
“I would like to congratulate and extend my sincere thanks to the Montréal Cruise Committee’s partners and teams on the ground for receiving a record number of cruise passengers and crew members in 2017,” said Sylvie Vachon, president and CEO of the Montréal port authority. “Since 10 June, we have been proudly welcoming ships to our revamped cruise terminal in the Port of Montréal. It features modern and effective infrastructure for use by visitors and cruise lines, in addition to an international-calibre maritime architectural signature. This season also underscored the importance of maintaining our facilities east of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge to ensure our mooring capacity during the high season.”
Next season, the port expects to welcome around 130,000 passengers and crew members. “I am extremely satisfied with the results we achieved,” said Yves Lalumière, president and CEO of Tourisme Montréal.