Montréal's cruise season sees a record 33 percent increase in 2017

The Port of Montréal welcomed 114,517 passengers and crew members during the 2017 cruise season, up 33 percent compared to 2016. In all, some 21 ships representing 16 international cruise lines moored 52 times at the newly renovated T1 Terminal located at the Alexandra Pier in Old Montréal and at Terminal T3 located east of Jacques-Cartier Bridge. This season also saw 16 domestic cruises operating between Montréal and the Magdalen Islands.

Three new luxury international cruise liners visited Montréal for the first time this season, namely the MS Viking Sky and MS Viking Sea from Viking Cruises, and the MS Silver Muse from Silversea Cruises. The season opened on May 6 with the arrival of the MS Veendam from Holland-America and closed on October 27 with the departure of the MS Seven Seas Mariner from Regent Seven SeasCruises.

"Since June 10, 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."

According to data collected by the Montréal Cruise Committee, clients are primarily American (68 percent), English (12 percent), Canadian (7 percent) and Australian (5 percent). Nearly 70 percent of passengers who began or ended a cruise in Montréal prolonged their stay by an average of two nights.