Start of peak cruise season in Montreal: 30,000+ passengers expected

MONTREAL, Sept. 10, 2024 /CNW/ - The cruise season is in full swing at the Port of Montreal! The peak of the 2024 cruise season got underway on September 1 when the Hamburg docked, and will continue until October 28 when Oceania Cruises' Insignia and Nautica arrive. In all, this promising season will feature 28 prestigious ships and welcome more than 30,000 passengers.

Many first-timers

This year, the Port of Montreal is receiving six ships on their first call, attesting to the city's growing appeal as a destination of choice on the international cruise circuit. Welcome to Rivages du Monde's World Explorer on September 8, Ponant's Le Lyrial and Regent Seven Seas' Seven Seas Grandeur on September 19, Oceania's Nautica on October 6, Fred Olsen's Borealis on October 16, and Azamara Cruises' Azamara Journey on October 24.

Lasting partnerships and special events!

Three milestones will be celebrated this season, showcasing Montreal's growing popularity as a preferred port of call along as well as its ability to maintain lasting relationships with the world's leading cruise lines, when the:

• 25,000th Regent Seven Seas passenger is welcomed as the Seven Seas Grandeur starts its stopover on September 19;
• 30,000th Viking Cruises passenger is welcomed after the Viking Neptune arrives on September 27; and
• 40,000th Ocean Cruises passenger is welcomed when the Nautica calls on October 6.

"Montreal stands out as not only a leading tourist destination but as a modern port of call for cruise ships committed to the future. We're proud of our top-notch facilities, and we promise to continually improve our offering as we safeguard our environment with notably shore power connections for ships," said Julie Gascon, President and CEO of the Port of Montreal.

In context, Montreal has already welcomed more than 20,000 passengers and 13 ships during the first four months of the 2024 cruise season.

Complete information on scheduled arrivals and departures for the 2024 season can be found at https://www.port-montreal.com/en/cruises/arrivals-and-departures

About the Port of Montreal

Operated by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), the Port of Montreal is the largest container port in Eastern Canada and a diversified transshipment centre that handles all types of goods: containerized and non-containerized cargo, liquid bulk and dry bulk. The only container port in Quebec, it is a destination port served by the largest shipping lines in the world. It is also an intermodal hub with a service offering that is unique in North America, featuring its own rail network directly dockside connected to Canada's two national rail networks. The MPA also operates a Cruise Terminal and a Port Centre.

The MPA factors economic, social and environmental components into its corporate initiatives. This commitment is governed by a sustainable development policy whose guiding principles focus on involvement, cooperation and accountability. Port activity in Canada supports some 590,000 jobs and generates $93.5 billion in economic activity.

SOURCE Port de Montréal

SOURCE: Montreal Port Authority, Renée Larouche, Director of Communications, [email protected], 514 531-2410