The AIDAbella docked at the Port of Montreal yesterday, becoming the biggest cruise ship ever to come alongside at the Canadian city.

The AIDAbella was on a long fall foliage voyage from New York, and will be docked in Montreal until Friday.

Montreal will accommodate no fewer than four cruise ships between October 2 and 5: along with the AIDAbella (2,500 passengers), the Seven Seas Navigator (500 passengers), the Crystal Symphony (960 passengers) and a regular, the Maasdam (1,266 passengers).

Last year, the Port of Montreal welcomed close to 70,000 cruise passengers and crew members, domestic and international cruises combined, up 74% over the previous year.

This excellent result is largely due to the efforts of the Montreal Cruise Committee, created in 2011 at the initiative of Tourism Montreal and the Montreal Port Authority.

The committee mobilizes six other partners: Aéroports de Montréal, Casino de Montréal, Old Port of Montreal Corporation, Old Montreal Business Development Corporation, Hotel Association of Greater Montreal and the City of Montreal.