Rivages du Monde chooses Montréal homeport for new cruise program

The 216-passenger ship will operate a 10-night itinerary that explores Lake Ontario, the Thousand Islands and Niagara Falls with calls at Kingston, Toronto and Ogdensburg, N.Y., then downriver to Trois-Rivières and Québec before returning to Montréal.

The new program is expected to add nearly 7,000 passengers to the Port of Montréal's 2015 season.

'I am thrilled that the cruise offer on the St. Lawrence has become increasingly sophisticated and varied,' said Yves Lalumière, president and ceo of Tourisme Montréal. 'We are proud that Rivages du Monde has chosen Montréal as its homeport, not only because it generates economic spin-offs and increases the city's visibility in France, but also because it offers a product that appeals to Québec clients.'

The Rivages du Monde program will attract a new market niche for clients seeking river cruises, according to René Trépanier, executive director of Cruise the Saint Lawrence. 'This will allow us to diversify the demand for stopovers upstream of the St. Lawrence,' he added.

Built in 2001 at Atlantic Marine in Jacksonville, Fla., as Cape May Light, a coastal ship for American Classic Voyages, Saint-Laurent Prestige, now under Bahamas registry, is scheduled for a full refurbishment this winter.