Cunard Line will return to La Rochelle in 2018 as the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria are both scheduled to call into the French port.

For the 2017 cruise calendar, the port is expecting 44 calls, which is up 45 percent on 2016.

A new cruise terminal opened at 2012 and is fully equipped to do turnarounds, according to a port spokesperson.

“We can handle embarkation and disembarkation operations,” she said. MSC did interporting in La Rochelle for two seasons and the port is hoping to attract another homeport customer.

The deep sea port can easily handle big ships and offers a niche port experience and moderately sized city.