Acapulco is expecting a record number of arrivals by passenger cruise ships this year.

So far, 28 cruise ships with a total of 31,000 passengers have called at the port, compared to 18 during 2016– a 64 percent increase for the season.

Next year’s 2017-2018 season is expected to be even better, with at least 37 ships planning their arrival, increasing passenger arrivals to 45,000.

Today’s modern cruise ships are part of Acapulco’s centuries-long maritime legacy.

Centuries ago, the city served as a trading center, with large wooden ships bringing gold and other goods from Mexico to the East, returning with porcelain, spices and fabrics.

Acapulco Bay and the surrounding Pacific are full of shipwrecks from this period.

By the mid-20th century, the port was drawing Hollywood celebrities like Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth, who attended parties on Errol Flynn’s boat, the Zaca.

— Dana Niland, CJ Contributor