PORTLAND — The city's cruise ship season opens Wednesday with the arrival of the Explorer of the Seas.

The Royal Caribbean ship is carrying 3,114 passengers. The ship will be in port from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The ship is the first of 31 cruise ship visits scheduled for this summer and fall. The figure is in line with recent years but down from the past.

The visit is part of a nine-day sail that started in New Jersey. The ship will be arriving in Portland following a stop in Bar Harbor. It heads to Boston in the evening.

The number of cruise ship visits to Maine has grown over the past five years, largely due to calls to Bar Harbor. Maine ports are expecting to host 278 cruise ships this year, according to CruiseMaine, which represents the state's ports. Five years ago, 151 ships called.