The first of the Titanic memorial cruise ships arrived in Halifax today.

The Azmara Journey sailed in from New York carrying more than 400 passengers from all over the world.

The passengers, who came from as far away as Australia, admitted they didn't know a lot about Halifax, but they do know about the Titanic and are eager to see the city so closely tied to the tragedy.

"We love the history of the Titanic," says one passenger. "We always watch the documentaries."

Steven Sirena booked his trip two and a half years ago. He paid $10,000 for his memorable voyage.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," says Sirena.

The ship is smaller than the Titanic and about 15,000 tonnes lighter, but there are some similarities. In fact, the ship has a staircase that has been nicknamed the Titanic staircase, after the iconic staircase in the blockbuster film.

The ship's captain hails from Southhampton, England, the city from which the Titanic set sail.

"It is a great honour," says Captain Jason Ikiadis. "I'm looking forward to it very much and there's very interesting things going on in the ship."

The memorial cruise includes lectures on the historic sinking, as well as menus modelled after the food on board the Titanic. In addition, during the Halifax stop, there are tours that include a visit to the cemeteries where more Titanic victims are buried than anywhere else in the world.

"This is very sad, to see these unnamed tombstones," says passenger Esther Kehoe.

The passengers on this voyage have come to hear the stories they don't already know, but many have stories themselves.

"I was a boy of about five or six years old and my father made me spell two words. One was Mississippi and the other was Titanic," says passenger Darwyn Meyers.

Also on the itinerary for many of the passengers was lunch at Halifax's Five Fishermen. The restaurant was once a funeral home and is where the victims of the sinking were brought. On the menu today was the very same meal the passengers of the Titanic ate before they died.

"It's amazing, it's just amazing and I do fill up when I think about it, says passenger Mary Anne Schneider.

The Maritime Museum did their part to commemorate the 100th anniversary, they unveiled a new exhibit on the Titanic.

"It's important to look at the past in order to see where we're going for the future," says passenger Sheryl Rinkol.

The Azamara heads back out to see Thursday evening, on its way to the exact spot where the Titanic sank, to remember those lost 100 years ago.