CENTREPORT Wellington will welcome the start of the summer cruise season sooner than expected with a scheduling change bringing Ovation of the Seas to the port on Tuesday.
Ovation of the Seas, the largest ship due at CentrePort this season, could not be accommodated at Auckland due to weather issues.
CentrePort initially planned to commence the season with the arrival of Royal Princess on 8 November.
Ovation of the Seas becomes the first of 106 planned ship calls at CentrePort from October through to April 2024.
The port said this tops the 89 calls last year, some of which were cancelled due to weather.
CentrePort chief executive Anthony Delaney said the port is the busiest in NZ by ship movements (including ferry operations) but additional cruise ships in the harbour don’t affect the port’s efficiency or trade capacity.
“It’s great to be able to provide extra support to Wellington through the cruise visits, so it can reap the benefits of tourist spending,” he said.
“Our team have been working for months to get everything in order, including ways to ensure there is a sense of arrival for cruise passengers on the port itself.
“This includes a specially commissioned ‘mural’ of containers developed by a local artist depicting local images of Wellington. This creates a feature of information and details and a defined waiting area before people head out on their various excursions to the city and beyond.”
WellingtonNZ tourism and visitor economy manager Jo Heaton said cruise passengers add economic impact to city businesses and the wider region.
She said getting Wellington ready for the cruise season requires a huge collaborative effort to ensure everything is ready on time for the thousands of people who will disembark over the season.
“The co-operation between CentrePort, Wellington City Council and Metlink in particular has been outstanding.”
