Cruise tourism’s love affair with New Zealand is set to gather pace during the imminent 2018-19 summer cruise season with six Carnival Australia lines accounting for a record 405 port calls generating nearly NZD$200 million in economic activity.
Sixteen ships from Australasia’s biggest cruise operator — one more vessel than last cruise season — will sail in New Zealand waters beginning with Princess Cruises’ flagship, Majestic Princess, on September 30, for a spectacular series of maiden arrivals.
The 405 port calls are comprised of 392 visits and 13 turnarounds by six of the company’s cruise lines. Highlighting the strength of local cruising, there are 12 per cent more calls than last season’s 362 and a fivefold increase on the 85 calls a decade ago during the 2008-2009 cruise season.
The six Carnival Australia brands — Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia, Cunard, Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Seabourn — will fly the flag in New Zealand from the end of September to mid-April.
In addition to Majestic Princess’s maiden calls, Princess Cruises, with its 229 port calls from four ships based in this region, will account for more than half of the total. Princess Cruises carries more Australians to New Zealand than all other cruise lines combined.
"Australia and the world are in love with New Zealand with everything that cruise visitors could wish for in picturesque scenery, unique experiences and the warmth of the welcome from Kiwis," said Carnival Australia President Sture Myrmell.
"Our record 2018-19 cruise season, involving beautiful ships from six of our iconic cruise lines, speaks volumes for New Zealand’s reputation as a premier international destination attracting ships on world voyages and others that call our region home on a seasonal or year-round basis."
Top New Zealand port calls for Carnival Australia fleet ships during the season are Akaroa (56 calls), Fiordland National Park and Dunedin (55), Tauranga and Wellington (52 each), and Auckland (48). In all, five ships will be making maiden calls to local ports. Tel: +61 2 8424 8861 | Level 5, 465 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood NSW 2067 | PO Box 1429, Chatswood NSW 2057 Carnival plc trading as Carnival Australia | ABN 23 107 998 443. 2TA 5580 V
Across Carnival Australia Brands -- 2018-2019 New Zealand Cruise Season Highlights
Princess Cruises
37 cruises featuring a record 232 port calls with flagship Majestic Princess cruising from Sydney, Golden Princess from Melbourne, Sun Princess and Sea Princess sailing from Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle, and Pacific Princess’ world voyage visiting Auckland, Dunedin and Stewart Island.
Ten maiden port visits for three ships -- Sun Princess’ first call to Picton, Pacific Princess’ first call to Stewart Island, and Majestic Princess’ eight maiden calls: Fiordland National Park (for scenic cruising), Port Chalmers (Dunedin), Akaroa, Wellington, Tauranga, Auckland, Bay of Islands, and Napier
Majestic Princess will sail 14 cruises to New Zealand (including three cruises originating in Auckland).
P&O Cruises
Pacfic Explorer does her first cruise to New Zealand with seven maiden calls to Bay of Islands, Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Akaroa, Dunedin and Fiordland National Park.
New Zealand favourite, Pacific Jewel, will visit on an 11-night cruise departing Melbourne late December 2018 prior to her farewell from the P&O Cruises fleet in March 2019.
Just before cruise season wraps up, Pacific Aria will arrive in Auckland on April 9 to be home ported through to August.
Carnival Cruise Line
Three round-trip cruises to New Zealand involving two Carnival Legend cruises from Melbourne and one Carnival Spirit cruise from Sydney with a combined total of 12 calls to NZ ports.
Cunard
Queen Elizabeth will be based in Australia for a record two months from February 2019 with the season including two cruises to New Zealand.
Queen Elizabeth makes Cunard’s maiden call to Picton and the ship’s first calls to Fiordland National Park, Dunedin and Akaroa.
Tel: +61 2 8424 8861 | Level 5, 465 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood NSW 2067 | PO Box 1429, Chatswood NSW 2057 Carnival plc trading as Carnival Australia | ABN 23 107 998 443. 2TA 5580 V
Queen Victoria will visit on her 107-night world cruise with calls to Tauranga, Auckland and Bay of Islands.
Holland America Line
Three Holland America Line ships will be in Australasian waters making 73 NZ port calls – Noordam on her October to April season, Maasdam from November to January and Amsterdam visiting Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington and Picton on her 113-day Grand World Voyage.
Maasdam will make Holland America Line’s maiden call to Kaikoura and three maiden ship calls to Gisborne, New Plymouth and Nelson.
Seabourn
Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Sojourn will showcase the line’s biggest ever Australasia season.
Seabourn Encore will do a series of cruises from Sydney and Auckland including the line’s first ever round-trips from Auckland involving two 16-night NZ circumnavigations.
Seabourn Sojourn will visit Auckland and Bay of Islands during her 128-day Great Oceans exploration.
Four maiden calls for Seabourn Encore including Waiheke Island, Napier, Gisborne and Nelson.
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