The new facility at the port, designed to house passengers as they waited to head into the city and leave for tours, was a success.
The facility includes an information centre, a lounge area with free Wi-Fi, and toilets.
Sun Princess arrived in Port Chalmers at 7.35am yesterday.
Dunedin iSite visitor centre manager Louise van de Vlierd said the city and tourist operators were ‘‘brilliantly’’ busy, which was a surprise.
More passengers disembarked and engaged in activities in Dunedin yesterday than the numbers from the first ships of past seasons.
"It has started with a bang ... it has really started the way we want it to continue."
Ms van de Vlierd said most of the passengers seeking information were Australians and it was their first visit to Dunedin.
Consequently, the most popular activity was a guided tour of the city.
Dunedin Railways chief executive officer Murray Bond said five trains were put on to cater for the cruise ship passengers.
About 400 passengers travelled on two trains to Pukerangi via Taieri Gorge — one departed from Port Chalmers and the other from Dunedin Railway Station.
Dunedin Railways had employed a visitor experience manager to ensure a "slicker service" for passengers this season.
An aim this season was to ensure the trips "ran to time", which they did yesterday.
"It’s a good start to the season."
Passengers Peter and Cynthia Vanderhoeven, of Adelaide, visited Larnach Castle and "loved" it.
Catherine Coman, of Sydney, said she and her son Josh had "a lovely day" exploring the "beautiful and spectacular" city.
"I love the green hills; I just love the idea that there was a busy city surrounded by green hills," Mrs Coman said.
Passengers Paul, Cath, Emma and Georgia Howard, of Newcastle, went on a wildlife cruise in Otago Harbour, "which was pretty impressive," Mr Howard said.
