Carnival Splendor is set to arrive tomorrow, the first of 79 cruise ships scheduled to visit Dunedin this year.
The Carnival Splendor, which has a capacity of just over 3000, was scheduled to arrive yesterday but not surprisingly with the weather, change has been made.
Port Otago customer general manager Craig Usher said the poor weather had meant a shuffling of dates and it would now head to Dunedin two days later and then be in Fiordland on Monday.
There had been 94 scheduled cruise ships visits last year, but greater competition and cruise ships heading to other markets had led to a decrease in the New Zealand market.
Mr Usher said everything was looking good for this season and every member of the company’s cruise team had come back for another season.
"It’s nice to have 100% of staff that have been here previously. We’re normally pretty close with returnees. It might be 70%, 80%. To have a full complement return, it’s great," Mr Usher said.
Refresher courses have been done for staff. A team of about 30 worked for the port company when a cruise ship was in town.
Extra buses which had come into use last year with agreement through the Otago Regional Council would again run which Mr Usher said had operated well.
Passengers disembarking the first cruise ship of the season will be welcomed by a new gateway before venturing off into the city.
The Port Otago Cruise Ship Terminal will have a revamped welcome passage with a mural design reflecting mana whenua values and history.
The revamped passage was a collaboration between Enterprise Dunedin, Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou and Port Otago.
Upoko of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou Edward Ellison said the designs were unique to Dunedin and provide a sense of welcoming to visitors.
They also acknowledge those who have traversed the harbour for millennia, he said.
Dunedin-born artist Riani Iti-Metuati (Te Ati Awa, Kūki Airani) designed the suspended acrylic
kōwhaiwhai panels and the mural wall, which was painted by James Bellaney (Ngāti Porou, Kāi Tahu, Scottish, Spanish).
Tourism operators and retailers looked forward to the influx of cruise passengers and Mr Usher said it did not matter the first ship was arriving on a Sunday as everything would be open.
The Scottish Shop was expecting plenty of cruise passengers into the store tomorrow.
"We get them coming in for a wide range of stuff. Magnets, coasters, they come from all different countries," shop worker Lara Findlater said.
"They create a good atmosphere and bring a bit of a buzz to the city."
Larnach Castle general manager Adrian Clifton said they could not wait for the passengers to arrive tomorrow and were looking forward to their arrival.
The castle was working through weather-related issues to the grounds yesterday.
The next ship scheduled to arrive is Celebrity Edge on November 5.
Members of Climate Liberation Aotearoa said they would be out in force tomorrow in both Dunedin and Port Chalmers, outlining their views about the cruise ships.
