The start of the Wellington cruise season is set to sail in early, as the first ships signal a promising summer for the capital.
Welcoming 71 cruise calls from October 2025 to April 2026 on ships carrying between 146 and 4,900 passengers, the city’s upcoming cruise season is anticipated to deliver tens of millions in economic benefit to the capital and a welcome boost to tourism, hospitality and retail businesses.
Despite a forecasted decrease in overall cruise ship calls across New Zealand, Wellington’s numbers have remained relatively stable, dropping only slightly from 73 calls last year. This highlights the capital’s strong appeal as a cruise destination and the city’s focus on stabilising cruises for the future as a valued economic contributor.
“We’re proud to welcome more than 120,000 anticipated cruise passengers to Wellington over the coming season. People from all corners of the world will be coming to our shores to experience the best of Wellington, whether that be discovering our café culture, shopping to their heart’s content in our stores, or simply exploring our compact and walkable city,” said Mark Oldershaw, Chief Executive at WellingtonNZ.
“The volunteer Wellington City Ambassadors and isite team at Tākina are eager to connect with cruisegoers, helping them to disperse throughout the city and have a positive visitor experience. We also invite Wellingtonians and local businesses to engage proactively and to view the cruise season as an opportunity to showcase Wellington’s unique experiences, hospitality, culture, and retail offerings.”
According to the latest schedule, Wellington is set to welcome a wide variety of vessels – from smaller expedition-style ships such as New Zealand based Heritage Adventurer on 7 November which takes a maximum of just 146 passengers, to some of the world’s largest cruise vessels, including Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas arriving on 31 January with a maximum passenger capacity of roughly 4,900 and the Crown Princess arriving on 9 February which can accommodate a little over 3,500 passengers.
The cumulative effect of the season means sustained business for cafés and restaurants, steady foot traffic for retail outlets and increased demand for guided experiences and ground transport. Industry data consistently shows that cruise passengers often spend on short‑term local experiences, souvenirs, plus food and beverage, generating jobs and supporting small and medium businesses across the city and wider Wellington region.
“Cruise tourism is a vital part of our success. On days when ships are in port, we’ll see a 100 percent increase in visitors to the Cable Car. We’re really looking forward to welcoming passengers again and seeing the positive impact they have on Wellington’s economy,” said Cable Car Chief Executive, Tansy Tompkins.
To help future-proof the city’s cruise tourism industry and drive continued economic benefit, WellingtonNZ and CentrePort are collaborating to deliver a new cruise strategy, designed specifically for Wellington’s sector but aligned to New Zealand Cruise Association’s national strategy.
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