Cruise

A booming pre-Covid cruise market saw cruise ship expenditure drop by just 3.2% in the year ending June 2020, despite the season being cut short by the global coronavirus pandemic.

Ports of Auckland said it was unlikely that there would be any cruise ship visits in the 2020-21 financial year.

There is a “clear lack of empathy, concern or understanding” for the travel industry, says Helloworld’s former cruise marketing manager.

More cancellations are expected but there is also hope for a domestic-only season, says NZ Cruise.

Port of Tauranga says it is not budgeting for any cruise ship visits in the 2020-21 season.

Loss of cruise ship visits contributed to a decline in FY20 earnings, says Port Napier.

The New Zealand Cruise Association says progress on a domestic-only cruise season has been pushed back by the latest Covid-19 outbreak and delayed election.

NZ Customs is reviewing the New South Wales Special Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess.

The special inquiry into the cruise ship Ruby Princess found that mistakes were “inexcusable”.

A Celebrity Cruises survey of travel partners across Australasia showed 92% of respondents believed New Zealand-only cruises would be popular once restrictions lifted.

Cruise Lines International Association has welcomed European Maritime Safety Agency guidance on the resumption of cruise ship operations.

There are some real and perceived obstacles to overcome, says NZ Cruise.

The Government’s ban on cruise ships in New Zealand waters is “purely political” and a bid to calm “nervous communities”, the New Zealand Cruise Association told it members Wednesday. 

Celebrity Cruises will extend its suspension of global operations for all sailings, citing the ongoing ramifications of the Covid-19 crisis.

New Zealand’s cruise standstill due to Covid-19 will leave “a big hole” for some operators in the Gisborne region, says general manager tourism at Activate Tairāwhiti Adam Hughes.

Without a start date, operators could deploy their vessels elsewhere, says the NZ Cruise Association.

New Zealand will miss out on more than quarter-of-a-billion dollars if the current ban on cruise ship visits is extended to the end of this year, says the New Zealand Cruise Association.

The $20m redevelopment project of the Main Wharf North for cruise vessels will be extended by four weeks, says Port Nelson.

The decision to cancel this year’s annual event, scheduled for August 20 – 21 in Christchurch, was “in line with the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 recommendations regarding events and public gatherings and in the interests of public health in New Zealand.”

Napier Port lost seven cruise vessel calls due to Covid-19.

The Government is exploring legal options, says Jacinda Ardern.

Hawke’s Bay has three new cases of Covid-19, one of which is linked to the Ruby Princess cruise ship.

Napier Port’s cruise season has closed, having already welcomed 76 cruise ships during the 2019/2020 cruise season.

Passengers on board the Golden Princess are not being allowed off the ship which arrived in Akaroa Harbour on Sunday morning.

The industry needs the government to support it, not target it, says the association.

The Fiordland Trails Trust and St John’s new Central Otago ambulance station will benefit from Real Journeys’ annual Cruise-for-a-Cause fundraiser this year.

Public submissions are now being called on regulations for the prevention of air pollution from ships contained in a 1997 protocol.

The country could gain extra cruise ship visits because of the outbreak overseas, say agents.

Biosecurity NZ ordered a cruise ship to leave New Zealand just before Christmas after discovering biofouling on its hull.

Silversea Cruises’ managing director for Australia & New Zealand, Adam Armstrong, will depart the luxury cruise line later this year.

Construction of Hawke’s Bay’s new $173-$190m wharf has started with a ground-breaking and blessing ceremony for workers held at Napier Port on 5 February.

The cruise season is in full swing in Nelson with two vessels arriving simultaneously yesterday in what Port Nelson said was a first for the region.

Auckland mayor Phil Goff says the recent Fullers ferry cancellations in Auckland are “unacceptable”.

Cruise Lines International Association Australasia is welcoming the government’s decision to adopt the International Maritime Organization MARPOL Annex VI emissions requirements.

The Government will sign up to new rules with stricter pollution standards for ships.

Crew donned fake grass skirts and face paint to welcome cruise passengers to Tauranga.

Costs for the mooring dolphin extension at Auckland’s Queens Wharf have blown out to $30m and will not be completed in time for the America’s Cup in 2021.

A bumper cruise season contributed to a strong year for Napier Port, which saw revenue and earnings ahead of the forecast prepared for its Initial Public Offering in July.

Auckland has been named as the Best Australia/New Zealand Cruise Destination at the 2019 Porthole Cruise Readers’ Choice Awards.

Cruise ships visiting New Zealand are a relatively low biosecurity risk although there is room for improvement, according to Biosecurity NZ. 

The Christchurch City Council has revealed multiple measures to combat the impact of the upcoming cruise season on Akaroa.

The cruise industry must provide new research to determine any environmental impact caused by cruise ships operating in Akaroa Harbour.

Dutch ship Maasdam will dock in Napier and Wellington this week as both destinations gear up for a predicted record-breaking 2019/2020 cruise season.

New Zealand’s cruise season has officially begun, with the first week of October marking the start of what is forecast to be a record-breaking summer.

National cruise tour operator Shore Trips & Tours has purchased Cruise Tours Tauranga giving it access to an official onboard sales channel.

New Zealand is “perfectly positioned” to set a new global benchmark for co-operation between the cruise industry and local communities, according to the executive chair of Carnival Australia, Ann Sherry.

A lack of basic cruise services means Auckland is missing out, according to an industry panel.

However, convincing the public of that is a big challenge for the cruise industry, says CLIA chair Adam Goldstein.

Cruise ships stopping at Akaroa this summer will have to pay a new amenities fee.

Passenger numbers, vessel spend, voyages and port calls all jump in the year to June 2019.