Marking the season opening, Princess Cruises said it will roughly double its New Zealand port calls from the 2028/29 season, calling at nine ports: Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin, Picton, Napier and Timaru, plus Fiordland scenic cruising. The line says the additional calls would generate more than NZ$100 million in economic value and make it the country's largest cruise operator.
Princess Cruises timed a major deployment announcement to the opening of New Zealand's 2026/27 season, saying it plans to double the number of ports it visits from the 2028/29 season as the market continues to rebuild. Under the plan the line would call at nine New Zealand ports and add scenic cruising through Fiordland.
The operator estimates the expanded programme would generate more than NZ$100 million in economic value and position it as New Zealand's largest cruise line. The commitment lands against a still-difficult backdrop, with NZ Customs forecasting a further fall in passenger volumes for 2025/26 and the New Zealand Cruise Association expecting well below pre-pandemic port-call numbers this season.