The comments were made during Crown Princess’s World Cruise stop in Auckland, signalling the start of the 2026-27 season.
Rutherford says the line will visit Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Nelson, Timaru, Dunedin and Fiordland during 2028-29, with more open jaws in and out of Auckland, plus extra deployment to Timaru. However, for more detail the trade will need to watch for a fill season release mid-October with sales opening early November.
‘It will be one of our biggest launches and we know that some of the iconic cruises will sell out early, so agents should be ready to act quickly.’
He says further beyond destinations such as Japan, Northern Europe, Mediterranean and Alaska all continue to attract Kiwi cruisers for Princess. ‘Singapore and Japan are not too far away and we are seeing a lot of growth there. We have two ships – Diamond and Sapphire – in Japan for nine or 10 months.’
Peter Little, senior vice-president and country manager for Carnival Corporation, also in Auckland over the weekend, says there is now considerable optimism around cruising in New Zealand. ‘We’re acknowledging the Government and the work that has been done to make sure New Zealand has a strong cruise industry. The country can now be held up as an example of how to turn things around after a down-turn.’
The arrival of Crown Princess in Auckland also marked the completion of her 114-day World Cruise, having departed Auckland on 6 May and since then sailing 36,000 nautical miles, visiting 44 destinations across 26 countries. The ship departed Auckland for Sydney at 9pm on Saturday.
