Yesterday's annual cruise ship season debriefing attended by i-SITE, Port Otago and tourism operators heard there would be 20 days in the 2017-18 season in which two cruise ships were expected to berth at Port Chalmers. This compared with 12 last season.
That includes Christmas Day, when almost 7000 passengers will arrive, followed by double-ups on Boxing Day and December 27. Three ships will arrive on December 30.
A total of 90 ships carrying 189,594 passengers are expected next season.
The debriefing was attended by about 50 people, and lacked the unrest that has been seen in past years, when everything from claims of bias against certain operators to concerns about parking and public toilets was voiced.
Attendees heard about the benefits resulting from the $3.35 million Port Otago spent in the 2016-17 year.
Dunedin's i-SITE visitor centre manager Louise van de Vlierd said there were no serious issues raised this year by operators.
"I think the majority are starting to accept that everybody's got to work together.
"The port has made that huge investment, and it has improved the whole way everything works. It has improved it for everybody.''
Port Otago commercial general manager Peter Brown told the meeting changes at the port, including new passenger and berth facilities, had worked well.
After the meeting at the Edgar Centre he said the port now had "the building blocks in place'' to host the ships and their passengers.
"What we're talking about is fine-tuning the things that we've got in place now.''
That included improving the layout inside the passenger facility so it was easier to queue for buses, and the layout of tour operators' information so they could attract more business.
Traffic management on the wharf was "a constant issue for us,'' and more work needed to be done.
Feedback from operators had been mostly good at the meeting, although one indicated beforehand they wanted to be able to sell their tourism product on the wharf, something Mr Brown said would not happen.
"We don't want to go back to the dark days of scuffles and people fighting over passengers.''
Ms van de Vlierd said last night tourism operators might need to consider holding Christmas parties in the middle of the year, as Christmas would be a busy time.
Operators needed to tell their families they were in the tourism industry, and Christmas Day would be a work day.
"Now it remains to be seen who does open, and who doesn't. We've got to open for them, and I think it will happen.''
Other issues covered at the meeting included the possibility of Chinese-speaking ambassadors at the port, fixing puddles that formed on rainy days near gangways, and the need for better Wi-Fi in the Octagon.
Mr Brown said there were 113 ships with their names down for a berth in 2018-19 year, although he expected that would decrease to the mid-90s by the time that season arrived.
