The departure of Sea Princess from Port Chalmers this Thursday will signal the end of the record-breaking 2011-12 season, and bigger vessels are expected to bring more visitors next season.
The 2012-13 season is predicted to bring a record 86 cruise-ship visits to the port, with a total capacity of 154,000 passengers and 68,000 crew.
Five of those visits would be from one of the largest cruise ships in the world, Voyager of the Seas, which has a capacity of 3100 passengers and 1185 crew.
Port Otago commercial manager Peter Brown told the Otago Daily Times the vessel would be the "largest ship that has ever come into Otago Harbour", and would be a highlight of the season.
In preparation for the larger vessels, Port Otago pilots had taken part in simulations at the Devonport Naval Base.
They were confident the port could handle such ships, he said.
There was an expectation from the industry that cruise-ship visits would not continue to increase, but vessels would get larger, he said.
Taieri Gorge Railway chief executive Murray Bond said the cruise-ship market had proven a vital one for the tourism attraction, particularly in a "flat year" for the industry.
The train carried 16,760 cruise-ship passengers on shore excursions this season, up from 12,704 the previous season; a 31.9% increase.
"General tourism is struggling in the South Island, but the cruise-ship market has been so good and we are delighted," Mr Bond said.
Tourism Dunedin chief executive Hamish Saxton, who is also on the management committee of Cruise NZ, said the city had proven a successful destination for cruise-ship visitors.
"The cruise sector is growing worldwide, and it is great to see Dunedin continuing to be included on itineraries and [to see] the growth for New Zealand as a whole."
This season, it was pleasing to see more Dunedin businesses, particularly those in retail and the hospitality sector, being proactive and welcoming cruise-ship passengers to the city, he said.
A 2010 Cruise NZ report said cruise-ship visitors were expected to pump $40 million into the Dunedin economy for the 2011-12 season.
The 2012-13 season begins on October 14, with the arrival of the Sea Princess, and ends with the departure of Oosterdam, on April 5 next year.
