The population of Napier is set to surge by a couple of thousand next Monday, although it will also decrease by a couple of thousand by the end of the day.
But within three weeks it will surge again as the annual cruise ship season really takes hold.
The first arrival will be that of the Golden Princess on October 9 and it will be the only arrival for that month before the season sparks into more regular arrival life on November 3 when the Noordam is the first of four arrivals that month.
It will be the first of two early season arrivals for the 109,000-tonne liner which is operated by the Princess Cruise Line - it is scheduled to make its second visit of the season on November 22.
The Golden Princess will arrive from Wellington at 6am with 2636 passengers and 1100 crew.