Tauranga is set to celebrate the maiden visit of the 15-deck megaliner Explorer of the Seas on Monday week, bringing more than 3800 passengers to our shores.
The 312m, 138,194 tonne Explorer of the Seas, which is the Royal Caribbean's newest and largest megaliner based in this region, sails into the Port of Tauranga at 6.30am on December 7.
The megaliner, which has already called at Milford Sound, Picton and Wellington, is the largest of the 78 cruise ships visiting Tauranga between October 7 and May 18. That is more than six times the eight to 12 ships that visited the Bay a decade ago.
During the 2015/16 cruise ship season Explorer of the Seas will make nine visits to Tauranga, with the last being on March 1 next year.
The ship, which has just had a $122 million refurbishment in Spain, features 15 bars and restaurants, a surf simulator, rock-climbing wall, three swimming pools, and nine-hole mini golf course.