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Star Princess - Source: ONE News -
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Aucklanders woke up to a spectacular sight on Friday morning, as the massive cruise ship Star Princess sailed into Auckland port.
The 290 metre long ship can hold up to 2,600 passengers.
Its arrival marks the opening of a busy summer cruise season with 25 ships due to make a total of 57 calls to Auckland.
Managing Director Jens Madsen said that while the economic situation had impacted some international cruise operators, the New Zealand market had shown resilience.
"Despite a slight drop in the number of cruise ship calls this season, we are hearing positive reports from around the industry and are expecting a speedy recovery."
"Bookings for the next 2010/2011 season are currently sitting at 69 calls," Madsen says.
"We are hosting 25% more cruise ship calls this season than we did just three years ago, and have also seen an increase in winter cruise calls over the last two years."
