The wrecked Costa Concordia will be towed from the island of Giglio by the start of August - two years and eight months after it crashed into rocks with the loss of 32 lives.

Carnival will dispatch a fourth ship to China next April, escalating the battle for passengers in the fastest-growing cruise market.

Passengers on a dolphin-watching cruise remained calm as they waited to be rescued from a charter vessel that started taking on water north of Auckland this afternoon.

The announcement that norovirus was onboard a cruise ship touring NZ 'scared the s*** out of us', said one passenger as sanitation efforts continue.

Auckland could be the winner from Sydney's congested port facilities as cruise lines consider basing more cruising from this side of the Tasman.

Cunard's grand ships have dominated the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships rankings in the Large Resort Ship category.

A cruise industry consultant says New Zealand risks missing out on most of the boom in the sector by not giving passengers what they want.

With more than 1.1 million passenger days spent in New Zealand, the country's ports have survived the biggest cruise season on record - but only just.

Auckland's Queens Wharf is too small for the new generation of bigger cruise ships and may need a $10 million top-up from ratepayers.

A weekly feature by Grant Bradley looks at what's happening in the travel industry and what it means for consumers.

This summer will be New Zealand's busiest cruise season yet in what is the fastest-growing region for the sector in the world.

Take a tour of the Seven Seas Grandeur, the ship billed as the most luxurious in the world. Video / Supplied

The first look at Silversea's Silver Nova, set to debut in August 2023. Video / Supplied