A bumper cruise liner season lies ahead for Picton with 14 port visits from seven ships.

Port Marlborough passenger and ferry services manager Carmen Young said the number of liner visits to Picton would be twice last year's, with Holland America's five-star ms Statendam making its first visit.

The Statendam will cruise into port on December 28 and will make four further calls to the port before the end of the cruise season on March 24.

The 55,451 GRT liner will bring more than 1000 passengers, mainly from the United States, and some 500 crew to the town on her first visit.

Statendam will return to Picton twice each in January and February on a two-week schedule that includes Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Dusky, Doubtful and Milford Sounds.

Travel on the Statendam will set some travellers back more than $1000 a day for a penthouse suite and $3000 in total to stay in an inside state room.

During the American summer from May to September the ship cruises Alaska. It comes to New Zealand and Australia for the US winter.

A liner with even greater luxury, Seven Seas Mariner, will bring 700 guests to Picton on November 18. Some guests will pay up to $59,420 for the experience of travelling on this ship that has a 1 to 1.6 staff to guest ratio, Ms Young said.

New Zealand continued to be a popular destination because of its beauty, safety and so many interesting port stops were available after an overnight sail, she said.

The Port of Picton is doing well with cruise liner visits but because of the shorter length of Waitohi Wharf it cannot take some of the larger vessels visiting Wellington.