The Newcastle cruise season has begun with the arrival of the Westerdam tourist ship on Monday.
The 285-metre vessel made its berth in the harbour about 8am and will remain for the day before a scheduled departure of 5pm.
The 2000 passengers and 800 crew were greeted by gloomy weather after a storm blew across the region on Sunday night. The overcast conditions are expected to stick around for Tuesday before clearer skies return for the rest of the week.
Newcastle was the first stop for the Holland America cruise, which departed Sydney on Sunday. From the Hunter, it will head to Brisbane before making its way to Indonesia and back down Australia's west coast over the next three weeks.
Three more cruise ships are set to stop in Newcastle before the end of the year - the Viking Orion on November 28, the Seven Seas Explorer on December 18 and the Viking Venus on December 22.
Another eight are scheduled between January and March next year, with 12,500 passengers and 6,500 crew expected to visit during the cruise season.
Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes said cruise ship visits were a "fantastic injection" for the region's tourism and hospitality economies.
"International cruise ship passengers are reported to spend around $200-$300 per person per visit, and crew members also contribute by spending around $50-$100 per visit," he said.
"That quickly adds up. Provisioning for perishable supplies can also significantly add to the region's revenue."
Mr Hawes said the business group was "alive to discussions" about a Newcastle cruise terminal.
"Depending on how the industry progresses that may be a conversation to reopen at a later date," he said.
"Being a region that people want to visit is our first priority. And we are clearly a region sending a message to the world, as evidenced by our inclusion on prominent curated travel lists."
Cruise ship Silver Nova scrapped plans to stop in the port on November 24, citing the Rising Tide protest as its reason for cancellation.
A Rising Tide spokesman said in September that non-coal vessels would be granted passage to the port throughout the duration of the People's Blockade, however the state government on Friday declared a wholesale exclusion zone around the port during the activist group's planned harbour blockade.
