NCLH chief luxury officer outlines ambition to expand UK trade distribution

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ chief luxury officer has outlined ambitions to expand UK trade distribution and use remaining 2026 capacity to get more agents on board.

The strategy comes after UK and Ireland sales director Louise Craddock predicted a “bigger” late-booking season than ever before, speaking at last week’s Advantage Travel Partnership conference in Madrid.

Speaking to Travel Weekly’s Lucy Huxley before an event for the line’s top UK sellers in London, Jason Montague – who also oversees Regent Seven Seas Cruises – acknowledged a dip in US travellers has opened up “more opportunities” for UK passengers to book closer to their departure dates in 2026.

“The UK has been a huge market for us,” Montague said. “It is our second-largest market for both brands, and we are very fortunate to have a tremendous team. The current geopolitical situation does open up more opportunities from a close-in sailing stage.”

Montague admitted that conflict in the Middle East had an immediate impact on 2026 European bookings, but noted demand is recovering rapidly.

“2026 did have a little bit of a challenge from that standpoint, but we are seeing it coming back,” he said. “Regent has been doing fantastic; it was a little ahead of the booking curve compared to Oceania Cruises, so it did not experience as much impact.”

Looking ahead, Montague emphasised the group’s desire to broaden its retail reach. “We want to lean in with the partners we know we can drive more business with, but we also want to ensure we are open to agencies who maybe have not done much luxury before but want to break into the luxury space.”

He pointed to recent strategic moves – such as scrapping non-commissionable fares (NCFs) for new season launches, shifting to an adults-only policy, and launching a debut TV campaign – as key “levers” designed to drive growth and offer agents and consumers greater clarity.

“We are really paving the way to be great partners and help build our businesses together,” he added.

Turning to fleet expansion, Montague said he “could not be more thrilled” with the group’s order book, which includes five Sonata-class ships for Oceania Cruises and three Prestige-class vessels for Regent Seven Seas Cruises, with deliveries scheduled through to 2037.

The first new build, Oceania Sonata, is scheduled for delivery in 2027 and achieved a “record opening” for a new vessel launch.

“The appetite for our new ships has been off the charts, so we are excited to have four more on order right after Oceania Sonata,” Montague said.

The group also confirmed major upcoming refurbishments, with Oceania Marina undergoing dry-dock at the end of 2026 and Oceania Nautica following in late 2027.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises will also see comprehensive overhauls for Seven Seas Mariner and Seven Seas Voyager, which Montague promised would return them to “near brand-new” condition.