Citing an unprecedented increase in booking volume this year, Norwegian Cruise Line will raise cruise prices 7% on April 2.
Crediting a Wave season promotion the line held in January and February, NCL said its group business was up almost twofold, and that sales were strong for its upcoming ship, the Norwegian Epic.
The move came one week after Carnival Cruise Lines said it would raise prices for all sailings in June, July and August, also because of strong booking volume during the first two months of the year. Carnival said its prices would go up as much as 5%.
NCL CEO Kevin Sheehan said the line was seeing "heavy call volumes translating to exceptional bookings."
"As we move out of wave season, consumers and travel partners can expect to see our prices rise across the fleet, especially for our new, highly anticipated ship, Norwegian Epic," he said.
Demonstrating a turnaround in a market that has consistently dragged down NCL’s margins, the line said its Hawaii-based ship, the Pride of America, has experienced strong demand this year.
