John Chernesky Departing Norwegian Cruise Line at End of 2026
by Michael Pihach
John Chernesky will exit Norwegian Cruise Line on Dec. 31, 2026. (NCL)
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has announced that John Chernesky, the cruise line’s chief sales officer, will depart the company effective December 31, 2026, following three and a half years with the organization.
Marc Kazlauskas, president of NCL, shared the update in an email sent to President’s Club accounts on Monday (Nov. 2).
Chernesky joined Norwegian in April 2023 as senior vice president of North America sales, responsible for the overall trade sales strategy for the U.S. and Canada.
In January of this year, he was promoted to senior vice president and chief sales officer, overseeing global trade sales and consumer sales.
“Over the past three and a half years, John has been a passionate advocate for our travel partners and your success,” the email reads.
“His leadership helped drive meaningful changes to strengthen our partnership with the trade, including the elimination of non-commissionable fares (NCFs), and he has consistently championed greater engagement, transparency and collaboration with our travel partner community.”
“We are incredibly grateful to John for his leadership, partnership and unwavering commitment to the trade, and we wish him nothing but success in the future.”
Interim leadership announced
As NCL begins its search for a permanent successor, Brennan Quesnele, senior vice president of strategic accounts and trade marketing (and a proud Canadian), will assume interim responsibility for North America sales, Kazlauskas wrote.
Chernesky will remain with the company through December 31 to support the transition.
NCL emphasized that its commitment to travel advisors will remain unchanged despite the leadership shakeup.
“We are proud of the momentum we have built together and remain focused on continuing that progress,” Kazlauskas wrote.
He added that NCL will continue investing in advisor tools, programs and support while maintaining close engagement with the travel partner community.
No details were provided about Chernesky’s next career move or a timeline for naming his permanent successor.
This is a developing story.
