Stocking Stuffer: Norwegian is 1st Legacy Line to Eliminate All NCFs
by Bruce Parkinson
Norwegian Cruise Line is getting rid of all non-commissionable fees.
There’s good news for travel advisors this Christmas Eve as Norwegian Cruise Line has announced it will eliminate all non-commissionable fares across every cruise category, effective Boxing Day for all sailings departing May 1, 2026 and beyond.
“This is significant – no other cruise line, other than Viking and Virgin, has done this,” said Derek Lloyd, Vice President, National and Strategic Accounts, in a message to Travel Market Report Canada.
In an email to partners, the NCL says the move emphasizes its focus on strengthening advisor partnerships and keeping travel advisor success at the core of its strategy.
“Travel advisors are the backbone of our industry, and their success is our success,” said John Chernesky, SVP of Sales for North America at NCL.
“Removing NCFs is a meaningful commitment to strengthening our partnership and ensuring advisors are fully rewarded for the value they bring to their clients and to NCL.”
The cruise line had flirted with removing NCFs in 2023, with the caveat that participating travel advisors submit a marketing plan to qualify. Another condition was that bookings had to be made at least 120 days in advance of the sailing date. Less than a year later, NCL killed the program, saying that it had not delivered the hoped-for increase in business.
Non-commissionable fees have long been a point of contention in the relationship between advisors and the cruise industry. Taxes are one thing, but various cruise lines also made unspecified ‘fees’ non-commissionable, sometimes significantly reducing compensation for advisors.
In recent years, start-up ocean cruise lines including Viking, Virgin Voyages, and Explora Journeys have come out of the gate offering commission on the entire cruise fare, putting pressure on competitors to follow suit or otherwise sweeten the pot for the travel trade. NCFs,
The NCL move comes as the cruise line prepares to celebrate 15 years of its ‘Partners First’ program next year. Last week, Norwegian announced the return of its popular ‘Free at Sea’ consumer promotion, which is now commissionable to advisors.
