Norwegian Cruise Line’s CruiseFirst Program Is Now Live

Norwegian Cruise Line’s CruiseFirst program for Wave Season is now live for consumers and travel advisors.

The program, which Norwegian announced last week during a press conference for its Week of You celebration, allows consumers to purchase a $300 future cruise credit (FCC), which Norwegian is calling CruiseFirst certificates, for $150 and to use it three years from the date of purchase. The program also gives advisors an instant revenue stream, with each certificate earning an advisor $50 in the form of a gift card.  

All CruiseFirst certificates are also combinable with other Norwegian promotions, including its Free at Sea offer.

“As we look at breaking free from the boundaries of 2020 and think of better days ahead, we want to inspire our guests to dream big about their future vacation at sea with us,” NCL president and CEO Harry Sommer said in a statement on Wednesday. “Our CruiseFirst program, launched in time for the holiday season, provides unbeatable value and serves as a great gift for those planning to turn their vacation daydreams into vacation reality.”

Speaking last week, Norwegian’s Katina Athanasiou said that one of the goals behind the program, aside from driving bookings, was to “get advisors revenue as quickly as possible.”

“The beauty of this is the client doesn’t have to apply the coupon to a reservation, it just has to be purchased. Once it’s purchased, the advisor will validate and receive the $50 gift card.”

Norwegian this week is celebration advisors during its Week of You event, which includes opportunities for advisors to engage with Norwegian sales executives and take part in sessions on 13 different programming opportunities made up of a combination within three tracks—education, lifestyle, and business partnerships—that will help them prepare for the upcoming Wave season, engage with their colleagues, and work with Norwegian’s sales staff. 

The celebration will wrap up on Friday with “an exclusive performance created solely for our travel partners” by the cast of Million Dollar Quartet, one of the highlights of Norwegian’s entertainment lineups.