NCL has had a hugely successful Wave season from the Kiwi market this year—with the South Pacific proving an unexpected top performer for the cruise line.
“Look, it’s been great for us, we are seeing that pent-up demand and [Kiwis] are just booking; New Zealand has been really good for us,” says Damian Borg, NCL senior director sales strategy and operations Asia Pacific. “It’s all kind of falling into place for us and we are keen to continue that momentum, so you could say we’re doubling down on New Zealand.” The NCL executive is attributing its spiking Kiwi sales to the awareness raised by its local bdm Megan Porter, the value proposition of its More At Sea offering—as well as the local deployment shift. “The biggest trend has been those close-to-home markets of Asia and South Pacific. Obviously there’s changes in the level of local deployment and more people are cruising the South Pacific with us as a result—so we’ll make hay while the South Pacific shines.” That, says Borg, includes a large number of new-to-brand clients, and Kiwi agents are said to be capitalising on the local opportunity and beyond. “Your guys here are doing well filling what’s still available for 2025. There’s still some in Alaska, a bit in Eu rope—and with the changing international landscape we may have a little more available capacity than we would have expected,” adds Borg. “The feedback we’ve had [from the Kiwi stakeholders] is that more Kiwis are making two- to three-month decisions on travelling so those sales keep rolling.”
. . . 2026 Sales
NCL expects sales ex New Zealand to remain robust, following feedback from the Kiwi trade last week. “Everyone’s really busy and pretty upbeat,” says Borg. “I think the forward booking cycle for 2026 will kick in, in the second half of the year. In the next three months once air becomes available for Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep next year, I think we’ll see a spike.”
