Norwegian Cruise Line has revealed that it is to homeport a ship in Southampton in 2017, seven years after it stopped sailing ex-UK.
The line announced the news as part of an ambitious target to double its UK sales by 2020.
The programme, on board Norwegian Jade, goes on sale in February, with the first departure on May 12.
The line also announced that it is to bring its second-largest ship, Getaway, to the Baltic in 2017, making it its fifth in Europe.
“Agent partners ask us all the time when are you going to sail from the UK again, but it had to be the right time for us,” said general manager Northern Europe & MEA, Nick Wilkinson. “Now we’re back, and we’re in it to win it.”
Having Getaway based so close to the UK will be another lucrative opportunity for agents, he added.
“With so much airlift from northern England and Scotland to Copenhagen, it is incredibly accessible for customers in those regions,” he explained.
Norwegian Jade will sail four-night mini-cruises to Hamburg; seven-night Hamburg-Amsterdam-Zebrugge itineraries; and nine-night Norwegian fjord cruises.
Francis Riley, vice president international operations, said the line was not ruling out positioning a larger ship ex-UK in the future.
“This really shows the confidence in the UK and German business, and it’s a great way of testing it to make sure it works; we’ll see what happens,” he said.
The 2,400-capacity ship is one of nine that are to undergo a major refurbishment as part of a $400 million project named Norwegian Edge.
Public areas, dining venues and staff training are all to be improved in a bid to bring the best elements of Norwegian Escape to the rest of the fleet.
“We want a sense of consistency whether you’re on a big new ship or one of the smaller ones,” said Harry Sommer, executive vice president, international business development.
Getaway, meanwhile, will sail nine-night cruises from Copenhagen, taking in Warnemunde, Germany; Tallinn, Estonia; St Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; and Stockholm, Sweden. The ship has 70% greater capacity than the Norwegian Star which is currently sailing in the region, and brings the exclusive Haven concept for the first time.