Prima, the first in a new class of six vessels launching through to 2027, will sail a trade preview from Southampton before operating its inaugural season in the Mediterranean.

NCL will have a total of eight ships in Europe – the most in its history – and the line’s full 17-ship fleet will return to service by early May.

Speaking to TTG on Wednesday (23 February), NCL’s senior sales director for the UK and Ireland, Gary Anslow, said having the line’s newest hardware visiting the UK and based in Europe was “a massive opportunity for agents and us as a sales team”. 

A group of “key trade partners” will be taken to the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera next month to see Prima, he added.

Anslow joined NCL in November and said he had been “blown away” by its product after cruising from Miami a month later.

“Part of the attraction in joining was the growth the brand is going through with the Prima Class and the opportunities for us in the UK and Ireland,” he said. “I genuinely think NCL is cruising’s best kept secret in this market.”

Agents who make bookings up to 31 March will be entered into a prize draw to win one of 50 cabins for two onboard Prima’s trade preview.

The incentive was launched alongside a new tier-based benefits system for agents as NCL celebrated the first anniversary of NCL Freestyle Rewards.

Anslow said around 4,000 agents had signed up to the scheme.

Points will be awarded depending on the level of cabin booked onboard NCL’s ships and they can be saved and spent on gifts or vouchers from the NCL Freestyle Rewards catalogue. 

Anslow said a new perk – allowing agents to redeem their points on vouchers for discounted NCL cruises – would be launched “imminently”.

A series of seven trade roadshows will also be held next month, with around 100 agents invited to each event.

“I’ve been meeting agents up and down the country recently and there’s a real sense of optimism. Summer 2022 feels like a return to normality,” added Anslow.