NCL Bahamas Cruise Settlement: States, Penalties, and Refunds

The NCL Bahamas settlement is an April 10, 2026 agreement between Norwegian Cruise Line’s booking subsidiary and 12 state attorneys general resolving allegations that the company misled customers about pandemic travel safety and pushed sales over health during disaster declarations. NCL agreed to pay $2 million in penalties split among the participating states and to follow new rules governing how it markets cruises during future emergencies.¹ The deal does not create a new refund program for consumers.

What NCL Was Accused Of

The multistate investigation focused on how NCL communicated with potential customers in early 2020, as COVID-19 was shutting down the cruise industry. Investigators concluded that NCL, under direction from company leadership, misled potential customers to secure bookings by making statements about safety precautions it was supposedly taking and giving incorrect information about the virus itself.² The New Jersey Attorney General’s office also cited conflicting information given to consumers and unfair policies on refunds and future cruise credits.³

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson put it plainly: “Norwegian lied to make sales.”²

Which States Are Part of the Settlement

Twelve states participated: Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.¹³⁴⁵⁶

What NCL Now Has to Do

The operational terms carry more weight than the fine. Going forward, NCL is:

Prohibited from generating or distributing deceptive or unsubstantiated sales statements to consumers.⁴
Barred from incentivizing sales over consumer health and safety during disaster declarations.¹
Required to train all consumer-facing employees on appropriate sales communications.¹
Required, during any future disaster declaration, to have senior management personally approve sales communications before they reach consumers.⁷
Required, during disaster declarations, to clearly display its cancellation policy, future cruise credit policy, and available customer remedies on its website.²

Does This Mean Consumers Get Refunds?

No. The settlement does not open a new claims process and does not create additional eligibility for restitution.¹ The $2 million goes to the participating states, not to individual customers.

What the settlement documents its numbers around is money NCL already returned. Between March 13, 2020, and November 30, 2025, the company reported issuing over $3 billion in pandemic-related reimbursements nationwide: roughly $2.6 billion in credit card refunds and about $505 million in future cruise credits.⁴ Those refunds and credits predate the settlement.

If You Think You Were Not Made Whole

Consumers who believe they were victims of fraud, deception, or unfair business practices by NCL and were not adequately compensated are directed to file a complaint with their state attorney general’s office.¹ That is the route the settlement points to; there is no dedicated NCL claims portal tied to this agreement.

1
Nevada Attorney General. Attorney General Ford Announces Settlement With NCL Bahamas, Ltd.
2
North Carolina Department of Justice. Attorney General Jeff Jackson Reaches Settlement With Norwegian Cruise Line Over Deceptive Sales Tactics During COVID-19 Pandemic
3
New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Attorney General Davenport Announces Multistate Settlement With Norwegian Cruise Line
4
Illinois Attorney General. Attorney General Raoul Announces Settlement With Norwegian Cruise Line Over Business Practices During COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
5
Louisiana Attorney General. Attorney General Announces Settlement With Norwegian Cruise Line
6
Connecticut Attorney General. Attorney General Tong Announces Settlement With Norwegian Cruise Line
7
KOLO TV. Settlement Made With Norwegian Cruise Line Regarding Sales Practices, Cancellation Procedures