Key Aspects:
- David J. Herrera has exited Norwegian Cruise Line after serving as president since April 2023.
- Harry Sommer, president and CEO of parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, has stepped in as interim president of the brand.
- The change comes as Norwegian Cruise Line is poised to launch its 21st ship and expand and enhance its private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay.
After serving just over two years as president of Norwegian Cruise Line, David J. Herrera has exited the brand.
The surprise announcement on August 20, 2025 disclosed that Harry Sommer, president and CEO of parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) , will temporarily run the cruise line on an interim basis.
Sommer knows how to do the job. He is a former president of Norwegian Cruise Line and was promoted to the top post at NCLH in July 2023, after longtime president and CEO Frank Del Rio retired. Herrera was appointed president of the cruise line in April 2023.
In the company statement, Sommer called Herrera a dedicated member of the Norwegian Cruise Line team and wished him well. His departure from the brand was effective on August 20, 2025, and an executive search already is underway for a successor.
“Aligned with our continued strategic evolution and focus on our Charting the Course Strategy and 2026 targets, NCL is entering a transformative chapter in its nearly 60-year history that will elevate the guest experience even further,” said Harry Sommer, interim president of Norwegian Cruise Line.
“I am excited to work closer with the team at NCL to capitalize on the many opportunities ahead as we embark on our search for the next leader who will guide the brand into the future,” added Sommer.
Sommer pointed to the brand’s seven cruise ships ships on order along with the substantial changes on the horizon at Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island in the Caribbean as indicators of the brand’s future growth strategy.
For his part, Herrera, who joined Norwegian Cruise Line in 2012, had a strong background with the brand, having served as senior vice president of finance, strategy, and consumer research, and senior vice president of corporate development and strategy for the parent company.
Former President Oversaw Launches of Two New-Builds
As president of the 20-ship Norwegian Cruise Line, Herrera oversaw the launch of two mega-ships, the 3,200-guest Norwegian Viva in 2023 and the 3,500-guest Norwegian Aqua in 2025. He would have been intricately involved with the line’s next new-build — Norwegian Luna, which will launch in 2026.
Read Also: Who Owns Norwegian Cruise Line?
It was also on his watch that extensive dry-dock renovations were made to Norwegian Epic and Pride of America earlier this year. The brand’s financial outlook was bright, too, by all accounts.
In NCLH’s second-quarter earnings report issued on July 31, 2025, its three brands — Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, set a second-quarter revenue record of $2.52 billion, an increase of 6% year over year.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s revenues were not listed separately in the report, but the three brands combined enjoyed an occupancy level that reached 103.9% for the quarter.
Looking ahead to 2026, the new president of Norwegian Cruise Line — or interim president Harry Sommer — will take the leading role in the launch of Norwegian Luna, the second ship in the line’s Prima Plus class and sister to Norwegian Aqua.
The 3,550-guest ship is under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, and is scheduled to enter service in April 2026 from PortMiami.
Also in 2026, the expansion and enhancement plan at Great Stirrup Cay will be unveiled. The reimagined private island destination will feature a 6-acre Great Tides Waterpark with 19 waterslides, an 800-foot lazy river, tube slides, and a cliff-jumping experience — a first for the cruise industry. Multiple thrilling waterslides will be contained in a 170-foot-tall Tidal Tower.
