AG Jackson Settles with Norwegian Cruise Line Over Deceptive Sales Tactics
Summary
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and 11 other state AGs reached a settlement with Norwegian Cruise Line over deceptive sales practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Norwegian allegedly made false statements to consumers about safety precautions and provided incorrect virus information to secure bookings. The company agreed to provide over $3 billion in consumer reimbursements and implement mandatory compliance measures including senior management approval of sales communications during disaster declarations.
What changed
Norwegian Cruise Line settled with 12 state Attorneys General, including North Carolina, over allegations that company leadership directed deceptive sales tactics at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The settlement requires over $3 billion in consumer reimbursements and prohibits the company from using deceptive sales practices or prioritizing sales over consumer safety during disaster declarations.\n\nAffected parties include Norwegian Cruise Line, which must implement mandatory sales training, obtain senior management approval for sales communications during disasters, and prominently display cancellation policies on its website. The multi-state settlement demonstrates coordinated enforcement action by state AGs to hold companies accountable for consumer protection violations during public health emergencies.
What to do next
- Implement mandatory training on appropriate sales tactics
- Require senior management approval of sales communications during future disaster declarations
- Ensure website clearly lists cancellation policy, future cruise credits policy, and available remedies during disaster declarations
Penalties
Over $3 billion in consumer reimbursements ($2.6 billion in credit card refunds and over $500 million in future cruise credits)
Archived snapshot
Apr 14, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Attorney General Jeff Jackson Reaches Settlement with Norwegian Cruise Line Over Deceptive Sales Tactics During COVID-19 Pandemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 10, 2026
Contact: comms@ncdoj.gov
919-538-2809
RALEIGH – Attorney General Jeff Jackson today reached a settlement with Norwegian Cruise Line following an investigation into the company’s sales tactics and cancellation procedures at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Norwegian lied to make sales,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “People deserve accurate information when they decide how to spend their money, and they didn’t get it. It’s right that Norwegian is paying them back.”
The allegations stemmed from Norwegian’s sales messaging to consumers at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Under direction from leadership, Norwegian misled potential customers to get them to book cruise vacations, including making statements about safety precautions the company was taking and providing incorrect information about the virus.
As part of the settlement, Norwegian represented that it issued more than $3 billion in reimbursements to consumers in the United States between March 13, 2020, until November 30, 2025, including more than $2.6 billion in credit card refunds and more than $500 million in future cruise credits.
Additionally, the settlement prevents Norwegian from using deceptive sales tactics and from prioritizing sales over consumer safety during a disaster declaration. The company is also required to implement mandatory training on appropriate sales tactics and to have senior management approve potential sales communications during future disaster declarations.
In the event of a disaster declaration, the company must ensure its website clearly lists its cancellation policy, its future cruise credits policy, and other remedies that are available to customers following the declaration.
Attorney General Jackson is joined in reaching this settlement by the Attorneys General of Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.
###
Related changes
Get daily alerts for NC AG Press Releases
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from NC DOJ.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when NC AG Press Releases publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.