Why Norwegian Cruise Line Stock Popped on Friday

By Rich Smith – Apr 17, 2026 at 12:32PM ESTKey PointsIran declared the Strait of Hormuz open for shipping again today.No sooner had it done so than one Greek cruise liner transited the Strait -- safely.Meanwhile, opening the Strait is already pushing oil prices lower, cutting costs for Norwegian Cruise.The Strait of Hormuz is open for business! With the S&P 500 up 1.2% as of 12:15 p.m. ET, investors seem overjoyed -- and none more so than shareholders of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH +6.57%). Norwegian Cruise stock is up 8.1%. Image source: Getty Images. The world just got safer -- and oil just got cheaper This morning, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced the Strait of Hormuz is open to "all commercial vessels" for the duration of Israel's ceasefire with Lebanon. In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran. -- Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) April 17, 2026 Think that might sound like good news to cruise line investors? It clearly does, and the good news doesn't end there. There's an unconfirmed report on X today that just this morning, a Greek cruise liner named Celestyal Discovery successfully transited the Strait. The cruise ship Celestyal Discovery appears to have just successfully run the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/FJpuuj7MV4 -- OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 17, 2026 What this means for Norwegian Cruise stock In short, the ceasefire is real, and so is the opening of the Strait -- and even there, the good news isn't over. According to data from OilPrice.com, oil prices are falling as fast as the Strait is opening. WTI crude prices fell more than 12% today, and Brent crude is down nearly 11%. As one of the biggest expenses for a ship operator like Norwegian, the falling price of fuel means good things for the stock. Priced under 22 times earnings and pegged by Wall Street analysts for 15% annual earnings growth, it may be time to start buying Norwegian Cruise stock again. ExpandNYSE: NCLHNorwegian Cruise LineToday's Change(6.57%) $1.31Current Price$21.34Key Data PointsMarket Cap$9.1BDay's Range$21.15 - $22.2252wk Range$15.31 - $27.18Volume18MAvg Vol23MGross Margin31.76% Read NextApr 8, 2026 •By Reuben Gregg BrewerHere are 2 Concerns Weighing Down Norwegian Cruise Line Stock in 2026Apr 8, 2026 •By Joe TenebrusoWhy Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line Stocks Surged TodayApr 8, 2026 •By Will HealyThe Major Long-Term Risk Facing Norwegian Cruise Line Stock in 2026Apr 2, 2026 •By Jeremy BowmanWhy Norwegian Cruise Line Stock Fell 24% in MarchApr 1, 2026 •By Billy DubersteinNorwegian Cruise Line Is Adding 5 New Board Members and Launched Norwegian Luna. Here Are 3 Tailwinds Behind the Cruise Line Giant.Apr 1, 2026 •By Rick Munarriz2 Predictions for Norwegian Cruise Line Stock in 2026About the AuthorRich Smith is a contributing Motley Fool defense and stock market analyst covering publicly traded and emerging companies in defense, space, aerospace, and other sectors. Prior to The Motley Fool, Rich practiced international corporate law for Clifford Chance in Russia, and for the Russian-Ukrainian Legal Group in Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the College of William & Mary, a law degree from the University of Baltimore, and a language certification from the International Institute of Russian Language & Culture in Tver, Russian Federation. The Globe and Mail once featured him as “one of the best stock pickers since 2009.”TMFDittyX@RichSmithFoolStocks MentionedNorwegian Cruise LineNYSE: NCLH$21.35(+6.57%)+$1.32*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.