Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ensures Smooth Sailing for Guests by Automating Processes in Smartsheet

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) is the world’s third-largest cruise operator, with 34 ships sailing to more than 700 destinations. The company operates three brands—Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises—offering guests accommodations, dining, entertainment, and more. Millions of passengers are expected to sail on NCLH cruises in 2025.

To ensure a positive passenger experience, NCLH’s Technology teams work diligently behind the scenes to support everything from guest reservation systems to onboard internet connectivity, as well as the infrastructure and applications that enable us to deliver an exceptional guest experience. However, as the organization continues to grow, so does the need for centralized management of technology projects. “Our IT PMO required improved structure and governance when it came to managing initiatives,” says Pedro Cuberos, senior director, IT PMO & governance at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. “We wanted to ensure we had consistency around demand management, project management and reporting processes.”

Automating the Technology Demand Intake and PMO Process with Smartsheet

With prior experience using Smartsheet, Cuberos recognized it as the right tool to enhance the NCLH IT PMO process. “Smartsheet is very user-friendly, and I was able to quickly develop a proof of concept focused on New Builds—the process for managing the deployment of technology on a new ship—all within Smartsheet, rather than relying on multiple spreadsheets and project management tools,” he explains.

To support the new build project, Cuberos developed a Smartsheet toolkit that included templates for project plans, RAID logs, and executive reports. “I shared it with leadership to demonstrate how easily they could update information, track project status, and view consistent reports in a unified format,” says Cuberos. “Once they saw the potential beyond new builds—and realized it could be applied to all projects—they were immediately interested in scaling the solution. That’s when I introduced Control Center to showcase how standardized templates and toolkits could be integrated and scaled across the organization.”

The NCLH team identified the organization’s technology demand intake process as a key opportunity for transformation. At the time, requests for new technologies or changes to existing systems were submitted through a variety of channels without a centralized approach. “There was no standardized way of managing technology demand,” says Cuberos.

Today, the demand intake process is one of NCLH’s most impactful Smartsheet use cases and is accessible to all employees. When someone submits a technology request via a Smartsheet form, it’s automatically routed to the appropriate PMO team or flagged for further assessment. All request details are captured in one centralized location. “We call it ‘one sheet to rule them all’ because it gathers all the information related to a technology request and channels it through an automated pipeline,” Cuberos explains.

This intake process now serves as the foundation of NCLH’s IT PMO framework. Each PMO team operates from a standardized Smartsheet toolkit—governed in a single location—that contains all critical assets, data structures, and documentation. These toolkits are connected to both the intake repository and portfolio summary sheets, enabling consistent execution and visibility across the organization. “Thanks to our data aggregation framework, we can report on performance across multiple portfolios enterprise-wide,” says Cuberos.

Following the success of the demand intake process and IT PMO framework, interest in Smartsheet rapidly expanded across NCLH. Departments throughout the organization began requesting Smartsheet-based solutions to support their own initiatives. 

“Within two years, we were leveraging Smartsheet at every level of the organization—from WorkApps supporting complex transformation office programs to capital appropriation solutions for corporate finance, as well as tools to streamline processes in accounting, legal, IT compliance, commercial operations, and internal audit,” says Cuberos. “Adoption grew organically, and we now have over 70 use cases deployed across NCLH, supporting a wide range of business functions.”

Supporting a Better Guest Experience

Smartsheet enables NCLH to deliver a better experience for cruise guests by making projects and processes more efficient behind the scenes. “As an organization, we strive to provide the best possible experience for our guests, which requires continuous innovation, modern technologies, and faster access to data,” says Cuberos. “Smartsheet operates behind the curtain to streamline our work and drive efficiency—ultimately enhancing our ability to deliver innovation to our guests.”

Smartsheet also empowers NCLH’s IT teams to move faster and with greater precision. “With Smartsheet, we continue to improve our ability to deliver technology on board our vessels—on time and in full,” adds Cuberos.

Governance and Visibility through Connected Systems

NCLH has significantly improved governance and project visibility by using Smartsheet to manage key processes, including its IT PMO framework. “Smartsheet ties everything together to support the continuous improvement of NCLH across our three brands,” says Cuberos. “We now have consistency and governance through an aggregated data model that enables smarter decision-making and stronger cross-team collaboration. Whether it’s capital appropriation, demand intake, or PMO processes—once a new initiative is approved, all the data lives in one place, and I can seamlessly move it between workflows. It’s all connected.”

Smartsheet’s integrated reporting capabilities have also enhanced visibility across teams. 

“With Power BI dashboards embedded in Smartsheet, I can quickly slice and analyze data for executives because everything is centralized,” Cuberos explains. “I can view all IT PMO projects and their related data points—whether compliance tasks or architectural components—and track high-level metrics like portfolio performance or delayed projects. I only need one place to access it all.”

Helping Teams Work Faster

With the efficiency gained through Smartsheet, NCLH teams are able to operate faster and more effectively. “Providing a great guest experience requires process efficiencies, and Smartsheet helps our people work faster,” says Cuberos.

Cuberos and his team have positioned Smartsheet as a core service within the organization, accelerating time to market for internal solutions and significantly reducing development time and cost. 

“When teams approach us to improve a process using Smartsheet, we can often move from idea to working solution in a matter of weeks—that’s incredibly powerful,” he says.

These savings are further improved with support from Smartsheet’s dedicated Technical Account Manager (TAM) and Professional Services team. “I have a demanding role and can’t always be a hands-on developer,” Cuberos explains. “Our TAM is highly skilled, helping us troubleshoot, configure advanced features like Smartsheet Bridge workflows, and connect with the right resources. Professional Services also partners with us regularly, which is especially helpful when we hit a roadblock and need expert guidance.”

NCLH continues to expand its Smartsheet footprint with new, innovative use cases underway. Current initiatives include new pilot programs to improve operational efficiency and advanced integrations between Smartsheet and other tools in the organization’s tech stack—all expected to launch soon. The team is also evaluating opportunities to optimize corporate back-office operations by consolidating processes within Smartsheet, streamlining workflows, and reducing overall technology spend.

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