Norwegian Cruise Line Quietly Adds Fee for Extra Entrées

Norwegian Cruise Line has quietly added a new fee to their dining menu that may surprise guests. While it’s expected that specialty restaurants have an extra charge, the cruise line is now charging $5 for any second, third, or more entrees in their complimentary main dining rooms.

The charge is printed on dining room menus, in small print at the bottom, where it might not be noticed at first.

“One entree per guest. Additional entrees will incur a $5 charge,” the menu reads.

Norwegian Cruise Line is not the first major cruise line to implement a fee on main dining room entrees, but it may be the first to add the charge to a second entree.

Carnival Cruise Line, for example, does have the same $5 fee for extra dinner entrees, but it only applies to the third, fourth, or higher entree and a guest’s first two selections remain free. Carnival implemented this fee in late 2022.

Other cruise lines often have fees for premium items, such as entrees one would normally find in the onboard steakhouse or seafood restaurant. Those selections can be ordered in the dining room, but with a significant surcharge.

The $5 fee is a minimal one and can help discourage excessive food waste.

Some speculation is that this fee may also help cut down on “influencers” or “content creators” who create vlogs of their sailings, showcasing every item on each menu, even when they don’t actually eat it all.

Instead, they order it, take a bite or two for a video, evaluate it, and move on to the next dish.

This can lead to a tremendous amount of waste as well as dramatically slow dinner service for the next guests. As Norwegian Cruise Line offers freestyle dining without set dining times, a clogged table can have a knock-on effect for many other guests’ dining plans.

Other guests are less understanding of the fee, noting that sometimes small portion sizes can make ordering multiple entrees more attractive. Multiple entrees also permit guests to enjoy different tastes as menus rotate.