The update applies to the beverage package offered through Norwegian’s “Free at Sea” promotion. That name has always been a little confusing, since the package still includes a required daily charge, and that charge is now going up for some sailings starting May 1, 2026.

12% Increase for Free at Sea Beverage Package for Short Sailings

Effective for sailings booked on or after May 1, 2026, Norwegian is increasing the daily charge for the Unlimited Beverage Package when it is selected as part of the Free at Sea offer on shorter sailings.

For cruises that are 2 to 5 nights long, the charge is increasing from $28.50 per person per day to $32 per person per day. That’s a 12.3% increase.

For sailings that are 6 nights or longer, the charge remains $28.50 per person per day.

Why Short Cruises May Be Different

Norwegian has not said why this increase only applies to 2 to 5-night sailings. Most likely, it’s because guests on short sailings may use the drink package differently than guests on longer trips. A weekend cruise or quick getaway can be more bar-focused, with passengers trying to fit more of the vacation experience into fewer days.

Carnival Cruise Line has used a similar structure in the past, implementing higher prices for its CHEERS! drink package on shorter cruises, but has since walked back that decision.

“Free at Sea” Still Isn’t Fully Free

This is the part that may stand out most to passengers. The promotion is called Free at Sea, but the beverage package still carries a required daily charge. Norwegian previously referred to that added cost as a gratuity, but more recently has described it as a service charge.

Either way, it functions the same for passengers. If you select the Unlimited Beverage Package as part of the Free at Sea offer, you pay a daily amount per person.

That is not unusual in the cruise industry. Cruise lines often advertise bundled perks, then add taxes, fees, gratuities, or service charges depending on the offer. But the wording matters. When a guest sees “free drinks” or Free at Sea, it is easy to assume the package is fully included. This change is a reminder that the final checkout price is what matters most.

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Must Purchase By May 17, 2026

Carnival is not ready to make this a regular offer yet. Instead, they are offering these value bundles from April 17 to May 17, 2026. The offer is valid on all sailings departing through December 31, 2026. Packages must be purchased through My Cruise Manager.

Guests Receive Savings of 20% or More

There are still two plans available: the Essential Value Package for $50 per person per day, and the Ultimate Value Package for $90 per person per day. (Guests in Australia should visit Carnival.com.au to find prices in local currency).

These value packages are a good deal if you were already planning to purchase a drink package and internet. The savings from just the drink package and the internet plan amount to 20% for the Essential Value Package and 22% for the Ultimate Value Package. Your savings can increase even more if you take advantage of the shore excursion, specialty dining, spa treatment, or photo package discounts.

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MSC’s Daily Gratuities Increase 6% – 15%

The daily gratuity (or as MSC calls it, the “Hotel Service Charge”) will increase from $16 to $17 per person per day, a 6% increase for standard cabins. For those booked in the Yacht Club, the cost will increase from $20 to $23 per day, a 15% increase.

According to a letter sent to booked guests, MSC says, “The Hotel Service Charge helps us maintain the highest quality standards of service by supporting the dedicated crew members who work to enhance your onboard experience.”

According to MSC’s website, the fee is “distributed among crew members who contribute to the enjoyment and experience while on board. These crew members include stateroom attendants, bar, dining, and culinary staff, as well as many valued hotel operations crew members who work hard behind the scenes.”

These fees can add up. A family of four sailing on a week-long cruise on World America out of Miami will now pay $476 on top of the cruise fare.

Pre-pay Gratuities Now to Avoid Higher Costs

The new daily gratuities will go into effect on May 11, 2026. Guests who prepay the gratuities before that day will “lock in” the older rate. To prepay gratuities, you can call your travel agent, or if you booked directly through MSC, call them at 877-655-4655.

Increase is Limited to Caribbean and Alaska Sailings Only

In an unusual move, the increased service charge is only applicable to sailings to the Caribbean and Alaska. The letter sent to guests does not detail why this is the case. While it’s routine for cruise lines to automatically include daily gratuities in sailings from Australia, we haven’t seen lines differentiate the dollar amounts by region like this before. In theory, it should be the same amount of work no matter where the ship is sailing from.

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Times have changed, though. Guests no longer want shared tables; they want to be able to wear flip-flops to the main dining room, and the thought of spending 2+ hours at a meal would make them squirm. To keep up with the times and changing customer tastes, Carnival is rolling out a new dining option for really speedy dinner service.

Express Dining Option on Carnival Ships

For the past several months, Carnival has been testing “Express Dining,” an option that lets guests get in and out of the dining room in under an hour.

Our guests continue to tell us they value greater flexibility in how they spend their time on board, and Express Dining was designed with that in mind. Our pilot program generated positive feedback from our guests. With this in mind, we are excited to expand Express Dining to offer them the same high quality dishes and attentive service our dining rooms are known for, while giving guests the ability to use more of their time to enjoy all the other onboard fun.” -Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival indicated that the offerings in the “Express Dining” section will “mirror” the main dining room offerings, but will have a “slightly abbreviated selection.” Here is an example of the menu on two nights.

Express Dining is for “Your Time Dining” Only

Guests who want to try Express Dining must have selected “Your Time Dining” when booking their cruise. With Your Time Dining, you use the Carnival Hub app to “check in” when you’re ready to eat, and the phone puts you in the queue and lets you know when your table is ready.

Guests who have set-time, assigned dining (usually at 6 PM or 8:15 PM) will still have the same standard of service. That said, if you know you have a show at 9:30 you want to attend, just tell your waiter, and they can usually expedite your meal.

Also, Express Dining is only available to parties of 6 or fewer.

Carnival Ships With Express Dining

Express Dining is currently available on:

• Carnival Breeze
• Carnival Celebration
• Carnival Conquest
• Carnival Dream
• Carnival Firenze
• Carnival Freedom
• Carnival Glory
• Carnival Horizon
• Carnival Jubilee
• Carnival Mardi Gras
• Carnival Panorama
• Carnival Radiance
• Carnival Sunrise
• Carnival Venezia
• Carnival Vista

It will roll across the rest of Carnival’s fleet by the end of May.

My Take: Faster Dining Is Great, but Not if the Experience Suffers

Having cruised for over 20 years, I remember the days of longer dinners with course after course of delicious food and top-notch service. But now, it’s mostly an appetizer, main entree, and dessert, which shouldn’t take 2 hours. In fact, it doesn’t on many cruise lines. For this blog, I time every meal I have. In the past 3 years, only 2 meals have lasted over 1 hour and 15 minutes, and both were on Carnival.

But Carnival has to be careful in their quest to be fast. Some of the earliest fond memories of cruising were having the same waiters every night who got to know you and chatted. It made cruising feel special. Carnival has to walk a fine line between offering faster service and still delivering on the experience. On my last sailing on Carnival Celebration, I used Any Time Dining, and on 3 nights, the waiters basically just dropped off food while rushing to the next table and never came back to check on us. If that’s what Express Dining is going to be, count me out.

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The service charge has increased from 18% to 20% and will go into effect this month. Rather than a single announcement date, the new rate appears to be rolling out as ships begin each new voyage in March.

For passengers ordering drinks, specialty dining, or other add-ons onboard, that means the total price will now be slightly higher than it was previously.

What the New 20% Service Charge Applies To

According to the Princess website, the updated policy applies to many optional purchases made during a cruise. Princess describes the charge this way:

A nonrefundable Service Charge of 20% of purchase will be automatically added to optional purchases of drinks, dining room and specialty dining, private group functions, and other elected products, services or amenities provided to guests that are not included in the cruise fare.”

In practical terms, the 20% service charge now applies to things like:

• Drinks purchased at bars and lounges
• Specialty dining restaurants
• Dining room wine purchases
• Spa services

Note: This charge is mandatory and automatically added at checkout. It is completely separate from the daily crew appreciation charge that Princess also applies to most staterooms.

Guests Who Prepaid Online Will Not See the Increase

Passengers who already prepaid for drinks, dining packages, or other add-ons through Princess before their cruise should not see the higher service charge applied retroactively.

That means if you bought packages or experiences online ahead of time under the previous 18% charge, your total should remain the same.

My Take: A Minor Change but Part of a Larger Pattern

Cruise lines have been slowly increasing service fees and gratuities over the years. Daily gratuities and service charges continue to rise, increasing the overall cost of cruising while the base cruise fare often remains the price guests focus on.

While this change is relatively minor ($0.30 on a cocktail or about $4 on a $200 spa service), the broader pattern of quietly adding more fees for guests is becoming clear.

With this change, Princess did not make a formal announcement. Instead, the company updated its website and left letters in cabins for guests on affected sailings. Sister cruise line Carnival made a similar change just three months ago and handled it in much the same quiet way.

While cruise ship staff work hard and deserve to be rewarded for their exemplary service, it is not guaranteed that crew members will directly benefit from these increases. Critics argue that cruise lines may keep overall crew compensation the same while shifting more of that cost onto passengers through service charges, effectively padding their own bottom lines.

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What Is Sargassum and Why Is It Getting Worse?

Sargassum has been spreading rapidly in recent years. Fed by warming ocean temperatures and nutrient-rich runoff from land, these seaweed blooms have started ruining beaches across the Mexican coast. The problem is typically worst from March to October, which unfortunately coincides with peak vacation season in the region.

According to the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science, 2026 is shaping up to be a record year for sargassum, with 1.7 million tons detected in January alone.

When sargassum washes ashore, it blankets beaches in dark brown piles of seaweed. The issue goes beyond appearance. As the plants break down, they release hydrogen sulfide into the air, creating a smell similar to rotten eggs that can spread across entire beachfront areas.

Most resorts in the region employ staff who constantly rake and remove the sargassum from the beaches. However, during large blooms, it can be difficult to keep up.

Royal Caribbean’s Plan to Control Sargassum Near Perfect Day Mexico

The increase in sargassum is especially concerning for Royal Caribbean’s new Perfect Day Mexico project, which is expected to feature long stretches of pristine beaches. To help address the issue, the company recently announced a multi-year commitment to strengthen sargassum protection and removal efforts across the local community of Mahahual in Quintana Roo.

Royal Caribbean has formed a partnership with residents, environmental specialists, local businesses, and the Mexican Navy to create a working group focused on identifying the best solutions.

One effort will involve working with the Mexican Navy to reinforce ocean net systems designed to prevent sargassum blooms from reaching the beaches. The cruise line will also deploy seaweed skimming equipment that removes floating sargassum while it is still offshore.

The plans also include developing a long-term automated collection system. This low-noise, low environmental-impact technology would collect sargassum directly from the water before it reaches the shore.

Collecting the seaweed offshore has another benefit. Because it is gathered before reaching land, it contains less sand, debris, and trash. That makes it significantly easier to compost and reuse.

With these measures in place, hopefully it improves not only the experience at Royal Caribbean’s new private destination, but all the beaches used and enjoyed by the local community.

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Here’s what cruisers can expect.

Robot Dogs and Humanoid Dancers

Every company seems to be talking about AI right now, and MSC is no exception.

The cruise line is piloting AI-powered robotic dogs accompanied by humanoid robots, developed by Unitree Robotics. The photo shows the Unitree Go2 robot dog and the Unitree G1 humanoid agent AI avatar. According to Unitree, both models use AI to better understand the world and make decisions. Both use 3D LIDAR to create a real-time map of their environment, allowing them to interact with their surroundings.

The robots are already being tested on MSC Bellissima in Asia and will also appear on MSC Magnifica during a segment of the 2026 World Cruise.

Guests will be able to attend meet-and-greets with the robots, enjoy a robot-themed parade, and participate in interactive robotics workshops for children ages 7 and older. The workshops are designed to introduce kids to robotics and future technologies through hands-on activities.

While this is being promoted as a cruise industry first, robotic dogs have already made appearances in theme parks around the world. For example, Universal’s Epic Universe uses robotic dogs developed by Boston Dynamics in its Isle of Berk land, where they are dressed as dragons.

Popular Shows Expanding to More Ships

MSC is also bringing some of its most popular entertainment from newer ships to more of the fleet.

First, MSC will debut a fully refreshed ‘70s Party fleetwide. Expect new music, upgrades costumes, and new interactive experiences.

MSC Poesia will debut “Dirty Dancing: In Concert,” which first launched on MSC World America. The ship will also introduce 20 new Big Band performances.

MSC Seascape will add Dueling Pianos, a high-energy concept that has proven popular on MSC World America. The ship will also introduce a new American Country Band experience, a move that aligns well with its Galveston, Texas homeport.

Meanwhile, MSC Seaview and MSC Grandiosa will receive a full refresh of their main production shows. MSC Meraviglia will welcome back “Paz,” its Flamenco-inspired show.

MSC is also rolling out a fully reimagined ’70s Party fleetwide, featuring updated music, costumes, and interactive elements.

Game Shows Go Fleetwide

MSC is doubling down on interactive entertainment.

Two new original MSC game shows will debut across the fleet:

• “Chart Toppers,” a music-based competition featuring hits from the 1970s through today
• “Quiz O’Clock,” a revamped competitive trivia-style game show

More LEGO Entertainment

The cruise line is also expanding its LEGO Parade from seven ships to 14 ships in 2026. Ships gaining the parade include MSC Grandiosa, MSC Poesia, MSC Divina, MSC Seaside, and MSC Seaview.

Additionally, the LEGO Family Game Show will launch fleetwide after a successful pilot on MSC World America. The refreshed format is designed to be more digital and immersive for families.

Expanded Educational Programming

On MSC Poesia, which sails Alaska itineraries, the Naturalist Program will be expanded. Guests can expect wildlife and geology presentations, including two enrichment talks on sea days and a dedicated children’s session.

MSC will also introduce a new program, Ocean Day, by the MSC Foundation across the fleet. This educational initiative is designed to inspire younger guests through interactive learning and play focused on ocean conservation.

My Take: A Broader Shift in MSC’s Entertainment Strategy

MSC Cruises has been steadily investing in entertainment enhancements, particularly as it expands in the United States market. The 2026 additions lean heavily into interactive programming, family-focused experiences, and technology-driven concepts.

While robot dogs may grab the headlines, the larger story is MSC’s continued effort to refresh production shows, expand popular concepts to more ships, and offer more activities designed to appeal to multigenerational travelers. As some other lines are cutting back on entertainment, it’s nice to see MSC stepping up their game.

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Changes for 2026

The packages returning for 2026 include a few enhancements based on guest feedback.

• Minor guests under 21 in the US and under 18 in Australia are no longer required to purchase a package if the adults get one
• You can mix packages between adults and minors
  • Adults can get the Ultimate package while kids can get the Essentials
  • Adults cannot mix and match packages
• Minors can purchase the Essential Value Package without an adult having to purchase a package
• The packages now work in Australia, and they allow the CHEERS drink package with the Ultimate Value Package. In Australia, cruises shorter than 7 days typically cannot include CHEERS

Must Purchase By Feb 24, 2026

Carnival is not ready to make this a regular offer yet. Instead, they are offering these value bundles from February 17 to February 24, 2026. The offer is valid on all sailings from February 28 through December 31, 2026. Packages must be purchased through My Cruise Manager.

Guests Receive Savings of 20% or More

There are still two plans available: the Essential Value Package for $50 per person per day, and the Ultimate Value Package for $90 per person per day. (Guests in Australia should visit Carnival.com.au to find prices in local currency).

These value packages are a good deal if you were already planning to purchase a drink package and internet. The savings from just the drink package and the internet plan amount to 20% for the Essential Value Package and 22% for the Ultimate Value Package. Your savings can increase even more if you take advantage of the shore excursion, specialty dining, spa treatment, or photo package discounts.

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Thousands of people go through the area during one meal service, with food that can sit out for long periods, overcooking and drying out, utensils touched countless times, and long lines. In addition, with recent cutbacks from the cruise lines, the higher-quality items you might have seen at previous buffets, like carving stations with good cuts of roasted meats, seafood towers, and chocolate fountains, have been cut in favor of cheaper foods like breads, pastas, and carbs.

For many cruisers, the buffet has been a tradition. Midnight snacks, piling a plate high on embarkation day, grabbing something quick between pool time and trivia. But that tradition may be changing.

On more recent ships, though, some cruise lines have started moving away from the buffet as a staple dining option, and one line has eschewed it completely. What started as an experiment on a few new ships now appears to be a broader shift in how cruise lines think about casual dining at sea.

Alternate Fast Casual Dining Introduced

In the past decade or so, new ships have added new dining concepts to complement the buffet during peak meal times, lunch mostly, but sometimes breakfast. Most of these venues are considered fast casual: you place your order at a counter, it’s made to order, and then you pick it up and take it to your table.

You’ll see these venues on lots of ships. Carnival has fast casual venues, Guy’s Burger Joint and BlueIguana Cantina, on nearly all of its fleet, offering complimentary food without requiring a trip to the buffet. Royal Caribbean’s El Loco Fresh, which debuted in 2018 on Symphony of the Seas, is similar in concept, with made-to-order burritos, nachos, and tacos. Their Park Café on Oasis Class and Icon Class ships offers custom-made sandwiches, salads, and entrées.

These venues have a few benefits.

First, they’re usually not located in the buffet, meaning you can avoid the massive breakfast and lunch crowds by going to these venues. By spreading out the venues across the ships, the cruise lines are also spreading out the crowds.

They also offer fresher food, almost all of which is made to order or in small batches. Typically, restaurants use turbo ovens that can prepare food in just a few minutes, keeping lines moving while still delivering hot, fresh food.

Food Halls Are the New Trend

But now, food halls seem to be the new trend. A food hall is kind of a combination of the two different options above. You still have one place to try a variety of foods, like a buffet, but the food is made to order, so it’s usually fresher and higher quality. Menus are typically pretty varied and offer a diverse selection of cuisines to choose from.

Virgin Voyages Says No Buffet at All

Virgin Voyages was the first cruise line to completely get rid of the buffet concept in favor of a food hall. When it launched Scarlet Lady in 2020, their big marketing differentiator was that they didn’t have a buffet. Instead, they had The Galley, which offered 8 different concepts to try, all complimentary.

It’s located where the buffet would normally be on a cruise ship, on a higher deck with beautiful ocean views. It has a modern look with lots of metal, clean lines, and a very European feel. Here, guests can either go up to each counter to order or raise a flag at their table, and a server will take their order.

Norwegian Launched a Food Hall on Prima Class

Shortly after Virgin Voyages debuted the food hall concept, Norwegian introduced Indulge Food Hall on their newest class of ships, the Prima Class. Unlike Virgin, the food hall does not replace the buffet entirely, but it is an additional option for guests. Because of that, Norwegian chose to shrink the buffet considerably to one of the smallest in the Norwegian fleet, one of the biggest complaints of the Prima Class.

Indulge Food Hall is located a full 9 decks away from the buffet, effectively splitting crowds between the two. The space is rather large, but broken up with individual food stalls, some designed to look like food trucks. It’s a bit of a labyrinth to navigate, but for lunch and dinner, that’s not a problem because you don’t need to go to the individual stations. Instead, you find a table and use an electronic tablet to order. A server will then bring your food over. If you’re in a general seating area and not at a specific counter, you can order from all the venues at once, giving guests so many options for a single meal. It makes it much easier to try a wide variety of foods.

Depending on the ship, Indulge Food Hall can feature 8 to 10 restaurants, ranging from BBQ and Indian to a concept specializing in plant-based meals.

Indulge Food Hall was originally supposed to have some items for an additional charge, but that was changed before Norwegian Prima first launched. Instead, everything is complimentary except Starbucks and Coco’s on Norwegian Prima.

Royal Caribbean’s First Food Hall: AquaDome Market

Not one to miss out on a trend, Royal Caribbean decided to introduce a food hall concept when it debuted its newest class of ships, the Icon Class. Called the AquaDome Market, this food hall is much smaller than the previous two, only having 5 concepts. It’s located away from the buffet, on the same level but at the front of the ship, off the AquaDome, effectively splitting the crowds.

The stations at AquaDome Market depend on which ship you’re sailing, as each has some unique options. The most popular, or at least the stall with the longest lines, is Crème de la Crêpe, with made-to-order savory or sweet crêpes. You can also find Feta Mediterranean with fresh gyros or bowls, along with Asian, Latin, or Thai-inspired cuisines.

It’s not open for breakfast, but it is open pretty late, giving guests a nice alternative to late-night dining besides Sorrento’s and Pearl Café.

Margaritaville at Sea Embraces the Food Hall

More recently, Margaritaville at Sea has jumped onto the food hall bandwagon. What makes this move a bit surprising is that Margaritaville at Sea does not build new ships but instead buys older ships and completely refurbishes them. You’d think it would be cheaper to take a ship with a buffet and just stick with that, but on their upcoming ship, they’ve gotten rid of the traditional buffet for the High Tide Market.

Then, in January, they retrofitted their first ship, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, to get rid of the buffet and add High Tide Market. It features a variety of options like Frank & Lola’s Pizzeria, Mexican Cutie Cantina, Slice of Paradise Desserts, and License to Chill Sandwich Shack.

Why Do Cruise Lines Like Food Halls?

Cruise lines don’t jump on a trend just for the heck of it. There have to be reasons behind it.

One of the largest is cost savings. While a food hall can require more staff and more equipment, it can reduce food waste. You don’t have food sitting out for hours and having to be thrown away after a certain amount of time.

Also, portions are smaller. At a buffet, you can load up a plate with scoop after scoop of food, take it back to your table, and not eat it. At food halls, you’ll get a sandwich or a portion that is intended for an individual. You can always order more, but it takes away the impulse to just pile the food on.

Guests also prefer food halls because the food is fresher and the concept feels more innovative. Grabbing a spoon that hundreds of other people have touched and scooping out overcooked pasta onto a plate does not have the same appeal as a freshly plated dish handed directly to you. It also allows for some more interesting concepts. Some foods, like crêpes and salads, do not do well when left out premade.

Also, food halls are easier to implement because you only need one overall design to offer a wide variety of food. You don’t need specially designed logos, seating, or décor for each food concept, as you would for a standalone fast casual restaurant.

What Will We See on the Next Class of Ships?

Right now, we’re on the cusp of a huge cruise ship revolution. Within the next 5 years, nearly every cruise line will debut their new class of next-generation cruise ships like Carnival’s Ace Class or Royal Caribbean Discovery Class. These ships are being designed with current guest expectations and emerging trends in mind.

How will these new designs take food halls into account? Will they take away self-service buffets entirely or shrink them to accommodate a larger, more diverse food hall-style eatery? What kinds of food options might we see?

Celebrity Cruise Line is notably one of the biggest holdouts, with the buffet still a big part of breakfast and lunch on their ships. Will their new ships, which will debut as part of Project Nirvana, lean into this trend more?

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In a newly released letter and highly critical investor presentation, Elliott disclosed a significant stake in Norwegian and outlined what it calls a plan to unlock substantial shareholder value. The move adds new pressure on the cruise operator at a time when the industry is still navigating high debt levels and evolving consumer demand.

Elliott Builds a Large Stake in Norwegian

According to public disclosures and reporting by The Wall Street Journal, Elliott has accumulated a sizable position in Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. The firm describes the cruise company as deeply undervalued and argues that strategic and operational changes could dramatically improve performance.

In its letter to Norwegian’s board of directors, Elliott outlined concerns about stock underperformance relative to peers and broader market indices. The activist investor also highlighted what it believes are opportunities to improve margins, optimize capital allocation, and strengthen execution.

Elliott’s campaign includes a detailed presentation that calls for enhanced oversight, refreshed board leadership, and a sharper focus on long-term value creation.

A Familiar Playbook After Southwest

This is not Elliott’s first high-profile transportation sector campaign. The firm recently took action at Southwest Airlines, pushing for leadership and strategic changes after a period of operational and financial challenges.

That campaign resulted in significant board turnover and strategic shifts at Southwest, including changes to long-standing policies such as its open seating model and free checked-bag policy. Under Elliott’s influence, Southwest carried out corporate layoffs, including roughly 1,750 jobs, about 15% of its corporate workforce, for the first time in the airline’s history.

While every situation is unique, Elliott’s involvement in Norwegian signals the potential for similar pressure on management and governance.

What Elliott Is Pushing For

In its public materials, Elliott argues that Norwegian’s brands, fleet, and market positioning provide a strong foundation, but that execution and governance improvements are needed to unlock value.

Called “Norwegian Now,” the presentation focuses on :

• Closing what it views as a valuation gap versus peers
• Improving financial discipline and capital allocation
• Strengthening operational performance
• Enhancing board oversight and accountability

Elliott characterizes Norwegian as a company with strong assets that are not currently reflected in its share price. The activist investor believes that a combination of strategic and governance changes could significantly re-rate the stock.

The presentation is highly critical of Norwegian’s leadership and Board of Directors. Elliott specifically takes issue with the appointment of CEO John Chidsey, noting that although he previously served on the board, he has no prior experience leading a cruise or travel-related company. Chidsey previously served as CEO of Subway. According to the Wall Street Journal, they are looking at Adam Goldstein, the former president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, for a board seat to help guide the future of NCLH.

The presentation also highlights what Elliott believes are examples of excessive or questionable spending in recent years. Among the items cited:

• The Prima Class Le Bistro chandeliers, reportedly costing $100,000
• The Iceland launch event for the Prima Class that was billed as the country’s largest event ever
• The $2 million Concourse art walk and sculpture garden on Prima
• Leadership’s stated willingness to “spend whatever we have to spend to fill the vessel without discounting.”
• The downsizing adjustments made to later Prima Class ships

What This Means for Cruisers

For guests sailing on Norwegian, short-term impacts are unlikely. Activist campaigns typically focus first on board-level changes, financial strategy, and leadership rather than immediate guest-facing product adjustments.

However, over time, activist involvement can influence capital spending, fleet strategy, onboard investment, and even brand direction. If Elliott pushes for stronger margins or asset optimization, that could affect everything from ship refurbishment schedules to the onboard experience.

Whether Elliott’s involvement leads to collaboration with Norwegian’s board or a more contentious proxy fight remains to be seen. What is clear is that one of Wall Street’s most aggressive activist firms now has cruising firmly in its sights.

For an industry that has spent the last several years rebuilding, Elliott’s move adds a new dynamic that could shape Norwegian’s next chapter.

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