Norwegian Cruise Line Cruises

Norwegian's whole pitch is Freestyle: no assigned dinner table or seating time, a long list of restaurants, and resort casual as the default dress all week. There is one optional formal night on most sailings (two on cruises longer than seven nights), and even then plenty of people skip it. Kids 12 and under can wear shorts in every restaurant.

The fare promotion is where Norwegian differs most from its rivals. As of 2026 its Free at Sea offer bundles an open bar of spirits, cocktails, wine, draft beer, juice and soda, a set number of specialty dinners that grows with cruise length (one on a 2-4 night trip, up to four on 9+ nights), 150 minutes of Starlink Wi-Fi and a $50 excursion credit per port for the first guest. What it does not cover is the daily service charge - $20 per person per day for Club Balcony Suite and below and $25 in The Haven and suites, per Norwegian's own FAQ - unless you buy the Free at Sea Plus upgrade, which Norwegian lists at $49.99 per person per day. Even then, bar and specialty-dining gratuities are separate.

Families get Guppies for babies and toddlers, Splash Academy for ages 3-12 and Entourage for teens 13-17. One catch: Splash Academy only runs while the ship is at sea, not while it is docked or anchored, so port days need their own plan.

Once the service charge is added, Norwegian costs more per day than Royal Caribbean or Carnival, but the bundled drinks and dining can close that gap for travelers who would have bought them anyway. It suits couples and groups who dislike fixed dinner times; travelers who want a traditional dining room with the same waiter every night tend to prefer Holland America or Princess.

Sources: ncl.com, ncl.com, ncl.com, ncl.com, ncl.com