Cruises are known for offering an abundance of food. From traditional buffets and casual poolside eateries to main dining rooms and specialty restaurants, cruise ships give passengers a lot of opportunities to eat at all times of day.
Norwegian Cruise Line and its luxurious sister cruise lines Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises are no exception. Offering more variety and more choices for all types of travelers is a big focus for Norwegian and that shows in its dining options.
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The Norwegian Cruise Line fleet features more than 80 restaurants serving modern and classic dishes and a wide variety of cuisines from French and Italian to Asian-Latin fusion. Some Norwegian cruise ships even feature a Brazilian steakhouse where servers carve endless skewers of slow-roasted meats tableside.
Although Norwegian’s brand positioning centers around helping passengers experience more during their cruise vacations, the cruise line’s CEO has shared insight on one part of the dining experience where the company has found that less is more.
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Norwegian’s new ships will bring novel dining opportunities.
Image source: Norwegian Cruise Line.
Norwegian CEO says smaller restaurant menus are a win
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Harry Sommer explained in an interview with Travel Weekly, that the company has done a lot of research recently to find out what its passengers like so they can do a better job of balancing financial metrics against guest experience metrics.
Sommer used restaurant menus as an example of one area where offering less has improved the passenger experience as well as operations across all of Norwegian’s brands.
“We found that having a slightly smaller and simpler menu was a win,” said Sommer. “The bottom third of the menu items, no one ordered. Removing them from the menus didn’t decrease the guest experience because no one was ordering those items.”
Related: Norwegian Cruise Line passengers rate its dining options
Sommer explained that removing the menu items that no one was ordering helped staff to do a better job of delivering the dishes that passengers were ordering.
“It allowed us to focus more of our time and attention on the two-thirds that they did order,” Sommer continued. “We did that fleetwide across all 32 of our ships, and it’s been a huge win. We have the highest guest satisfaction scores on food that we’ve ever had.”
Less may be more for some cruise ship entertainment too
Sommer also noted that the cruise line drew similar conclusions on entertainment.
At cruise industry trade event CruiseWorld in November, Sommer discussed how Norwegian’s guest satisfaction scores showed that passengers liked their shorter, simpler shows that were developed in house better than the elaborate, straight-from-Broadway shows the cruise line brought aboard its ships.
“Our highest-rated entertainment was the entertainment that cost us the least,” Sommer said at CruiseWorld.
As a result, the cruise line overhauled its entertainment in 2023, shifting its focus from Broadway-style musicals to more original, Norwegian-produced shows that are shorter in duration.
Related: Norwegian Cruise Line to celebrate a global music icon
“Guests on a Norwegian ship don’t want to spend two hours in a theater,” Sommer said. “They want to spend 30 to 40 minutes in a theater, then they want to enjoy the casino; they want to enjoy the other entertainment we have on board.”
Now, the cruise line is focused on rolling out first-at-sea productions and original programming across its fleet. Its newest ship, Norwegian Aqua, will debut the first Prince tribute show at sea when it sets sail in April. An hour-long show, “Revolution: A Celebration of Prince” will be an in-house production and concert experience celebrating Prince’s music, energy, and life.
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Norwegian is also introducing a new cinema and dining experience, Silver Screen Bistro, aboard Norwegian Breakaway, a ship set to undergo enhancements soon. The immersive movie and dining venue will feature oversized recliners and retractable tables for passengers to enjoy shareable handheld menu items including select dishes from the cruise line’s global fusion specialty restaurant, Food Republic.
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