If there’s anything newsworthy about Norwegian right now, it’s that they’re a hot mess.
From the unexpected departure of the CEO, to bringing in a replacement from the fast food world, to disappointing earnings and now a battle with an activist investor, the folks at Norwegian corporate seem to be spending more time putting out fires than actually acting like cruise industry professionals. And the latest mess involving drink packages at Great Stirrup Cay is a perfect example of the kind of chaos they created all by themselves.
If you’ve lost track of this whole mess, here’s the quick version.
Norwegian first told guests and travel advisors that beginning March 1, 2026, drink packages would no longer work at Great Stirrup Cay. So even if you had the Free at Sea package onboard, once you stepped foot on Norwegian’s private island, that benefit would suddenly vanish. Water, iced tea, and juice would still be included, but if you wanted anything alcoholic, you’d either be paying out of pocket or be pushed into buying something more expensive.
And as expected, people hated it.
Because let’s be honest, this was one of those dumb cruise line decisions that never should’ve made it past the brainstorming stage. Guests had gotten used to having their beverage package work on the island, and taking that away wasn’t going to be seen as some great innovation. It was going to be seen exactly for what it was: another money grab.
Then, after the backlash started rolling in, Norwegian partially walked it back and said drink packages would still work through March 31. That alone made it pretty obvious they knew they had stepped in it.
Now comes the latest twist, with Norwegian apparently deciding to reverse the whole thing and continue honoring drink packages at Great Stirrup Cay indefinitely.
So after all of that, we’re basically back to where we started.
Which, of course, raises the question of why this ever became an issue in the first place.
The whole thing made Norwegian look disorganized and out of touch. First they announce the cut. Then they delay it. Then they reverse it. That’s not a strategy. That’s flailing around and hoping people eventually stop paying attention.
What made this even worse is that it came at a time when Norwegian really didn’t need another unforced error. The company is already dealing with enough turbulence at the corporate level, and this kind of sloppy handling of a basic guest perk only adds to the impression that nobody is steering the ship particularly well right now.
And the irony is, Great Stirrup Cay already has enough going on without Norwegian trying to squeeze guests for a few extra drink dollars. The island is in the middle of a big glow-up, with construction continuing on new features and a permanent pier. That should’ve been the story. Instead, they turned the conversation into whether or not guests were going to get nickeled and dimed for a drink on their own private island.
There is still one catch in all of this. Even though Norwegian is reversing the drink package decision, Great Stirrup Cay is expected to temporarily return to tender operations beginning in April while work continues on the permanent pier. So yes, you should still be able to use your drink package once you get there, but you may have to hop on a tender boat again to do it.
Still, that’s a lot better than being told your package suddenly doesn’t count anymore.
In the end, Norwegian made the right move, but only after creating a completely unnecessary mess. This was a problem of their own making, and reversing course now doesn’t exactly earn them a gold star. It just means they finally stopped doing the wrong thing.
Which, given how things have been going over there lately, might be the best they can manage.