Although extra charges for certain cruise ship attractions and specialty dining experiences are common today, most cruise ship shows continue to be included in cruise fares.
Across most mainstream cruise lines, high-quality stage productions, live music experiences, and club shows enhance and add value to cruise vacations. While the newest and most popular cruise ship shows often require advance reservations to secure a seat, additional fees are not required for most performances.
A growing trend in the cruise industry is bringing new fees for one type of intimate, entertainment experience curated for adults, however. New ticketed, immersive experiences like Princess Cruises’ Spellbound by Magic Castle on Star Princess are pairing cocktails and a show, charging admission while including specialty cocktails with the experience.
Now, Norwegian Cruise Line is introducing its own take on cocktails and a show as part of the bold entertainment lineup on board its new ship, Norwegian Luna.
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New LunaTique show on Norwegian Luna requires ticket purchase
As passengers prepare to set sail on Norwegian Luna’s first cruises from Miami this spring, some have been disappointed to learn that one of the ship’s highly anticipated new entertainment experiences, LunaTique, comes with a fee.
Exclusively for passengers 21 and older, LunaTique is an immersive, pop circus party experience inspired by Las Vegas nightlife held in the cruise line’s comedy show venue, The Improv at Sea.
Related: Places to get free alcohol on a cruise ship
With reservations for the show now available in the NCL app for the ship’s first sailings, passengers looking forward to the after-hours entertainment experience are now finding out that LunaTique requires the purchase of a $44.99 ticket, which includes four themed cocktails and a souvenir glass.
“Opened the app today and noticed the entertainment section actually has the entertainment finally posted. However, I was really annoyed to see that LunaTique has a $45 fee,” Adorable_Ad_7605 wrote in the NCL community on Reddit.
Another passenger posted a screenshot in the Reddit thread of the app description for LunaTique reservations, which states that a “$44.99 ticket (gratuity included) grants entry to the full experience. Four specialty cocktails and a souvenir glass are part of this unforgettable evening.”
Norwegian Luna will begin sailing cruises to The Bahamas and Caribbean from Miami in late March. Norwegian Cruise Line (Norwegian Cruise Line)
Fees can help cruise lines manage demand for limited-capacity shows
Although most passengers who sail with Norwegian’s Free at Sea drink package won’t like the idea of paying for cocktails as part of LunaTique’s admission cost, some see a benefit to charging for the show.
“I hate the thought of paying for entertainment on a cruise ship but I can also see the reasoning behind doing so. It’s in a small venue. If everyone could go without a fee, you would have most of the ship coming to Reddit crying about how they stood in line for three hours and still couldn’t get in,” stinky_harriet commented in the Reddit thread.
Related: Cruise entertainment gets more imaginative on Norwegian Luna
Even if there’s no fee to attend, hosting a new show that many passengers are eager to see in an intimate venue on a 3,500-passenger cruise ship can lead to disappointment on board. Norwegian cruise passengers have experienced that firsthand with Norwegian’s Fleetwood Mac tribute show, Rumours, which the cruise line moved to the main theater from the Syd Norman’s Pour House venue on newer ships due to high demand.
Norwegian Luna will debut a new Syd Norman’s Eagles tribute show that will also be performed in the main theater to allow more passengers to attend. Other entertainment highlights on the new ship include a high-energy Elton John concert-style show and “HIKO,” a futuristic multimedia production featuring Cirque-style acrobatics designed to mesmerize audiences of all ages.
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This story was originally published by TravelHost on Mar 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Come Cruise With Me section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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