Norwegian Cruise Line reverses controversial food ban

That sure didn't last long.

Norwegian Cruise Line has ended a controversial ban on passengers taking food out of its ships' buffets and other eateries to consume in their cabins.

Norwegian president and COO Andy Stuart tells USA TODAY the company heard an earful from passengers who were upset after the policy went into effect several weeks ago.

"It clearly is important to guests" to have the option of taking food back to their rooms, Stuart says, noting the negative reaction to the ban caught him by surprise.

At the time the ban went into place, some passengers speculated it was designed to drive more spending on room service. The ban came just weeks after Norwegian added a new charge for room service.

But Stuart says the new policy was nothing more than an attempt to create a more pristine environment on ships, which in turn would improve the customer experience. He says it was implemented after a recent visit to a Norwegian vessel by new Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio, who was shocked by the number of dirty food trays and plates piled in corridors and the spills caused by passengers carrying food back to their rooms. In one instance, Del Rio watched as gravy slopped onto a carpeted floor from a plate being carried by a passenger.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is the parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line as well as Regent Seven Seas and Oceania Cruises.

Del Rio "came back on that Monday and described the experience, and I said, 'let's just ask people not to take (food) back to the room. It's just that simple," Stuart says, noting that the decision was made without a lot of discussion. "This wasn't about money."

Stuart says the line is ending the ban with "the caveat that we're still ... going to solve the problem" of the eyesore of used food trays and plates left in corridors. Crew now will patrol hallways more frequently to remove used dishes and clean up spills.

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