Palomar on NCL: Here’s Everything You Need to Know - My Review
Palomar is one of the speciality dining options offered by Norwegian Cruise Line. Following the launch of this venue onboard the line’s Prima Class of ships, it’s also been rolled out further to multiple of their older ships, including Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Encore, where this venue has replaced the previous ‘Ocean Blue’.
Palomar brings the flavours of the Mediterranean to your plate, with a variety of options from both land and sea.
In this post, I’m going to tell you everything that you need to know about Palomar, including where you’ll find it on the ship, what the venue itself is like on the ship that I recently cruised on, what the menu and the food is like, how much it costs to dine here during your cruise, and also if I’d recommend you give this one a try on your future cruise(s).
I recently dined at Palomar while cruising onboard Norwegian Luna, one of the Prima Class ships. While the venue position and decor may change from ship-to-ship, the menu and overall product should remain largely the same, therefore allowing this review to apply fleet-wide.
Norwegian Luna, docked in Saint Thomas, USVI, © Fraser at Sea
First, where is Palomar located?
On the Prima Class of cruise ship, you’ll find Palomar on deck 17. It shares an area of the ship with Sukhothai, which is another Speciality restaurant that specialises in Thai cuisine. Both of these venues are at the end of a long corridor with no other venues alongside, allowing them to feel a little more ‘removed’ from the main buzz of this deck.
Deck 17 is where you’ll find multiple of the ship’s very busy facilities, including the main swimming pool and the buffet. The positioning of both venues at the end of this corridor is a very clever design touch - it effortlessly adds a degree of exclusivity as you walk towards the restaurants and away from the busier thoroughfares nearby.
If you’re cruising on a ship not within the Prima Class, then Palomar will be located elsewhere. For example, you’ll find this venue on deck 8 of Norwegian Breakaway.
Palomar (left) and Sukhothai (right) are located at the end of a long corridor featuring no other venues on deck 17. Photo: Norwegian Luna, 2026.
What’s the venue like?
Palomar is a beautiful dining space. It feels much more elevated and premium than the likes of the main dining rooms onboard Luna, which is the ship that I took the below photos on.
During the hours of daylight, there are some absolutely unbelievable views on offer, thanks to the huge floor-to-ceiling windows that run down one entire side of the restaurant. In the evening, the lighting is soft in here, with the individual spot lamps on each table providing the perfect illumination for your table. the softer lighting allows the views outside of the window to remain visible right up until the final light of the day.
This space is very similar to Sukhothai (across the hall), but elements like the lighting and the furniture are much more luxurious-feeling in here. At Sukhothai, there are light fittings attached to every window frame making it quite a bright space, but in here it feels much more ‘mood lit’. Dining at Palomar really is an experience, and it reminds me of the vibe of dining at a high-end restaurant on land.
As you enter this venue onboard Norwegian Luna, you’ll find an intimate bar, perfect for enjoying a drink either before or after your meal. Walking beyond the bar takes you into the main dining space, which you can see by moving through the below photos. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?
If you’re considering having a ‘date night’ while you’re on your cruise, this could be the perfect venue for you to consider.
What’s on the menu, and what’s the foot like at Palomar?
The menu at Palomar offers you food flavours and dishes that you won’t find anywhere else around the ship. If you enjoy Mediterranean food, then you’re in the right place.
When it comes to Main Courses, this menu is simple. There is a selection of Mains ‘from the sea’, and another ‘from the land’. I ate in here with a friend: she opted to sample the ‘from the sea’ menu, while I stuck to the land offering, and had the best steak that I had onboard this cruise (considering I also ate at Cagney’s during this cruise, that’s a really bold claim!).
Here’s the menu that was available during my recent cruise onboard Luna.
On the menu at Palomar, there are two optional upgrades available: lobster or the ‘whole fish for two’. Both of these options come with a further charge of $25 on top of your cover charge. Don’t worry - I’ll come back to tell you exactly how much it’ll cost to dine here later in this post.
Here’s an overview of what we ordered across both our starters and our main courses…
Heirloom Beet Salad, served at Palomar onboard Norwegian Luna, © Fraser at Sea
Grilled Prawns, served at Palomar onboard Norwegian Luna, © Fraser at Sea
Grilled Octopus, served at Palomar onboard Norwegian Luna, © Fraser at Sea
The Greek Village Salad, served at Palomar onboard Norwegian Luna, © Fraser at Sea
Festoni Scallops, served at Palomar onboard Norwegian Luna, © Fraser at Sea
Filet Mignon, served at Palomar onboard Norwegian Luna, © Fraser at Sea
We found this to be ample food for two people - we ordered the Greek Salad and the Grilled Octopus to share, as we were both really keen to sample both of these dishes.
I need to pay specific attention to my Filet Mignon for a second. This steak was genuinely so much better than the Filet Mignon that I ate at Cagney’s a few nights before - I can’t believe that I ate a better steak than at the famous Norwegian Cruise Line Steakhouse at another venue on the very same ship!
How much does it cost to dine at Palomar?
Dining at Palomar comes with a cover charge of $60. That means that, rather than paying for each dish individually, you’ll pay this cost ‘per head’ for your whole meal.
If you opt to book your meal onboard outside of a dining package, then you’ll also be charged a ‘gratuity and speciality service charge’, which was 20% at the point of my cruise in April 2026. This would take the onboard price of Sukhothai up to $72 per person.
To be honest, I don’t find this incredible value for money if you’re dining without a ‘Free at Sea’ (or equivalent) package. Yes, we had a fantastic meal in here, but I wouldn’t say you need to spend this amount of money to dine here when the included offerings down in the dining rooms are as good as they are on a ship like this. However, if you’re looking for a treat and a more stand-out experience than the dining rooms, then I’d really give Palomar my seal of approval.
So, would I recommend that you dine at Palomar during your cruise?
This follows on nicely from my last point… I don’t feel that a meal at this venue is exceptional value for money, but it was a really great experience.
If you have a dining package that includes Palomar, then you simply must make a reservation here - no hesitation. We found that Cagney’s was the highest in demand venue on our cruise, but it really wouldn’t surprise me if Palomar becomes much more popular than Cagney’s in future as more people discover it.
Want to see more of what it’s like to cruise onboard Norwegian Luna? The video below shows your our embarkation experience, our cabins, what you can do onboard and so much more - say ‘hello’ in the comments if you do head across to YouTube! You can also find a link to my full ship tour of Luna below, which offers you a glimpse into every single venue onboard the beautiful Norwegian Luna.