Norwegian’s American Diner: Our Honest Review with Menu

Looking for a fun lunch option at sea? Try Norwegian’s American Diner for familiar favorites in a traditional diner atmosphere.

Norwegian’s American Diner is a fifties-style restaurant that serves diner favorites as well as elevated dishes. Open only in the afternoons, it’s a fan favorite for families. Although it was previously a specialty restaurant, it is now complimentary except for their milkshakes, which are $7.

The servers are dressed as diner waitstaff in the fifties, which makes for a fun atmosphere, and the classic car booths are amazing. Plus, the kitchen in the back of the restaurant is open, so you can see the chefs prepare your food. And the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows is fantastic!

We had a quick lunch at American Diner on the Joy once we boarded for our latest cruise to the Caribbean. It was the perfect small meal to start slowly on our twelve-day cruise.

The Details

• Specialty: American cuisine
• Hours: 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily
• Dress Code: Casual
• Cover Charge: None

The Menu

Norwegian’s American Diner has a great menu that offers everything from milkshakes to mozzarella sticks. Select from appetizers, sandwiches, salads, plates, and desserts.

Milkshakes

Norwegian’s American Diner is known for its over-the-top milkshakes. Flavors include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, banana, and a flavor of the day. Next time we go, I’m definitely ordering the banana shake. That sounds yummy!

Appetizers

Four appetizers are offered: Mozzarella Sticks, Loaded Nachos, Carolina Pulled Pork Sliders, or Lobster and Shrimp Sliders. Everyone raves about the Lobster and Shrimp sliders.

Hand-Helds

Sandwich selections include the American Diner Cheeseburger, Honey Mustard Chicken Club, Mahi-Mahi Reuben Sandwich, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, and French Dip. All are served with coleslaw and French fries.

Entrée Salads

The entrée salads are large, so be ready to eat. Your choices include Chicken Caesar, Chopped Salad, and Spinach Salad. For an extra charge of from $5 to $7, you can add a protein to your salad.

Specialties

Specialty plates include Southern Fried Chicken, Seafood Basket, Lowcountry Shrimp and Grits, and BBQ Pork Spare Ribs.

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Desserts

The best part of the meal! Choices offered are the S’More Chocolate Bar, Vanilla Cheesecake, and Carrot Cake.

Our Meal

We’d had just had breakfast not long before boarding the ship, so we weren’t very hungry. Still, Myron ordered the Lobster and Shrimp Sliders, and I ordered the Chopped Salad and added steak for us to share.

The sliders aren’t large, just three bites or so each, but they were delicious. My salad was tasty, and I enjoyed the steak that topped it so much that I asked for another order of just the steak, and it was no problem at all. We shared it with the rest of my salad.

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Final Thoughts on Norwegian’s American Diner

Our food was good, but we didn’t have enough of it to have a thorough feel for the menu. Next time, though, when we sail on Norwegian later in the year for our next Greek Isles cruise, we’ll be sure to come aboard hungry. I have a feeling Myron will want to try the ribs, and I’m thinking I’ll try the chicken sandwich and mozzarella sticks.

One thing I wished the restaurant had on the day we dined there was ceiling fans. The windows were open to the outside, letting in the Miami heat and humidity, and it was a bit hot and uncomfortable in the restaurant. Ceiling fans would have been a blessing.

Happy cruising!