Cruise line passengers face shock fee for taking food back to cabin

Costa Cruise passengers could face a nearly $70 cleaning fee for taking food from buffet and restaurant areas back to their cabins - (iStock/Getty)

Passengers aboard Costa Cruises are being warned they could face fees for taking buffet food back to their cabins, as the cruise line cracks down on what it says are sanitation and hygiene concerns.

The Italian company, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, recently notified guests on select sailings that taking food out of buffet areas and restaurants could lead to a €60 cleaning fee, about $70, according to the cruise blog Crew Center. Based in Genoa, the cruise line operates voyages throughout the Mediterranean, Caribbean and South America.