Can You Bring Alcohol on a Cruise Ship? (Drink Policies)
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With sky-high prices for cruise line beverage packages, you might wonder, “can you bring alcohol on a cruise ship?”
The answer is yes. Most cruise lines allow guests to bring alcohol on a cruise ship. But each cruise line has different rules and restrictions on what you can bring.
Bringing your own alcohol on a cruise ship is an amazing bonus when you consider that the cruise ship drink package isn’t worth it, considering the sky-high package prices.
Nearly every major cruise line permits passengers to bring some form of alcohol with them when boarding the ship. Most cruise lines allow passengers to bring wine and champagne in their carry-on bags, but very few allow beer or hard liquor.
Here’s a line-by-line breakdown of the cruise lines’ drink policies.
Azamara
Azamara is a luxury cruise line that offers guests a complimentary drink package. The cruise line is one of the few that allow passengers to bring beer and liquor on the ship.
You can bring your own liquor, beer, or wine on Azamara. The luxury cruise line allows guests to bring alcohol onboard during embarkation day and alcohol purchased at ports of call.
There isn’t a specified limit to the number of drinks you can bring onboard.
There is no fee to consume your beverages in your cabin or suite. If you wish to bring your bottle to a bar or shipboard restaurant, a $10 corkage fee is applied to your onboard account.
Any purchases from the cruise ship duty-free shop are held until disembarkation. (Source)
Carnival Cruise Line
On embarkation day, Carnival allows guests over the age of 21 to bring one 750 ml bottle of wine or Champagne per person in their carry-on. Any bottle brought onboard their cruise ships must be sealed and unopened.
All other alcohol will be confiscated by ship security.
Guests can consume their own bottles for free. But if you want to drink the bottles outside the stateroom, a $15 corkage fee applies.
Bottles purchased at port or from the ship’s duty-free shop are held until the last night of the cruise. You can collect your purchased alcohol on the previous night in a designated lounge. (Source)
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises allows each stateroom to bring two 750 ml champagne or wine bottles on embarkation day.
There is a corkage fee of $25 for drinks consumed outside the cabin. And any purchases in port or duty-free are held until the last day of the cruise.
Guests who purchase bottles onboard, in ports of call, or bring more than two bottles on boarding day, will have their items held until the end of the cruise.
The cruise line also reserves the right to seize items on embarkation day without return. The rule applies to passengers who bring more than two bottles or try to sneak beer, liquor, or spirits. (Source)
Costa Cruises
Costa Cruises doesn’t allow passengers to bring alcoholic beverages on the cruise ship.
Duty-free purchases and bottles purchased in port are safely held until the end of the cruise. Alcohol brought on embarkation day will be seized by the cruise line and may not be returned. (Source)
Cunard Line
Guests may bring one bottle of wine or Champagne per adult in their carry-on bag, no larger than 750ml. The cruise line has a $20 corkage fee per bottle for consuming your bottles in the public area.
Alcoholic beverages purchased in port or on the ship’s onboard shops are held until the last night of sailing. (Source)
Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line permits each adult guest to bring two unopened 750ml bottles of wine or Champagne or six beers at up to 12 ounces.
The drinks must be in your carry-on, not your checked luggage. You can consume the bottles at no charge in your cabin or stateroom.
Disney doesn’t allow guests to consume their alcoholic items in public areas or lounges, except in the main dining room, which has a $25 corkage fee.
Port purchases, and excess amounts brought on board, are stored by the cruise line until the end of the cruise. (Source)
Holland America Line
Like most cruise lines on this list, you can bring wine and Champagne on a HAL cruise.
Each adult over 21 years of age can bring one bottle of wine or Champagne in their carry-on. Holland America Line charges a $20 corkage fee to consume the bottle in public areas and dining locations.
Guests can drink the bottles in their cabins at no extra charge.
The cruise line does not allow beer, liquor, spirits, or boxed wine to be brought onboard. According to the cruise line’s drink policy, “Holland America Line reserves the right to remove all alcoholic beverages from any guest luggage that violates this policy.” (Source)
MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises does not allow alcohol to be brought on the cruise ship. According to the cruise line’s alcohol policies, “Alcoholic drinks, including wines, spirits, beer or other liqueurs are available for purchase onboard the Vessel at fixed prices. Passengers are not permitted to bring onboard any such drinks for use during the voyage, whether for consumption in their own cabins or otherwise.”
That includes items brought at the beginning of the cruise, port shopping, or duty-free items.
The cruise line holds all bottles of alcohol until the end of the cruise. (Source)
Norwegian Cruise Line
Guests can bring wine and Champagne on NCL cruises. Guest can carry 750ml and 1,500ml bottles on the ship.
And Norwegian is one of the few cruise lines that doesn’t have a limit on the number of drinks passengers can bring on board.
But don’t go too crazy. You’ll have to carry the alcohol with you in your carry-on.
Additionally, the cruise line doesn’t permit boxed wine, liquor, or beer to be brought on board.
When consuming your wine in public areas or restaurants, a $15 corkage fee applies to 750ml bottles and a $30 fee for 1,500ml Magnum bottles. (Source)
Oceania Cruises
Oceania cruises permit up to six bottles of wine or Champagne per stateroom.
The limit is raised to 60 bottles per stateroom on Oceania’s world cruises. However, the 60-bottle exception is only available for guests who book the full world sailing, not variations or portions of the voyage.
Guests can enjoy their bottles in the privacy of their stateroom or pay a corkage fee of $25 per bottle to consume bottles in public spaces.
The cruise line holds beer, liquor, and bottles over the six-drink limit until the end of the cruise. (Source)
Princess Cruises
Each adult passenger can bring one 750 ml bottle of wine or Champagne, which is not subject to a corkage fee when consumed in the stateroom.
A $15 corkage fee applies when you consume your bottles outside your cabin.
Guests can bring an additional bottle of Champagne and wine. Additional bottles incur a $15 corkage fee, regardless of where the beverage is consumed.
Drinks purchased in port are held at the duty-free store until the end of the cruise. (Source)
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is an ultra-luxury cruise line that provides complimentary alcohol for guests.
You may not need to bring any bottles onboard a Regent cruise, but if you do, the cruise line allows guests to bring unlimited wine and champagne beverages onboard without restrictions.
The bottles must be sealed and unopened. Bottles purchased in ports of call can be consumed in your suite.
And there is no corkage fee, even when consuming your bottles in public spaces on the ship. (Source)
Royal Caribbean International
On embarkation day, guests may bring up to two 750ml bottles of Champagne or wine per stateroom as long as one guest is of cruise ship’s legal drinking age.
Cabins provide corkscrews so that you can enjoy your drinks in the stateroom. If you wish to consume your own alcohol in public areas., there is a $25 corkage fee.
If you declare additional bottles, they will be held until the end of the cruise, along with bottles purchased in port or duty-free.
Guests may bring non-alcoholic beverages, including soft drinks, on boarding day. The non-alcoholic drinks must not exceed 12 17-oz cans, bottles, or cartons per stateroom.
Passengers can bring milk or distilled water for infant, dietary, or medical needs.
Royal Caribbean has a reputation for having strict rules about the drinks policy. Passengers caught trying to sneak alcohol onto the cruise ship may be denied boarding. (Source)
Seabourn Cruises
Like other ultra-luxury cruise lines, Seabourn has a very open alcohol policy.
Guests can bring sealed and unopened beer, spirits, wine, and Champagne with no corkage fees or bottle limits. Beverages brought onboard the ship must have an alcohol concentration of 7.5% or less.
Hard liquor is strictly forbidden on Seabourn cruise ships. (Source)
Silversea Cruises
Silversea Cruises is another ultra-luxury cruise line with all-inclusive pricing.
Guests can bring wine or liquor at the beginning of the voyage and ports of call. The cruise line doesn’t limit the number of drinks passengers can bring onboard; passengers can consume their beverages through the ship without corkage fees. (Source)
Viking Cruises
Viking Cruises permits passengers to bring alcohol on the ship. According to the cruise line’s alcohol policy, guests can bring alcohol on embarkation day or purchase alcohol in port.
You can consume your beverages can be consumed around the ship without corkage fees. (Source)
Virgin Voyages
Sailors can bring two 750ml bottles of wine per cabin in carry-on bags. Champagne is not mentioned, but we’ve never had an issue bringing it on the ship.
If you make the mistake of bringing the bottles into your checked luggage, don’t expect to drink them on the ship. Virgin Voyages states, “any alcohol in your checked luggage will be collected pre-sailing and returned once your voyage is complete.“
The cruise line holds any alcohol purchased at the ports until the final night of the cruise. (Source)
Windstar Cruises
Guests can bring up to two 750ml bottles of wine or Champagne on 7-day cruises and three bottles on itineraries of 8 days or longer. All additional alcohol, such as those purchased in port or duty-free, is held by the cruise line and delivered on the last evening.
There is a $15 corkage fee when you consume the bottle outside your cabin. (Source)
