Bringing your own alcohol on a trip is a great way to save money, but cruises have a reputation for strict BYOB rules. Before you try to sneak your own liquor on-board, this rundown from Map Happy can help you check what your cruise line’s alcohol policy is.
The Best
- Azmara: Bring your own alcohol on-board and drink it at the ship’s restaurants and bars for a $10 fee. Any alcohol you buy at port stops or in the duty-free shop must be stored until disembarkation.
- Crystal: Enjoy alcohol you bring on at the start of the trip or buy in-port, but only in your cabin. Alcohol purchased at the ship’s duty-free shop must be stored.
- Disney: The same as Crystal’s, but you’re limited to two bottles of wine or champagne or six bottles or cans of beer per person. They have a corkage fee of $US25. (Disney has altered its policy since MapHappy’s last update.)
- Regent: Bring your own alcohol and consume booze bought at ports in your cabin. Bonus, alcohol at the ship’s restaurants, bars, and in-room bars is complimentary!
The Worst
- Carnival: You can’t BYOB beyond one 750mL bottle of wine or champagne. All alcohol you buy in-port or at the ship’s duty-free shop will be stored for the trip. Corkage is $US15.
- Costa: Absolutely no alcohol can be brought on-board, plus anything you buy must be stored until you disembark.
- MSC: Even stricter than Costa’s policy since you can’t bring any food or drinks on-board unless it is for medical reasons.
If your cruise does let you bring your own booze, it’s important to know where and when you’re allowed to drink it. You’ll also want to know if there are corkage fees for cruise lines that do allow you to bring your own booze and drink it during your on-board meals. Even if you only plan to buy alcohol during your trip as a souvenir from a duty-free shop, the cruise line might require you to hand it over to be stored until you disembark. Luckily, all of this information is in the chart, linked below.
The Official Boozing Policies for the High Seas [Map Happy]
Comments
6 responses to “The Cruise Lines With The Best (And Worst) Alcohol Policies”
I was excited to read this then BAM, more non Australian content on the Lifehacker Australia website.
Where is the Australian version of this?
Carnival owns P&O and i think princess which are the main two here so its got the Australian relevant infomation.
One possible option on a foreign list does not equate to relevant information.
There are more then those options here and the US options are different to the Aus one apparently so it doesn’t have any relevant Australian information.
Carnival Australia’s policies are similar regarding bringing alcohol on board. I dont recall anything about corkage, just any bottle brought on board would be held – and because of fire-safety, high-proof alcohol was totally banned.
Additionally – and detrimentally, unlike when those EXACT Carnival ships are in the US, there is no pre-purchasing of alcoholic drinks packages.
$15 a day will get each (and has to be all) people in your room endless softdrink, but no endless booze because “the system doesn’t support it”
It might be different between Carnival ships departing the US and those departing AUS. My wife and I were informed we were allowed to bring a bottle of wine onboard our cruise to New Cal and yet upon our bags arrival to our room our bags had been searched and the wine confiscated. Only returned the night before we arrived back in Australia.