Can I bring booze on a a cruise?

Question

I'm going on a cruise in 2 weeks and I have never been on one before. I read that the cruiseline allows guests to bring a bottle of wine or champagne for an extra fee. I'd rather not pay the extra fee and I'd rather bring other alcohol than wine and chapmagne. Anyone been on a cruise and know how I can do that? YES I'm of legal drinking age for all the worriers out there. Thank you to those who respond.

Answer 1

You have paid several hundred dollars for your cruise.  Do not be a cheapskate and try to sneak booze onboard.  There is the possibility of not only being caught and humiliated but also the cruiseline has the option of not allowing you to cruise - and you get no money back.

Drinks cost in the $7 range and beer is around $4.  You pay that much and more in clubs.  Budget a few extra dollars into your vacation budget for drinks.

You will see how some people have sneaked bottles of booze onboard in water bottles, mouthwash bottles, etc. but that is sophomoric.  

My wife and I were recently on a Celebrity cruise.  Upon coming back to the ship from Grand Cayman, she was asked to open her tote bag because the x-ray scanner detected a bottle.  It was a bottle of hot sauce - but still she had to show it.  If it had been alcohol, it would have been confiscated until we left the ship in Ft. Lauderdale.  

Buy the drinks onboard and do not be a cheapskate.

Answer 2

i have seen alot of people try sneaking the booze on but i would not want to chance it. could cost you not being able to get on board. why take the chance of ruining your trip over the booze. if you like to drink alot your going to pay alot for it on board but it is better then having to be removed from the sailing.

Answer 3

Most if not all cruise lines have a detector that detects alcohol.  Celebrity did.

Answer 4

I've been on Royal Caribbean several times.  Technically you're not supposed to bring booze on board, but everyone in our group that drinks hid a bottle in their checked bags anyway, and everyone's booze made it on board no problem (out of like 10 people bringing alcohol).  There's only a small chance they'll find it, and if they do, the "punishment" is that they take the bottle and give it back to you on the last night of the cruise, plenty early to use for your last night of drinking.  They won't kick you off the boat or anything like that.  Just don't be stupid about it or cause trouble and you'll be fine.

Answer 5

If you bring it on and they catch you, I believe they'll confiscate it (Royal Caribbean). Now soft drinks is a different matter--you can bring all you want!

Answer 6

Unfortunately yes you do have to pay a fee... If you're caught.

However, on my last several cruises (All Celebrity) I've been able to sneak cases of local beer/ bottles of wine in shopping bag at the ports without having been caught once. They just run them through the X-Ray, never say a thing.

Answer 7

For lots of opinions [and hints] about this topic, go to CruiseCritic.com, click on "Boards" at the top of the page, then "Carnival Cruise Lines" and either do a search on the topic of "sneaking alcohol on board" [which you'd have to do with Carnival] or just look through the most-recent threads - this question is addressed almost every day.

Some lines allow you to bring wine and then you pay a corkage fee [unless you consume it in your stateroom].  No lines allow you to bring liquor, but many people sneak it on.  I have read that many lines are becoming more strict about this and are more likely to confiscate booze.

Answer 8

well carnival will let you bring a small amount of soda in your checked bags .. so what i do is put a mixture of J.D, and coke in my soda bottles . never had any problems . but I don't try to bring more than a couple of small bottles ..