Alcohol Policies, including what (if any) beverages you may bring on board, the legal age limits are for alcohol consumption, corkage fees, etc. vary from cruise line to cruise line. Following are the policies for Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, NCL, Princess and Royal Caribbean as stated in their own documentation:
Carnival Cruise Lines:
Bringing Alcohol On Board - Embarkation
Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages onboard. However, guests 21 years of age and older only may bring one bottle (750ml) of wine or champagne, per person, on board only during embarkation at the beginning of the cruise. A $10 corkage fee per bottle will be charged should you wish to consume this wine in the main dining room; $14 corkage fee per bottle in the steakhouse. Guests may bring a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages. All prohibited alcohol, additional quantities of wine/champagne or excessive quantities of non-alcoholic beverages will be confiscated and discarded without compensation.
Large cooler restrictions:
Carnival Cruise Lines does not allow guests to bring large coolers on board its ships. However for purposes of housing small, personal-sized coolers no larger than 12” x 12” x 12” for the purpose of housing small quantities of non-alcoholic beverages and/or medications are permitted as carry-on luggage. Screening and movement of large coolers through embarkation is an impediment to the boarding and security screening process. Therefore, large coolers are not permitted as carry-on or checked luggage.
Ports-of-Call
Alcoholic beverages of any kind purchased in any Port-of-Call will be confiscated at the gangway, stored on board and retained by Carnival until the end of the voyage.
Gift Shops On Board
Alcoholic beverages of any kind purchased in the ship's gift shop will be stored on board and be retained by Carnival until the end of the voyage.
Drinking Alcohol On Board
The minimum age for the purchase and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages in the bars, lounges and gift shops is 21 years of age. Carnival reserves the right to refuse the sale of alcoholic beverages to anyone. In the event that Bar/Restaurant/Gift Shop staff are in question that a guest is less than 21 years old, they shall request picture identification, prior to serving the drink or selling the bottle of liquor.
Celebrity Cruises
The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on all Celebrity Cruises ships is
twenty-one (21) years of age. However, on ships in Europe, South America and Australia, where the legal drinking age is lower than twenty-one (21), a parent who is sailing with his or her son(s) and/or daughter(s) who is between the ages of eighteen (18) to twenty (20), may sign a waiver allowing the eighteen (18) to twenty (20) year old to consume alcoholic beverages.
The eighteen (18) to twenty (20) year-old must agree to comply with Celebrity Cruises’ policies, including among other things, agreeing to not provide alcoholic beverages to any other person, regardless of age. Restrictions apply, and this policy is subject to change without notice.
If a guest celebrates their 21st birthday during the cruise, the guest may thereafter ask the Front Desk Manager to modify the ship's records to permit their consumption of alcohol during the remainder of cruise. The guest will be required to appear at the Guest Relations Desk with his/her parent or guardian and must present a government issued form of identification to establish that the guest's 21st birthday was celebrated during the cruise.
An individual’s age on the date of sailing determines his or her status for the entire cruise vacation.
Guests are not allowed to bring beer or hard liquor onboard for consumption or any other use. Guests wishing to bring personal wine onboard with them at the beginning of the cruise may do so, limited to two (2) bottles per stateroom, but when consumed in any shipboard restaurant, bar, or dining venue, each bottle shall be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00.
Alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports of calls or from the onboard shops will be stored by the ship and delivered to guest's staterooms on the last day of the sailing. Security may inspect containers (water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage etc.) and will dispose of containers holding alcohol. Celebrity Cruises’ Guest Conduct Policy may be enforced, up to and including disembarkation, if a guest violates any alcohol policy. Guests under the age of twenty-one (21) will not have alcohol returned to them.
Guests who violate any alcohol policies, (over consume, provide alcohol to people under age twenty-one (21), demonstrate irresponsible behavior, or attempt to conceal alcoholic items at security and or luggage check points or any other time), may be disembarked or not allowed to board, at their own expense, in accordance with our Guest Conduct Policy.
Celebrity Cruises reserves the right to revoke or otherwise restrict drinking privileges of any guest, regardless of age. Even if all criteria are met, shipboard personnel may elect, and have the option to, not grant the waiver or any such drinking privileges. The waiver may not apply when the vessel is in certain territorial waters.
Holland America Lines:
Bringing Alcoholic Beverages Onboard
Except for wine and champagne, alcoholic beverages purchased in the vessel's shops or otherwise brought on the ship cannot be consumed on the ship. Bottles and other containers will be collected for safekeeping and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the voyage.
A corkage fee of US$15.00 applies to wine and champagne brought to the restaurants or bars for consumption.
Room Service offers reduced-price stateroom beverage packages for in-stateroom consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Alcoholic beverages will not be served to guests under age 21.
Norwegian Cruise Lines
With the exception of Alaska and Hawaii itineraries, (Where you must be 21 years of age to consume or purchase alcohol of any kind) NCL permits guests between the ages of eighteen (18) and twenty (20) to purchase and personally consume wine and beer while on NCL ships with the consent of an accompanying parent or legal guardian on the same sailing once the vessel is outside the US state territorial waters (3 miles out). Complete details and special consent form are only available onboard at the Reception Desk. *If you want to gamble in our casinos, you must have a valid ID showing you are 18 years or older. If a guest under the age of 18 wins in the casino and can not provide proof of age, he or she will not be paid the winnings.
* NCL encourages the responsible use of alcohol and accordingly reserves the right to permanently or temporarily revoke the drinking privileges of any guest who violates NCL's Guest Code of Conduct or who is deemed a danger to himself, herself or others by vessel management. Continued abuse of alcohol while sailing and/or violation of NCL's alcohol policy may result in immediate disembarkation.
Princess Cruises:
Question: What is the alcohol policy onboard Princess Cruises?
Answer: We kindly request that you do not bring alcoholic beverages (other than wine and/or champagne) onboard for consumption. Alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship's gift shop or at ports of call will be collected for safekeeping and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the voyage. A member of our Security Staff will be at the gangway to assist with the storage of your alcoholic beverage purchases.
Question: What are the age restrictions for alcohol consumption and access to the casino and disco?
Answer: The legal drinking age of 21 years is always observed onboard and proof of age may be required. All onboard staff are trained to take seriously their responsibility to not serve alcohol to underage passengers. The age restrictions are clearly posted in the bars. Entry into the disco is limited to passengers 18 years and older. Be sure to check with the child and teen centers, however, for special disco events designed just for kids. Children under the age of 18 are welcome in the gymnasium, spa and jacuzzi; and also in the evening entertainment show lounges when accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Royal Caribbean:
ALCOHOL POLICY
Effective as of all sailings commencing on or after July 28, 2006, the minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on all Royal Caribbean International ships is 21.
However, on cruises departing from European and South American countries, where the legal drinking age is typically lower than 21, a parent who is sailing with his or her son(s) and/or daughter(s) who is between the ages of 18 to 20, may sign a waiver allowing the 18 to 20 year old to consume alcoholic beverages. Please note: Waivers will be provided to parents upon check-in.
The 18- to 20 year-old must agree to comply with Royal Caribbean's policies, including among other things, agreeing to not provide alcoholic beverages to any other person, regardless of age. Restrictions apply, and this policy is subject to change without notice.
Guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic beverages onboard for consumption or any other use. Alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports of call or from onboard shops will be stored by the ship and delivered to guest staterooms on the last day of the sailing. Security may inspect containers (water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage etc.) and will dispose of containers holding alcohol. Royal Caribbean's Guest Conduct Policy may be enforced, up to and including disembarkation, if a guest violates any alcohol policy. Guests under the age of 21 will not have alcohol returned to them.
Guests who violate any alcohol policies, (over consume, provide alcohol to people under age 21, demonstrate irresponsible behavior, or attempt to conceal alcoholic items at security and or luggage check points or any other time), may be disembarked or not allowed to board, at their own expense, in accordance with our Guest Conduct Policy.
Royal Caribbean reserves the right to revoke or otherwise restrict drinking privileges of any guest, regardless of age.
