Bringing your own alcohol on a cruise can be a great way to save money, whether you want a glass of wine on your balcony or a few pre-dinner drinks in your cabin.
But the rules vary hugely between cruise lines. Some let you bring wine, Champagne or even beer, while others won’t let you bring any alcohol onboard at all.
Here’s what each major cruise line allows, how much you can bring and what happens if you turn up with more than you’re permitted.
Bringing Your Own Alcohol on a Cruise
Some cruise lines allow you to bring your own alcohol onto a cruise, but a handful don’t let you. Usually, you’re limited to one bottle of wine or Champagne, but there are some exceptions where you can bring a small number of beers or extra bottles of wine.
Cruise lines make a lot of money from drinks sold onboard, so it’s no surprise that they limit how much alcohol you can bring with you.
They may charge corkage fees as well, depending on where on the ship you plan to drink it. Usually, drinking in your stateroom is free of charge, but not always, so be sure to check!
Suggested read: Can You Walk Around A Cruise Ship With Alcohol?
The Cruise Lines That Allow You to Bring Alcohol Onboard
Most cruise lines allow you to bring alcohol onto your cruise, including the big names like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney Cruise Line and P&O Cruises. Costa Cruises and MSC Cruises are two cruise lines that do not allow guests to bring any alcohol onto the ship at all.
Here’s a quick summary of the major cruise lines, and whether they let you bring alcohol on board:
| Cruise line | Can you bring alcohol onboard? | Is there a corkage fee? |
|---|---|---|
| Carnival Cruises | Yes | Yes |
| Celebrity Cruises | Yes | Yes |
| Costa Cruises | No | N/A |
| Cunard Line | Yes | Yes |
| Disney Cruise Line | Yes | Yes |
| Holland America Line | Yes | Yes |
| MSC Cruises | No | N/A |
| NCL | Yes | Yes |
| P&O Cruises | Yes | Yes |
| Princess Cruises | Yes | Yes |
| Royal Caribbean | Yes | Yes |
| Virgin Voyages | Yes | Yes |
How to Take Alcohol on a Cruise
If your cruise line does permit you to bring alcohol, you should check their policy about how much you can bring, and whether it should be packed in your checked luggage or carry-on bag. The rules are quite different for each cruise line, but I’ve listed them for the major cruise lines below.
When packing glass bottles, it’s vital that you pack them carefully so as to avoid breakage. The last thing you want is to find broken glass and red wine all over your clothes!
I suggest that you invest in some of these wine bottle protectors to keep your alcohol safe inside your bag.
Taking Alcohol on Carnival Cruises
Guests are allowed to take one 750ml bottle of either wine or Champagne onto their cruise, per person. It must be packed in the carry-on luggage, and it must be completely unopened and sealed.
Only guests aged 21 and over are allowed to bring alcohol onto the ship, regardless of local laws. A $15 corkage fee applies if guests want to drink their bottle in a restaurant or bar on the ship.
Read the Carnival alcohol policy.
Carnival’s drinks aren’t the cheapest – expect to pay around $8 to $8.50 for a beer and $11 to $15.50 for a glass of wine. Most speciality cocktails cost around $12.25 to $14.25. You can see the drinks menus and prices here.
There is a drinks package, but CHEERS! currently costs $83.94 per person, per day including the service charge when booked before your cruise. So it’s definitely worth taking advantage of your allowance to bring a bottle onboard if you can.
Taking Alcohol on Celebrity Cruises
On a Celebrity cruise, each guest of drinking age is allowed to bring one sealed 750ml bottle of wine or Champagne onboard on embarkation day. Boxed wine and other types of alcohol aren’t permitted.
There’s a $35 corkage fee if you drink your bottle in a restaurant, bar or dining venue, although this is waived if you have a Classic Beverage Package or Premium Beverage Package.
Read the Celebrity alcohol policy.
Drinks on a Celebrity cruise aren’t cheap, although prices vary by ship and sailing. As a rough guide, expect to pay around $8 to $12 for many beers and wines by the glass, while cocktails are typically around $12 to $19. There are also drinks packages available if you plan to drink regularly onboard.
Taking Alcohol on Costa Cruises
Costa Cruises does not allow guests to bring any alcohol onto the ship at embarkation or at any of the ports of call. Costa won’t store any alcohol for guests either – and will just refuse to allow it on the ship at all.
Read the Costa alcohol policy.
Drinks on Costa Cruises are generally a little cheaper than on some of the major American cruise lines. As a rough guide, beers tend to cost around $5 to $7, while cocktails are typically around $8 to $12. Costa also offers drinks packages, including its My Drinks package, which can be included with some cruise fares.
Taking Alcohol on Cunard Cruises
According to Cunard’s terms and conditions, you’re allowed to take one bottle of wine or Champagne (750ml) onto the cruise ship “to celebrate special occasions”. You don’t need to prove it is for a special occasion, though. A corkage fee applies if you want to drink the wine in the restaurants or bars on the ship.
Read the Cunard alcohol policy.
Cunard’s alcohol prices are mid to high. As a rough guide, beers generally cost around $7 to $8, while cocktails are typically around $13 to $14.
Alcohol-inclusive drinks packages are available, but prices now vary depending on the length of your cruise. Booking before you sail is cheaper than buying your package onboard, so it’s worth comparing the cost before you travel.
Taking Alcohol on Disney Cruises
Guests aged 21 or over are allowed to bring either one unopened bottle of wine or Champagne onto the ship, no bigger than 750ml, or six beers no larger than 12 ounces (340ml) each. British guests should heed that size warning, as many beer cans sold in the UK are 440ml or more. All drinks must be packed in your carry-on luggage.
There’s a $20 corkage fee if you want to drink your wine or Champagne in one of the ship’s dining rooms. Alcohol brought onboard can’t be consumed in lounges or other public areas.
Read the Disney alcohol policy.
Drinks on a Disney cruise are priced similarly to other American cruise lines. As a rough guide, expect to pay around $7 to $10 for a beer and around $10 to $18 for a glass of wine. Disney doesn’t offer unlimited drinks packages, but you can buy packages that include a set number of drinks.
Taking Alcohol on Holland America Line Cruises
Guests are allowed to bring wine and Champagne bottles onto their Holland America cruise, provided they are no bigger than 750ml.
There’s no set limit on the number, though the cruise line states that wine brought in quantities deemed to be excessive will be refused. A corkage fee of $20 is applied to each bottle, so it can get expensive if you bring a lot onboard.
Read the Holland America Line alcohol policy.
You’ll pay a similar amount to other cruise lines for your drinks – around $7 to $8 for a beer, with wines and cocktails generally costing more.
Drinks packages are available, but it’s also worth looking at the Have It All package. This costs $60 per person, per day for cruises departing before summer 2027, rising to $65 for later departures, and includes the Signature Beverage Package alongside other benefits.
Taking Alcohol on MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises is another cruise line that, like Costa, doesn’t allow guests to bring alcohol onto the ship with them. Alcohol brought onboard may be confiscated.
Read the MSC alcohol policy.
MSC’s drinks prices are some of the higher ones you’ll find at sea. As a rough guide, expect to pay around $9 to $12 for a beer, $10 to $14 for a glass of wine and $13 to $16 for a cocktail.
MSC also offers several drinks packages, with the exact price depending on your cruise and which package you choose.
Taking Alcohol on NCL Cruises
NCL has one of the more relaxed policies when it comes to bringing alcohol onboard. You are limited to wine and Champagne, but NCL doesn’t state a limit on the number of bottles you can bring, and bottles can be up to a magnum (1.5 litres).
However, you do still have to pay a corkage fee, even if drinking the bottles in your stateroom – $15 for a 750ml bottle and $30 for a magnum. The corkage fee is waived if you have an NCL beverage package.
Read the NCL alcohol policy.
NCL’s drinks prices are on a similar level to other American-style cruise lines. As a rough guide, expect to pay around $7 to $10 for a beer, with wines and cocktails generally costing around $10 to $15.
Drinks packages are available, and a drinks package can also be included as part of NCL’s Free at Sea offering. The exact cost depends on your booking, so it’s worth comparing the options before you sail.
Taking Alcohol on P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises allows guests aged 18 and over (21+ on U.S. sailings) to bring up to one litre of wine or Champagne onboard at embarkation.
Unfortunately, beer, spirits and liqueurs are no longer permitted under the policy – a change introduced in 2024.
Any drinks over that limit will be held by the ship until disembarkation day, and then returned to guests. A £20 corkage fee applies if the alcohol is drunk in the public areas of the ship, but not if it is consumed in the cabin.
Read the P&O alcohol policy.
Alcohol prices are pretty good compared to many cruise lines. As a rough guide, beers generally cost around £5.50 to £6 (about $7 to $8), while wine and cocktails typically cost a little more.
The drinks packages currently start from around £49 per person, per day (about $65) when booked before your cruise. So they aren’t cheap, but they’re still more reasonably priced than the packages offered by some rival cruise lines.
Taking Alcohol on Princess Cruises
With Princess Cruises, you’re allowed to bring one 750ml bottle of wine or Champagne onboard per adult. There’s no corkage fee if you drink this bottle in your stateroom, but a $20 fee applies if you drink it in a public area.
You can bring additional bottles of wine or Champagne, but these are subject to a $20 corkage fee regardless of where you drink them. Beer, spirits and other alcoholic drinks can’t be brought onboard.
Read the Princess Cruises alcohol policy.
Drinks prices on a Princess ship are fairly reasonable compared to some American cruise lines. As a rough guide, expect to pay around $7 to $9 for a beer, with wines and cocktails generally starting at around $11.
Drinks packages are available, although it can also be worth comparing the cost of booking a Princess Plus or Princess Premier fare, which bundles drinks with several other extras.
Taking Alcohol on Royal Caribbean Cruises
Royal Caribbean’s alcohol policy states that each guest of drinking age is allowed to bring one sealed bottle of wine or Champagne (maximum 750ml) onboard at embarkation. Beer, spirits and other alcoholic drinks aren’t permitted.
A $15 corkage fee applies if you drink your own wine or Champagne in public areas of the ship.
If you book consecutive sailings, you can bring one bottle for each cruise. Any additional bottles for your later sailings will be stored by the ship and delivered to your stateroom at the start of each new cruise.
Read the Royal Caribbean alcohol policy.
The price of drinks on a Royal Caribbean cruise is similar to many other American cruise lines. As a rough guide, beers generally cost around $7 to $8, while cocktails and glasses of wine typically cost around $10 to $14.
Royal Caribbean does offer a decent selection of drinks for free, though.
You can also get a drinks package, but prices vary considerably depending on the sailing and when you buy it, so it’s worth checking the price for your particular cruise.
Taking Alcohol on Virgin Voyages Cruises
With Virgin Voyages, guests (called “sailors”) are allowed to bring two bottles of wine, sparkling wine or Champagne per cabin, provided they’re no bigger than 750ml. They must be packed in your carry-on luggage – any alcohol in checked bags will be held until the end of the cruise.
There’s a $25 corkage fee per bottle if you want to drink your own wine or Champagne in a restaurant or bar.
Read the Virgin Voyages alcohol policy. (Search for the question “Can I bring alcohol on board?”)
The drinks on a Virgin ship are fairly reasonably priced compared to many other cruise lines. Beers generally cost around $7 to $9, basic cocktails are around $11 and 40% of the wines available by the glass cost less than $11. Tips are included in the price.
Virgin Voyages doesn’t offer traditional drinks packages, but instead lets you preload a Bar Tab to spend on drinks onboard. You can get bonus credit when you buy one before sailing – for example, a $300 Bar Tab currently comes with an extra $50 to spend.
Sneaking Alcohol on a Cruise
It is possible to sneak your own alcohol onto a cruise ship, but the risk is up to you. If it’s found, then it will be confiscated, and you could get in trouble with the cruise line – though serious trouble is very unlikely.
While I can’t condone it, check out the ways you can sneak alcohol onto a cruise ship if you want to know more.
This Umbrella flask is available on Amazon.
Final Word
Cruise line drinks can be pricey, so if you enjoy a glass or two, it’s worth taking advantage of whatever alcohol your cruise line allows you to bring onboard.
The rules vary quite a lot, from cruise lines that allow wine, Champagne or even beer to those that don’t let you bring any alcohol at all. Always check the latest policy before you sail, including any corkage fees that might apply.
And while sneaking extra alcohol onboard might be tempting, I don’t think it’s worth risking having it confiscated. Stick to your allowance and you can enjoy your own drinks without any unwelcome surprises at security.
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