Think you have to be 21 to drink on every cruise? Not always.
The legal drinking age on a cruise depends on much more than just your age. The cruise line, where your ship sails, whether you’re in international waters and even whether you’re travelling with your parents can all make a difference.
Some 18-year-olds can legally order a cocktail onboard. Others have to wait until they’re 21, even after leaving port. And there are a few surprising exceptions that catch families out every year.
Before you order your first drink, here’s what you need to know.
Legal Age
The legal drinking age on a cruise varies from 16 to 21. The exact rule depends on the cruise line, where the ship is sailing, the type of alcohol being served and whether a parent or legal guardian is present.
As a general rule, you have to be 21 to drink on a cruise in the United States and 18 elsewhere in the world. However, there are some exceptions, here’s what we’ve discovered from our research.
Drinking Age By Cruise Line
The table below shows how old you have to be to drink on a cruise ship.
| Cruise Line | United States & Private Islands | Rest of the World |
|---|---|---|
| Carnival | 21 | 21 |
| Celebrity Cruises | 21 | 21 (18 with parents’ permission) |
| Costa Cruises | 21 | 18 |
| Cunard | 21 | 18 |
| Disney Cruise Line | 21 | 21 (18 with parents’ permission) |
| Fred. Olsen Cruise Line | 21 (18 in international waters) | 18 |
| MSC Cruises | 21 | 18 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | 21 (18 in international waters with parents’ permission) | 21 (18 with parents’ permission) |
| P&O Cruises | 21 | 18 (16 with a meal) |
| Princess Cruises | 21 | 18 (20 in Japan) |
| Royal Caribbean | 21 | 18 |
| Virgin Voyages | 21 (18 in international waters) | 18 |
Note: This table gives a quick overview, but there are plenty of exceptions. Some cruise lines base their policy on where the cruise departs, others on the ports visited, and a few allow younger adults to drink in certain circumstances, such as with parental consent or once the ship reaches international waters.
Cruise Ship Drinking Ages & International Waters: What You Need to Know
It is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to drink alcohol in the United States. However, once a cruise ship reaches international waters, the rules aren’t always so straightforward. Depending on the cruise line’s own policy, some passengers aged 18 to 20 may be allowed to drink.
You can read more about what international waters means and what’s legal there in this article.
While many cruise lines continue to enforce a minimum drinking age of 21 on US sailings, others allow guests aged 18, 19 and 20 to buy alcohol once the ship is a certain distance from the US coast, often with additional conditions such as parental consent
Read more: Drinking On A Cruise At 18 In International Waters – What’s Actually Allowed?
Understanding What Counts as a US Cruise
Whether a cruise is classed as a US sailing isn’t always as straightforward as you might think. Some cruise lines apply their US drinking policy to any itinerary that includes a US port, while others only do so if the cruise begins or ends in the United States. This can make a difference on cruises such as a transatlantic sailing from Southampton to New York.
Some itineraries also have their own exceptions. For example, Norwegian Cruise Line normally allows guests aged 18 to 20 to drink beer and wine in international waters with a signed parental waiver. However, this exception doesn’t apply on cruises to Alaska or Hawaii, where the minimum drinking age remains 21 throughout the sailing
Parental Permission And How It Works
Some cruise lines allow guests aged 18, 19 and 20 to drink alcohol with the permission of a parent or legal guardian.
In most cases, the parent or legal guardian must complete a consent form or waiver before the young adult can buy or consume alcohol. They must also be travelling on the same cruise.
One thing to be aware of is that a friend or older sibling can’t simply act as your guardian for the trip. Cruise lines generally require the person signing the waiver to be your parent or your legal guardian, not just someone over the age of 21.
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What Happens If You Have a Birthday During Your Cruise?
If you celebrate your 18th or 21st birthday during your cruise, you’ll usually be able to start drinking from that day, provided you meet the cruise line’s policy for that itinerary.
On some cruise lines your account will update automatically, while others may ask you to visit Guest Services with your photo ID so your cruise card can be updated before you can buy alcohol.
Cruise Line Policies
Carnival Cruise Drinking Age
Carnival Cruise Line’s policy states:
“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 request ID prior to the purchase of alcohol and refuse the sale of alcohol to anyone.“
(Source)
Celebrity Cruises Drinking Age
Celebrity Cruises policy states:
“The minimum age for a guest to drink or possess alcoholic beverages on ships sailing from Asia, North America, the United Arab Emirates, or at any of our private destinations, is 21. The minimum age for a guest to drink or possess alcoholic beverages on ships sailing from South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand is 18. In all other cases, the drinking age of the home port shall control our determination of a legal drinking age.“
(Source)
Costa Cruises Drinking Age
Costa Cruises policy states:
“Guest acknowledges that the minimum age permitted for the purchase, possession, or consumption of alcoholic beverages aboard Costal’s Vessels is eighteen (18).
If the legal drinking age for certain nationalities is higher than eighteen (18), Costa reserves the right to extend the alcohol restriction to Guests over the age of eighteen, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.“
(Source)
Cunard Drinking Age
Cunard’s policy states:
“Guests who are under 18 years of age are not permitted to purchase or consume alcohol on board. However, whilst in U.S. waters, Cunard enforces and abides by the U.S. legal drinking age of 21 years.”
(Source)
Disney Cruise Line Drinking Age
Disney’s policy states:
“The drinking age on board is 21, and a valid photo I.D. is required. However, during round-trip cruises departing from any European country that has a lower drinking age, parents or guardians may sign a Beverage Consent Form that allows their 18- to 20-year-old children to consume alcoholic beverages while in the adult’s presence. In addition, for round-trip cruises from Singapore, Guests 18 years of age and older may purchase and consume alcoholic beverages without parental consent.”
(Source)
MSC Cruises Drinking Age
MSC Cruises’ policy states:
“Alcoholic drinks in any form will not be sold to Minors during the cruise. When the itinerary includes a port located in the U.S.A the same conditions will apply for any passengers under the age 21.”
“For voyages that include a port in the USA, persons under the age of 21 may not order or consume alcoholic beverages or participate in gambling. For voyages that do not include a port in the USA, persons under the age of 18 may not order or consume alcoholic beverages or participate in gambling.”
(Source)
NCL Drinking Age
Norwegian Cruise Line’s policy states:
“The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on Norwegian Cruise Line ships is 21. Guests who are 18 – 20 years of age can purchase and consume beer or wine when the ship is in international waters (3 miles out of US territorial waters). The age modification does not apply for Alaska and Hawaii sailings. The parent or legal guardian must be onboard the sailing with the young adult and present themselves at the Front Desk so they can sign the form allowing the consumption of beer and wine only.
On cruises embarking in a country where the legal drinking age is lower than 21 and where a young adult (age 18, 19 or 20) is not travelling with a parent or legal guardian, they will generally not be permitted to consume alcohol. There may be exceptions made to this restriction in areas of the world where local laws require and Norwegian Cruise Line concurs. Details on such exceptions can be obtained from the Guest Services Desk.”
(Source)
P&O Cruises Drinking Age
P&O Cruises’ policy states:
“Anyone under the age of 18 (or under 21 when in United States of America waters) will not be served alcoholic beverages on board and must not be in possession of alcohol. Please don’t be offended if we ask you to verify your age. 
It is prohibited to attempt to purchase alcohol for those under 18 in the bars and shops on board, although 16 and 17-year-olds may be bought modest amounts of beer, cider or wine to drink with a meal in the restaurants when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian”.Â
(Source)
Princess Cruises Drinking Age
Princess Cruises’ policy states:
“Passengers must be aged 21 years or over to drink alcohol on all Cruises except Cruises which depart from and return to Europe, China, Hong Kong, Singapore or Taiwan, or Australia and New Zealand on which Passengers must be aged 18 years or over to drink alcohol and Cruises which depart from and return to Japan on which Passengers must be aged 20 years or over to drink alcohol.”
(Source)
Royal Caribbean Drinking Age
Royal Caribbean’s policy states:
“On cruises originating from North America or the Caribbean, the minimum age to consume alcohol on Royal Caribbean International ships is twenty-one (21).
On cruises originating from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the minimum age to consume alcohol on Royal Caribbean International ships is twenty-one (21).
On cruises originating from South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the minimum age to consume alcohol on Royal Caribbean International ships is eighteen (18).
At Royal Caribbean International private destinations, the minimum age to consume alcohol is: Twenty-one (21) at Perfect Day CocoCay, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island and Labadee. Eighteen (18) at Royal Beach Club Santorini and Royal Beach Club Lelepa.“
(Source)
Suggested read: Royal Caribbean Drinks Menus (with Prices)
Virgin Voyages Drinking Age
Virgin Voyages’ policy states:
“The drinking age in international waters is 18, in the United States it’s 21, and in other ports, we’ll go with whatever their country’s laws specify. On Alaska itineraries, our onboard policy requires all Sailors to be 21 or older to purchase or consume alcohol.”
(Source)
Drinks Calculator
If all this information has made you thirsty you can use our handy Drinks Calculator Toolkit below to see whether buying a Cruise Drinks Package is the right choice for you.
Conclusion
There’s no single drinking age that applies to every cruise. While 21 is the standard on most cruises that sail from or visit the US, many cruise lines lower the drinking age to 18 on sailings elsewhere in the world. Some even make exceptions for guests aged 18 to 20 who are travelling with their parents.
The most important thing is to check the rules for your specific cruise, as the minimum drinking age can vary depending on the cruise line, the itinerary and, in some cases, where the ship is during the voyage.
One wrong assumption could leave someone unable to order a drink for the entire holiday, so it’s always worth checking before you sail.
And if you’re planning your first cruise at 18, take a look at my guide to the best cruises for 18-year-olds to help you choose the right cruise line.
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