Are you wondering if you can bring wine on a cruise?
On many cruise lines, you absolutely can bring wine on a cruise!
Are you interested?
Alcohol packages are very expensive and can range from $60-80 (or more)PER DAY! If you are buying wine by the glass the average price is around $12 per glass. Factor in the service charge and the possible extra gratuity and your cruise budget can get out of control quickly.
Many people who enjoy wine, choose to carry on the allowed amount to enjoy throughout their cruise. And, you can, too!
This can be significant cost savings if you are willing to do a little extra work ahead of time.
Please note, the following only relates to wine/sparkling wine. To my knowledge, no U.S.-based cruise lines allow for spirits to be brought on board, however, some allow for in-cruise bottle purchases for your stateroom. See individual alcohol policies for details.
We always fly to our cruise embarkation port because we live approximately 13 hours from our closest port. So, my husband thinks it’s a pain to find a store once we arrive in our embarkation city, choose a reasonable wine (that still tastes great), and “lug” it on board.
His words, not mine. He clearly doesn’t love wine as much as I do!
I’m all for saving a few dollars and bringing a couple of bottles on board. We travel on Royal Caribbean cruise line most frequently and they do have a wine allowance. (More on Royal Caribbean’s policy later)
Generally speaking, most cruise lines allow you to bring up to two 750 ml bottles of wine or champagne per stateroom. However, each cruise line has its own spin on specific details.
Some cruise lines allow you to bring wine or champagne on board but they charge a $15 corkage fee (fee to open wine) if you choose to have the bottle opened in a dining or bar facility on board.
Others charge you this fee no matter where you open your wine. Their fee is accessed upon embarkation.
In this post, I’ll break down the benefits and limits for each of the major cruise lines and provide a link to their policy on their website. Reviewed below, in alphabetical order, are policies from the most common cruise lines serving the U.S. market.
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Carnival Cruise Line – Wine Policy
Carnival Cruise Line is known for its value price and its “fun ship experience”. They kick off this value and fun by allowing guests to bring wine or champagne on board. According to their website – at the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day only, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring one 750 ml bottle of sealed/unopened wine or champagne, per person, in their carry-on luggage.
A corkage fee of $15 will be charged if you bring it to the main dining room, specialty dining, or bar. This policy is pretty standard. While some guests feel it’s just an excuse to charge you a few, cruise lines state that it’s a safety issue. They essentially don’t want you carrying around your large glass bottle.
Policies change, therefore check the site of your preferred cruise line prior to embarkation – https://www.carnival.com/help
Celebrity Cruise Line
Guests may bring 2 bottles of wine or champagne per person of legal drinking age on embarkation day. They match our Royal Caribbean loyalty status so we may have to get on a Celebrity Cruise soon! 😉
However, they do have a higher-than-average corkage fee of $25 for any bottles opened outside of the stateroom. You can read their specific policy here.
Disney Cruise Line
A unique policy comes from Disney Cruise Line. Their policy allows you the opportunity to bring wine on a cruise and more!
Guests may bring 2 bottles of wine or champagne per adult or 6 bottles of beer. This limit is stated as PER guest and not per stateroom. If you are willing to carry it, this is a very generous limit. Disney appears to be the only cruise line that lets you do this again during ports of call.
It is a bit unclear in the details. Can you bring one bottle of wine AND 6 bottles of beer? It seems to me that there is some leniency so long as you stay within the general guidelines.
Disney Cruise Line will charge a $26 corkage fee for consuming the alcohol you bring on board in a public area. Want to review the policy yourself? You may do so here.
Have you sailed with Disney and seen this policy in action? Let me know in the comment section below or join our community discussions on Facebook.
Holland America
They have an interesting policy. They do allow wine/sparkling wine to be brought on board during embarkation. Interestingly enough there is no apparent limit. However, at their discretion, they can deem an amount to be “excessive”.
Each bottle will be charged a $20 corkage fee.
Additionally, any wine purchased at a cruise line-sponsored excursion with a wine experience is exempt from the corkage fee.
https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq/know-before-you-go.html
MSC Cruise Line – The No Policy
You are NOT allowed to bring alcohol of any kind onboard your MSC cruise. I suppose this is the simplest of all cruise line policies.
Guests are not allowed to bring outside beverages onboard. Period. Bummer!
Norwegian Cruise Line and The Corkage Fee
Moving on, Norwegian has a pretty unique policy for bringing wine onboard. There appears to be no limit to how many 750ml bottles of wine/champagne you may bring on board. (Sounds great, right?) But, here’s the kicker. Each is subject to a $15 fee. You may choose to bring a large 1500ml (Magnum) bottle but you will be charged a $30 fee.
Ouch! Even… if a friend or your T.A. sends you a bottle of wine!
This is an excerpt from the Norwegian website. Wine or champagne sent directly to the ship by travel agents, friends, family, etc. or from another retail source, are subject to the same fees. Box wines are not allowed on board.
I suppose a $15 fee isn’t a huge expense but it does feel odd. If a family member or your travel agent sends you a gift, it’ll cost you!
Wine on Princess Cruise Line?
So, how about Princess? Ah, the original love boat. Have you seen any old re-runs of that show? It’s a little different than modern-day cruising, isn’t it?
Princess Cruises, owned by Carnival Corporation, allows one 750 ml bottle per guest, 21 and older. This wine (or champagne) is not subject to a corkage fee if consumed in the stateroom.
Guests may bring additional bottles of wine or champagne onboard but each additional bottle will be charged a $15 corkage fee regardless of where it is consumed.
Their policy seems quite fair. Do you agree?
Here’s more information direct from the Princess Cruise line website
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Alcohol Policy
We finally made it down the list alphabetically to the cruise line we sail with most often. I can hear my husband now talking about “lugging” wine on board. We debate each time regarding whether or not we will splurge on the Deluxe Beverage Package or bring a couple of bottles of wine onboard. But, after more than two dozen sailings, we have a pretty good system for making that decision.
But, back to their policy regarding bringing wine on a cruise. Guests sailing with Royal Caribbean are allowed one 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne per person of legal drinking age in the stateroom. Like most cruise line policies, the bottles need to be kept in your carry-on luggage during embarkation. (This policy was updated in March 2023 from the original 2 bottles per stateroom – I can hear the solo cruisers crying now)
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/food-drink-onboard-policy
Can You Bring Wine on Virgin Voyages?
A relative newcomer to the cruise market is Virgin Voyages. While many of their services are different for their “sailors”, guests may bring two bottles of wine/champagne in their carry-on (per stateroom) during embarkation.
Worrier’s Guide to Bringing Wine on a Cruise – Tips
- First, consider selecting a wine with a twist cap. Several nice wines are now available without a cork. No need to pack a corkscrew! But, don’t be fooled. If you bring a twist top to the dining room, you may still incur the fee. Don’t think this means “cheap wine”. Many brands are switching to a twist cap for environmental reasons.
- Keep wine with you during cruise check-in (embarkation)
- Ask your room steward for wine glasses – many times they can provide a small corkscrew as well but it’s not guaranteed.
- Do not carry the bottle with you around the ship after boarding. You will not be charged a fee if you open the bottle and fill your glass within your stateroom. (On most cruise lines)
- Enjoy! Cheers to a fabulous cruise vacation!
As a reminder, for most cruise lines, the wine or champagne must be in your carry-on bag. I usually tuck mine in my embarkation bag (backpack) but there are several great carry-all options available too.
Many cruisers enjoy this insulated carrier that provides a bit of padding. You don’t want to break a bottle going through security! Don’t forget your travel-size corkscrew.
I have also seen cruisers attach the carrier to their rolling luggage using this luggage bungee.
There you have it! The various benefits and limitations when you want to bring wine on a cruise.
Happy Cruisin!
– Jill
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