Can You Bring Alcohol, Soda, or Snacks on a Cruise?

Some cruise lines let you bring a limited amount of wine, soda or packaged snacks; others restrict even bottled water. Check the allowance per person or cabin, the container size, guest age and when you board. Permission to bring wine does not mean you can bring liquor or refill your allowance at every port.

These policies were checked on October 3, 2026. Carnival details below cover US departures; other departure markets and your sailing documents may have different rules.

Wine and beer at embarkation

• Royal Caribbean: One sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne per guest of legal drinking age at initial boarding. Beer, hard seltzer and liquor are not part of that allowance.
• Carnival: One sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne per person aged 21 or older, in carry on luggage. The US policy excludes port, vermouth, sherry and other fortified wines over 15% alcohol by volume. A $15 USD corkage fee applies in the main dining room, specialty restaurants or bars.
• Disney: One unopened wine or sparkling wine bottle of up to 750 ml, or six beers of up to 12 ounces each, per eligible guest at the beginning of the voyage. Pack them in your carry on. The minimum age is 21, or 18 on round trip Singapore cruises; dining room corkage is $20 USD per bottle.
• Virgin: Two sealed 750 ml wine or champagne bottles per cabin at initial boarding, in carry on bags. Guests bringing alcohol must meet the departure port and itinerary's legal drinking age, including 21 in the US. Corkage at its eateries is $25 per bottle.

Disney's current rule does not let you replenish wine or beer for onboard drinking at each port. Alcohol bought ashore is stored until the cruise ends. Reddit passengers discussing the 2026 change reported conflicting older emails and web pages, so use the current policy for your trip rather than an old packing list.

Drinking wine in your cabin may still cost extra

Norwegian allows wine and champagne, but its corkage rule covers consumption in cabins as well as restaurants and public rooms. It lists $15 USD for a 750 ml bottle and $30 for a 1,500 ml bottle, with a waiver for guests holding a qualifying beverage package. Boxed wine is not allowed.

Princess allows one 750 ml wine or champagne bottle per eligible guest at embarkation without corkage if consumed in the cabin. Additional bottles incur corkage regardless of where you drink them. Cruise Critic passengers discuss whether corkage is enforced; that is not a reliable reason to leave the fee out of your budget.

For a hypothetical Norwegian example without a qualifying package, a $12 bottle plus $15 corkage costs $27 before any other applicable charge. Compare that with what you actually want to drink and what your fare or drink package already includes.

Soda and water: count containers, not cases

• Royal Caribbean: Up to 12 cans, bottles or cartons of no more than 17 ounces each per cabin, carried aboard on boarding day.
• Carnival US departures: Up to 12 sealed cans or cartons of no more than 12 ounces each per person at embarkation, in carry on luggage. Ordinary beverages in glass or plastic bottles are not allowed.
• Virgin: Up to 12 sealed cans or cartons of no more than 12 ounces each per person at embarkation, in hand luggage. Glass and plastic beverage bottles are not allowed.
• Norwegian: Ordinary outside soda, juice and bottled water are not permitted in either carry on or checked luggage. Medical and infant needs have separate approval procedures.

For two guests sharing a Royal cabin, the ordinary allowance is 12 containers total, not 24. Two Carnival guests on a US departure can each bring 12 permitted cans or cartons. Bottle size and packaging still matter.

Medical drinks and snacks need their own check

Norwegian directs guests who need water or milk for medical or infant use to its Access Desk for approval before travel. Obtain the confirmation to show security. Do not treat a medical exception as permission to bring any beverage you prefer.

Royal permits limited quantities of packaged food that does not spoil. Virgin's FAQ permits reasonable quantities of sealed, nonperishable snacks brought back from port, but asks guests to contact Sailor Services about necessary food items or supplements. MSC's published US conditions prohibit outside food and drinks except specified infant and medically prescribed dietary needs, with advance notice requirements.

For a medical dietary need, arrange the food plan before travel and keep the line's written instructions. A passenger who got snacks through security does not establish permission for your sailing.

Port purchases and confiscation

Do not assume prohibited alcohol will be stored and returned. Royal says beer, hard seltzer and liquor seized at embarkation will not be returned; Carnival says prohibited embarkation beverages can be discarded without compensation. Authorized purchases ashore may instead be held until the end of the voyage.

Permission to bring food onto a ship also does not establish permission to take it into the next country. Check destination agricultural rules before carrying food ashore. Review the line's prohibited item list alongside its beverage policy, and keep permitted drinks accessible for inspection rather than handing them to a porter when carry on is required.