Can You Sneak Alcohol Onboard A Cruise Ship? The Cruise “Hack” Some People Still Try

How to sneak alcohol onto cruise ships is one of the most common tips people share online.

It is something I would never recommend – and I certainly wouldn’t risk doing it myself!

For a start, I don’t drink much alcohol anyway, I am far happier with a soft drink…

The consequences of getting caught smuggling alcohol onboard really aren’t worth the risk.

There are far better ways to save money that don’t risk you being denied boarding or removed from the ship at the next available port!

Every Cruise Line Has Different Alcohol Rules

Every cruise line has their own policies when it comes to bringing alcohol onboard.

On some cruise lines, you can take a certain amount of alcohol onboard on embarkation day.

This is usually wine or champagne, and they will charge you a “Corkage Fee” if you want to drink it in an onboard restaurant.

Others ban you from bringing alcohol onboard altogether.

Policies vary across cruise lines. Examples include:

• Royal Caribbean International
  • On embarkation day, each guest of drinking age may bring one (1) sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne. Boxed wine and other containers are prohibited.
  • If you consume your personal wine/champagne in public areas, a $15 fee per bottle may apply.
• Carnival Cruise Line
  • 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.
• Norwegian Cruise Line
  • With the exception of Wine and Champagne, all guests are prohibited from bringing alcohol on board Norwegian ships. 
    • Norwegian are unusual in that they charge a corkage fee, even if you drink the wine in your own cabin!
      • “If bottles are brought on board and served or consumed in any restaurant, public room area or in their stateroom, a corkage fee will be charged according to bottle size: 750 ml Bottle: $15.00 USD. 1,500 ml Magnum: $30.00 USD”
• P&O Cruises
  • Each guest aged 18 years (21 years in the United States of America ports) and older may bring up to one litre of wine or Champagne on board when they embark the ship for the first time only.

It is important to check your specific cruise line’s rules before trying to take alcohol onboard

Check out my searchable table of which cruise lines allow you to bring alcohol below:

Can You Bring Alcohol On A Cruise

Cruise Ship Security Is Much Stricter Than People Expect

You will go through security when you arrive at the terminal to board your ship.

Security is similar to that found in an airport, with airport-style scanners, bag scanning, etc.

Suitcases will also be checked, and sometimes held for inspection, before going on to the ship. This can delay your suitcases arriving at your cabin.

Passengers may be called back to security if banned items are found in their luggage.

It’s not just alcohol that is confiscated from luggage. Find out about the top 5 confiscated items in the post below:

These Are The 5 Items Most Regularly Confiscated by Cruise Lines

The Tricks People Use To Sneak Alcohol Onboard

Staff have seen most of the alcohol-smuggling tricks hundreds of times before. Common ways of trying to sneak alcohol onboard include:

• Putting alcohol in fake shampoo, mouthwash or toiletry bottles or filling old water bottles with alcohol.
• Hiding bottles in suitcases.
• Using a “Rum Runner” – which I had never heard of!

A Rum Runner is a specialised, durable, BPA-free flexible plastic flask designed to sneak alcohol onboard a cruise ship by concealing it within checked luggage. These pouches are popular alternatives to glass bottles because they are leak-proof, non-metallic, and can be flattened for storage

Why Bother?

People consider this to avoid paying the sometimes quite expensive drink prices onboard.

Drinks packages onboard cruise ships can often cost over $100 a day, and costs soon mount up.

Many American cruise lines also add a service charge of up to 20% on every drink purchased.

Guests are trying to avoid running up a large onboard bar bill during their cruise.

Buying a drinks package would probably be a better plan.

You won’t be able to get an entire bar onboard, so even if you manage to smuggle some vodka or gin onto your ship, you’re going to be limited with what you can make in your cabin without mixers, etc.

My advice would be to look out for free drink package promotions offered by cruise lines throughout the year.

I was lucky enough to get a booking promotion which gave me free drinks when I booked my luxury Viking cruise.

The Viking cruise experience was every bit as good as I dreamed it would be! Find out more here:

The Most Common Outcome: Your Alcohol Is Taken Away

In many cases, security simply confiscates the alcohol.

It may be:

• Held until the end of the cruise and then returned to you.
• Disposed of, and you will have wasted your money….
• If you have tried to conceal your alcohol, it is likely that it will be confiscated and not returned at all.

You will actually end up losing money if you have bought special containers and bottles of alcohol to take onto your cruise. They could be confiscated, and you will never see either again!

The Consequences People Don’t Expect

Confiscation isn’t the only outcome. There are many other potential issues, such as:

• Luggage delays during embarkation.
• Warnings from security staff
• Possible fees or penalties depending on the situation

This would make embarkation very stressful! I am sure I would look really guilty if I were trying to sneak a banned item on board. I would not want to try it…

Security may inspect containers (water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage, etc.) and will dispose of containers holding alcohol. Guests who violate any alcohol policies, (over consume, provide alcohol to people under the legal drinking age, 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. Guests who are under the permitted drinking age will not have alcohol returned to them. 

Royal Caribbean International

Some Passengers Have Been Banned

Repeated or serious rule violations can lead to stronger consequences.

Cruise lines keep guest records and can deny boarding or refuse future bookings if passengers repeatedly break policies.

Guests who violate any alcohol policy, including but not limited to underage drinking; providing alcohol to minors or young adults; possessing, concealing or attempting to conceal alcoholic items in their luggage, when boarding, or whilst on board; engaging in alcohol drinking games; or failing to consume alcohol responsibly, will be considered for discipline under the provisions of this policy*.

Norwegian Cruise Line

*Norwegian Cruise Line’s Policies are shown below.

CONSEQUENCES (Norwegian Cruise Line)

FAILURE TO ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS POLICY MAY RESULT IN:

• Intervention by Security, other management personnel or law enforcement
• Removal of certain onboard privileges, which may include being detained, quarantined or confinement.
• Confiscation of illegal/contraband/prohibited items (may be turned over to law enforcement authorities) and used for prosecution.
• Denial of boarding on the current or any future Norwegian Cruise Line cruise holiday.
• Reporting of incidents to government and law enforcement authorities for follow-on legal action.
• Removal from the ship at the next port-of-call.
  • Guests removed from a Norwegian Cruise Line ship pursuant to this policy, are responsible. Documentation requirements for re-entry into the guest’s home country are also the responsibility of the guest.

Recently, a TikToker was banned for life from Carnival Cruise Line after posting a viral TikTok video showing how she sneaked alcohol onboard. Security found more hidden alcohol in her cabin, leading to the ban.

The TikTok video showing her method of hiding alcohol was viewed over 300,000 times.

Carnival security identified the passenger, searched her cabin, and she received a lifetime ban.

Carnival has strict policies against smuggling alcohol on board.

This incident highlighted how cruise lines monitor social media to enforce alcohol rules onboard.

Why Cruise Lines Are So Strict About Alcohol

Cruise lines enforce these alcohol rules consistently because:

• They need to ensure passenger safety, manage onboard security, comply with legal regulations, and protect profits made from alcohol sales.
  • Some just see it as a way of forcing passengers to buy their expensive drinks, but the policies are necessary to help the cruise lines manage thousands of passengers in a confined, maritime environment.

Safety & Liability

• Emergency Situations – In the unlikely event of an emergency (fire, collision, man overboard), the crew needs all guests to be sober, sensible, and able to follow instructions.
• Dangerous Behaviour – Alcohol-related injuries and “frivolous lawsuits” are a concern for cruise lines.
  • By controlling alcohol consumption onboard, the cruise line reduces the risks of fights or falls – or people just doing ridiculous things!
• Alcohol Training: Crew are trained in “Responsible Service of Alcohol”.
  • If the cruiseline controls all alcohol onboard, it is easier to stop passengers from drinking when they are deemed to have had too much.

Compliance With Regulations

• Duty-Free Regulations – Alcohol purchased at ports or duty-free shops is often held until the end of the trip to comply with customs regulations.
  • They don’t want alcohol brought on board and consumed in public areas on the ship, where it might violate the ship’s alcohol license.
• Maritime Rules – Ship operators must adhere to strict Health, Environmental, Safety, and Security guidelines. These include measures to control alcohol consumption on the ship.

Revenue For The Cruise Line

• Profits for the cruise lines: Alcohol sales are a major source of profit.
  • Allowing passengers to bring large amounts of their own alcohol onboard directly cuts into these profits.
• Drinks Packages: Strict alcohol rules prevent passengers from saving money by avoiding high-margin beverage packages and individual drink purchases.

Underage Drinking

• Legal Age Restrictions: Cruise lines must enforce minimum drinking ages ( 21 on American-based ships, 18+ elsewhere in the world).
  • Strict monitoring of alcohol onboard prevents underage drinking.
  • If guests bring their own alcohol onboard and drink it in their cabins, it becomes much harder to stop adults from giving drinks to underage guests.

Easier Ways To Enjoy Alcohol On A Cruise

If you are going to be drinking onboard ship buy a drinks package or buy individual drinks in bars.

You can often bring one bottle of wine onboard with you, and as long as you drink it in your cabin, you won’t be charged. (Norwegian are an exception to this rule, who charge you a “corkage fee” the moment you bring alcohol onboard).

Smuggling alcohol on board is just one of many reasons why you might get banned from a cruise line.

Find out about some strange things other passengers did to get themselves banned here:

Before You Go

There are many legitimate ways to cut your costs when cruising. Find out about that here:

Cutting Onboard Expenses, BEFORE You Cruise. (Drinks, Speciality Meals, Excursions and More)

Find out how much drinks cost when you cruise here:

How Much Do Drinks Cost on Cruise Ships? Menus and Comparisons