If you’re cruising this year (2026), there’s a good chance the alcohol policy for your cruise line looks a little different than it did a year or two ago. Several major lines have quietly updated their rules around what you can bring on board, what gets confiscated, and what fees apply if you do bring a bottle and if you don’t check before you pack, you could end up watching your vacation wine get tossed in a garbage can at the gangway.
This guide breaks down exactly what each major cruise line sailing from the U.S. allows in 2026 – verified directly from cruise line policy pages – so you know what to expect before embarkation day.
Quick note: These policies can and do change without much warning. Always double-check the current policy on your cruise line’s official website before you sail, especially if you’re booking far in advance.
Disney Cruise Line
Disney made the biggest headline so far in 2026, overhauling a policy that had been pretty generous for years. The changes went into effect on June 3, 2026, and they’re significant enough that a lot of repeat Disney cruisers are cursing out Mickey Mouse about it.
What’s changed: Disney used to allow guests 21 and older to bring up to two 750ml bottles of wine or champagne on board at embarkation, plus one additional bottle picked up at each port of call. That’s gone. Under the new policy, you’re limited to one bottle of wine or champagne per adult for the entire cruise, regardless of how many nights you’re sailing. If you’re on a 10-night Mediterranean itinerary, that one bottle has to last the whole trip.
Port purchases: You can still buy wine or spirits in port, but Disney will confiscate them when you re-board and hold them until the last day of the cruise. So no enjoying that local bottle of wine in your cabin on night four of a seven-night sailing.
Corkage fee: Disney did lower the corkage fee from $29 to $20 per bottle for wine consumed in the dining rooms. Small consolation for many guests, but it’s something.
The basics that haven’t changed: Beer is still allowed (up to six 12-oz bottles or cans per adult at embarkation). All beverages must be in carry-on luggage – nothing in checked bags. Opened bottles or anything with a broken seal won’t make it past security.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival’s policy is straightforward and hasn’t changed much recently. Per Carnival’s official policy, guests 21 and older can bring one sealed 750ml bottle of wine or champagne per person on embarkation day only. That’s it. No beer, no spirits, no sneaking in a six-pack, although Carnival guests are notorious for trying all kinds of tricks to bring booze onboard.
What’s banned: Carnival specifically prohibits fortified wines – think port, sherry, and vermouth. Anything over 15% ABV doesn’t make the cut. Beer and liquor are also off the table. If security finds any of these in your luggage, they’ll be confiscated and discarded with no compensation.
No corkage fee: Carnival doesn’t charge a corkage fee if you bring your permitted bottle and drink it wherever you like on the ship.
Back-to-back sailings: If you’re doing consecutive cruises, Carnival allows the same one-bottle allowance per sailing. The additional bottles are stored at the start of the first cruise and delivered at the beginning of each subsequent one.
Port purchases: Anything you buy at a port gets collected at the gangway when you re-board and returned at the end of the cruise.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean follows a similar one-bottle-per-person approach. According to Royal Caribbean’s FAQ, on embarkation day, each guest of drinking age can bring one sealed 750ml bottle of wine or champagne. Boxed wine and non-standard containers are a hard no. Beer, seltzer, and hard liquor cannot be brought on board at all – if they’re seized at embarkation, they’ll be returned at the end of the cruise (unlike Carnival, which discards them).
Corkage fee: If you open your personal wine or champagne in a public area on the ship, there’s a $15 corkage fee per bottle. Drinking it in your cabin? No charge.
Port purchases: Same story as most lines – anything bought in port gets stored and returned on the last day.
Consecutive sailings: Royal Caribbean does give you one bottle per sailing if you’re doing back-to-back cruises. Additional bottles are stored and delivered to your stateroom on the first day of each new voyage – a nice touch if you’re doing a longer trip this way.
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)
NCL has one of the more unique approaches in the industry – they actually allow you to bring wine and champagne on board without a quantity limit per person, but there’s a catch: a mandatory corkage fee applies to every bottle, regardless of where you consume it. Drink it in your stateroom? Still $15. Open it in a restaurant? Still $15. There’s no free pass for cabin consumption the way there is with some other lines.
Corkage fees: $15 per 750ml bottle, $30 for a 1,500ml magnum. These are collected at embarkation when your bottles are screened.
Waived corkage fees: If you have a beverage package, either purchased separately or included through NCL’s More at Sea promotion, the corkage fee is waived. So if you’re already planning to get a drink package, that personal bottle of wine becomes essentially free to bring.
What’s banned: No beer, no liquor, no boxed wine. Wine and champagne only, all bottles must be sealed.
Port purchases: Collected when you re-board, returned the final night of the cruise or morning of disembarkation.
Princess Cruises
Per Princess, guests can bring one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne per person on embarkation day. The first bottle consumed in your stateroom is corkage-free. Any additional bottles brought on board are subject to a $20 corkage fee each, regardless of where you drink them – even in your cabin.
What’s banned: Liquor, spirits, and beer are all prohibited. Bottled non-alcoholic beverages are also not allowed. Canned or carton drinks (soda, juice, water) are permitted in limited quantities – up to 12 sealed cans or cartons of 12 oz or less per person, in carry-on only.
Port purchases: Collected at the gangway and returned on the last day of the cruise.
Shore excursion exception: If you do a Princess-sponsored winery tour, one bottle of wine per person from that winery is exempt from the corkage fee when brought on board. A nice perk if you’re doing wine country excursions.
Holland America Line
Holland America is one of the stricter lines when it comes to the corkage fee. Per HAL’s official policy, guests can bring wine and champagne on board, but a $20 corkage fee applies to every single bottle – including your first one, and including bottles consumed in your stateroom.
In practical terms, that means if you bring a $12 bottle of wine from home, you’re paying $32 for the privilege by the time the fee hits your account. Worth keeping in mind when deciding whether to bother.
What’s banned: Beer and hard liquor cannot be brought on board and will be confiscated and discarded. Non-alcoholic bottled beverages are also not permitted. No boxed wine.
Shore excursion exception: Similar to Princess, HAL waives the corkage fee on one bottle of wine per person purchased during a company-sponsored shore excursion that visits a winery.
Port purchases: Must be surrendered when re-boarding and will be delivered to your stateroom just before disembarkation.
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity is actually one of the more generous lines right now. Celebrity’s current policy says guests can bring up to two 750ml bottles of wine or champagne per stateroom on embarkation day – not per person, but per room. Both bottles must be in carry-on luggage. Beer and hard liquor are not permitted.
Corkage fee: $35 per bottle if consumed in a shipboard restaurant, bar, or dining venue. No corkage fee for bottles consumed in your stateroom. If you have a Celebrity Classic or Premium Beverage Package, the corkage fee is waived entirely.
Port purchases: Stored by the ship and returned on the last day of the sailing.
MSC Cruises
MSC is probably the strictest major line sailing from the U.S. when it comes to guest-brought alcohol. Their Guest Conduct Policy is clear: guests are prohibited from bringing any alcoholic beverages on board unless specifically permitted by security or crew. No wine, no beer, no exceptions baked into the standard policy.
Non-alcoholic beverages are also banned – no bringing your own water, soda, or juice in checked or carry-on luggage. The only exceptions are factory-sealed purified or distilled water for medical devices, or distilled water for infant formula.
Security inspections: MSC explicitly reserves the right to inspect water bottles, mouthwash containers, canteens – basically anything that could conceal alcohol. Items found with alcohol inside will be disposed of immediately.
Port purchases: Anything bought in port or in onboard shops is collected at the gangway when you re-board and returned prior to the end of the cruise.
Margaritaville at Sea
Same general approach as MSC – no outside alcohol permitted. Margaritaville at Sea also bans outside food and non-alcoholic beverages, including water. Port alcohol purchases are collected at the gangway and cannot be consumed on the ship; they’re returned with pickup instructions before disembarkation.
If you’re a wine drinker and bringing your own bottle matters to you, Celebrity is currently the most generous mainstream U.S. line with two bottles per stateroom and no corkage if you drink in your cabin. Royal Caribbean and Carnival are middle-ground options with straightforward one-bottle-per-person rules and no cabin corkage fee.
Holland America and NCL technically allow you to bring wine, but the mandatory corkage fees on every bottle change the math depending on what you’re actually bringing. And if you’re sailing MSC or Margaritaville at Sea, leave the bottle at home – it’s not getting on board.
Disney’s 2026 changes are the biggest shift worth noting for loyal fans of the line. If you’ve sailed DCL before and relied on that per-port-call allowance for Mediterranean or Alaska sailings, you’ll need to adjust expectations heading into this season.
As always, check your specific cruise line’s website before you sail. Policies update more often than most people realize, and there’s nothing worse than learning the rules at the gangway.