Do Cruise Lines Check Luggage For Alcohol?

Cruise lines check luggage to ensure all passengers adhere to their alcohol policies. Most cruise lines allow passengers to bring a certain amount of alcohol on board, but exceeding this limit can result in confiscation or denied boarding. All bags are scanned to check for prohibited items, including weapons, clothing irons, blue tooth speakers, and other banned devices. If anything is suspected by the cruise security staff, they will manually check the luggage for a closer inspection.

If extra alcohol was in your checked luggage, things vary. On some cruise ships, you might have your suitcase delivered to your room as normal, but with the alcohol missing. On others, you may be asked to carry a limited quantity of alcohol, while others strictly do not allow alcohol. If you end up getting caught sneaking alcohol onto a cruise ship that lists it as a prohibited item, you should know that cruise lines check your luggage for alcohol when you board. That includes X-raying your bags and often hand-checking.

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with the exception of one 750-ml bottle of sealed, unopened wine or champagne per person, at the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day only. However, there are no rules about only carrying 3 ounces of liquids, so things like shampoo and sunscreen are perfectly fine.

Every bag goes through an x-ray machine before it goes on board. Bags with suspicious items are tagged and a physical hand check is done. Some cruise lines allow passengers to bring a bottle of wine to be consumed in their cabin, but they don’t always do so. Boxed wine and other containers are prohibited. Guests who purchase alcohol bottles onboard, in a port-of-call, or bring more than one permitted bottle on board are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and carry-out luggage.


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How to cheat Royal Caribbean drink package?

How to Hack (and Share) the Royal Caribbean Drink Package1 Buy your drink package before the cruise.2 Share the drink package with someone else.3 Order top-shelf liquor at the bar.4 Take advantage of the non-alcoholic drinks.5 Take bottled water with you on excursions.

The best tips to get the most out of your drink package while enjoying your cruise.

Your cruise is booked, your itinerary is set, and your drink package is purchased! But when you take a look at the price of everything, your drink package might stick out as an expensive luxury. With a daily charge between $60 and $80, it’s no wonder that you’d want to save money and get the most bang for your buck. Fortunately for you, we’ve compiled the best drink package hacks you can use on your Royal Caribbean cruise to cheat the system and save money. Let’s dive in!

  • Purchase your drink package ahead of time online to get a discount.
  • Order top-shelf liquor when you get drinks to make the most of your money.
  • Order non-alcoholic drinks, like juice, coffee, and soda, throughout the day as part of your drinks package.
Can you buy alcohol at ports on cruise Royal Caribbean
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Should alcohol be in checked luggage?

Alcoholic beverages with more than 24% but not more than 70% alcohol are limited in checked bags to 5 liters (1.3 gallons) per passenger and must be in unopened retail packaging. Alcoholic beverages with 24% alcohol or less are not subject to limitations in checked bags.

Mini bottles of alcohol in carry-on must be able to comfortably fit into a single quart-sized bag.

For more information, see FAA regulation: 49 CFR 175.10(a).

Do cruise ships x ray your luggage
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Does Royal Caribbean check luggage for alcohol?

Alcoholic beverages (beer, seltzer, or hard liquor) seized on embarkation day will be returned at the end of the voyage provided that they are in the original sealed package. Security may inspect containers (water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage, etc.)

Guests are not allowed to bring beer or hard liquor onboard for consumption or any other use.

Alcoholic beverages (beer, seltzer, or hard liquor) seized on embarkation day will be returned at the end of the voyage provided that they are in the original sealed package. 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 ourGuest Conduct Policy. Guests who are under the permitted drinking age will not have alcohol returned to them. Please Note: All guests must comply with TSA guidelines for transporting liquids.

On embarkation day, each guest of drinking age may bring one sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne. Boxed wine and other containers are prohibited. Guests who purchase alcohol bottles onboard, in a port-of-call, or bring more than the one permitted bottle on boarding day, will have their items safely stored by the ship. These bottles will be returned on the last day onboard for enjoyment once home.

Can you bring alcohol on a cruise from a port
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How to pack liquor bottles in checked luggage?

Do wrap bottles in protective materials. There’s no knowing how your bags are going to be handled in transit. To avoid damage, skip the flimsy plastic wrap and cover your bottles in thicker materials like your own sweaters. Or, you could do it like a pro and use bubble wrap or wine-shipping packaging designed specifically for situations like this. Materials like this provide sound cushioning and can help prevent breakage. Consider using thick socks to further secure the bottle and prevent it from shaking or breaking during the flight.

Trust us: the original retail packaging is worth the space it takes up. While the canister may seem like it’s occupying extra room, the metal case can serve as an added protective layer, especially in checked-in baggage. When travelling, research your destination as well as alcohol brands. Destinations like California have a thriving retail business, with most wineries and alcohol shops providing travel packaging so you don’t have to put in the extra effort. European destinations, on the other hand, are a network of small-scale wineries and distilleries, where you may not find bottles in sturdy packaging. So when visiting countries like Greece and Italy, you’d want to carry spare cases and covers from home.

Do not put partially consumed bottles in your checked luggage. Per regulations, travelers can carry up to 3.4 ounces or 100ml of liquids in cabin baggage. For alcohol with 24% to 70% ABV, up to 5 liters (1.3 gallons) of spirits are allowed in checked baggage. However, bottles with partially consumed alcohol are prohibited in flights altogether. This means your bottles must either remain unopened or be completely empty. Consider transferring the whatever leftover liquids you have to smaller bottles that can be properly sealed and packed for transit.

Do cruise ships check wine bottles
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Do cruise ships check bags for alcohol?

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with the following exception – 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.* Outside this exception, …

Proper travel documentation is required at embarkation and throughout the cruise. Even though a guest has completed registration using Online Check-in, it is still the responsibility of the guest to present the required travel documents at the time of embarkation. Guests should check with their travel agent and/or government authority to determine the travel documents necessary for each port of call. Any guest without proper documents will not be allowed to board the vessel and no refund of the cruise fare will be issued. Carnival assumes no responsibility for advising guests of proper travel documentation.

Except where it is a mandatory requirement, Carnival highly recommends that all guests travel with a passport book. The passport book must be valid for at least six months beyond the completion of travel. This will enhance the debarkation experience as delays may be expected upon return to the United States for those without one. Additionally, this will enable guests to fly from the United States to meet their ship at a foreign port should they miss their scheduled port of embarkation and allow guests who must disembark the ship before their cruise ends, due to an emergency, to fly back to the United States without significant delays and complications.

For cruises that begin and end in the same U.S port, the following WHTI-compliant documents are acceptable for cruise travel. Please note that if the cruise visits Colombia or Greenland, a passport book(valid for at least six months beyond the completion of travel) is required. A passport card with the same validity is also acceptable for cruises to Colombia.

Can baggage scanners detect alcohol?

The detectors used in metro stations or airports to detect alcohol in bags typically utilize a technology called “trace detection.” These detectors are designed to sense minute traces of substances like alcohol, explosives, narcotics, or other prohibited items.

Royal Caribbean wine in checked luggage
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Can cruise ships detect alcohol?

Body Scanners. While cruise ships don’t typically have the scanning technology you’ll find at airports, you’ll still have your luggage scanned and need to walk through an X-ray machine.

This machine can detect any liquids you may be carrying on your person, meaning you can’t hide any small bottles of alcohol in your pockets!

Room Inspections. Even if you somehow get past the cruise ship scanner with your booze, there’s still a chance of getting caught sneaking alcohol. Any cruise line can inspect any cruise passenger’s room for any reason. You’ll find this in your cruise contract, where you can also read the alcohol policy.

While most cruise lines aren’t in the habit of doing random searches, there’s still a possibility that they’ll search your cabin, especially if they suspect something is wrong.

Can cruise ship scanners detect alcohol
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Can you pack alcohol in your suitcase for a cruise?

Travelers agree not to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind on board for consumption except one bottle of wine or champagne per person of drinking age (no larger than 750 ml) per voyage only in his/her carry-on luggage. A corkage fee of $20.00 U.S.D. per bottle (which is subject to change without notice) will be applied to wine and champagne brought aboard and consumed in the ship’s public areas. Any wine(s) or champagne(s) supplied by the Carrier to you as a gift are not subject to a corkage fee. At embarkation, all luggage is subject to scanning for suspected alcohol in excess of the one bottle policy.

It is not permitted to take your own alcohol aboard your cruise ship. Any alcohol which is purchased whilst ashore will be placed in a secure hold area and will be returned to you at the end of your cruise holiday.

Each guest 21^ years and older may bring one bottle of wine or champagne (no larger than 750ml) onboard in carry-on luggage at the beginning of the voyage. This bottle will not be subject to a corkage fee if consumed in the stateroom. Additional wine or champagne bottles (no larger than 750ml) in carry-on luggage are welcome, but will incur a US$18.00 (subject to change) corkage fee each, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed. Guests are not allowed to bring beer, boxed wine, or other liquors and spirits onboard. Holland America Line reserves the right to remove all alcoholic beverages from any guest luggage that violates this policy. Any alcoholic beverage found will be removed and returned on the last evening of the voyage.

How do cruise ships detect alcohol
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How strict are cruises with alcohol?

P & O Cruises. If two or more guests aged over 18 years are sharing a cabin all guests must purchase the same drinks package.

There is a limit of 15 alcoholic drinks a day. Sharing drink packages is not allowed.

Alcoholic drink packages start at $99 ($65 USD) per person, per day.

Princess Cruises. The requirement for alcoholic drink packages to be purchased by more than one guest is not included in the updated terms and conditions.

Does Carnival check luggage for alcohol
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Can rum runners be detected?

While rumrunners, and the liquid in them, might be detectable they are blobby in shape and less visible than glass, which is much denser and botles have a distinct shape.

Hey is rum runner grog in those little plastic pouches, ive heard someone say the had 2 of them in there cargo pants pockets and got on ship as normal would that work or do you go through body scans if so would that pick it up. In australia we get a 600ml bottle of water tip it out and put vodka in and carry it on and i know peaple who have used an lipton ice tea bottle with bourban in it but just carried it on. Would that work over there or will we get caught and what happens if you get caught, travelling on carnival in Sept.

Most ports will shake the water bottle. If it makes bubbles at the top, it’s alcohol and they will take it away from you. You also can’t bring opened liquid containers into the port, they make you throw them away. (even can’t bring ice in a cooler unless it is carrying medicine!)

Rum runners work very well (so they tell me…:rolleyes:) small size, put in shoes of checked bag or in cargo pockets. If they pull your bag for a really thorough check and find them, then you lose them forever.

Can you bring rubbing alcohol on a cruise
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Can alcohol be detected in luggage?

So they can flag passengers who may be under the influence. So if you’re planning on bringing alcohol through airport security you may want to think twice.


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Do Cruise Lines Check Luggage For Alcohol
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Debbie Green

I am a school teacher who was bitten by the travel bug many decades ago. My husband Billy has come along for the ride and now shares my dream to travel the world with our three children.The kids Pollyanna, 13, Cooper, 12 and Tommy 9 are in love with plane trips (thank goodness) and discovering new places, experiences and of course Disneyland.

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