Wednesday, April 10, 2024

What is the Legal Drinking Age on Cruises?

legal age to drink on a cruise ship

So grab a drink and head to a show, dinner, the pool, casino, or just back to the cabin. Children younger than 3 are only permitted in the kids' club when supervised by a parent at all times. Regardless of which ship you're on, the spa and fitness center is reserved for use by passengers who are at least 18 years old. Finally, the sale of tobacco onboard is limited to passengers aged 21 and older.

Virgin Voyages

Most happily will tailor drinks to your liking, as long as they have your requested liquor on hand. On a moving ship, it's a smart idea to finish your drink before heading out onto the dance floor. Akin to deck chair hogs, bar/lounge seat savers have no regard for other cruisers. If you find that you have had a little too much, and experience your first hangover, we recommend making sure you have packed medication.

Royal Caribbean’s Legal Drinking Age (

If you cruise ship sales from a North American port, the minimum drinking age is 21. If your cruise ship embarks from a port outside the US, the drinking age depends on the cruise line and, in some cases, whether parental consent is given to drink at 18. However, if you leave the cruise ship and visit a port in Mexico where the legal drinking age is 18 you can purchase alcohol while off the ship. Cruise lines are strict about the kinds of alcoholic beverages passengers can bring onboard, either at embarkation or from a port of call.

Do I have an in-cabin bar, or can I have drinks in my cabin?

Sure, although some lines have rules if you have the drink package. If you don’t have the package, then it’s not a big deal to order multiple drinks at once. In fact, cruise lines often have beer buckets that you can purchase that have 4-6 beers. Gambling is not permitted for any passenger younger than 21 years of age on MSC sailings that contain U.S. ports, including those embarking from the United States.

Holland America Line Alcohol Policy - Cruise Critic

Holland America Line Alcohol Policy.

Posted: Sun, 30 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

There are typically restrictions on the amount of alcohol that can be brought on a cruise ship. Champagne will be served during onboard art auctions; however, you probably won’t be able to select the beverage you receive. Cruisers on those lines are free to enjoy their own wine in their staterooms, but there is a corkage fee (which can range from $15 to $25 per bottle) if they want to bring it to dinner. Always make sure to double-check the cruise guidelines and age restrictions before booking your vacation to avoid any disappointment or complications during your journey. Additionally, there could be certain ports, like Amsterdam, where you’re allowed to indulge in specific activities while ashore but not on the ship.

FAQS About the Legal Drinking Age on MAJOR Cruise Lines?

However, guests from 18 can purchase and consume alcohol once the ship is at least 3 miles outside of US territorial waters. Parental consent will be required, and a form will need to be signed. This will give permission for the 18 to 20-year-olds to drink beer and wine only, no hard liquor. But local laws in places your ship will visit might have different drinking ages. In some cases, it may be legal for someone to drink in port, but not allowed on the cruise ship. For instance, Mexico and The Bahamas have an 18 year drinking age, but ships departing the United States have a 21 year age minimum.

Dining and Beverages

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) guest policy has minimum drinking age of 21. However, passengers years old may purchase and consume beer and wine if traveling with a parent or legal guardian and in international waters, except for sailings in Alaska and Hawaii. The parent or legal guardian must be onboard the sailing and sign a Parent Consent Form for their child at the Front Desk.

Packaged Drinks and Children

If you have a track record of getting "ship faced," assign a wing woman or man to look after you. If this is the case, you will frequently receive free drinks while playing when you hit a particular level in a cruise line’s gambling program. Higher tiers even offer bigger savings on wine bottles or a cap on the amount of complimentary drinks each traveler may receive.

legal age to drink on a cruise ship

For example, MSC Cruises has a drink package for minors that includes soft, energy, and coffee drinks. Celebrity Cruises also offers a Zero Proof package at $30 per person per day, which includes some delicious zero-proof cocktails for minors to enjoy alongside their parents. However, sailings from Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, and New Zealand have a legal drinking age of 18 on Princess cruise ships, and cruises between Japanese ports have a minimum age of 20. For instance, on most Carnival cruises, the minimum age to purchase and consume alcohol on the ship is 21, regardless of the legal drinking age in the destination ports. For destinations departing from Europe, anyone 18 to 20 may have their parents sign an alcoholic beverage consent form, allowing them to consume alcohol while in an adult’s presence. On Norwegian Cruise Line, the drinking age requirement is 18 in international waters.

Minors are permitted to stay in their own cabins, but they must either be directly across the hall from or beside/connected to the stateroom of an adult in the same travel party. Those from 13 to 17 are permitted to stay in their own staterooms; however, they can only be located up to three cabins away from a family member or guardian who is at least 25 years old. Another exception is when those between the ages of 21 and 24 are traveling with their minor children. There are also links to the drinking policies if you need to check any further details or possible changes.

Passengers caught drinking alcohol under the age limit or giving alcohol to guests under the minimum drinking age may face consequences, including disembarkation. With so much to do and see (and drink) on a cruise, it can be easy to forget to stay hydrated -- and no, the ice in your margarita on the rocks doesn't count. Forget to hydrate, and you not only could get sloppy drunk, but you also risk getting sick and waking up with a debilitating hangover. You may find that different cruise lines have different rules about what kinds of alcoholic beverages you can bring on board. Now, there’s a bit of a caveat here – some cruise lines have private islands in the Bahamas, such as Carnival’s Half Moon Cay or Disney’s Castaway Cay.

Before you set out on your trip, it’s important to know the exact corkage fees, as they can differ depending on the cruise line. While some cruise lines might not even charge corkage fees, others might in certain situations waive them. For instance, each passenger on a Carnival Cruise is permitted to bring one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne.

Not only can you get classics like Rum Runners, Margaritas, and Mai Tais, but cruise lines are constantly introducing unique cocktails that you won’t find anywhere else. Cruise ships will have tons of options, including some like Carnival that even brew their own beer to sell. But if it’s a large, nationally known beer, it’s likely to be on the ship… along with some other options like local beers. Norwegian Cruise Line even has some ships with dozens of beers on tap.

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