One of the most popular misconceptions about cruising is that you can’t bring any food or beverages on board, but this simply isn’t true – at least in Carnival’s case.
On the beverage side, guests 21 and older may bring one unopened 750ml bottle of wine or champagne in their carry-on luggage, although there’s a $15 corkage fee if it is consumed in the main dining room or in a specialty restaurant.
In addition, guests can bring as many as 12 unopened cans or cartons of non-alcoholic beverages such as sparkling water or sodas, per person. If distilled water is needed for use with a CPAP machine, there’s an allowance for that as well.
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For example, when I travel with my wife and two young children, we are allowed to bring two bottles of wine and as many as 48 cans or cartons of other beverages. We rarely bring all of that (that's a lot of sodas to carry), but we could.
Under no circumstances can liquor or beer be brought onboard, and non-alcoholic beverages that are packaged in bottles are not allowed.
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Image source: Carnival Cruise Line
Can you bring food on board your cruise?
Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald frequently replies to cruisers’ questions on his Facebook page, and he recently addressed one about bringing food on board.
The cruiser, who Heald did not name, asked “What snacks are we allowed to bring? I cannot find an approved list! Sometimes, my hubby and I will want something to snack on and won't want to leave the room. We usually bring lots of plastic tubes of Lays chips, Oreo Cakesters, Hostess snacks, and Zingers. Now I am told that these are all banned since Covid. Can you tell us what is allowed. If not why not?”
Heald responded that all of those snacks can certainly be brought on Carnival’s ships.
“You can indeed bring all of those with you. Now I say that having not a sodding a clue what some of them are, and will have to ask Uncle Google for his help with a Zinger and a Hostess. But the answer is if they are in factory sealed bags or tubes or packages they are allowed,” he wrote.
The short version is that if the food items are sealed in their original packaging (not in Ziplock bags or anything like that), you’re welcome to bring your own snacks. This applies when you’re first boarding the ship, as well as when you return from a port day.
As a personal example, when I’m on a cruise that visits San Juan, we typically stop by the CVS near the port to buy some of my kids’ favorite snacks. But they did make us throw out a bag of potato chips that they opened before getting back on board.
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This policy certainly makes sense. After all, while Carnival charges for most beverages, there’s an abundance of free food and snacks on the ships. If you’d rather eat your own snacks, it doesn’t impact Carnival’s bottom line at all.
These are just Carnival’s policies
As a final thought, it’s important to mention that the food and beverage policies discussed here are specific to Carnival.
Other cruise lines set their own policies, and while many have similar allowances to Carnival’s, not all of them do. For example, Margaritaville at Sea doesn’t allow any outside food or beverages whatsoever (other than special needs exceptions).
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Most cruise lines have some sort of food and beverage policy section on their website or on a FAQ page.
I found Margaritaville’s by doing a simple Google search for “Margaritaville at Sea wine policy.” So, it’s a smart idea to familiarize yourself with the policies of the specific cruise line you’re booked on.
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