Wanting to know how to sneak alcohol on a cruise so you don’t have to pay for an expensive drink package? This post will discuss the top options used by pro cruisers on several different cruise lines.
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When going on a cruise it can be a really tough decision if you should spend the money on the drink package or risk spending more if you buy your drinks individually.
Skip all of that and save yourself some money buy bringing alcohol of your own on the ship with you!
This post will discuss a few ways to sneak alcohol on a cruise, including a couple video tutorials and also go other frequently asked questions and tips you’ll want to know about.
After reading this post you’ll be an expert on exactly how you can bring your own alcohol on the cruise.
This post is all about how to sneak alcohol on a cruise.
HOW TO SNEAK ALCOHOL ON A CRUISE
I do want to start out by saying these are just tips and tricks cruisers have shared over the years. I am NOT responsible for anything that happens if you do wish to try one of these tips out. In this post I simply sharing information I have learned over the years.
Please be aware that cruise lines have the right to hand out consequences for sneaking alcohol on a ship. I also do NOT recommend this to anyone that is under the legal drinking age.
For a full disclaimer on your own personal responsibilty for deciding to execute any tips from this page, read here.
1. Switching wine for liquor
A lot of cruise lines allow you to bring wine or champange on the ship, usually either 1 per person or 2 per room of bottles up to 750 ml.
One tip that works well for many cruisers is to empty out the wine bottle and instead replace it with your favorite liquor instead so you can drink it over the course of your cruise.
These wine bottle covers are what you will want to use if you are going to try this tip out:
How to switch the wine for liquor and reseal them:
1.
First, I would only recommend buying a darker wine bottle, one that holds red wine. They still are pretty light but don’t get a bottle that is completely clear.
You also should get a twist top wine, do not buy one with a cork. If you buy one with a cork you are going to have to take it out, reseal it and then after you open it again on the cruise you’ll be stuck with your bottle open until you finish it.
If you buy a screw top instead you will be able to reseal your bottle easier before putting on one of these covers. It is also more convenient on the cruise so you can carry the bottle around with you in a bag and just pour a little bit then close it back up with the top.
I would also buy some food coloring, use either red or blue to dye your liquor a darker color so it looks more like red wine in the bottle and it’s not too light of a color, giving it away that it’s been tampered with.
2.
Once you have everything you need; the wine bottle, your choice of liquor, food coloring, shrink caps you can then pour out the wine and replace it with the liquor.
3.
Add food coloring if you need to make the color darker. Once it looks good you’ll want to screw the cap back on and then add one of the shrink caps on top of it.
4.
Finally, you will seal up your bottle to make it look like new. There are a few different ways you can do this. It may take you a couple tries to do this but thankfully the shrink caps come in a large quantity so if you mess up you can just tear it off and try again.
First method: You can grab a lighter and very carefully put it close to the cap to heat it up, shrinking it to the wine bottle. Be careful not to burn any holes in it.
Second method: You can bring a pot of water to a light boil. After doing so you can quickly dip the top of your wine into the water to seal it up.
Third method: I don’t really think this one works as well unless you have one with high heat but you can also put a hair dryer on high to heat up the cap to shrink it to the bottle.
Here is a Tikok tutorial of what it would look like:
(for the most part, I know it’s not on a wine bottle)
2. Using a fake flask
A very popular option a lot of people will try is bringing a couple of fake flasks in their bags.
These are a great option if you just want to bring a little something with you to add to a mocktail or mixers you brought on the ship.
Here are the best sellers and top options that have been used successfully on cruises:
3. Replace your non alcoholic drinks with liquor
Instead of sneaking on a wine bottle that has been switched with liquor, some passengers will sneak alcohol on a cruise by pouring out their non alcoholic drinks and putting liquor in those bottles.
Some people will use coconut water to conceal their booze.
Here is a TikTok on how to do that:
Frequently Asked Questions & Tips:
1. What are the consequences if I get caught sneaking alcohol on a cruise?
There are a few different things that can happen if a cruise line catches you trying to sneak alcohol on a cruise.
The worst case senario is they could deny you boarding and you would miss out on your cruise and not get your money back. While this is an option they have, it is pretty extreme and not usually taken.
Most of the time if they catch you they will just confiscate the alcohol and either throw it away or they will put your name on it and you can pick it up after you disembark the cruise back in the terminal.
Here are a couple policies from popular cruise lines:
Royal Caribbean’s website states: “Alcoholic beverages seized on embarkation day will not be returned. 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 behaviour, or attempt to conceal alcoholic items at security and or luggage checkpoints 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. “
Carnival’s website states: “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, all liquor, beer, other forms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and checked luggage and such items will be confiscated and discarded and no compensation will be provided.”
2. How do I get my wine bottle of liquor past security?
Usually when boarding your cruise you will see a table that they are checking wine bottles and your non alcoholic beverages at to make sure nothing has been tampered with.
Make sure your wine bottles are in a bag where they can’t see them and after you go through the security scanner that is similar to ones at the airport just walk past the table.
Do not stop, do not let them check the bottles and if they ask you if you have any, just say no.
3. Should I put my wine bottle in my checked bag?
Absolutely not! The porters outside who take your checked bags for you will always advise you should not put breakable bottles in your checked bag. These bags get thrown around quite a bit so you don’t want them breaking all over your other belongings.
You will need to carry on your wine bottles and other non alcoholic drinks.
4. If I don’t want to sneak alcohol on a cruise or buy the drink package, are there other options?
Yes!
There are a couple other options that might help you save some money that would not be risky like trying to sneak alcohol on a cruise or paying an insane amount of money for the drink package.
1. A lot of cruise lines will offer in their online gift shop small liquor bottles you can buy that will be delivered to your room. I will say these are very small, usually 375 ml bottles and do have a mark up. If you just want a little liquor to drink on your cruise though this is a good option.
This is different than buying bottles in the duty free shops once on the ship.
If you do this on your cruise they will not give you the bottles until the night before your cruise is over to prevent people from just buying these bottles and drinking them over the course of the cruise.
They want cruisers to buy their expensive drinks at the bar instead.
2. If your ship offers a drink of the day you can buy this for a cheaper price to enjoy a cocktail on your cruise.
3. You can get the non alocholic drink package to save some money and then add your own liquor, buy a shot or use the bottle you bought through the cruise line to make your own cocktails.
5. Which cruise lines allow me to bring alcohol on the ship?
These are listed rules per passenger. There are more cruise lines but these are the rules for your most popular lines:
Royal Caribbean: One bottle of wine (2 per stateroom)
Carnival: One bottle of wine
Norwegian: $15 per bottle brought, no limit
Celebrity: One bottle of wine
Costa: None
MSC Cruises: None
Disney: 2 bottles of wine or 6 beers
Princess: One bottle for free, $15 per additional bottle
Virgin Voyages: 2 per stateroom
Like I have stated before, if you choose to try any of these tips or tricks it is at your own risk. I am not responsible for anything that happens.
This post was all about how to sneak alcohol on a cruise.
