Cruise Line Wine Rules Vary on Bott limits and Corkage

Carnival permits each adult to bring one bottle of wine or champagne aboard at embarkation, according to the report. The line charges a $15 corkage fee when the bottle is opened in the main dining room or steakhouse. Royal Caribbean allows two bottles per stateroom, and its written policy lists a $15 fee for bottles opened in a restaurant, bar or lounge.

MSC Cruises does not permit passengers to bring wine or champagne onboard, so corkage fees do not apply. Alcohol purchased during a port visit is surrendered at the gangway security checkpoint and held until the final night of the voyage, the report says.

For unfinished wine, ship waiters can label an opened bottle with a passenger’s room number and store it for another evening or transfer it to a different onboard restaurant. Passengers may instead carry the bottle back to their cabin, but the report says they cannot take it to a ship’s bar or lounge.

Some vessels also organize walking tastings, with small groups moving between stations about every 15 minutes. Separately, frequent cruisers have reported fewer sommeliers across the Princess fleet, with beverage service placing greater emphasis on speed and volume than specialist expertise.