Walt Disney did not allow the sale of alcohol at Disneyland, the company's first theme park, or its successor, Disney World's Magic Kingdom. I thought you should be able to have fun in their parks without having to be drunk.
Those rules certainly did not apply to the company's later theme parks. Epcot's current business model relies heavily on alcohol, and even Magic Kingdom and Disneyland have limited alcohol now, but the Walt Disney Company's model (DIS) The story isn't exactly pro-drinking.
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The Disney cruise line certainly serves alcohol, but it doesn't sell beverage packages like its main rivals in the family cruise line space Royal Caribbean do. (RCL) and carnival (CCL) do. That's an easy way to control people's alcohol consumption, since the price increases quickly when purchasing a la carte cocktails.
But while Disney doesn't encourage alcohol consumption on its ships in the same way its rivals do, it does have a more flexible alcohol policy in one key area.
Image source: Disney Cruise
Here's Disney's Surprising Alcohol Policy
Royal Caribbean and Carnival have fairly similar policies when it comes to bringing alcohol on board:
- Royal Caribbean: On embarkation day, each guest of drinking age may bring one (1) 750 ml sealed bottle of wine or champagne. Wine in boxes and other containers is prohibited. Guests purchasing bottles of alcohol on board, at a port of call, or bringing more than the bottle allowance on embarkation day, their items will be stored securely on the ship. These bottles will be returned on the last day on board to enjoy once at home.
- Carnival: Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with the following exception: At the beginning of the cruise, on embarkation day only, guests (21 years of age or older) may bring one 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne sealed/unopened. , per person, in your hand luggage.
No cruise line allows passengers to bring hard liquor or beer. Disney Cruise Line does not allow hard alcoholic beverages, but has a more liberal policy than its rivals.
“Disney Cruise Line guests 21 and older may bring a maximum of 2 unopened bottles of wine or champagne (no larger than 750 ml) or 6 beers (no larger than 12 ounces) on board at the beginning of the voyage and each port of call. These drinks must be packed in carry-on bags (unchecked) or luggage,” the cruise line shared.
That means that two adults sharing a cabin can bring 4 bottles of wine or 12 beers. In theory they could also bring 2 bottles of wine and six beers.
However, there are some rules.
“Guests wishing to consume wine or champagne brought on board in one of the dining rooms will be charged a corking fee of $29 per bottle,” according to the cruise line.
Additionally, alcohol brought on board cannot be consumed in any lounge or public area.
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Basically, that limits any alcohol legally brought onto a Disney cruise ship to consumption in your cabin or in a dining room with the capping fee. Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival have similar corking rates, but allow you to bring wine glasses into the dining room or public spaces.
Are you taking a cruise or thinking about one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to get answers to all your questions.
