If you’re wondering, “Can you bring wine on a Celebrity cruise?” the answer is yes! Celebrity Cruises allows each guest of legal drinking age to bring one sealed 750ml bottle of wine or champagne onboard on embarkation day.
While many cruisers know about drink packages and happy hour perks, fewer realize they can legally bring their own wine onboard.
The internet is full of tips and tricks for how to improve your cruise vacation. From cruise forums and blogs to YouTube videos and social media groups, there is no shortage of advice about how to get the most value from your cruise.
Even after more than 55 cruises, I am still learning new cruise hacks. One of the most surprising tricks I learned recently was that Celebrity Cruises allows guests to bring wine onboard.
As someone who tends to follow the rules, I’ve never attempted to sneak alcohol onto a cruise ship. Cruise lines are understandably strict about alcohol policies since beverage sales are a major source of onboard revenue. That’s why I was surprised to learn that Celebrity Cruises actually permits guests to bring a bottle of wine onboard during embarkation.
When my husband and I booked a 7-night cruise aboard Celebrity Apex, we decided to give this money-saving cruise hack a try for ourselves.
How much wine can you bring on a Celebrity Cruise?
Per the cruise line’s website, Celebrity Cruises allows each guest of legal drinking age to bring one sealed 750ml bottle of wine or champagne onboard on embarkation day.
A few important rules apply:
- Wine or champagne must be unopened and sealed.
- Bottles must be carried onboard in your carry-on luggage.
- Wine packed in checked luggage may be confiscated.
- Guests may be charged a corkage fee if the bottle is opened and consumed in certain public venues onboard.
Because of these restrictions, many cruisers choose to enjoy their wine in their stateroom instead.
How we used Celebrity’s wine policy to save money on our cruise
For our sailing aboard Celebrity Apex, my husband and I planned to bring one bottle of wine each. Since we weren’t purchasing a Celebrity Cruise drink package, we saw it as an easy way to save money while still enjoying a glass of wine during the cruise.
Since we were flying from Florida to England before the cruise, we didn’t want to travel with wine bottles in our luggage. Instead, we purchased wine the day before embarkation while staying in London.
We visited an Amazon Fresh grocery store and each selected a bottle to bring onboard. I chose a sweet wine called Echo Falls Summer Berries, while my husband picked a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Wolf Blass.
Together, we spent less than $20 on both bottles of wine for our cruise!
Considering that a single glass of wine onboard Celebrity Cruises can cost anywhere from $12 to $19, we knew we would save a considerable amount of money by bringing our own wine.
Bringing wine through security was easier than expected
The following day, we packed the bottles carefully in our carry-on luggage and headed to the Southampton cruise terminal. Celebrity’s wine policy requires wine to be brought in carry-on luggage, meaning you won’t want to check luggage with alcohol in it.
Because it was our first time bringing wine onboard, we weren’t sure what to expect during the embarkation process. We wondered whether we would need to declare the bottles or present them separately during security screening.
Instead, the process was very easy. We checked in, passed through security, and boarded the ship without any questions about the wine. No one asked to inspect the bottles or verify that we were within the allowed limit.
While experiences may vary depending on the cruise terminal and sailing, we found the process extremely straightforward.
Enjoying wine in our cabin throughout the cruise
After boarding Celebrity Apex, we settled into our balcony stateroom and opened our first bottle of wine during sailaway. The cabin already included wine glasses, which made it easy for us to enjoy the wine immediately! In addition, the stateroom’s mini fridge helped keep my wine chilled throughout the week.
Our bottles of wine lasted longer than we anticipated. Rather than drinking wine every day, we enjoyed a glass here and there while relaxing on our balcony or watching sailaways from port.
One of my favorite memories was sharing a glass of wine while departing Bergen, Norway as the ship passed beneath one of the city’s bridges. We enjoyed our wine on the balcony while taking in the scenery and snacking on chocolates that we found in Brugge, Belgium.
Because we didn’t purchase a drink package, having wine available in our cabin helped reduce our onboard spending while still allowing us to enjoy a drink whenever we wanted.
FAQ: Everything to know about Celebrity’s wine policy
How much wine can you bring on a Celebrity cruise?
Celebrity Cruises allows each guest of legal drinking age to bring one sealed 750ml bottle of wine or champagne onboard on embarkation day.
Can you bring wine in checked luggage on Celebrity Cruises?
No. Wine must be carried onboard in your carry-on luggage. Bottles placed in checked luggage may be confiscated.
Can you bring liquor or beer on a Celebrity cruise?
No. Celebrity’s policy only permits one sealed bottle of wine or champagne per adult guest. Liquor and beer are generally prohibited.
Do you need a drink package if you bring wine onboard?
No. Many cruisers bring wine onboard as a way to reduce onboard drink costs without purchasing a beverage package.
