Royal Caribbean International has changed a long-standing policy that prevented guests from bringing their own alcoholic beverages on a cruise.
The new policy allows for two 750-millilitre bottles of wine per cabin. The wine can be consumed in a guest cabin or on a balcony without charge. If the wine is consumed in a public space, there will be a $USD25 corkage fee.
The policy requires that the wine bottles must retain the original manufacturer’s seals and exhibit no signs of tampering.
If a guest brings more than two bottles, the additional bottles will be secured by ship personnel and returned just prior to the end of the cruise, Royal Caribbean said.
Previously, passengers were not allowed to bring any sort of beverage on the cruise, and alcoholic beverages seized on embarkation day were not returned to guests.
By way of explaining the change, Royal Caribbean said it recognized that “vacationers may have a particular bottle of wine or champagne that they would like bring on board to commemorate a special day or event while on their cruise.”
