Buying Alcohol In Ports for European Cruise

Are you allowed to buy alcohol at each port for the European cruises and keep it to take to your stateroom? Or is it one wine bottle per person at the beginning of the cruise?

I am booked for the Horizon and want to make sure we can get drinks from port instead of the Cheers Program.

You cannot do that in the Caribbean or Mexico so I don't see why they'd allow you to do that in European ports.

I guess it’s only wine and at embarkation port

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On most European cruises I have been on if you purchase any alcohol at any ports when you return to the ship they will hold it for you, give you a receipt for it, and usually return it to you on the final night of your cruise or on the morning of your leaving the ship. On one particular Mediterranean cruise I purchased a few bottles of olive oil and when we returned to the ship the security officer questioned me about the glass bottles. I showed them the oil and they let me bring it to my cabin.

I posed this question early last year with my PVP when i booked the Horizon, he was on the Vista Med. cruise and told me they purchased wine from every port and had No problem keeping it, others have also said the same who were on the Vista, so i guess we will see if this hold true on the Horizon.

I was on a Vista Med cruise and we brought alcohol on board at the ports and directly to our cabin with no problem. I plan on doing it again on the Horizon. It was wonderful. Very different from our Caribbean and Mexico experiences.

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I was on a Vista Med cruise and we brought alcohol on board at the ports and directly to our cabin with no problem. I plan on doing it again on the Horizon. It was wonderful. Very different from our Caribbean and Mexico experiences.

 

 

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Thanks for the confirmation my PVP was right now i need to save up to purchase at every port

I brought a variety of alcohol on at each port on Vista without any bother. It wasnt hidden was just in my carry on & then in my bag. I intend to do the same on Horizon.

Make sure the liquor you buy is unique. I schlepped home some Roman brandy only to find it at the liquor store around the corner.

Carnival is much more lax on Europe cruises

Last year we bought booze right at the Barcelona port in the duty free store and carried it right on

Also at each port they weren’t taking wine or booze from anyone

We’re on the Horizon TA and stocking up for sure

It’s hard to say what will happen with the Horizon, but as others have said, on the Vista, I was on a B2B2B, and didn’t have any issue bringing on alcohol in any port. There was a big issue with VAT on those cruises, because of cancellation of Turkey, so that may have had something to do with it.

I know in Barcelona, the duty free liquor stores are after the security check.

When we were on the Vista in the Med, we had no problem bringing on alcohol in the ports. We were told that European laws do not allow cruise ships to prevent taking alcohol onboard. I'm sure that Carnival would not allow this if they could stop it, since it cuts into onboard revenue. We were also told that poor onboard revenue from Vista's Med season was the reason for Horizon's short season in the Med.

Are you allowed to buy alcohol at each port for the European cruises and keep it to take to your stateroom? Or is it one wine bottle per person at the beginning of the cruise?

I am booked for the Horizon and want to make sure we can get drinks from port instead of the Cheers Program.

When we sailed Vista TA from Barcelona, there was a liquor store right at the port building. We carried on six bottles of wine plus two bottles of alcohol. We only had two European ports on the way to Bermuda and we bought and carried on alcohol at those ports as well.

Smallest bar bill we've ever had on a cruise. In fact, we started with $550 obc and cashed out the last $25 at the casino.

When we were on the Vista in the Med, we had no problem bringing on alcohol in the ports. We were told that European laws do not allow cruise ships to prevent taking alcohol onboard. I'm sure that Carnival would not allow this if they could stop it, since it cuts into onboard revenue. We were also told that poor onboard revenue from Vista's Med season was the reason for Horizon's short season in the Med.

I don’t doubt you were told that, but there are no US laws that prevent a cruise ship from allowing passenger to bring on liquor onboard when sailing out of US ports. Disney cruise ships allow passengers to bring on liquor at embarkation and at any port,so it’s up to each cruise line to decide how to handle liquor. Carnival has just chosen to be lax in Europe.

I don’t doubt you were told that, but there are no US laws that prevent a cruise ship from allowing passenger to bring on liquor onboard when sailing out of US ports. Disney cruise ships allow passengers to bring on liquor at embarkation and at any port,so it’s up to each cruise line to decide how to handle liquor. Carnival has just chosen to be lax in Europe.

Perhaps you misunderstood my post. In my attempt to be brief, I probably did not explain my point well. Here is the longer version.

We were also on the Vista when the short European schedule for the Horizon was announced. We entered into a discussion about this with a senior officer who had been on the Vista for most of its Med season. He told us that the Horizon schedule was shortened based on the Vista experience. He stated that the Vista actually lost money on each European cruise due to low onboard revenue. He cited several reasons for this, one of which was low onboard alcohol sales. He told us that European law requires cruise ships to allow guests to bring alcohol onboard from European ports.

My response is to a thread about Europe, not the US. By no means was I attempting to imply that there are US laws preventing a guest from taking alcohol onboard in US ports.

The correct answer is. Yes, you can bring anything you want on board.

they will NOT CONFISCATE any liquor, whether it be from the liquor store at embarcation (in the port, across from the check in desk), or at any of the ports..

They didn't care at all.(just got off of the Horizon )

Looking for an update, if there is one. Going on the Pride out of Dover, stopping in several ports in Norway. Thanks!

Following!

18 hours ago, erinmarie424 said:

Looking for an update, if there is one. Going on the Pride out of Dover, stopping in several ports in Norway. Thanks!

Right now i'm going by what we did in 2018 until i hear differently purchase alcohol in every port and take directly to my cabin. Going to check with my PVP when it's closer to cruising.

I agree, in the past, we could certainly purchase alcohol in every port and take directly to our cabins-hopefully someone fortunate enough to be on the early May European cruises will provide recent update.  We are out of Dover and Rome later this year so hope to hear lots of "boots on the ground"-or better yet "bottles on the ship" reports.  Cheers to all!

I always heard you can carry on in Europe as they aren't very strict, but it may depend on the port.  We are going out of Dover in July 2022 and then out of Barcelona in May 2023.

14 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

I always heard you can carry on in Europe as they aren't very strict, but it may depend on the port.  We are going out of Dover in July 2022 and then out of Barcelona in May 2023.

We were on the Horizon 2018 and had no problem purchasing what we wanted in all the ports

Amazing how so many people gave opinions, rather than 1st hand facts 

Thank you to all who replied with 1st hand knowledge.

Quite a few European ports sell alcohol in the terminal after security checking.  Carnival could search for bottles themselves as you then board the ship, rely on your honesty in handing them over, or just not worry at all. 
 

Some ports do not have a terminal building to sell alcohol or do security check. In that case Carnival will do the security check as you step back on the ship. Again they may or may not be concerned about bottles.

Alcohol prices in Europe in local shops are generally quite cheap.  There are exceptions, like Norway, where the prices make me wince.

Best wishes, Stephen.

@stephen@stoneyard.co.uk Do they sell hard liquor in the grocery stores in the UK?   I live in Texas where they do not do this.  You can only buy wine/beer. Or is my best bet to find a liquor store? I was just wondering because we will have a car when we are in Scotland before the cruise and I was hoping to pick some up.