Bringing Coolers On Board

[mollynmax]

I know that the Carnival "rules" state that you can bring "small personal coolers" on board. In the 7 different Carnival cruises that I have taken, I have seen many, MANY, larger, rolling coolers being brought onboard. Does anyone have any experience with being denied to bring your rolling coolers onboard? I drink a ton of bottled water, and have to have it cold. I really need to bring a couple of cases onboard for an average cruise. It would be easier to put it all in a rolling cooler, and bring that on as my carry on item. Any advise would be appreciated - we cruise next Saturday!!! Whoooo - Hoooo!

[mondello]

I know that the Carnival "rules" state that you can bring "small personal coolers" on board. In the 7 different Carnival cruises that I have taken, I have seen many, MANY, larger, rolling coolers being brought onboard. Does anyone have any experience with being denied to bring your rolling coolers onboard? I drink a ton of bottled water, and have to have it cold. I really need to bring a couple of cases onboard for an average cruise. It would be easier to put it all in a rolling cooler, and bring that on as my carry on item. Any advise would be appreciated - we cruise next Saturday!!! Whoooo - Hoooo!

This was our first cruise in 4 years and it seems from these threads that CCL is stricter now with what is allowed onboard. You say a couple cases; CCL only allows 12 non-alchoholic beverages per person in your carry-on. If you need lots of water, others have posted that they bring their own water mug/container with a built-in filter. Google Pur or other brands. Our little collapsible cooler worked great as our steward brought ice twice daily. As far as the cooler issue, it may vary from port to port. Just a matter if you can return it to your car or don't mind having it confiscated. Its really not necessary and the small one was out of the way when slid under the chair and/or sideboard/table/vanity thingy. Have a great cruise.

[Bo Didly]

I know that the Carnival "rules" state that you can bring "small personal coolers" on board. In the 7 different Carnival cruises that I have taken, I have seen many, MANY, larger, rolling coolers being brought onboard. Does anyone have any experience with being denied to bring your rolling coolers onboard? I drink a ton of bottled water, and have to have it cold. I really need to bring a couple of cases onboard for an average cruise. It would be easier to put it all in a rolling cooler, and bring that on as my carry on item. Any advise would be appreciated - we cruise next Saturday!!! Whoooo - Hoooo!

 

Bring a pop - up cooler ,placed in your on board luggage.

Problem solved .

[goofygal531]

You may bring a rolling cooler, as long as it will fit thru the security machine.

[B and C Blake]

You may bring a rolling cooler, as long as it will fit thru the security machine.

 

As long as it is 12X12X12 as per CCL policy. It must be carry-on NOT checked.

 

OP if you have not cruised lately within the past 9 months the carry-on beverage policy has changed.

 

12- 20oz or less per person MUST be carry-on only not in checked bags.

[goofygal531]

As long as it is 12X12X12 as per CCL policy. It must be carry-on NOT checked.

 

OP if you have not cruised lately within the past 9 months the carry-on beverage policy has changed.

 

12- 20oz or less per person MUST be carry-on only not in checked bags.

 

A rolling cooler is the size of carry on luggage. As long as it fits thru the security machine they will not question it. I never said checked luggage.

[Bo Didly]

As long as it is 12X12X12 as per CCL policy. It must be carry-on NOT checked.

 

OP if you have not cruised lately within the past 9 months the carry-on beverage policy has changed.

 

12- 20oz or less per person MUST be carry-on only not in checked bags.

 

dvoted2B gives good advice in this forum .

[cathyz]

A rolling cooler is the size of carry on luggage. As long as it fits thru the security machine they will not question it. I never said checked luggage.

If they think it's a cooler and it's larger than 12x12x12, they will question it. We don't personally take one with us, but I've seen it happen.

[B and C Blake]

A rolling cooler is the size of carry on luggage. As long as it fits thru the security machine they will not question it. I never said checked luggage.

 

I was simply adding that it has to be carry-on not checked. Never implied that you said to check it.

 

However there have been numerous threads lately about how people have tried the carry-on luggage sized coolers that were confiscated and they did not get it back.

 

So this is not good advise saying that they will not question it when they most certainly will when they have you step off to the side and open it to inspect drinks inside it.

[Ship Addict]

I am making an assumption that since you live in Texas you'll be sailing out of Galveston. We had a cooler on a trip in July of last year and they would not let us take it on. It was larger than a personal cooler but not quite as big as a rolling cooler. It would probably hold a case of cans.

 

They did, however, let us take all of our cokes out of the cooler and put them in our carry-on bags so we didn't have to lose those. They told us we had plenty of time to take the cooler back to the car, but we just left it right there at check-in cos it was old anyway and not worth the trouble.

 

Cruised again out of Galveston in August and my friend put a case of tea on a rolling cart (no cooler at all) and that was allowed on no problem.

 

Bottom line is, it depends on the mood of the security agents at the scanner.

[RuthlessBoss]

I was simply adding that it has to be carry-on not checked. Never implied that you said to check it.

 

However there have been numerous threads lately about how people have tried the carry-on luggage sized coolers that were confiscated and they did not get it back.

 

So this is not good advise saying that they will not question it when they most certainly will when they have you step off to the side and open it to inspect drinks inside it.

I too have read about coolers being taken away if too large or have plastic lining (even if it wasn't filled with liquids).

[BeccaBecca1713]

I made it through FLL last month with a rolling soft cooler that was approx 12x12x16 and it even had a hard plastic liner inside. I'm aware of the restrictions so I took an empty backpack for my drinks in case they confiscated it. All they did was take me over to the side, opened the cooler and shook all 24 plastic bottles of soda (for me and DH) and checked the seals. Then put them all back in the cooler and off I went.

 

As another poster said, it really just depends on what mood the port workers are in. Total crapshoot.

[dave76310]

"As another poster said, it really just depends on what mood the port workers are in. Total crapshoot. "

 

That unfortunately describes the security process nowadays. I remember in my old travel for work days that I packed my clothes in an old cooler as I found that more convenient than a suitcase. Put the clothes up in the hotel and use the cooler during the week, repack clothes in cooler when leaving. I don't suppose Carnival would get their head out of their a$$ and allow a "cooler" to be used in such a way. I have been able to get a shoulder strapped padded "cooler" on board when I load it up with typical cruising dress and accessories.

[Jimd66]

From what I understand it's not Carnival but the TSA that won't allow it.

[zqvol]

A rolling cooler is the size of carry on luggage. As long as it fits thru the security machine they will not question it. I never said checked luggage.

 

 

You are wrong about that. If it is a cooler they will not allow it on board even if it fits through the scanner.

[zqvol]

From what I understand it's not Carnival but the TSA that won't allow it.

 

 

TSA has nothing to do with boarding cruise ships. The rule is carnival's rule.

[crewsweeper]

I know that the Carnival "rules" state that you can bring "small personal coolers" on board. In the 7 different Carnival cruises that I have taken, I have seen many, MANY, larger, rolling coolers being brought onboard. Does anyone have any experience with being denied to bring your rolling coolers onboard? I drink a ton of bottled water, and have to have it cold. I really need to bring a couple of cases onboard for an average cruise. It would be easier to put it all in a rolling cooler, and bring that on as my carry on item. Any advise would be appreciated - we cruise next Saturday!!! Whoooo - Hoooo!

 

Why would you, if you KNOW what the Rules ARE, wish to seek how to break them? Why work yourself into a tizzy and raise your blood pressure and get all sweaty in the boarding line over the size of cooler you can bring. A permitted size cooler will handle your cool drink needs for the entire cruise with daily ice replenishment. You're not drinking all 12 20oz sodas a day (and even if you did, it only takes a hour to chill one).

[kyrisong1]

I pack a collapsible cooler on top of the clothes in one of the bigger suitcases, then I bring my case of water in a carry on.

We fly so the weight requirements are pretty strict, having a empty carry on going home is worth it's weight in gold because I tend to bring back mementos of our trips, not all are small.

Carole

[redpelican]

I know that the Carnival "rules" state that you can bring "small personal coolers" on board. In the 7 different Carnival cruises that I have taken, I have seen many, MANY, larger, rolling coolers being brought onboard. Does anyone have any experience with being denied to bring your rolling coolers onboard? I drink a ton of bottled water, and have to have it cold. I really need to bring a couple of cases onboard for an average cruise. It would be easier to put it all in a rolling cooler, and bring that on as my carry on item. Any advise would be appreciated - we cruise next Saturday!!! Whoooo - Hoooo!

We cruised out of Mobile in September and had purchased a cooler on wheels because the Elation has no refrigerators. This was before it was in dry dock, si I do not know if this has changed. Anyhow, the cooler was packed with soda, water and clothing because we ran short in our suitcase. My dh put it through baggage at the terminal and much to our surprise we got a page whilke we were enjoying lunch on the Lido deck. We had to leave the ship and go back to the terminal. There we were yelled at and told to read our paperwork that the cooler was too large. OK...I accepted this..I already knew this...just did not appreciate being yelled at. I'm 60 years old....a simple "not allowed would have been fine...or they should not have accepted it in the first place. Here is what really pissed me off...we were NOT allowed to take it back to our car whicj was two floors up...it was taken by ther Port of Mobile. In my opinion, they had no right to do this since I could have taken it to ,my car, So, I told them to have a nice day and enjoy the cooler since their jobs were dissappearing in a month. I was not nice!

Strangley enough, Carnival allowed all types of coolers on board. As a matter of fact, our exact same cooler was sitting in the debarkation zone...Not ours, but Carnival allowed it.

So. moral of the story, dont send them thorugh luggage. I think every port is different on what they will allow...

[AWCHIEF]

This year in Mobile prior to Carnival pulling its ships out and also in New Orleans I have several times seen people not be allowed to carry over-sized and coolers with wheels thru screening. So the person saying it is ok is giving out bad information. The rules are very specific as to what is allowed and Carnival is enforcing those rules at least in New Orleans in my experience.

[redpelican]

I was not saying it was allowed...frankly, I just don't know. All I do know is that it was allowed by security on this cruise and not through baggage.

I wont ever even try to take a cooler again, so the point is mute.:rolleyes:

[LMHSRN]

You may bring a rolling cooler, as long as it will fit thru the security machine.

 

Read the rules. 12x12x12 only!

[LMHSRN]

A rolling cooler is the size of carry on luggage. As long as it fits thru the security machine they will not question it. I never said checked luggage.

 

You are incorrect. No coolers larger than 12x12x12 - period!