Is Carnival no longer selling alcohol?

Surprisingly, Carnival has decided to roll back this policy change and allow full-bottle liquor sales on some sailings, Cruisehive reported. From Dec. 1, 2022, guests will be able to prepurchase bottles for their staterooms, with a limit of one bottle per stateroom (no matter how many guests are in the stateroom).



As of March 2026, the rumor that Carnival Cruise Line has stopped selling alcohol is entirely false. Alcohol sales remain a massive part of their onboard revenue model. However, the confusion likely stems from Carnival's strictly enforced "Safety and Conduct" policies updated in late 2025. These include a "cut-off" policy where bartenders may refuse service to visibly intoxicated guests and a limit on the number of drinks per day (typically 15) for those on the CHEERS! Beverage Program. Additionally, Carnival has maintained its ban on guests bringing their own hard liquor or beer on board, allowing only one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne per adult during embarkation. While they are still very much in the business of selling cocktails and beer, they have implemented more rigorous monitoring to ensure that the "Fun Ship" atmosphere doesn't devolve into rowdy or unsafe behavior for other passengers.

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The world's largest cruise line operator is trading 126% higher in 2023. It might not be too late to hop aboard. The waves keep rising for Carnival (CCL -6.60%). Shares of the world's largest cruise line operator have more than doubled this year, and the Wall Street accolades keep coming.

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Given its recovering revenue levels, Carnival should survive. Nonetheless, its ability for near-term prosperity appears seriously in doubt. As significant portions of the debt mature in 2026 and beyond, Carnival could find itself in a deeper debt trap.

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Sodas and other applicable non-alcoholic beverages remain unlimited and will not be counted toward the 15 alcoholic beverages limit, and all other policies and procedures remain the same. Guests are expected to enjoy alcohol responsibly and staff members are trained not to serve guests who appear to be intoxicated.

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In our buffet restaurant, special drinks dispensers provide you with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, lemonade and ice tea around the clock and free of charge. In addition, you can book beverage packages for the entire duration of the cruise on the day of embarkation.

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Yes, there are two ways to buy a bottle of alcohol on a cruise ship: Buy a bottle from the duty-free liquor store on the cruise, but they hold it. Order a bottle of liquor to your stateroom anytime (more info in the next tip, #9)

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They might get an older friend to buy them a drink (though both parties could get kicked off the ship if caught) or smuggle booze onboard and drink secretly in their stateroom or in the cabin of a friend. It's up to you to set rules about where your kids can be without you or what kind of behavior you expect from them.

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Whether the drink package is worth it on Carnival depends on how much alcohol you plan to drink — and which kind. Are you more of a beer drinker, or are you into wine, spirits and cocktails? Beer is generally cheaper, so it would take more drinks per day to add up to the daily value of the Cheers package.

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How Much Debt Does Carnival Corporation & Carry? The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Carnival Corporation & had US$33.8b in debt in May 2023; about the same as the year before. However, it also had US$4.47b in cash, and so its net debt is US$29.3b.

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Carnival now expects adjusted annual loss per share between 8 cents and 20 cents, compared with its earlier forecast of a loss per share of 28 cents to 44 cents. The company beat second-quarter revenue estimates and posted a smaller-than-expected loss. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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