What Is the Drinking Age for the Carnival Cruise?

Carnival Cruise Lines, a British-U.S.-owned cruise carrier, has a strict policy stating that people under the age of 21 may not drink aboard a Carnival Cruise ship. All passengers are bound to the terms of Carnival's ticket contract, which state that Carnival has the right to disembark any passengers found to be in violation of its policies.

Guests who are under age 21 may not consume an alcoholic beverage aboard a Carnival cruise ship. Carnival requires a valid, unexpired ID from all guests attempting to purchase alcohol aboard the ship. Guests over age 21 may pack one bottle of wine or champagne in their carry-on luggage, but no outside beer or hard liquor is permitted aboard any Carnival ship, regardless of your age. Alcohol bottles purchased on land during a stop or on the ship will be held by Carnival personnel until the ship reaches its final destination.

Guests under 21 who are found to be drinking or in possession of alcohol aboard a Carnival cruise ship are in violation of the company's ticket contract and could be subject to disembarking, in a worst-case scenario. People whom Carnival finds in violation of its contract terms will not be refunded the price of their ticket. In the best-case scenario, Carnival would confiscate any alcohol. The cruise ship contract also states that ship personnel have the right to search your items at any time; therefore, hiding alcohol can be risky.

Ship workers are required to check for a valid ID when selling alcohol on board, and when a passenger is found to be using a fake ID or an ID that does not belong to him to purchase alcohol, he is in automatic violation of the ticket contract. The same goes for a passenger who allows a minor to use his ID to purchase alcohol. Furthermore, Carnival reserves the right to refuse to sell alcohol to anyone at anytime.

Adults found to be aiding a minor in acquiring alcohol are also in violation of the terms of the Carnival ticket contract. This includes serving or providing alcohol to minors anywhere aboard the cruise ship, in addition to furnishing a minor with an ID to buy alcohol. Again, getting caught aiding a minor to get alcohol -- even just by allowing a minor to use your ID -- can cause you to get kicked off the cruise without a refund.