Mainstream Cruise Line
Norwegian Alcohol Policy
What you can bring aboard, the corkage rules, drink packages, and the drinking age on a Norwegian cruise in 2026, verified against the official policy.
Quick answer
Norwegian lets you bring wine and champagne aboard, but charges a $15 corkage fee per bottle. It sells a drink package. The onboard drinking age is 21, though it can vary by sailing region.
Bringing your own alcohol
Wine and champagne only, with corkage
NCL does not allow guests to bring alcohol aboard for consumption, with one exception: you may bring wine and champagne, but a corkage fee applies whenever it is served or consumed anywhere on the ship, including your stateroom. Boxed wine is not allowed. Alcohol bought in ports or onboard shops is held by the ship and returned on the final night or the morning of debarkation.
Corkage fee
$15 per bottle
Corkage is $15 per 750 ml bottle and $30 per 1.5 liter magnum. Guests who buy a beverage package, or receive one through the Free at Sea promotion, are not charged corkage.
Drink packages
Offered
Free at Sea Unlimited Open Bar Package
- Price per day
- $45 per person
- Service charge
- 20%
- Per-drink cap
- Not published
- Non-alcoholic package
- Unlimited Soda Package Price not published
- Everyone in the cabin
- Every adult must buy it
What's included and the rules
The Unlimited Open Bar Package covers premium cocktails, wine, beer, and soft drinks, with no limit on the number of drinks, though staff may refuse service to guests who do not drink responsibly. Drinks in the Connoisseur Collection are not included, though package holders get $15 off their retail value. A Free at Sea Plus upgrade at $49.99 per person per day adds items such as Starbucks, higher-speed Wi-Fi, top-shelf spirits and wines, and prepaid service charges.
Most guests get the package through Norwegian's Free at Sea promotion. Bought onboard within the first two days of the cruise, it is $45 per person per day plus a 20% gratuity, taxes and fees. The package applies to all guests 21 and older in a stateroom, and guests aged 3 to 20 in the first two berths receive complimentary soda and juice instead.
Minimum drinking age
21
You must be 21 or older to buy or consume alcohol on US sailings. In international waters, guests 18 to 20 may drink beer and wine only with parental consent via NCL's waiver form. Consent is not permitted in Alaska, Hawaii, or Asia. On Australia and New Zealand sailings, guests 18 and older may drink without parental consent.
Good to know
Guests may not bring any beverages aboard, including water and soda, except factory-sealed purified or distilled water for medical devices or infant formula. Wine sent to the ship by travel agents, family, or retailers is subject to the same corkage fees.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bring my own alcohol on a Norwegian cruise?
What is Norwegian's corkage fee?
Does Norwegian have a drink package?
How much is Norwegian's drink package?
Does everyone in the cabin have to buy Norwegian's drink package?
What is the drinking age on a Norwegian cruise?
More on Norwegian
Alcohol policies on other cruise lines
Travel data researcher and publisher
Caden Sorenson runs Travel Vient, an independent travel research site built on a verified database of airline baggage rules, airport connection times, cruise line policies, and eSIM plans. He built the verification pipeline behind it: each record is read from the company or government page that publishes it (connection times: OAG data via ExpertFlyer), stored with that source link and the sentence it came from, and re-checked on a schedule. He is a senior staff engineer with 15+ years building software, a Computer Science graduate of Utah State University, and based in Logan, Utah.
Figures link to the source they were read from and show the date last checked; some cite a travel publication or aggregator rather than the company.
Sources
Facts, costs, and travel details in this guide were verified against the following sources. See our research methodology for how we vet and update data.
- Norwegian: Alcohol consumption accessed 2026-10-02
- Norwegian: Free at sea accessed 2026-10-02
If a figure looks wrong, email hello@vient.org, see how we handle corrections, or browse past fixes in our public changelog.
Cruise lines change alcohol policies and prices without notice. Confirm with the line before you sail.