Celebrity's embarkation rules are stricter than mass-market lines on alcohol-bring-aboard and on extension cords, but more permissive on grooming appliances. The famous corkage fee is also higher than most — $35 per bottle in dining venues, waived for guests with a Classic or Premium Beverage Package or All Included fare. This guide is the quick reference, drawn from Celebrity's own FAQ pages.
At a Glance
Allowed
One sealed 750-ml bottle of wine or champagne per drinking-age guest, sealed pre-packaged snacks, CPAP machines (Celebrity provides distilled water and an extension cord on request), curling/flat irons, hair dryers, snorkel gear, certified low-wattage personal fans.
Prohibited
Hard liquor, beer, irons, clothing steamers (no exceptions), candles, hoverboards, drones for onboard use, cannabis or CBD, surge-protected power strips, all extension cords, knives over 4 inches.
Check first
Service animals (port permits required), oxygen and dialysis (Special Needs form 30+ days out), drones (carry only — no operation), vapes (never in cabins or balconies), dive knives.
What You Can Bring
Wine and Champagne
Each drinking-age guest may bring one sealed 750-ml bottle of wine or champagne, in carry-on, on embarkation day. Boxed wine and other containers are not permitted. Corkage in any shipboard restaurant, bar, or dining venue is $35 per bottle — among the highest of the major lines. Corkage is waived for guests with a Classic or Premium Beverage Package or an All Included fare. Consume in your stateroom for free.
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
On embarkation day only, guests may hand-carry sealed non-alcoholic beverages onboard. Celebrity does not publish a specific can or bottle count — the rule is what each guest can personally hand-carry. The Royal Caribbean Group convention of "12 cans, 17 oz max per stateroom" is widely cited but is not on Celebrity's own page; expect strict interpretation at the scanner if your quantity looks like more than personal use.
Food
Small amounts of pre-packaged, commercially sealed, non-perishable snacks are permitted. Homemade, perishable, refrigerated, and meat products are not allowed. Baby food, formula, and medically required dietary items are accepted.
Medications and Medical Equipment
Prescription medications travel in carry-on, in original containers. CPAP machines are permitted, and Celebrity provides distilled water and a medical-use extension cord free in your stateroom on request — submit the Guest Special Needs Form at least 30 days before sailing (60 days for sign-language interpreters). Oxygen (personal or vendor-delivered) is allowed and Celebrity accepts all cylinder types. Sharps containers are provided in-cabin on request.
Electronics and Personal Grooming
Phones, laptops, tablets, e-readers, cameras, and standard chargers are fine. Curling irons, flat irons (hair straighteners), and electric shavers are explicitly allowed exceptions to the heat-appliance ban. Certified low-wattage personal fans are also explicitly permitted. Non-surge "dumb" power strips and multi-outlet adapters are allowed; surge-protected versions and all extension cords are banned (the only exception is a medical-use extension cord requested via the Special Needs Form).
Mobility and Accessibility
Wheelchairs, walkers, and personal mobility scooters are welcome and must be stored and recharged inside the stateroom — not in corridors or elevator lobbies. Standard cabin doorways are 23 inches; accessible staterooms are 32 inches. For devices wider than 32 inches or for a sign-language interpreter, contact the Access Department and submit the Guest Special Needs Form at least 30 days before sailing.
Sports Gear and Snorkel Equipment
Personal snorkel gear (mask, fins, snorkel) is generally permitted. Spearguns, scuba tanks, regulators, and dive knives are restricted — dive knives are typically held by ship security and returned at end of cruise. Golf clubs and fishing equipment may be brought aboard but cannot be used onboard, only in port.
Coolers
Celebrity does not publish a specific cooler size limit. Personal small soft-sided coolers for medical or baby items are routinely accepted; large hard coolers and any cooler containing perishable food are not.
What's Prohibited
Hard Liquor and Beer
No spirits or beer of any kind may be brought aboard, including at ports of call. Liquor purchased ashore or in onboard duty-free shops is held by ship security and returned on the last evening before debarkation. Wine over the one-bottle-per-adult embarkation allowance is also stored and returned.
Irons and Clothing Steamers
No exceptions. Celebrity bans clothing irons, travel steamers, and high-wattage heat appliances as a fire hazard. Self-service launderettes are available on most ships, and Celebrity offers paid valet pressing for formal nights and Evening Chic events.
Cannabis and CBD
All cannabis and all CBD products — including marijuana, cannabis-derived CBD, and any extract containing THC or CBD, even where state-legal or doctor-authorized — are explicitly prohibited. Smoking marijuana or CBD is never permitted anywhere onboard. Penalties can include immediate disembarkation or denial of boarding with no refund.
Open Flame and Fire Hazards
Candles, incense, hookahs, fireworks, sparklers, lighter fluid, propane tanks, and items with an open flame or pilot light are prohibited. Torch lighters and novelty lighters shaped like guns are also banned (matches and standard lighters are allowed).
Weapons and Sharp Items
All firearms (including replicas, non-firing, and starting pistols), ammunition, gunpowder, BB guns, air guns, gun lighters, flare guns, handcuffs, pepper spray, mace, night sticks, batons, brass knuckles, axes, hatchets, and martial arts weapons. Knives are prohibited; scissors are allowed only with blades under 4 inches. Disguised knives (belt buckles, flick knives) and serrated lockback knives of any length are explicitly banned.
Hoverboards and Wheeled Devices
Self-balancing hoverboards and electric scooter-style devices are prohibited under the Royal Caribbean Group blanket conduct policy that Celebrity follows.
Heating Appliances
Coffee makers, kettles, hot plates, immersion heaters, water heaters, heating pads, and any device generating heat or open flame are banned.
Surge-Protected Power Strips and Extension Cords
Celebrity bans all surge-protected power strips, all extension cords, and any multi-plug adapter with surge protection. Non-surge "dumb" power strips are allowed, and a medical-use extension cord can be requested via the Special Needs Form. A USB-only multi-port charger is the practical workaround.
Gray Area — Bring It But Check First
Service Animals
Trained service dogs only — emotional-support animals are not recognized. Documentation is technically not required to board, but the guest is responsible for obtaining and carrying all government-issued documentation needed to debark in any port (USDA, port-of-call import requirements, vaccination and health certificates). Leave a copy at Guest Relations once aboard. Submit the Guest Special Needs Form via the Access Department at least 30 days before sailing.
Drones
Drones may not be operated onboard at any time. Bring them only for shore use, and store them in your stateroom while onboard. Operating a drone onboard results in confiscation through the end of the cruise, a Guest Conduct Policy warning, and possible disembarkation at the guest's expense.
Vapes and E-Cigarettes
Vapes and e-cigarettes are permitted onboard but use is restricted to designated outdoor smoking areas only. Prohibited in all staterooms, all balconies, dining venues, theaters, bars, hallways, elevators, jogging tracks, pool decks, children's areas, and food venues. Smoking or vaping in a stateroom or balcony triggers a $250 cleaning fee on your onboard account.
Distilled Water for CPAP
Celebrity provides distilled water free in your stateroom on U.S. sailings — request through the Special Needs Form at least 30 days before sailing. Charges may apply on Cruisetours outside the U.S. You can also bring your own sealed distilled water as a carve-out from the personal-beverage allowance.
Outside Cakes and Decorations
Celebrity sells onboard celebration cake packages and does not publish an explicit outside-cake rule. Under the perishable-food prohibition, bakery cakes from licensed shoreside vendors are accepted in practice but not guaranteed. Helium balloons are commonly tolerated; candles are not. Celebrity's Onboard Gifts catalog is the cleanest path.
Dive Knives
Recreational dive knives are confiscated at boarding and held by ship security; they are returned at the end of the cruise per common practice but are treated as sharp-object contraband, not as a guaranteed return.
What Happens at the Scanner
All luggage passes through security scanning at embarkation. When something prohibited is detected:
Bags are X-rayed at the embarkation terminal and onboard at every port. Prohibited items are pulled.
Wine over the one-bottle limit, port-purchased liquor, and onboard duty-free liquor are stored in the alcohol locker and returned on the last evening before debarkation.
Irons, steamers, surge protectors, candles, and hoverboards are typically confiscated and discarded — not returned at debarkation.
Confiscated items not claimed within 15 calendar days are forfeited and may be disposed of by Royal Caribbean Group.
Cannabis or CBD discovery results in confiscation, possible immediate disembarkation, and possible referral to law enforcement.
Smoking or vaping in a stateroom or balcony is a $250 cleaning fee per incident on the onboard account, with possible escalation to disembarkation and a permanent ban for repeat offenses.
For under-21 guests, confiscated alcohol is never returned at any point.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the wine corkage fee?
Celebrity charges $35 per bottle when wine or champagne brought aboard is consumed in any shipboard restaurant, bar, or dining venue. Corkage is waived for guests on a Classic or Premium Beverage Package or an All Included fare. Consume in your stateroom for free regardless of package.
Can I bring two bottles of wine instead of one?
No — Celebrity's rule is one sealed 750-ml bottle per drinking-age guest, on embarkation day only. Some regional pages reference a "two bottles per stateroom" cap, which works out the same when both adults bring one each.
What's the smoking penalty?
A $250 cleaning fee per incident on your onboard account for smoking or vaping in any stateroom or balcony. Repeat or severe violations can result in removal of onboard privileges, disembarkation, and reporting to authorities.
Are non-surge power strips really allowed?
Yes — Celebrity's ban is specifically on surge protection and extension cords. A plain "dumb" multi-outlet adapter without surge protection is permitted. A medical-use extension cord can also be requested via the Special Needs Form.
I take a CPAP — what's involved?
Pack the machine in your carry-on. Submit the Guest Special Needs Form at least 30 days before sailing — Celebrity will deliver distilled water and a medical-use extension cord to your stateroom free of charge. Sharps containers are also available on request.
Can I bring CBD oil?
No. Celebrity explicitly prohibits all CBD products regardless of source-state legality or medical authorization. CBD is treated identically to cannabis at the scanner and onboard.
What about my drone for excursion footage?
You can bring it, but it must remain stored in your stateroom while onboard. Operating it onboard or even at Celebrity's private destinations results in confiscation through end of cruise and possible disembarkation. You're also responsible for any port-side drone laws and permits.
Can I bring a hand-held fan?
Certified low-wattage personal fans are explicitly allowed. High-wattage or unmarked fans may be flagged at the scanner. If you're unsure, leave it home — staterooms are climate-controlled.
Sources
All policies above are drawn from Celebrity Cruises's published help pages. For the latest rules, including any updates after this guide was written:
Celebrity prohibited and packing FAQs — https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/prepare
Celebrity onboard policies — https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/while-on-board
Celebrity onboard security and safety — https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/onboard-security
Celebrity service animals — https://www.celebritycruises.com/special-needs/service-animals
Celebrity medical needs — https://www.celebritycruises.com/special-needs/medical-needs
Celebrity accessible cruising — https://www.celebritycruises.com/special-needs/accessibility
Royal Caribbean Group Guest Conduct Policy — https://www.celebritycruises.com/guest-terms/guest-health-safety-and-conduct-policy/english/
Plan Your Celebrity Cruise with Pride Travelers
Celebrity is the upscale step up from mass-market lines, with smaller ships, an adult-leaning crowd, and a more refined onboard tone. We help travelers pick the right ship, the right cabin category — including the AquaClass, Concierge Class, and The Retreat — and the right itinerary, and walk you through the embarkation rules so your first hour aboard is a glass of champagne, not a luggage search.
Plan Your Celebrity CruiseWhether you're sailing on Beyond, Apex, or one of Celebrity's longer Galápagos and Antarctic voyages, we'll get you on board with what you need and without what you don't.