Banned & Restricted Items on a Cruise

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Banned & Restricted Items on a Cruise

When travelling abroad on an aeroplane, it’s well-established that certain items are not allowed on board or must be kept in storage. It is much the same when travelling on a cruise ship. By keeping these items in mind when packing, it can ensure that you have an exciting and stress-free trip.

While packing can be part of the adventure, it’s key that you avoid packing certain items to ensure the safety of yourself and others around you.

With that in mind, here is a list of items that are banned or restricted when travelling on a cruise holiday.

Banned Items on Cruise Ships

Banned items are items which will not be allowed on board under most normal circumstances – medical exemptions can apply.

Here's our list for your reference...

Banned Items on Cruise Ships: List

Alcohol

With such a wide range of delicious alcoholic beverages available on board, why would you want to waste precious luggage space with the alcohol you’ve brought from home? If you do try to bring alcohol on board, it will be confiscated and given back to you at the end of your holiday. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered across the bars and restaurants available on your cruise.

Illegal Drugs

This really should go without saying, but if it’s illegal on land, it’s illegal on our cruise holidays. If you’re found to have illegal drugs on your person, they will be confiscated and NOT returned.

CBD

Despite being legal in the UK, any cannabis products will be confiscated if you’re found to have them. This includes but is not limited to, gummies, vapes and lotions. You’ll certainly be able to find other ways to relax on board our luxury cruises.

Weapons, Ammunition & Imitation Weapons

Again, this really should go without saying but you absolutely cannot bring weapons, ammunition or imitation weapons on board. This is for the safety of others as well as your own.

Knives, or Scissors with blades longer than 4inches

Despite having a practical function in the home, even kitchen knives can pose a significant safety risk onboard a cruise liner. We want you to be safe and reduce the risk of accidents during your holiday, which means that even scissors with blades longer than 4 inches will have to be left at home.

You should consider taking a manicure kit with small nail scissors if you think you might need them while at sea.

Irons & Steamers

We appreciate you’ll want to scrub up well and get a shirt or two ironed for dinner on board the liner you’re travelling on, but due to their heating element, irons and steamers are considered a fire hazard. You should consider investing in some anti-crease spray as an alternative. Many cruise lines will offer laundry and dry-cleaning services.

Extension Leads

Extension leads can also pose a fire safety risk, for this reason, you shouldn’t pack one to bring with you. Luckily, modern cruise liners are designed to be as accessible as possible with plenty of access to plug sockets that usually have USB ports too.

If you’re still struggling for sockets, you can purchase a cruise-approved extension lead onboard.

Coffee Maker, Kettles, and Hot Plates

As well as taking up a lot of room in your luggage, appliances such as coffee makers, kettles and hot plates can be dangerous at sea if they get too hot or malfunction. Rest assured you’ll still be able to get a hot cup of Joe throughout your voyage at an onboard venue. 

Candles & Incense

We all love a scented candle to make a room smell nice, but this can endanger you and your fellow passengers if knocked over or left unattended. Cleaners onboard will ensure that your room smells fresh as a daisy.

Volatile & Highly Flammable Liquids

As with candles and incense, highly flammable liquids are dangerous items to have on board a cruise liner.

Additional Banned Items on Cruise Ships

Paint

You might think of yourself as a budding Picasso or Monet, but paints can contain harsh chemicals that could be dangerous to you, your child, and other passengers.

Bleach

As with most things on board a cruise ship, cleaning is well and truly taken care of by the wonderful cleaners. We know it might be tempting to bring your marigolds and cleaning products but rest assured, your cabin and the rest of the ship will be kept spotless.

Compressed Gas Bottle/Cylinders

Compressed gas bottles or cylinders can pose a serious risk of explosion if exposed to the right conditions. As you can imagine, this is not ideal when aboard a cruise liner. There is an exception to this rule if it is needed for a medical reason, but the cruise liner must be informed prior to travel.

Dive tanks are also not permitted on board for the same reason.

Certain Sports Gear

Largely because of the weight and size of some sports gear, cruise companies have decided to ban some of them. These include canoes, kayaks, bikes, etc. Bats such as baseball and cricket bats are also not permitted on board as they do pose a risk of injury.

Radio-Controlled Flying Toys

Drones are allowed on board, but they must be kept by security on board the cruise to be used exclusively when the ship is in port. Drones are prohibited for use when the ship is at sea.

Hookah Pipes

Some smoking devices, such as hookah pipes, are not allowed on board a cruise. Cigarettes and e-cigarettes are allowed on board, but must be smoked in specified areas. 

Restricted Items on Cruise Ships

There are plenty of times that are not necessarily banned but are considered restricted. This typically means that they are allowed on board but only under certain conditions, such as kept in storage.

Below is a list of items that are restricted.

Restricted Items on Cruise Ships

Personal Grooming Items

Personal grooming items are allowed on board when kept in good condition and are used responsibly with proper caution. Items that come under this umbrella include hairdryers, straighteners, electric shavers, etc.

Homemade Food Items

Although it isn’t strictly banned, we’d really encourage you to limit the amount of food that you bring from home. There is more than enough delicious food from a variety of on board restaurants to treat yourself to. If you do decide to bring a couple of meal deals, make sure all the food is non-perishable and pre-packaged.

Floatation Devices (apart from Armbands)

Floatation devices such as lilos aren’t permitted on a cruise ship because they take up quite a bit of space in the relatively small pools that are on a cruise ship. Armbands are allowed for people who feel they need them, but keep your inflatable flamingo at home.

Musical Instruments, Radio & Music-playing Devices

Loud music might be great a gig, but it’s not ideal when you’re trying to sleep on your cruise holiday. Musical instruments and music-playing devices are allowed on board, but guests are encouraged to be considerate of the volume and time of day that they’re using these items.

Coolers

Small coolers are allowed on board a cruise; however, they must be of a personal size. This size might vary between companies, so if you want to take one with, it’s probably best to check with the cruise line ahead of time.

Banned, Restricted or Prohibited Items by Cruise Line

Although every effort has been made to ensure that there is a broad range of items included on this list, it isn’t exhaustive and there will be some items that specific cruise lines won’t allow. It’s always best to check the relevant cruise line’s website or get in touch with them if you’re unsure about whether an item is safe to bring aboard.

Below you can find a list of the most popular cruise providers’ websites.

Banned, Restricted or Prohibited Items by Cruise Line - Continued

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Airport Banned Items

Since you may be flying to your departure port, it’s well worth considering whether you’ll be allowed to fly with items that may be allowed on a cruise, but not on a plane. There’s some overlap here, but also some items that are unique to air travel.

  • Explosive materials
  • Flammable Items
  • Gases and Pressure Containers
  • Matches
  • Oxidisers and Organic Peroxides
  • Poisons
  • Infectious Materials
  • Radioactive Materials
  • Magnetic Materials
  • Illegal drugs
  • Weapons, ammunition and imitation weapons

So, you should be all set for your holiday with no worries as to whether your items will be confiscated. Remember, these rules are to keep everyone’s holiday enjoyable and safe! Ready to book your next cruise? Check out our cruise deals and find the perfect holiday for you and your family.

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