Yes — you can bring alcohol on Virgin Voyages, but only wine and Champagne. Each cabin may carry on up to two sealed 750 mL bottles of wine, sparkling wine, or Champagne on embarkation day. No hard liquor or beer is allowed in your bags, and there is no corkage fee to drink it in your cabin or around the ship. Here is exactly how the policy works.
Last updated: July 2026 · By the Pixie Vacations cruise team — Virgin Voyages First Mates (certified VV travel advisors) with 735+ five-star reviews. We book Virgin sailings every week and have sailed the fleet ourselves.
The short answer, at a glance
- Wine & Champagne: Up to two 750 mL bottles per cabin, in your carry-on only.
- Hard liquor & beer: Not allowed in your luggage. Buy it onboard instead.
- Corkage: None in your cabin or on deck. A $25 corkage fee applies only if you drink your own wine in a sit-down restaurant.
- Port-bought bottles: Fine to buy — hand them to security when you re-board and they are returned on your last night.
- Soft drinks: Small quantities of cans/cartons allowed in hand luggage; no bottles.
- Drinking age: 18 in international waters, 21 in U.S. waters, and 21 on all Alaska sailings.
Virgin Voyages does not sell an all-you-can-drink package. Instead you load a prepaid Bar Tab or pay as you go, and every fare already includes still and sparkling water, sodas, drip coffee, teas, and non-pressed juices for free. So bringing your own bottle is really about enjoying your wine, not saving on the basics.
Bringing wine and Champagne aboard: the two-bottle rule
This is the part that surprises people coming from other cruise lines. Virgin lets every cabin bring two standard 750 mL bottles of wine, sparkling wine, or Champagne aboard on embarkation day. According to Virgin Voyages’ official prohibited-items guidance, the allowance applies strictly to regular 750 mL bottles — no magnums, no boxed wine substituting for the count.
Two rules matter most:
- Carry-on only. Your bottles must travel in the bag you carry onto the ship yourself. Any alcohol packed in checked luggage is pulled during screening, held safely, and returned to you at the end of the voyage — so it does you no good on the trip.
- Embarkation day. The two-bottle allowance is for bottles you bring on the day you board. You cannot keep restocking at each port with more wine to carry on (port-bought bottles follow the separate rule below).
The best part: there is no corkage fee to drink your wine in your cabin or anywhere around the ship outside the sit-down restaurants. Pop your Champagne on your Sea Terrace balcony, pour a glass by the pool — no charge. That is more generous than most mainstream lines.
What you can and can’t bring: quick comparison
| Item | Allowed? | The details |
|---|---|---|
| Wine (750 mL) | ✅ Yes | Up to 2 bottles per cabin, carry-on only |
| Champagne / sparkling wine (750 mL) | ✅ Yes | Counts toward the same 2-bottle limit |
| Hard liquor / spirits | ❌ No | Not permitted in luggage; buy onboard |
| Beer / seltzer | ❌ No | Not permitted in luggage; buy onboard |
| Boxed or magnum wine | ❌ No | Only standard 750 mL bottles count |
| Alcohol in checked bags | ❌ No | Held by security, returned at voyage end |
| Liquor bought in port | ✅ Yes* | Handed to security, returned your final night |
| Soft drinks (cans/cartons) | ✅ Yes | Small quantity, hand luggage, no bottles |
*You can buy specialty liquor in port to take home, but you can’t drink it onboard during the sailing.
Corkage fees: when they apply (and the free workaround)
Here is where sailors get tripped up. Drinking your own wine in your cabin, on your balcony, or around the ship is free. But if you want to bring your bottle to one of Virgin’s sit-down restaurants — Razzle Dazzle, Pink Agave, The Wake, Gunbae, Extra Virgin, or Test Kitchen — a $25 corkage fee applies per bottle.
The advisor workaround we share with clients: instead of carrying the whole bottle to dinner, ask your cabin host for wine glasses, pour a glass in your suite, and carry the glass to the restaurant. A poured glass isn’t a bottle, so there is no corkage. It’s a small thing that saves you $25 a night if you like wine with dinner.
What about hard liquor and beer?
Spirits and beer can’t come aboard in your luggage — full stop. If liquor or beer turns up in your bags at screening, it’s collected and returned at the end of your trip. Virgin’s reasoning is simple: the ship’s bars, and its prepaid Bar Tab, are how you drink cocktails and beer onboard.
The good news is Virgin’s bar pricing is refreshingly honest. There’s no automatic gratuity added to drinks, and prices are what you see. If you plan to drink cocktails and beer regularly, load a Bar Tab before you sail — Virgin periodically adds a bonus (for example, an extra $50 for every $300 loaded), and it’s the closest thing to a “drink package” the line offers. Our Virgin Voyages drink prices guide breaks down what cocktails, beer, and wine by the glass actually cost onboard.
Alcohol you buy in port
Love browsing a rum distillery or duty-free shop at a port of call? You can absolutely buy it. According to Virgin’s guidance, you simply hand any port-purchased alcohol to the security team as you re-board, and the crew holds it safely until your final night, when it’s returned so you can pack it for home. You won’t be able to crack it open onboard during the sailing, but nothing stops you from bringing home that bottle of Caribbean rum.
Bringing soft drinks, water, and non-alcoholic beer
Non-alcoholic drinks have their own rule. Per Virgin’s prohibited-items policy, you may bring small quantities of water, protein-based drinks, non-alcoholic beer, or soft drinks in boxes and cans only — a maximum of twelve sealed, unopened 12-ounce (or smaller) cans or cartons per person, in hand luggage. Drinks in bottles, whether glass or plastic, are not allowed.
Honestly, most sailors skip this. Virgin’s “Essentials” are already free on every fare: filtered still and sparkling water, non-pressed juices, sodas, sachet teas, and drip coffee are all included — one of the reasons people ask whether Virgin Voyages is all-inclusive. It isn’t quite, but the non-alcoholic basics genuinely are on the house.
Drinking age on Virgin Voyages
Virgin is an adults-only line (everyone aboard is 18+), but the drinking age still depends on where the ship is:
- International waters: 18 to purchase and drink alcohol.
- U.S. waters: 21, in line with U.S. law.
- Other ports: whatever the local country’s law specifies.
- Alaska sailings: Virgin’s onboard policy requires all Sailors to be 21+ to buy or consume alcohol for the entire itinerary.
So a 19- or 20-year-old Sailor can enjoy a glass of wine once the ship is in international waters on a Caribbean or European voyage, but not while docked in a U.S. port and not at all on Alaska routes.
How Virgin’s alcohol policy compares
Coming from Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or Norwegian, Virgin’s approach feels generous in some ways and stricter in others. Most mainstream lines cap you at one bottle of wine per adult and charge corkage the moment you open it anywhere. Virgin allows two bottles per cabin and charges corkage only in restaurants — so casual balcony-and-pool wine drinkers come out ahead. Where Virgin is stricter: no bringing beer or liquor at all, and no giant all-you-can-drink package. If you want to see how the whole experience stacks up, our Virgin Voyages vs. Royal Caribbean comparison goes deeper.
Packing tip from our advisors
If you’re bringing wine or Champagne, wrap each bottle in a layer of clothing inside your carry-on and use a padded wine sleeve if you have one — screening is quick, and a cushioned bottle survives the bump of a full cruise terminal. Add it to your Virgin Voyages packing list so it doesn’t accidentally land in your checked bag, where it would be held until the end of the trip.
Ready to book your Virgin Voyages cruise?
Virgin’s alcohol policy is one of dozens of little details we handle for our clients — at no extra cost to you. As certified Virgin Voyages First Mates, the Pixie Vacations team can match you to the right ship and sailing, load your Bar Tab, and make sure your Champagne is chilling when you step aboard. Start planning your Virgin Voyages cruise with Pixie Vacations, request a free quote, or call us at 678-815-1584. We never charge booking fees, and our advice always comes with the wine tips included.
Frequently asked questions
Can you bring your own alcohol on Virgin Voyages?
Yes, but only wine and Champagne. Each cabin may bring up to two sealed 750 mL bottles of wine or sparkling wine in carry-on luggage on embarkation day. Hard liquor and beer are not allowed in your bags.
How many bottles of wine can I bring on Virgin Voyages?
Up to two 750 mL bottles per cabin, not per person. They must be regular-size bottles (no magnums or boxed wine) and carried on, not checked.
Is there a corkage fee on Virgin Voyages?
There’s no corkage fee to drink your own wine in your cabin or around the ship. A $25 corkage fee applies only if you bring your bottle into one of the sit-down restaurants. Pour a glass in your cabin and carry the glass to dinner to avoid it.
Can I bring liquor or beer on Virgin Voyages?
No. Spirits and beer can’t be brought aboard in your luggage. If found, they’re held by security and returned at the end of the voyage. Buy cocktails and beer onboard using a prepaid Bar Tab or pay-as-you-go.
Can I bring alcohol I buy in port back onto the ship?
Yes. Hand any port-purchased alcohol to the security team as you re-board and the crew holds it until your final night. You can’t drink it onboard during the sailing, but you can take it home.
What is the drinking age on Virgin Voyages?
It’s 18 in international waters and 21 in U.S. waters. On Alaska itineraries, Virgin’s onboard policy requires all Sailors to be 21 or older to buy or consume alcohol for the whole cruise.
Does Virgin Voyages have a drink package?
Not an unlimited one. Virgin uses a prepaid Bar Tab (sometimes with a loading bonus) or pay-as-you-go pricing. Non-alcoholic essentials like water, soda, juice, and coffee are already included on every fare.
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