We Can’t Bring Bottled Water on Carnival

I learned this the hard way during last year’s Groove Cruise LA sailing. Carnival Cruise Line no longer allows guests to bring bottled water aboard their ships.

This was news to me since I’ve sailed with Carnival (non-Groove Cruise) before. Apparently, some time in mid-2015, the decision was made to not allow bottled water to be brought on their ships by guests either by carryon or in baggage given to the porters.

When it comes to making the most of the Groove Cruise experience (or any festival experience, for that matter), I’m a huge advocate of staying hydrated throughout the event. Prior to this rule, Carnival’s beverage policy allowed guests to bring their own bottled water water as long as the amount met the specifications outlined in their beverage policy.

Carnival Beverage Policy

Now, their beverage policy (found in their FAQ section) explicitly states that “We know some of our guests are accustomed to bringing on their own supply of bottled water…” and “Guests are prohibited from bringing water, sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages onboard that are packaged in bottles.”

If you’re attending a Groove Cruise event aboard a Carnival ship, be sure to familiarize yourself with Carnival’s official beverage policy: https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2633/~/liquor-and-beverage-policy

How Does This Affect Groove Cruise Attendees?

We got out of our Uber and while we were grabbing our bags, the porter promptly told us that Carnival does not allow bottled water. Taking the news in stride, we gave our multiple cases of newly purchased bottled water to our Uber driver. He was really nice, so I hope that helped him continue to get good ratings.

Having been used to bringing my own water on both Groove Cruise and non-Groove Cruise sailings, I was worried that we’d be significantly inconvenienced by the new policy.

The reality? It was fine.

We like to bring immune boosting powders and pre-workout (must be new and sealed) on Groove Cruise, so having bottled water in the room was definitely a convenience. It was also nice to be able to chug a bunch of water right before bed to ensure that we don’t wake up dehydrated.

Overall, this is all very much a “first world problem”. At typical festivals, you have wait in potentially long water lines. On Groove Cruise, just head to the nearest buffet area or bar, and you can easily get the water you need.

We just made a point to get 2 or 3 glasses of water at a time. Sometimes, we’d even stop and get a couple of glasses on the way back to the room. And of course, we drank lots of water with meals.

Conclusion

If you’ve become accustomed to bringing bottled water aboard cruises, just note that you can no longer do this aboard Carnival. This is a relatively new Carnival rule.

Is it a big deal? Nope.

Enjoy the free water available all over the ship. The availability is much better than land based festivals, and don’t forget lots of juices and teas are also included and unlimited. Oh, and coffee…unlimited…coffee.

Regardless of what cruise line your Groove Cruise event is sailing on, be sure to check out the individual cruise line rules for what you can and can’t bring on the ship.

At the time of this article, Groove Cruise does not impose any rules above and beyond the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and individual cruise lines. As long as it’s cool with them, it’s cool with Groove Cruise.