Carnival Cruise passengers traveling any time after July 8 be warned that you’ll no longer be able to sneak on a water bottle full of vodka… or gin… or water for that matter, as the cruise line will no longer allow most bottled beverages to be carried on board their ships.

“Guests bringing bottled beverages on board are proving to be a source of multiple issues,” reads a Carnival FAQ about the policy change. The company says that they currently have to individually check all bottles to make sure passengers aren’t trying to smuggle booze, which brings boarding to a halt.

The bigger issue, says Carnival, is that the people sneaking liquor onto the ships tend to get a bit out of control.

“We are concerned over the potential for behavioral issues associated with the unmonitored consumption of alcohol that results from alcohol that has been smuggled on board,” writes the company. “[W]hen behavioral issues occur on board… smuggled alcohol often appears to be a factor.”

Passengers can still bring pre-packaged non-alcoholic beverages, but they have to be in sealed cartons or cans, and no more than 12 can be carried on. There is still an exception for a single bottle of wine or champagne.

And you’ll have trouble bringing those drinks on cold, as the cruise line is limiting coolers to maximum dimensions of 12x12x12.

Carnival denies that the policy change has anything to do with selling more booze to passengers. It points to a price drop in 12 packs of bottled water as evidence that it will not be raking in the cash. However, the price of $2.99 for pre-ordered 12-packs is about the same as you’d find at a grocery store and the $4.99 price is certainly a lot more than most of us would pay for that much water at the supermarket, so it’s not like Carnival is giving it away for free.

[via USA Today]

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