Cruise lines have strict policies about bringing your own alcohol onboard, a rule designed to protect their beverage revenue and maintain safety standards.
With drink packages costing upwards of $80 per person, per day, it’s not hard to understand why some passengers are tempted to sneak their own booze aboard. That’s several hundred dollars for a week-long cruise, and you’d have to drink enough each day to make it worth it.
One woman learned her lesson about sneaking booze the hard way. What was supposed to be a sentimental bachelorette trip turned into a lecture and a clear communication that she’s no longer welcome aboard.
Woman Banned From Carnival After Smuggling Alcohol
In a viral video with nearly 500,000 views, Ohio content creator Madison West (@madisonwest2000) shared the footage that got her banned from Carnival Cruise Line.
The video shows West sitting with a red drink in front of her before pulling out what appears to be a tampon but is actually a concealed flask.
“All right. You guys asked for it. Here is the video that I posted that got me banned from Carnival. I’m sorry, Carnival. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean it,” she says in the video. “I was just trying to have fun.”
The footage shows West happily pouring the concealed alcohol into her drink. The clip then cuts to a much more serious situation with three crew members in her room.
One is seemingly lecturing her about the violation. Another searches her belongings for more contraband.
West explains that Carnival holds special significance for her and her husband.
“On my bachelorette trip. Me and my husband actually met on a carnival cruise. So carnival kinda means a lot to us, so it kinda sucks that I got banned,” she says. “So I take it all back. Just let me back on, please.”
In a follow-up video, West reveals more details about the confrontation with crew members.
“He made me change my written statement from ‘brought’ to ‘smuggled,'” she wrote in the caption.
“Again, this was on me. And I accept my punishment. They were so weird about me recording. I’m pretty sure that’s my right, but I didn’t want to make it worse,” she says.
What Is Carnival’s Alcohol Policy?
Carnival Cruise Line has strict rules about bringing alcohol onboard. And West’s tampon flask clearly violates them.
Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with one exception: on embarkation day only, guests 21 and older may bring one 750-ml bottle of sealed, unopened wine or champagne per person in their carry-on luggage.
The policy explicitly states that “all liquor, beer, other forms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and checked luggage, and such items will be confiscated and discarded, and no compensation will be provided.”
If guests want to drink their own wine or champagne in the dining room or bar, they’ll be charged a $15 corkage fee per bottle.
Any alcohol purchased at ports of call or in the ship’s stores is held until the end of the voyage and can’t be consumed during the cruise.
The reasoning behind these strict policies is twofold: safety and revenue. Cruise lines make significant money from beverage sales, and they also need to monitor alcohol consumption to prevent overconsumption and maintain passenger safety.
How Much Would The Alcohol Package Have Cost?
Rather than smuggling alcohol, West could have purchased Carnival’s CHEERS! beverage package, which offers unlimited drinks for a flat daily rate.
The all-inclusive package costs $82.54 per person, per day (including an 18% service charge) when purchased before the cruise, or $88.44 per person, per day if purchased onboard.
The CHEERS! program includes all spirits, cocktails, beer, wine, and champagne by the glass with a menu price of $20 or under, as well as sodas, specialty coffees, energy drinks, bottled water, and other non-alcoholic beverages. (One catch: Guests can order up to 15 alcoholic drinks per 24-hour period.)
What’s The Catch?
Everyone 21 and older in the same room must purchase the program. And it must be bought for the entire cruise, not just a day or two. For a typical week-long cruise, that would run around $578 per person before the cruise or $619 onboard.
West’s decision to not only smuggle alcohol but also film herself doing it and post it online likely didn’t help her case. While she accepts responsibility for her actions, the permanent ban means she won’t be able to recreate the magic of the cruise where she met her husband, at least not on Carnival.
Commenters React
“Posting while still on the cruise is crazy work,” a top comment read.
“& this is why not everything needs to be posted,” a person pointed out.
“Why do ppl post DURING things. I find it so risky security wise. I post weeks later. Can’t let your haters know what you’re up to lol,” another wrote.
“Why was carnival watching your TikTok’s?!? I feel like that is the moment you know you ‘made it,’” a commenter pointed out.
@madisonwest2000 How I got banned from carnival cruises
BroBible reached out to West via TikTok direct message and comment and to Carnival Cruise Line via email. We’ll be sure to update this if they respond.