Twins Board Carnival Cruise In Miami. Then They Get Their Wine Confiscated For An Odd Reason: ‘It’s Not Reacting Like Wine’

Carnival Cruise Line has strict rules prohibiting guests from bringing alcohol or bottled drinks onboard, but there is one exception. On embarkation day, cruise-goers who are 21 or older are allowed to bring one 750-milliliter bottle of wine or champagne in their carry-on luggage.

Recently, however, two Carnival Cruise guests claimed that staff confiscated their bottles, even though they say they did not break any rules.

In a video posted to TikTok, creator Anna White (@annasimwhite) says this happened to both her and her twin sister. The reason Carnival Cruise allegedly gave them for the confiscation was unclear.

Why Did Carnival Cruise Allegedly Confiscate Their Wine Bottles?

“My sister and I, we’re twins. We’re 24 years old,” White begins. “We’re getting on this Carnival cruise ship, and it says you can have a 750-milliliter bottle of wine.”

White says she went to the security area where staff were checking bottles and told them she had wine.

“And they’re like, ‘Wine?’” she recalls. “And I was like, yeah, 24.”

According to White, the worker then made a sarcastic comment about everyone on the cruise being 24 that year.

“A little odd, but I’m not thinking anything of it,” she says.

Then, she says, the worker told her the bottle would be confiscated.

“She was like, ‘OK, so I’m gonna have to confiscate this ’cause it’s not reacting like wine,’” White recalls.

White says she asked what that meant, but the worker allegedly didn’t have a clear response.

White’s twin sister allegedly went through the same process, and it even went further.

“Then they pat her down,” she says. They literally take her to a separate room and pat her down.”

In the caption, White added that she and her sister were asked about their age repeatedly while checking in.

“Note to clarify we were asked the ENTIRE time we were checking in how old we were & my sister literally got asked if she was 16 so this was literally just them thinking we weren’t old enough ESPECIALLY considering they didn’t have an answer for me when I asked why,” she wrote.

What Does The Carnival Drink Rule State?

Carnival’s beverage policy says guests are generally prohibited from bringing alcoholic drinks onboard.

The only exception is that guests who are 21 or older may bring one sealed, unopened 750-milliliter bottle of wine or champagne per person on embarkation, as long as it’s in their carry-on luggage.

Carnival also says port, vermouth, sherry, and other fortified wines over 15% alcohol by volume cannot be brought onboard.

Carnival also prohibits bottled non-alcoholic drinks such as water and soda, but it does allow a small quantity if they’re in cans or cartons.

Has This Happened To Other Carnival Cruise Guests?

There have been other reports online of Carnival guests saying their wine was confiscated, though these posts usually include a specific reason.

For example, one Redditor on r/carnivalcruisefans said their bottle of wine was confiscated because it was 17% alcohol by volume, which is over Carnival’s stated 15% limit.

“You would have thought it was pure liquor the way they acted,” they wrote.

Another poster on Facebook said their bottles of wine and water were confiscated because they placed them in checked luggage, which is against Carnival’s rules. They claimed they were not informed of the policy in any of the booking steps they went through.

A third Facebook user said Carnival staff inspected their wine bottles and appeared to focus on the sealed tops.

“Fyi: they inspect your bottles of wine. They are looking at the sealed tops,” they wrote.

That person claimed one bottle was confiscated because staff said it was fake and had too high an alcohol content. They also said staff “didn’t like the pull tab.”

It’s not clear why both White’s and her sister’s wine bottles were confiscated. Neither White nor Carnival immediately responded to BoardingArea’s request for comment.

Commenters Shared Stories Of Their Own

In the comments, some viewers said they had also dealt with confusing wine confiscations while cruising.

“One time they took ours because of the brand,” one user wrote. “just makes me wonder what they do with all that wine that they take from people.”

Another person said passengers trying to sneak liquor onboard may be part of why staff inspect wine bottles closely.

“People have been using wine bottles to sneak liquor on,” they wrote. “They teach them to look for bubbles or something but it doesn’t always work.”

White responded that this explanation did not make sense in her case.

“It did bubble though which is why I was confused,” she wrote.

Another commenter wasn’t surprised. “Once you said CARNIVAL i already knew,” they wrote.

@annasimwhite note to clarify we were asked the ENTIRE time we were checking in how old we were & my sister literally got asked if she was 16 so this was literally just them thinking we weren’t old enough ESPECIALLY considering they didn’t have an answer for me when I asked why @carnival ♬ original sound – anna white