Cruise packing lists tend to repeat the same handful of banned items, and they miss the part that actually catches people. The bans are broader than expected, and the exceptions are much narrower.
This guide covers what actually gets taken off passengers at the terminal, the everyday item most often confiscated, and the exceptions that let you keep something you assumed was banned.
You Are Screened Every Time
Security screening is not a one-off on embarkation day. You and your baggage are screened each time you board the ship, including when you come back from a port day.
That means anything you pick up ashore goes through a scanner on the way in. Prohibited items can be confiscated at the terminal or on board, and security staff can refuse anything they consider questionable.
The published lists are not exhaustive, and security staff can refuse an item they consider questionable. On some ships, a disputed item can be escalated to senior security officers, including the Chief Security Officer and Staff Captain. If you are unsure about something, check your line’s current policy before you buy it or pack it.
Banned Outright
Some items are refused under any circumstances, with no exception and no storage offered. These are the categories that get a bag pulled aside.
- Illegal drugs. Including marijuana, and the ban applies regardless of medical authorisation or local legality. A prescription written in one country does not travel with you.
- Weapons. Firearms, ammunition, explosives, incendiaries, replicas and gun parts. There is no storage on the ship or the pier, so there is nowhere to leave them and no way to collect them later.
- Fire and flammable hazards. Fireworks, sparklers, flammable materials and anything with an open flame.
- Self-defence items. Martial arts equipment, mace and pepper spray.
- Recreational vehicles. Motorcycles, mopeds, ATVs and similar.
- Irons and garment steamers. The one on this list that affects ordinary passengers. Covered in full below.
Irons, Steamers and Kettles
Of everything banned, this is the item most likely to be in your case without you thinking twice about it.
Irons, garment steamers, travel kettles and anything else with a heating element are prohibited across the board. Some lines name the appliances, others ban the category, and the effect is the same at the scanner.
A heating element left unattended in a cabin is the single largest fire risk a passenger can introduce. Ships take that seriously enough to remove the item rather than warn you about it.
Most ships have self-service laundries with irons that stay in the laundry room, and a paid pressing service. Neither is a reason to pack your own.
The Exceptions Worth Knowing
Four blanket bans each come with a single carve-out, and the carve-out is always narrower than the category it sits in. These are the ones people get wrong in both directions.
- Hair straighteners are fine. Hair styling tools are the stated exception to the heating-element ban. Straighteners and tongs are allowed, which surprises people who read about the iron ban and left theirs at home.
- Deodorant is the only aerosol. Aerosols are prohibited apart from personal deodorant. Aerosol sun cream, dry shampoo and hairspray fall outside that exception, which catches a lot of people in summer.
- One small lighter, for smokers. Lighter fluid and flammable liquids are prohibited, with an exception for a small personal lighter.
- Small batteries only. Most batteries are prohibited. The exceptions are small ones such as camera batteries, and specific batteries for medical equipment.
An exception covers only what it names. Everything else in the category stays prohibited, however similar it looks.
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Alcohol: What You Can Bring
A small amount of wine is allowed when you first board, and spirits are not. The exact allowance is one of the few things that does vary, so check the one that applies to you.
P&O Cruises
Each guest aged 18 or over may bring up to one litre of wine or Champagne on board, and only when they first embark. Anything over that litre is confiscated and discarded, with no compensation.
Drinking it in the dining rooms, bars, restaurants or lounges attracts a corkage fee of £20 per bottle, per occasion, charged to your onboard account. Spirits are treated as restricted items and are prohibited at embarkation.
Royal Caribbean
One sealed 750ml bottle of wine or Champagne per guest of drinking age. Boxed wine and liquor are prohibited.
It also permits up to twelve standard cans or bottles of soft drinks, water or energy drinks per stateroom, at 17oz or less each.
Drink Bought in Port
Buying a bottle ashore is fine. Drinking it in your cabin that evening is not.
Alcohol bought in a port of call cannot be drunk on board. You declare it and hand it over at the gangway, and it is stored and returned before the end of the cruise at no charge, so nothing is lost beyond the use of it.
Duty-free from the onboard shops works the same way, held until the end. If you want a drink in the cabin, room service sells spirits and wine by the bottle.
Confiscated or Just Held?
These are two different outcomes and the difference is worth understanding before you pack something borderline.
- Held and returned: alcohol bought ashore, duty-free from the onboard shops, and on some lines a few marked categories such as self-defence items.
- Confiscated and gone: wine over the allowance is discarded outright, with no compensation and nothing returned at the end.
- Confiscated with no promise: a prohibited item taken off you at the port may not come back at all.
Cultural items are named explicitly in the rules, Skean-Dhus and Kirpans among them, and they are confiscated all the same. If something has meaning to you, leaving it at home is the only safe option.
If You Are Flying to the Ship
Everything above is the ship’s policy. On a fly-cruise the airport comes first, and it is stricter on liquids and sharp items than any ship.
The airline’s allowance becomes the binding one, because you have to clear it before anything on board is ever tested. Check what your departure airport permits as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Irons, garment steamers and anything else with a heating element are prohibited. Ships provide self-service laundry rooms with fixed irons, and a paid pressing service.
Yes. Hair styling tools are the stated exception to the heating-element ban, so straighteners and tongs are fine.
In limited amounts at embarkation only. P&O allows up to one litre of wine or Champagne per adult, and Royal Caribbean one sealed 750ml bottle per guest of drinking age. Spirits are prohibited on both.
You declare it and hand it over at the gangway. It is stored and returned before the end of the cruise at no charge, and it cannot be drunk on board.
Only personal deodorant. Aerosol sun cream, hairspray and dry shampoo fall outside the exception and can be taken off you.
No. Illegal drugs including marijuana are prohibited regardless of medical authorisation or local legality.
Yes. You and your baggage are screened each time you board, not only on embarkation day.
It depends. Alcohol bought ashore is held and returned, but a prohibited item taken off you may not come back at all, and wine over the allowance is discarded outright.
Irons and steamers are the item most often taken off passengers, and straighteners are the one people wrongly leave at home. Check for both tonight.
How We Verify This Advice
We aim for practical, low-risk guidance. Before publishing and during updates, we check core planning details against official sources and current operator information.
What We Check
- Berth and terminal details, including whether the port is walkable or requires a transfer
- Transport options and realistic return timing for different port types
- Details that change frequently, such as fares and schedules, with up-to-date notes where relevant
Typical Sources
- Official port authority and terminal updates
- Cruise line port notes and day-of-call instructions
- Local transport operators and official tourism resources