Royal Caribbean has introduced a formal process allowing some passengers to request an exemption from its rule requiring adults sharing a stateroom to purchase the same alcoholic drinks package.
The Beverage Package Accommodation Request applies to guests who cannot consume alcohol because of a disability, medical condition or pregnancy. Requests are considered individually and approval is not guaranteed.
If an exemption is granted, the affected passenger will still be required to purchase a non-alcoholic beverage package.
The development represents a limited exception to the stricter policy Royal Caribbean introduced in August 2025, when it stopped routinely allowing one adult in a stateroom to opt out of purchasing the alcoholic package.
New Accommodation Request Process
Royal Caribbean’s standard policy requires all guests of legal drinking age in the same stateroom and under the same booking number to purchase the same alcoholic beverage package when one passenger buys it.
Previously, passengers could contact the cruise line to seek an exception for another adult in the cabin who did not want or need an alcoholic package. In those cases, the second passenger could instead be required to purchase the less expensive Royal Refreshment package.
That arrangement ended on 1st August 2025. Royal Caribbean said at the time that requests for exceptions had increased and that passengers had continued to share packages, which is prohibited under its terms.
“This change allows us to ensure guests are consuming their beverage package responsibly. Over time, requests for exceptions have increased, and sharing of packages has continued, which led us to implement this policy change,” a company spokesperson said.
The newly introduced Beverage Package Accommodation Request provides a more narrowly defined route to an exemption. According to the form, requests can be made on the grounds of disability, a medical condition or pregnancy.
Passengers are asked to provide their reservation and personal information when submitting a request. Supporting documentation is not mandatory, although applicants can voluntarily provide a brief written statement from what the form describes as “a reasonable, credible, supporting source.”
Royal Caribbean states: “The statement should confirm only that you (or the impacted guest) cannot consume alcohol due to a disability, medical condition, or pregnancy. No specific details about the nature of the disability or condition are required.”
The form advises passengers to allow 10 business days for a response.
An approved exemption does not mean the passenger can go without a drinks package altogether. Instead, the guest will be required to purchase a Non-Alcoholic Beverage Package.
Penalties For False Or Misleading Requests
Royal Caribbean has also set out potential consequences for passengers who provide false, misleading or fraudulent information when seeking an exemption.
Under the terms accompanying the accommodation request, the cruise line says it can revoke an exemption and retrospectively charge the passenger the full price of the alcoholic beverage package for the entire cruise if information supplied in the application is subsequently found to be inaccurate or fraudulent.
The terms also reserve broader enforcement options, including reporting an incident to governmental, regulatory or law enforcement authorities for investigation and possible prosecution under applicable laws.
Royal Caribbean further states that passengers could be removed from the ship at their own expense and without a refund or compensation. Its terms indicate that other occupants of the same stateroom could also be removed.
Passengers found to have abused the exemption process could additionally face a future sailing ban covering Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea.
The underlying rules on alcoholic drinks packages remain unchanged. Royal Caribbean says packages cannot be shared or transferred between passengers, and its policy states: “All guests of legal drinking age in the same stateroom and under the same stateroom booking number are required to purchase the same alcoholic beverage package. Packages cannot be shared and are non-transferable.”
The accommodation process therefore does not restore the broader exception previously available before August 2025. Instead, it establishes specific grounds on which passengers who cannot consume alcohol may request an exemption, with each application remaining subject to Royal Caribbean’s approval.
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