What items are prohibited onboard a Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship?

Please note: Some items that are not specifically on the list may be prohibited if they are deemed questionable by the Staff Captain and Security Officer.

• All illegal drugs and illegal substances are strictly prohibited.

• All firearms and weapons, ammunition, explosives and incendiary devices are strictly prohibited. Firearms and Weapons include, but are not limited to, the following items: 
  • Rifles
  • Shotguns
  • Pistols
  • Revolvers, etc.

• All guns, replicas and ammunition include, but are not limited to, the following items:
  • Guns, operational or replicas
  • Ammunition of all types
  • BB Guns
  • Compressed Air Guns, including Paint Ball Guns
  • Flare Guns
  • Gun Lighters
  • Gun / Firearms Parts
  • Pellet Guns
  • Spear Guns
  • Starter Pistols
  • Realistic Replicas of Firearms

For security reasons, our company policy does not permit guests to carry firearms onboard during their voyage or otherwise secure weapons for anyone on our vessels or at the pier. Guests will need to make arrangements to leave the firearms at home or contact the local authorities for alternate arrangements.

We do not allow any guest (including law enforcement officers on vacation) to bring weapons onboard our vessel. Law enforcement officers need to understand that they will be boarding a foreign flag vessel going to foreign countries. All weapons should be left at home, locked up in a vehicle if they are driving to the port, or turned over to a local office of Customs, police, FBI, etc. for safe keeping during the voyage.

Weapons are not to be accepted for storage by either Terminal Security Staff or Ship's Security Staff.

• All explosives include, but are not limited to, the following items:
  • Blasting Caps
  • Dynamite
  • Fireworks
  • Hand Grenades
  • Plastic Explosives
  • Bomb Making Components
  • Realistic Replicas of Explosives
  • Gun Powder

• Restricted Clothing:
  • Barbados: Wearing camouflage and/or military apparel is illegal in Barbados. Clothing of this nature will be confiscated and the wearer may be charged by local authorities.

• Flammable Items: All items with open flames or heating elements are strictly prohibited; the exception of hair curling irons, straightening irons (flat irons) and hair dryers, which are permitted onboard. Flammable Items include, but are not limited to the following:
  • Candles
  • Clothing Irons
  • Travel Steamers
  • Hot Plates
  • Incense & Burners
  • Tea Cup Immersion Heaters
  • Coffee Makers
  • Aerosols, except for personal care toiletries which are permitted
  • Fuels, including cooking fuels and any flammable liquids
  • Gasoline
  • Gas Torches
  • Lighter Fluid
  • Flares
  • Flammable Paints
  • Turpentine & Paint Thinner
  • Realistic Replicas of Incendiaries
  • Hookahs & Water Hookah Pipes
  • Car batteries
  • Hoverboards
  • Oil diffusers
  • Electric Blankets
  • Electric Heating Pads

• Knives and Sharp Objects: Sharp Objects, including all knives and scissors are prohibited (see Personal Grooming Items Exception below for small personal grooming scissors). Knives that are concealed or disguised as other commonplace objects such as belt buckles, walking canes, pens, credit card holders, etc., are also prohibited. Flick knives (also known as an automatic knife, pushbutton knife, ejector knife, or switchblade) or any other type of knife with a folding or sliding blade that is opened automatically by activating a button, lever, or switch on the handle. Knives that incorporate locking blades are also not allowed onboard. Other sharp objects, such as scissors with blades longer than 4 inches, which could reasonably be used as a weapon, are also not allowed. Sharp Objects include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Box Cutters Ice Picks / Ice Axes
  • Meat Cleavers
  • Razor-Type Blades, such as box cutters utility knives and razor blades not in cartridge (Note: shaving safety razors are allowed.)
  • Sabers, Swords, and Fencing Foils
  • Scissors with blade length four (4) inches or greater
  • Exceptions:
    • Recreational diving knives are permitted onboard regardless of blade length but must be held in the safe custody of the Chief Security Officer. Dive knives may be checked in and out by the owner for dive excursions during the cruise.
    • Alaskan Ulu kitchen knives which have been purchased legally during Ports of Call are permitted onboard. However, guests should be advised that the items must be stored in their stateroom and are not to be used, displayed or carried in the public areas at all. Violations of this policy will result in confiscation of the item and may be considered to be a Guest Conduct Policy violation.
    • Personal grooming items such as metal nail files, cuticle tools, scissors for trimming facial hair with blade length less than 4 inches, manicure sets and other similar small personal grooming implements, are permitted onboard.

• Tools: Tools include, but are not limited to the following:
  • Axes & Hatchets
  • Cattle Prods
  • Hammers
  • Drills and Drill Bits
  • Saws
  • Other Tools (such as wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers) greater than 7 inches in length

• Martial Arts and Self-Defense Items: Martial Arts & Self Defense items include, but are not limited to the following: 
  • Billy Clubs
  • Black Jacks
  • Brass Knuckles
  • Kubatons
  • Mace / Pepper Spray
  • Martial Arts Weapons
  • Night Sticks
  • Nunchakus
  • Stun Guns / Shocking Devices
  • Throwing Stars
  • Handcuffs
  • Bows & Arrows

• Sporting Goods Exception: Sporting goods and equipment are permitted onboard. However, guests should be advised that the items must be stored in their stateroom and are not to be used, displayed, or carried in the public areas at all except to take them on and off the ship (from gangway to stateroom, stateroom to gangway). Violations of this policy will result in confiscation of the item and may be considered to be a Guest Conduct Policy violation. Sporting goods include, but are not limited to the following:
  • Baseball and cricket bats
  • Hockey sticks
  • Skateboards
  • Surf boards
  • Golf clubs
  • Bicycles
  • Roller Skates

• Disabling Chemicals and Other Dangerous Items: The following items or those similar are not permitted onboard:
  • Chlorine
  • Bleach
  • Spray Paint
  • Tear Gas
  • Transformers
  • Spillable Batteries (Note: Wheelchair batteries are permitted)
  • Small Compressed Gas Cartridges
  • Fire Extinguishers
  • Other Compressed Gas Cylinders (Note: Dive tanks are permitted if they are empty; Medi: Acal gas bottles are also permitted)
  • Professional metal detectors (those used for commercial reasons). However, small, amateur style metal detectors (for example, those used to locate coins on a beach) are allowed.
  • Fishing Rods, hooks, and bait.
  • Blenders/Immersion blenders

• Samsung Galaxy Note 7
  Royal Caribbean Cruises will no longer allow Samsung Galaxy Note 7 cell phones onboard our ships. This decision was made in light of recent incidents and safety concerns raised by Samsung about this particular device, as well as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recent ban of the phone from all airplanes. We ask that guests who own a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 not bring the device on your cruise.
  Note: In keeping with the FAA guidelines, any guest who is known to be in possession of a Samsung Galaxy Note7 device prior to boarding and refuses to divest him/herself of the device, must be denied boarding.
  • Process
    1- Prior to boarding - Notify and communicate to guests as appropriate (websites, pre-boarding emails/Everbridge messages) concerning the risks associated with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and the prohibition of bringing the devices onboard, either on their person, their carry-on or checked luggage. Guests must be advised that they absolutely should not pack the phones in their checked luggage.
    2- At the pier/terminal - Make appropriate announcements asking guests to return devices to their vehicles for storage and advising them that the devices will not be allowed onboard. Global Security will not direct terminal, pier and security staffs to actively screen for the devices as this would divert focus and attention from other items posing a greater risk. However, if within the course of their normal duties, a device is detected, the employee should advise the guest of the prohibition and ask that they make alternative arrangement for the storage of their devices prior to boarding. If alternate storage arrangements are not available, the device will be confiscated by ship’s security and held in a secure location until the completion of the voyage.
    3- After embarkation - If a member of the crew discovers a banned device after embarkation, the item will be confiscated and held in a secure location until the completion of the voyage.

• Electrical Extension Cords - including power strips/surge protected strips and multi-plug outlets.
  We do allow consumer type power conversion device USB charger (multi-plug blocks on which the outputs are for USB cables). Note: Devices must be stamped with US/Europe recognized Conformance Marking to demonstrate compliance with Electrical Safety standards.

• HAM Radios or other transmitting devices are strictly prohibited due to potential interference with the ship's onboard communication systems.
  
  • Baby monitors are not allowed to be used onboard our vessels as their radio signal could interfere with ship communication and/or navigation systems.
    Guests are allowed to have two-way radios, more commonly know as walkie-talkies, for onboard personal communications. Basic specifications are as follows: Up to 10-mile coverage range, Up to 5 watts power, Internal Voice, Operated Transmission, No external mounting antenna.

• Alcohol: Guests and crew are not allowed to bring beer, hard liquor, fortified wines or alcoholic beverages onboard for consumption or any other use on boarding day or while in port with the following exceptions in the Onboard Alcohol Guest Policy.

• Recreational vehicles such as motorcycles (other than on pre-arranged sailings such as the Hogs on the High Seas sailing), electric or gas powered mopeds and scooters, or all terrain vehicles.

• Baby Bottle Cleaners/Sanitizers/Warmers:
  • Requests for bringing baby bottle cleaners/sanitizers/warmers onboard are handled by our Access team and reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
  • Please submit a request via email to this email addresses: Special_needs@rccl.com