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No Drinks At Sea? The New Crackdown On Cruise Ships
Cruise ship passengers traveling to the Bahamas on Tuesday, May 12, may be having a little bit less fun than usual.
That’s because the nation will be suspending all alcohol sales that day as they hold elections. Per Fox News Digital, the ban on selling alcoholic beverages will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. This will include all popular hot spots and even private islands.
“Any person selling or exposing or offering for sale any intoxicating liquor during such hours shall be deemed to be so doing while not holding a license under the provisions of the Business License Act,” a notice from the Parliamentary Commissioner said.
Two Royal Caribbean ships, Oasis of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas, will be visiting their private island CocoCay while the ban is in effect, the outlet noted.
Cruise lines will be permitted to sell alcoholic beverages on board their ships, but anyone who disembarks won’t be ordering any cocktails on dry land for all of Tuesday.
“Royal Caribbean is respecting and complying with all local laws and regulations, as we do with every destination we visit,” a spokesperson for the popular cruise company said.
Predictably, travelers who were unaware of the alcohol ban are not pleased, with one saying her husband is “p*ssed.”
“We scheduled a trip with stops in the Bahamas for our 40th anniversary. We are going with 26 of our friends. Planned activities at CocoCay and Nassau,” one traveler shared on X. “The general election has banned all alcohol for the two days we are there. And we find out only two days before we leave? Not a way to treat customers who cruise four times a year.”
Cruise ships are not having a good year, PR wise. Last week it was reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents raided five cruise ships, including one Disney cruise ship, as they identified predators viewing and distributing child sexual exploitation material. This led to 28 arrests.
On top of that, a luxury cruise ship was hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak in what’s been described as a “nightmare at sea.” The vessel was effectively stranded at sea while governments and health agencies coordinated where passengers could safely disembark and quarantine. At least nine confirmed or suspected cases have now been linked to the outbreak, including three fatalities.