Can You Bring Cigars on a Cruise? Rules and Packing Tips

Can you bring cigars on a cruise? In most cases, yes. None of the onboard smoking policies we reviewed for the four largest lines sailing from Port Tampa Bay bans cigars. What they do is limit where you can light up, and the rules get strict around staterooms and balconies. This guide covers where you can smoke on board, how to get your cigars to the ship in good shape, and what to know before you buy cigars in port.

Policies change, so treat this as a starting point and check your cruise line’s current rules before you sail.

The Short Answer

• Packing cigars: The major lines regulate where you smoke, not whether you can bring cigars aboard.
• Smoking on board: Only in designated areas, which are usually outdoor decks, plus cigar lounges or cigar bars on ships that have them.
• Your balcony: Off-limits on every line covered here, and all four charge you if you break the rule.
• Cuban cigars: You can’t bring Cuban cigars into the U.S., even ones bought legally in another country.

Where You Can Smoke Cigars on a Cruise Ship

Five cruise lines sail from Port Tampa Bay: Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Margaritaville at Sea. Here’s what the four largest say about cigars in their published policies.

A few details matter once you’re on board:

• Norwegian’s cigar lounge is for cigars. Cigarettes, pipes and vapes aren’t allowed there. Cigar and pipe smoking isn’t allowed in Norwegian’s casinos either.
• Norwegian’s older ships have no cigar lounge. On Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Star and Pride of America, you can smoke cigars only in designated outdoor areas.
• Exact spots vary by ship. Celebrity lists its smoking areas in the daily onboard program. Norwegian lists its areas ship by ship on its FAQ page.
• Some areas are always off-limits. Norwegian, for example, doesn’t allow smoking in or near food venues, the jogging track, outdoor sports areas or children’s pool areas.

Why You Can’t Smoke on Your Balcony

Every line in the table above bans smoking in staterooms and on balconies, and cigars are included. Carnival’s policy calls smoking “a fire and safety hazard on a ship.” All four lines charge your onboard account if you smoke in your stateroom or on your balcony, and Carnival says everyone in the stateroom can be sent home from the cruise.

If you want a quiet cigar with a view, find the designated outdoor area on your ship early in the trip.

Flying to Your Cruise: Cigars, Cutters and Lighters

If you’re flying into Tampa or another port, airport security rules apply before cruise rules do.

• Cigars: TSA allows them in both carry-on and checked bags.
• Cigar cutters: Allowed in both. TSA recommends packing them in checked baggage and says sharp objects in checked bags should be sheathed or securely wrapped. The TSA officer at the checkpoint makes the final call.
• Torch lighters: TSA doesn’t allow them in carry-on or checked bags.
• Regular lighters: The FAA allows one lighter or one book of matches per passenger in the cabin.

Cigar Aficionado recommends packing your travel humidor in your carry-on. That protects your cigars from rough handling and from the cold in the cargo hold.

How to Pack Cigars for a Cruise

A cruise can last a week or more, so plan how you’ll keep your cigars in good shape.

• Use a travel humidor for longer trips. Cigar Aficionado notes that most pocket cases keep cigars fresh for only about a day, while a travel humidor keeps them fresh much longer.
• Use a case for day trips. For a day ashore, a cigar case protects a few cigars in a beach bag or backpack.
• Pack only what you’ll smoke. Count your days at sea and in port, then plan how many cigars you want each day.
• Check your cruise line’s prohibited-items list. Royal Caribbean, for example, prohibits flammable materials and items with open flames. Confirm how your line treats lighters before you pack one.

For the right humidity and temperature, see our humidor basics guide.

Buying Cigars in Port: Cuban Cigars and U.S. Customs

If you see Cuban cigars for sale in a foreign port, know the rules before you buy. Under U.S. Treasury rules, Americans can buy Cuban-origin goods in another country. However, the rule allowing those goods to be brought home as personal baggage doesn’t cover Cuban alcohol or tobacco. Cuban cigars bought in port can’t come back with you through U.S. customs.

Non-Cuban cigars bought abroad are a different story. Under federal customs rules, up to 100 cigars can count toward a returning U.S. resident’s duty-free personal exemption, as long as the exemption’s other conditions are met. If you’ve been out of the country for less than 48 hours, or have already used the exemption in the past 30 days, a smaller exemption applies, and it covers only 10 cigars. Declare everything you bought abroad when you return.

Cruise Cigar Etiquette

The smoking areas on a ship are shared spaces, so the same courtesy you’d show in a lounge applies on deck. Celebrity’s conduct policy says cigars must be properly disposed of and never thrown overboard. Use the ashtrays provided, and watch which way the wind is blowing your smoke.

For more on sharing space with other smokers, read our cigar lounge etiquette guide. To pick a drink for a sunset smoke on deck, see our cigar pairing guide.

Stock Up Before You Sail

Sailing out of Tampa? Pick up cigars for your trip at Cigar Castle in Temple Terrace before you head to the port. Our selection includes Arturo Fuente and Padrón. Not sure what to bring? Our cigar buyer’s guide is a good place to start. If you’re new to cigars, read Cigars for Beginners first.

Frequently Asked Questions