These Common Entertainment Items Are Shockingly Banned On Cruise Ships

Knowing what to pack for a cruise can be a bit difficult. It's safe to say you won't need snacks, and the vessels are basically small towns on the water, so anything forgotten will likely be purchasable at one of the shops onboard (at inflated prices, of course). Perhaps it's easier to just start with what you can't bring on cruise ships, which includes obvious items that aren't allowed on planes either — as well as some common entertainment items that are a bit surprising.

The obvious ones include things like firearms, knives, illicit drugs, weapons of any kind, and pets (unless they're service animals). The more shocking items include toys that look like weapons, sporting equipment that can be used as weapons (a theme is clearly emerging here), certain kinds of food, and almost all types of alcohol. But don't worry: Even without that stuff, you'll still have fun onboard. Let's take a look at a few of the common entertainment items that may land you in the special cruise room.

Cruises don't just ban any type of weapon — they seem to be pretty opposed to anything that looks or can be used like one as well. So tempting as it would be to fill up that water gun in the tiny ship pool and squirt your friends in line for the buffet, no water guns are allowed. Neither are air pellets, paintballs, or any type of gadget that shoots some sort of projectile. Exceptions to the "no toy weapons" rule tend to be found on Disney Cruise Line vessels, since they happen to be selling lightsabers and plastic pirate swords. Fortunately both are fake, so the other passengers should be safe.

The ban on potential weapons extends to sporting equipment as well, like baseball bats, skateboards, and hockey sticks (in case you're looking to start a movie gang from the 1970s). But it's not just items that can be used to harm — it's anything that might cause chaos on the deck. So they don't want you playing cruise ship street hockey or baseball, and they also don't want passengers chasing kites, small boats, or scooting around on hoverboards — or those ridiculous shoes with wheels in them. And while a cruise might sound like a fun time to launch fireworks and then film them exploding with your drone, you can't bring any of those items onboard either. The idea is to keep things calm, which is not entirely surprising for a giant boat with big crowds and alcohol.

When preparing for a cruise, you can probably imagine troublemaking passengers lining their suitcases with bottles of alcohol for the trip. But that's a no-no on cruises, especially because they'd rather sell you their own. All luggage is screened, and alcohol purchased at ports enroute will be stored by security until after the trip. The one exception on most lines is for embarkation day — people are allowed to bring a bottle of wine or champagne to celebrate their voyage and then just keep drinking the cruise alcohol the rest of the trip.

Snacks are an entirely different issue. If you want a quick bite late at night and don't have the energy to make it over to the seemingly 24-hour buffet, unopened packages are just fine. What you can't do is make a casserole and bring it aboard. Homemade and perishable food is not allowed, and that includes the take-out you got from a restaurant at a port of call while rushing back to the ship.

There's plenty to remember when packing (especially as basic items can be bought onboard), so it's best to check with your particular cruise line's rules before stuffing your suitcase. You don't want to be the person standing at check-in with a drone, a hockey stick, a water gun, and several bottles of whiskey. That might be a fun time outside the cruise, but they won't let any of it onboard.