Behaviors That'll Land You In A Cruise Ship's On-Board Jail, Aka The 'Brig'

Many massive cruise liners are referred to as floating cities. This makes a lot of sense, considering some of them have capacities bigger than the population of Aspen, Colorado. They also feature towny traits like different "neighborhoods," water parks, and shopping centers. Like any proper city, they've also got their secrets. Below deck, far from the bright lights and buffet dinners, most cruise lines have jail cells, or "brigs" in nautical terms. In the good ole days, high-seas hijinks could've had you walking the plank. But we're civilized folks now, so instead of feeding you to the sharks, cruise lines throw you in jail. 

While cruises are about having fun, letting loose, and finding creative ways to get free alcoholic beverages, you should probably stop your fun short of criminal activity. The behaviors that will leave you bobbing behind bars on the high sea are very similar to those that could send you to jail on dry land. We're talking about typical crimes like breaking the ship's rules, violence, and attempted smuggling. Depending on the severity of your crime, your first transgressions might be handled with a warning or a fine, but more severe infractions will lead to lockdown until local authorities take over at the next port. 

Cruise ship jail is a time-honored tradition. The Titanic even had a cell — a windowless, padded room. The Lusitania, another early 20th-century cruise liner that sank to the bottom of the Atlantic, also used a similar padded room as a brig. In a video, Titanic historian Bill Sauder said that the specification book for the Lusitania defined this padded room as a place for "the confinement of dangerous lunatics." Hopefully, that vivid description will give you a better idea of the behaviors that could send you to the brig.

Nautical nonsense is the name of the game on a cruise ship, but maybe keep your fun just shy of felonious. The U.S. Department of Transportation keeps track of cruise line incidents, which include assault, suspicious deaths, sexual assault, grand larceny, homicide, kidnapping, and attempted vessel manipulation. Any of these activities is a surefire way to end up in prison, regardless of the solidity of the Earth beneath you while you commit the crime. The good news is there were only 83 total incidents reported across the five major cruise lines in the first half of 2024.

Beyond obvious felonies, another behavior that could land you in hot water on the high seas is the possession or consumption of illicit drugs. Regardless of the rules at port, almost all major cruise lines do not allow you to consume marijuana on board. Getting caught possessing many types of drugs without a prescription won't be pretty. Past passengers have found out the hard way that even CBD gummies can be enough for a lifetime ban.

Michael Winkleman, a maritime attorney with Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A., told USA Today that "unruly behavior" is another likely cause of a trip to the on-board slammer. Interestingly enough, he also noted that self-detrimental behavior, like threatening to jump overboard, provides cruise ship staff with just cause for sending you down to the holding cell. Though we noted in our list of unsettling reasons to avoid taking a cruise, that some specific cruise lines are famous for partying, let this be a reminder to limit your revelry. Unruly behavior frequently involves drunk and disorderly conduct; hold your liquor or go to bed before you wake up in a stupor in the slammer.

Getting thrown into the brig probably means the end of your cruise. We could find no stories of people being placed into the brig and freely roaming the ship afterward. Once behind bars, the accused are typically held until authorities can take over at the next port. While we can't guarantee with 100% certainty that going into the brig will end your cruise, we strongly recommend that you do not find out. 

Thankfully, avoiding the brig is easy. As long as you respect others, drink responsibly, keep your hands off what isn't yours, and follow the ship rules, avoiding sunburn is the only thing you'll have to worry about on your next cruise. No one is going to throw you in jail for having one too many bloody marys unless, of course, you have one too many bloody marys and then attempt to commandeer the boat. Throwing paying customers in jail is a last-resort effort that cruise lines don't make lightly. 

Most importantly, you should remember that the rules at sea aren't any looser than they are on land. Anything against your particular cruise line's Code of Conduct policies can threaten your on-board freedom, so familiarize yourself with the fine print before departure. Don't gamble on sneaking substances aboard or assume you'll slip under the radar. Security is thorough, and once the ship's authorities get involved, the outcome isn't likely to be in your favor.  So, before you pack your bags, check out Samantha Brown's top tips for planning your dream cruise, and add one more tip to your list: Don't commit any crimes, and don't do any time.