The Bahamas is holding its general election on Tuesday May 12, 2026, and under Bahamian law, the sale of alcohol is banned across the entire country from 8 AM to 6 PM on polling day.
That law applies to every establishment on Bahamian soil, restaurants, bars, resorts and, as Royal Caribbean confirmed this week after initially trying to secure an exemption, private cruise islands too.
Thousands of cruise passengers will arrive at Bahamian ports and private islands on Tuesday and discover that the beach bars are open, the food is available, the amenities are fully operational and the cocktails are not coming.
The drinks are still flowing on the ships themselves, the ban applies only to land-based alcohol sales within the Bahamas.
For passengers who paid premium prices for open-bar day passes at private island destinations, the temporary restriction represents an unexpected and expensive change to what they thought they were getting.
Royal Caribbean has already been through one version of this situation. On April 30, the Bahamas’ advanced polling day, which carried the same restrictions, the cruise line did not know about the alcohol ban until the day of the visit and scrambled to issue onboard credit refunds after the fact.
For May 12, the company gave passengers more than a week of notice. The refunds are in place. The ice is still cold. The margaritas are not.
What The Law Actually Says And Why It Applies To Private Islands
The Bahamian government issued a public notice from the Ministry of National Security citing Section 99 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, which states that all alcohol licenses in the country are suspended during the hours of any polling day, including advanced polling days.
The notice specified the dates as Thursday April 30 and Tuesday May 12, 2026, from 8 AM to 6 PM on each date.
The Parliamentary Elections Act does not create an exemption for private resort properties, foreign-operated leisure facilities or cruise line island destinations.
The law applies to all licenses for the sale of intoxicating liquor within the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.
Perfect Day at CocoCay sits in the Berry Islands, approximately 55 miles north of Nassau, well within Bahamian territory.
Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve sits approximately 65 miles east of Miami, also within the Bahamas. Both islands are operated by cruise companies for their passengers but are located on Bahamian soil and subject to Bahamian law.
When Royal Caribbean received questions about whether its private island might receive an exemption, the cruise line investigated and found no path to one.
“We’ve explored whether any exceptions could be made, however, this restriction applies nationwide throughout the Bahamas,” the line wrote in an email to affected passengers. “As a result, alcoholic beverages will not be served at Perfect Day at CocoCay during your visit.”
Royal Caribbean spokesperson confirmed the decision:
“Royal Caribbean is respecting and complying with all local laws and regulations, as we do with every destination we visit.”
Which Ships Are Affected And What Happens To Passengers
Royal Caribbean has three ships scheduled to arrive at Bahamian destinations on Tuesday. Wonder of the Seas, which carries up to 5,734 guests, and Oasis of the Seas, which carries up to 5,606 guests, are both visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Utopia of the Seas is visiting the Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in Nassau, the private resort that Royal Caribbean opened just in December 2025.
MSC Seashore passengers heading to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve received a notice from their travel advisors that alcohol service would be suspended on the island on May 12 due to Bahamian general election regulations.
Not every cruise line chose to keep their original May 12 itinerary. Norwegian Cruise Line rerouted Norwegian Getaway’s Great Stirrup Cay call from May 12 to May 13, sidestepping the ban entirely for that sailing.
Carnival Cruise Line revised the itinerary for Carnival Vista, which was originally scheduled to call at Half Moon Cay, Carnival’s private Bahamian island, on May 12.
The ship is being rerouted to Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos instead, which is not subject to Bahamian election law.
Disney has sailings in the region, Disney Wish on a four-night Bahamian cruise and Disney Fantasy visiting Lookout Cay, but had not announced itinerary changes as of Friday.
Passengers whose sailings bring them to Bahamian islands on May 12 have a straightforward option that many in cruise forums have already identified: stay on the ship.
The alcohol ban applies to land in the Bahamas. The moment passengers step back aboard their Royal Caribbean, MSC or Disney vessel, they are on international waters and the bar is open.
Passengers with Royal Caribbean’s drink packages can use every benefit aboard the ship as normal. Only the island bars are dry on Tuesday.
The April 30 Surprise
The May 12 situation is the second time in two weeks that passengers have encountered the Bahamian election alcohol restriction. The first came as a complete surprise.
On April 30, advanced polling day under the same Parliamentary Elections Act, Perfect Day at CocoCay had already been scheduled for normal operations.
Passengers with premium open-bar day passes arrived expecting the full experience. Royal Caribbean subsequently confirmed it “did not know about the restriction until the day of the visit” and issued onboard credit refunds after the fact.
The premium open-bar day pass at Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, which includes unlimited alcoholic beverages and dining, costs approximately $170 per person before any pre-cruise discounts.
For passengers who purchased that package expecting a full day of drinks on the beach and discovered on arrival that none would be served, the April 30 experience was the kind of operational surprise that cruise passengers post about at length on social media and cruise forums.
Royal Caribbean issued a refund email to those passengers including this language:
“Earlier today, we were informed of a public notice issued by the Ministry of National Security in The Bahamas that prohibits the distribution of alcohol during national elections where advanced polling stations are located. Taking this into account, and to better support your experience, you will receive a 100% refund for your Royal Beach Club experience in the form of Onboard Credit.”
For May 12, passengers received the notice well in advance. The same refund policy applies, those who purchased open-bar experiences for the election day visit will receive 100% onboard credit refunds.
Non-alcoholic beverages remain available throughout both islands. Food, beach amenities, entertainment, water slides and all other activities continue normally. The only thing missing is the cocktail at the end of them.
Why This Is Specifically A Problem For CocoCay
Perfect Day at CocoCay is not an ordinary port stop on a cruise itinerary. Royal Caribbean invested $250 million renovating the island, which reopened in 2019 and immediately became the cruise line’s highest-rated destination across its entire global portfolio of 250 ports.
The island generates significant pre-cruise revenue from passengers who book day passes and premium experiences in advance through the cruise line’s Cruise Planner platform, and alcohol is woven into the premium experience.
The island also has a specific human detail that explains why the election law applies. More than 750 Royal Caribbean staff members live on CocoCay, many of whom are Bahamian locals who are eligible to vote in Tuesday’s election.
A private island is not actually separate from the national community that surrounds and staffs it.
The Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, which opened in Nassau in December 2025, is even more directly integrated into Bahamian civic life. Nassau is the capital.
The Royal Beach Club is open not just to cruise passengers but to Bahamian citizens.
Any establishment serving alcohol to the general public on Bahamian soil on election day is violating the Parliamentary Elections Act regardless of its operator.
What Is The Bahamas Election Is About?
The May 12 election is a general election for the Bahamian Parliament, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas chooses its members of the House of Assembly through a constituency-based system under the Westminster parliamentary model.
Alcohol bans on election day are a common tool used by governments around the world, from India to Jamaica to Russia to Kenya, to ensure that polling is conducted in an orderly fashion, that voters are sober when they cast ballots, and that the democratic process is not influenced by the sale and consumption of alcohol near polling stations.
The Bahamas has used this restriction for years.
The specific application to private cruise islands is a newer practical reality simply because the private island industry has grown so dramatically in the past decade that several major Bahamian locations are now cruise company-operated properties that host thousands of foreign visitors on any given day.
The election ends at 6 PM. The bars open at 6:01.
