Cordelia Cruise Rules: What You Can and Cannot Carry

Buying the package is also all-or-nothing: every guest in the same cabin has to buy it, drinks are served by the glass only, one at a time, in 30ml measures, and room service is excluded. It is sold per cruise, not per day.

What is the drinking age on a Cordelia cruise?

21 for soft liquor and 25 for hard liquor, according to the Onboard Policy. But Cordelia's own documents do not agree with each other on this, and you should know that before you plan around it.

Official document	Date	What it says about age
Onboard Policy	17 Oct 2024	"above 21 (twenty-one) Years of age... for consuming soft Liquor and above 25 for consuming hard liquor"
Passenger Cruise Ticket Contract	20 Mar 2025	"Guests must be above 21 (twenty-one) Years of age or as per applicable law for consuming Liquor" (no 25 tier)
Alcohol Package T&C	undated	"Minimum age for alcohol service /consumption on board is 21 years"

Two of the three say 21 flat. The oldest one splits it at 25. We can't tell you which the bar actually enforces, and we won't guess. If you are between 21 and 25 and the drinks package is part of why you're booking, ask Cordelia in writing before you pay. That gap is exactly where a package becomes a refund argument you will lose.

Is there a dress code on Cordelia Cruise?

Yes, and this is where most of the internet is wrong. Several travel sites, and Google's own AI summary, state that Cordelia has no strict dress code. The Onboard Policy defines two codes by name and lists exactly what the dining room turns away.

Cruise Casual: sport slacks, khakis, jeans without cut-offs, long dress shorts and collared shirts for men; summer dresses, skirts, pants, capris and jeans for women.

Cruise Elegant: dress slacks and dress shirts, with a sport coat suggested, for men; cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses for women. The number of Cruise Elegant evenings depends on how long your sailing is.

Not permitted in the dining room under either code: cut-off jeans, men's sleeveless shirts, tee-shirts, gym or basketball shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and swimwear. Cruise Elegant rules out jeans and shorts on top of that.

So pack one collared shirt or one dress you would wear to a decent restaurant. It costs you nothing and it is the difference between eating in the dining room and eating somewhere else.

What is the luggage limit on Cordelia Cruise?

Three bags per person, no single piece over 20kg, and 50kg total per person. Excess is INR 300 per kg. Passports, visas, ID, valuables and medication must be carried by you personally, not checked.

All luggage is security scanned. Cordelia suggests handing bags over unlocked, because a locked bag that needs opening delays delivery to your cabin.

Cordelia disclaims liability for loss or damage to electronics, jewellery, cash and fragile items in checked baggage. Carry them.

Which documents do you need to board?

An original government photo ID. Cordelia accepts passport, driving licence, voter ID, PAN card or Aadhaar, and the Passenger Contract is explicit that photocopies are not accepted. Turn up with a photocopy or a photo on your phone and you can be denied boarding with no refund.

Two limits worth checking before you book, both from the Passenger Contract:

• Pregnancy: you cannot sail from the 24th week. A medical certificate is required at 23 weeks or earlier.
• Infants must be at least 6 months old.

What happens if you smoke in your cabin?

A charge of up to $1,000 per violation, and Cordelia can disembark you. Cabins and balconies are non-smoking, and this covers every form of smoking.

A Cordelia ship carries roughly 4,000 smoke sensors. Hairspray sets them off. When a cabin alarm sounds, a bridge officer responds, which is why the penalty is priced to hurt rather than to recover a cleaning cost.

Sources and how we checked this

This is a research-based guide built from Cordelia's own published documents. We have not sailed with Cordelia ourselves, and nothing here is a first-hand account of what the crew enforces in practice. Where the official documents contradict each other, we have shown both instead of picking the tidier answer.

Policies change and Cordelia can revise these PDFs without notice. Confirm anything that affects your booking on the official site before you travel.

• Cordelia Cruises Onboard Policy, version 17.10.2024 (as of July 2026)
• Passenger Cruise Ticket Contract, 20.03.2025 (as of July 2026)
• Cordelia Alcohol Package terms and conditions (as of July 2026)

If you're still costing the trip out, our breakdown of Cordelia Cruise cabin fares and hidden charges covers what the ticket does and doesn't include, and what food is actually free on board deals with the restaurants and the drinks bill in detail. Sailing the islands? The Mangalore to Lakshadweep route has its own permit paperwork on top of these rules.