The Bahamas will impose a bahamas alcohol ban on Tuesday, May 12, suspending sales from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. while national elections are held. The Parliamentary Commissioner said anyone selling or offering intoxicating liquor during those hours will be treated as operating without a license under the Business License Act.
CocoCay and Bahamian ports
The restriction applies across all Bahamian islands, including private islands operated by cruise companies, and Royal Caribbean said it covers CocoCay. Two Royal Caribbean ships, Oasis of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas, will be visiting CocoCay during the restriction, while guests on cruise ships visiting Bahamian ports on May 12 cannot purchase alcohol ashore.
Alcohol will continue to be sold aboard ships while the shore-side ban is in place. That leaves cruise passengers with a narrow boundary to follow: drinks purchased on board remain available, but sales on land in the Bahamas will not.
Business License Act limits
The notice ties enforcement to the Business License Act, which gives the restriction a legal consequence beyond a simple election-day policy. Anyone offering intoxicating liquor during the 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. window risks being treated as unlicensed during the polling period.
The practical effect reaches more than election-day voters. Cruise visitors calling at Bahamian ports on May 12, and passengers heading to CocoCay on the two Royal Caribbean ships, will face the same shore-side limit while the polls remain open.
