Four Speakeasies at Sea Worth the Hunt

There’s a saying aboard large cruise ships that goes, “Once you know your way around the ship well enough, it’s time to go home.” But cruise lines have turned that logic upside down by hiding bars in plain sight—speakeasies that don’t appear on deck plans, require tokens or passwords to enter, and seat just 70 people on ships built for thousands. The hunt for them is half the fun, and nearly one in five cruise travelers now actively seek out exclusive, immersive bar experiences like these.

But speakeasies at sea aren’t about velvet ropes and moody lighting. They’re about bragging rights. It’s about scanning your card in what you think is a photo booth and watching the walls move. Or sweet-talking a bartender for a token and a password. It’s about sitting in a lounge that seats 70 people on a ship built for 6,700—and knowing most passengers will never find it.

Here are four speakeasies at sea worth seeking out.

Celebrity Xcel – “IYKYK”

The ritual: Find the photo booth near The Club. Scan your SeaPass card. Press “Start.” Watch as the booth physically moves and doors slide open to reveal a narrow hallway bathed in amber light.

Celebrity’s newest Edge-class ship launched in November 2025 with the line’s first true hidden speakeasy. It’s already generating buzz—and some skepticism. Inside IYKYK, flapper-dressed hostesses greet you in a moody, Art Deco lounge complete with jazz music, fog machines, leather seating, and a curved bar. Your phone gets confiscated at the door, and there’s reportedly a strict one-hour time limit per visit.

Cruise Critic described it as “fully the Prohibition Era, with women wearing flapper dresses and men in spats and suspenders. The room is ‘smoky,’ thanks to fog machines, and music is jazzy and fun”. One travel blogger called the hallway “moody, cinematic” before arriving at a “lavish, Art Deco–inspired lounge”.

Not everyone’s sold on the gimmick. A commenter on a YouTube walkthrough of the ship called the one-hour limit and no-photos policy “just…” (trailing off in evident frustration). But for those who appreciate a forced digital detox with their craft cocktails, it’s a one-hour, no-phones hangout where people actually talk.

Where to find it: Celebrity Xcel, near The Club nightlife area.

MSC World Europa & MSC World America – The Secret Speakeasy

The ritual: Ask the right bartender for a token. Get a password. Use any shipboard phone to call a certain number. Show up at the appointed time and place. Enter through a vintage red telephone booth on Deck 6.

This is the most exclusive of all speakeasies at sea. MSC’s World Europa and World America each hide a scarlet-hued lounge behind a phone booth that isn’t on the deck plans. The space seats just 70 guests on ships that carry over 6,000 passengers. You can’t buy your way in—there’s no upcharge, no VIP package. Entry is entirely at the crew’s discretion.

Inside, you’ll find leather sofas, cabaret tables, live ragtime musicians, and a menu of 14 cocktails and 7 “Prohibition Shots” including Aviations and Sidecar variations. Drinks aren’t included in standard beverage packages—expect to pay around $22 per cocktail. The bar is dimly lit, with a lamp on each table so you can actually read the menu.

One recent Facebook commenter summed it up: “I feel like everyone should experience it! Definitely the best kept secret!”. The Alcohol Professor concluded that guests leave with “a great memory — and bragging rights”.

Where to find it: MSC World Europa and MSC World America, Deck 6 (unmarked, invitation-only).

Princess Cruises – Spellbound by Magic Castle

The ritual: Book your ticket. Knock on an unmarked door with a simple ‘S’ by the Piazza. Enter a multi-room venue where posters talk to you and a piano plays itself.

Princess offers a different take on speakeasies at sea with Spellbound, a ticketed magic bar created in partnership with Hollywood’s famed Magic Castle. Available exclusively on Sun Princess and Star Princess, this isn’t about passwords or tokens—it’s about theatrical illusion blended with craft cocktails in an intimate, speakeasy-style setting.

On Star Princess, Spellbound has been re-engineered as a multi-room, show-only experience with multiple performances per night. Current pricing sits at around USD 45 per person, which includes two cocktails; more theatrical drinks cost extra.

YouTube reviewers from Hubbards Journey described being greeted by an apparently self-playing piano and moving posters that “actually hold little conversations with you,” with the venue divided into three distinct areas. A Cruise Critic passenger reported, “The Spellbound portion of the evening was great… Very satisfied with the drinks, magic, and piano lounge”. A recent Reddit reviewer noted “There are two performers… both were impressive,” though they pointed out that “the drink menu doesn’t offer any options for mocktails”.

It’s pricier than most ship bars, but passengers consistently describe it as a splurge-worthy event rather than just another cocktail stop.

Where to find it: Sun Princess and Star Princess, near the Piazza.

The Handshake Speakeasy Connection

While Princess doesn’t have a Handshake-branded bar at sea, they’ve brought the Mexico City institution’s cocktail philosophy on board. Handshake Speakeasy, a reservations-only bar hidden behind an unmarked door in Mexico City’s Colonia Juárez, has been named The Best Bar in North America for two consecutive years and topped The World’s 50 Best Bars rankings in 2024.

In November 2025, Princess partnered with Handshake to create five exclusive cocktails for the fleet. Three are available in Crooners bar across all 17 ships—Pan Am Punch, Green Tea, and Banana Bread Old Fashioned—with two additional cocktails reserved exclusively for Sanctuary Collection suite guests. The rollout began November 14, 2025, on Star Princess and continues across the fleet through 2026.

Handshake is known for precise, highly technical cocktails (clarification, milk punching, carbonation, fat washing) that still taste approachable. The bar’s original main room seats just 32 guests per sitting. Co-founder Rodrigo Urraca has said they called it “Handshake” because the partnership was literally formed on a handshake rather than a contract.

Even if you don’t score Spellbound tickets, you can still drink something designed by the team behind North America’s best bar—just head to Crooners.

Carnival Encounter – Bonded Store

The ritual: Pull up a leather chair. Watch a bartender smoke your drink tableside.

Carnival’s Bonded Store on the Carnival Encounter rounds out the speakeasies at sea lineup with a specialty cocktail bar described by the line as featuring fine spirits, plush leather seating, and tableside smoked cocktails prepared by expert mixologists. The venue is 18+ only and requires an additional fee beyond standard cruise fare.

Carnival describes it as more intimate and sophisticated than the main bar circuit. With Encounter being relatively new, there’s less passenger social volume than for the Celebrity, MSC, or Princess options. Still, the tableside cocktail preparation and quieter atmosphere make it worth checking out if you’re sailing on this ship.

Where to find it: Carnival Encounter.

Ready to Experience Speakeasies at Sea?

Whether you’re hunting down a photo booth that isn’t what it seems, making friends with bartenders for tokens and passwords, or stepping through an unmarked door marked only with an ‘S’, these speakeasies at sea offer approachable exclusivity.

Ready to experience speakeasies at sea for yourself? Contact Bjarni & Drake to book your Celebrity Xcel, MSC World Europa, MSC World America, Sun Princess, or Star Princess, sailing. We’ll help you find the perfect itinerary and make sure you know exactly where to look once you’re on board.

Featured image courtesy of Unsplash