Welcome to FT, jj88!

In general, hard liquor is not allowed on most (all?) cruise lines. They definitely do use X-rays and search. Liquor and gambling are the primary revenue sources for cruise ships. You can usually bring one bottle of wine for free, and additional bottles subject to corkage fees.

Most cruise ships have small smoking areas on the open decks, but I haven't seen or heard of anyone smoking on balconies in 10+ years of cruising. Cruise lines take fire hazards very seriously.

When in port, the ship stays docked for the duration, unless it's a tender port where they drop anchor.