Think its ok to let your underage child drink on board?

[cnote100]

As far as the RCI thread about getting tossed off the ship, just a reminder that aggressive behavior what ever the cause will end your cruise faster than almost anything else I can think of.

 

Deep breath.... puppies and kittens..... puppies and kittens! :p:D

 

Exactly. And as I stated either here or on the OP, I wouldn't be suprised if they were going to let everyone go with a warning, but it seems (from the OP's post) as if the underager tried lying to security about the incident and his mom got a little testy with security/captain. If you ever want to get kicked off a ship (or plane, or bar) just take an attitude with the captian and/or security and that should speed the process up.

[sarahc78]

I have to completely agree with you, this wasn't a case of "underage" drinking being the problem (disturbing that adults were referred to as 'child) This was a case of immature, childish, probably underachieving young adults acting like jerks; & the parents trying to somehow defend their actions. The rest of the civilized world manages to raise youth that can handle wine/beer from age 16 & upwards without using it as an excuse for their trashy behavior.

I think underage drinking paid a big part of this situation.

 

Regardless of whether you think the drinking age should be lowered or not... you have to follow the rules of the cruise. If it is 21 to bad so sad no drinking on board.

[frankdp]

And, if enough alcohol is consumed - a normally responsible 41 year old loses the ability to make good decisions.

 

Teach your children about responsible drinking, and they will become responsible drinkers. Let them know it's about maturity and responsibility - not age. On other hand, if you choose to treat drinking like it's completely forbidden for them, and fail to honestly approach the subject, then as soon they have chance - they'll be binge drinking away. Some start in junior high, many in senior high, and even more drink in college. They're likely going to do it at some point or another whether you like it or not. The more it's forbidden - the more it's desired. Just like illicit drugs, when the consumption is illegal and therefore forced into the dark - you can't control it or moderate it; and that's when we get the problems.

 

Personally, I think drinking with one's parents should be allowed by age 18, if not sooner. If that were the case, alcohol would not be this mysterious forbidden thing that only "real" adults are allowed to do. We'd be able to more easily teach our children about the ills and joys of drinking, about drinking in moderation, and to cover them all - about responsible drinking.

 

If you care to let your kids drink in your home that is certainly your right. I guess you are inclined to allow them to use drugs as well, thinking that if you refuse to allow that they will end up doing drugs anyway. Very convoluted logic. And wrong. The idea is to help your children get out of their teens intact. Allowing, therby encouraging use of alcohol or drugs is wrong. You make the comparison to a 41 year old. Do you not think that the average 41 year old is better able to make the decision as to when to stop drinking than a teenager.

[JFontaine]

Sea Pass cards should be a different color for those under the drinking age. That wouldn't stop parents from buying drinks for their kids, but it would at least require the parents to be in the neighborhood when the kids are drinking, and it would heighten awareness of the issue, especially among folks like those from Canada where these kids would be allowed to drink. If you can give people in suites different Sea Pass colors, why not everyone under 21?

[cantwait2cruize]

If you care to let your kids drink in your home that is certainly your right. I guess you are inclined to allow them to use drugs as well, thinking that if you refuse to allow that they will end up doing drugs anyway. Very convoluted logic. And wrong. The idea is to help your children get out of their teens intact. Allowing, therby encouraging use of alcohol or drugs is wrong. You make the comparison to a 41 year old. Do you not think that the average 41 year old is better able to make the decision as to when to stop drinking than a teenager.

 

I really don't think you can compare drugs to alcohol. Allowing your teenager to have a glass of wine with dinner, or a beer after cutting the grass is not the same thing as smoking a joint:rolleyes:

[frankdp]

I really don't think you can compare drugs to alcohol. Allowing your teenager to have a glass of wine with dinner, or a beer after cutting the grass is not the same thing as smoking a joint:rolleyes:

 

I was just responding to what cnote100 put in his (her?) post. Here is the quote.

 

"Just like illicit drugs, when the consumption is illegal and therefore forced into the dark - you can't control it or moderate it; and that's when we get the problems."

 

[mjljgl]

Personally, I am not sure the drinking is the issue as some have stated... Drink away (so to speak and I do not agree to do this) but if you act in an "aggresive" way towards passengers or crew, you do have the "right" to be escorted off the ship... the captain has to make a decision quickly based on the 'facts" and SAFETY of the other 2,000+ people so right or wrong, this appears to be an "aggresive" response to something some folks may have been able to walk away from if they thought about it.

[dianaj1108]

I don't understand why the poster didn't just call RCCL BEFORE the cruise to clarify - takes less than 3 minutes. Just called RCCL for clarification as I will be cruising out of Europe in June with an 18 year old. Since the cruise is leaving out of Europe I have the option to sign a waiver for my 18 y.o. to drink on board (no way is this going to happen), but if it did he would also have to sign the agreement indicating he would follow RCCLs rules about drunken/disorderly passengers, would NOT provide alcohol to others, etc. AND here's the kicker - a special "mark" would be placed on his set sail card indicating the waiver. I was told that without the special indication he would be turned away for service. Looks like it's the soda card for him :D

[jcrandle]

I was going to buy my son a drink with dinner on our next cruise in August. He will be nineteen in June and we are Canadian so it's really not an issue. But I think I will rethink it.:eek: I kinda think the drinking age should be lowered in the states. It really not the drinking that's a problem, it's most likely the kid!:rolleyes:

It is my understanding that the legal drinking age in Canada varies, depending on the provence. It should not be an epiphany that the drinking age outside Canada (like on a ship) could also vary.

[mjljgl]

I am not sure the issue is the drinking.... I read this as a "behavior" issue and not drinking. Whether right or wrong on how the cruise line reacted, they do have to make some quick decisions based on what they have heard... did drinking contibute,,, certainly from what we read but the behaviors "demontstrated" and who got "caught" may or may not be what some expected.. You are at sea with 2000+ people so sometimes it is not going to go as you expected if you are part of the "act" ; but the captain has to make sure he makes a decision that is in the best interest of the rest of the passengers. Bottom line an issue happened and the captain made a decision in the best interest of the passengers. Was it right??? we were all not there and neither were the parents when the incident happened... For those that have Kids we would defend them but we can only take their word when we are not there but it still does not make it right.....

[dkjretired]

It is my understanding that the legal drinking age in Canada varies, depending on the provence. It should not be an epiphany that the drinking age outside Canada (like on a ship) could also vary.

 

Drinking age in the US is determined by each individual state. The reason every state is 21 is because the US Dept of Transportion told the states to make the age in their states 21 or they would lose their federal funding. Guess what the states did...

[Jacqueline]

I confess that I bought my college age daughter a Milky Way cocktail last week. The most outlandish thing she and her cabin mates did was to order salads for room service at midnight.

[C&F]

I always say there is three sides to a story...What each side believes happened and what really happened, which normally falls somewhere in the middle.;)

 

I also always say that! Sometimes what really happened is nowhere near what each person said happened, lol!!

[cnote100]

If you care to let your kids drink in your home that is certainly your right. I guess you are inclined to allow them to use drugs as well, thinking that if you refuse to allow that they will end up doing drugs anyway. Very convoluted logic. And wrong. The idea is to help your children get out of their teens intact. Allowing, therby encouraging use of alcohol or drugs is wrong. You make the comparison to a 41 year old. Do you not think that the average 41 year old is better able to make the decision as to when to stop drinking than a teenager.

 

It's basically just my opinion on how the laws should be structured. Anyways, either my analogy wasn't clear enough or you are not getting my logic.

 

First off, it's not my right to allow my kids in my home, in fact it's illegal.

 

Next, I'm not comparing drugs to alcohol, nor expressing anything about my opinion on drugs. Rather stating that when you force something into the dark it doesn't go away - but you do become less able to manage or regulate it. The fact is that teens and young adults are going to drink - not all of them - but a lot of them. Because they are not "allowed" to drink, they do it in secret and are left to learn learn about the dangers of alcohol through trial and error - too often with deadly results.

 

I believe that by permitting parents to introduce their children to alcohol as they see fit, rather than just disallowing alcohol because of an arbitrary age restriction, the parent's lesson of responsible drinking will gain more credibility and you will have a young adult who isn't so enamoured with the forbidden fruit that (s)he will go overboard with it. Allowing something doesn't equate to encouraging it. We allow alll sorts of things without encouraging them. Sometimes parent will allow their children to jump on their bed, or eat dessert before dinner - they are not encouraging that behavior by allowing it. It's not that hard to do something responsibly and in moderation, which might be detrimental if done regularly or excessively.

 

And about the drugs, unless you do drugs at home, I think you can maintain your credibility with your children by just telling them that there is no responsible way to use them. On the other hand, it's much more difficult to maintain that credibility and trust with your children when you're having wine with dinner or beer during the game and telling them what? You can't really say drinking is bad. You're stuck with the good ol' "you're not old enough." They're just going to turn around and prove that they are, although they won't tell you about it.

 

And in closing [i'm impressed with anyone who's made it this far], I do believe the average 41 year old makes better decisions when comes to drinking. They have the years of experience and lessons learned as well as the fortune of growing up during time of lower drinking age. That being said, thre are more than enough adults who go overboard to keep it from becoming a rare occurance. But having such a high (21) and strict drinking restriction (never in any circumstances until you're of age), we're either just putting off those lessons that will eventually be learned or forcing them to learn without any guidance or supervision.

 

We should teach our children to become responsible, contientious humans in everything they do - working, school, sports, dringing, etc. I just believe that it would be easier to teach about responsible drinking if we were allowed to do so when we saw fit.

[cherylroslyn]

A sixth I always love your popcorn cartoons.....I think you once posted one that was an animatesd smile face and it was eating poprcorn. The little cartoons just kill me.......

[cherylroslyn]

Sea Pass cards should be a different color for those under the drinking age. That wouldn't stop parents from buying drinks for their kids, but it would at least require the parents to be in the neighborhood when the kids are drinking, and it would heighten awareness of the issue, especially among folks like those from Canada where these kids would be allowed to drink. If you can give people in suites different Sea Pass colors, why not everyone under 21?

They usually cut the corner off the card on the other lines I have traveled on....there is no mistaking it........ I have never sailed Celebrity with a young adult under the age of 21 so I don't know if they cut the cards.

[MerrylandCruiser]

In many jurisdictions (indluding the one I live in) it is, in fact, legal to serve alcohol to your own underage children in your own home. Also, it's interesting to note that, for the Southern Caribbean itinerary we are considering, the drinking age at every port of call (including the embarkation port of San Juan) appears to be 18, but it's 21 on the ship. Not really sure what sense that makes. Celebrity allows 18-20 year olds accompanied by parents who sign a waiver to drink on South American itineraries because drinking ages are generally 18 there, so why not the Caribbean? Just some thoughts.

[cnote100]

In many jurisdictions (indluding the one I live in) it is, in fact, legal to serve alcohol to your own underage children in your own home. Also, it's interesting to note that, for the Southern Caribbean itinerary we are considering, the drinking age at every port of call (including the embarkation port of San Juan) appears to be 18, but it's 21 on the ship. Not really sure what sense that makes. Celebrity allows 18-20 year olds accompanied by parents who sign a waiver to drink on South American itineraries because drinking ages are generally 18 there, so why not the Caribbean? Just some thoughts.

 

The wonderful arbitrary drinking age rules. Many states have a full zero-tolerance underage drinking law where a minor blowing anything above zero on the breathalyzer cand arrested for being a "minor in possession of alcohol by intoxication" or something similar.

 

I'm not sure, but I believe the cruiselines use 21 on US/carribean/mexico cruises partially to make nice with US/US states, to make US parents happy, and because US 18-20 year olds don't really have a good reputation of being able to deal with booze (read: this entire thread). If I ran a cruiseline, I'd probably fall on the side of higher drinking age when deciding between extra revenue or having to deal with drunk US teens who (imho) usually have no idea how to drink responsibly.

[Can'tstopcruising]

I wonder how many teenagers never had a drink.

[SuiteTraveler]

I can understand the parents confusion about the legal drinking age on the ship due to the varying laws in the US (42 states allow underage (under 21) drinking with varying rules about it), BUT as adults it is THEIR responsibility to find out what the legal drinking age really is onboard the ship BEFORE they permit their children to consume alchohol. This situation is the same as if the parents were taking their son and his friend to a foreign country, it would be their responsibility to find out what the legal drinking age was in the foreign country - otherwise the two boys could wind up locked up in a foreign jail. There really is NO excuse for not finding out about this beforehand and talking to the kids about it so they will know what is and is not allowed on the cruise. The information is readily available on the cruiseline's website.

 

Regardless of the alchohol that was consumed, the boy had no right to take a swing at another passenger under any circumstances. He exhibited violent behavior and I think the Captain was right to have them put off the ship. The violent behavior is completely unacceptable. I don't care if it is caused by alchohol or if the boy was stone cold sober, there is no place for violence on a cruise ship under any circumstances.

[phoenix_dream]

Sea Pass cards should be a different color for those under the drinking age. That wouldn't stop parents from buying drinks for their kids, but it would at least require the parents to be in the neighborhood when the kids are drinking, and it would heighten awareness of the issue, especially among folks like those from Canada where these kids would be allowed to drink. If you can give people in suites different Sea Pass colors, why not everyone under 21?

Unless things have changed in the three years since my son turned 21, the Sea Pass cards are a different color for those under 21.

[SusieV]

Unless things have changed in the three years since my son turned 21, the Sea Pass cards are a different color for those under 21.

 

My son's Seapass was blue on our December sailing. He was only 14 months old then so he might have gotten some funny looks if he asked for some vodka in his sippy cup.

 

I really wonder- how many of the diehard ZOMG no alcohol for "children" people waited until they were 21 to have a drink? And do you realize you're either accusing most of the rest of the world of having poor judgment with a lower drinking age or saying that your own teenagers are less responsible? The US has one of the tightest alcohol laws of anywhere in the world where drinking is actually legal.

[jcrandle]

Another consideration to those parents who believe that providing alcohol to an underage person is that in many states you could be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

[susieh]

Can US 'children' vote at 18? If so I find it very odd that they are considered old enough to decide who should be in government but not old enough to drink.

 

At what age do you become an adult in America? I always thought it was 18 - the same as UK, Canada, NZ, Australia - and most other 'western' countries.

 

UK young people go to University at 18 - usually away from home - so unless they've learned about alcohol and to be (reasonably!) sensible then they are really thrown in the deep end when they start Uni.

 

In Britain you are allowed to drink beer or cider with a meal from the age of 16 if you are in a restaurant and accompanied by parents. 18 is the legal drinking age and the lowest age at which you can purchase it yourself (in pubs, clubs or supermarkets etc.). You can get married at 16, you can smoke at 16 but 18 is the age when you become an adult and can vote. That seems a lot more consistent.

 

I also agree with those who say that young people who grow up learning what is a reasonable amount to drink are much more likely to drink sensibly than those who are suddenly given access at 21.

[JohnHall1965]

Bottom line , when a cruise leaves from and returns too a US port ,the drinking age is 21 on board throughout the cruise period ! no waivers no exceptions that is the law, however if you leave and return to a non US port you may sign a waiver to allow an 18 to 20 year old to be served alcohol on board. I myself don't have a dog in this fight ,my children are grown .