Underage teen caught drinking thrown off Oasis 6/4

[Puffinater]

Something else we noticed is that when the Sea Pass is scanned at the POS your picture shows up (or should show up). Saw this happen in Dazzles, young guy tried to use a card that was not his. Bartender kept the card.

[bajathree]

Reading these posts reminded me of two stories.

 

1) Every Sunday, my parents would go to the in-laws for afternoon happy hour. They would drink Gin and Tom Collins mix. They would give me the Tom Collins mix as my special drink. I developed a great taste for it.

 

When I went to college, I would buy bottles of it. We were not allowed within a country mile of alcohol being as it was a girls school out in the sticks of Georgia. The school was convinced I had some gin/vodka to mix with it and would toss the room looking for it at various times. After about the fifth time this happened, my roommate told me to find something else to drink or find another roommate, she was tired of the room/drawers being searched. I switched to plain ole Coke and probably haven't had a glass of Tom Collins since then (lol).

 

1) On one of our earlier cruises on the now defunct Commodore Cruise Line, we cruised with our 14 year old son. While the boy was big for his age, he didn't look near 21 with his baby face. Maybe that was when 18 year olds could buy, I estimate it was around 1982.

 

A day or two into the cruise, my husband noticed that his card had a hole punched in it but mine and my son's did not. Finally curiosity got the best of him and he went to Guest Relations and asked why his card had a hole punched in it. They gave him a funny look and said it meant he could not buy alcohol. Was he an alcoholic? Medical problem? He immediately knew what the problem was, his and our son's first names are the same with different middle names and they had mixed the cards up during check-in. They told him to come down to the desk with son and they would straighten it out. Husband is not a drinker and really didn't care but laughed his son would have to buy his beer. In the meantime, I had sent son to the bar a couple of times for a bourbon and water which was sold to him with no questions.

 

Tucker in Texas

 

I was told this story by a confessing 20 something'r just recently who cruised a lot from when he was a teen and told me how they would drink underage. He said kids with a hole punched in their card would go down to Guest Relations and say they lost their card....when they were busy at GR's sometimes they wouldn't pay a lot of attention and would hand them a new card without punching the hole in it....the person told me they would just keep doing this till they would get an unpunched card....found that one interesting.

[bajathree]

Something else we noticed is that when the Sea Pass is scanned at the POS your picture shows up (or should show up). Saw this happen in Dazzles, young guy tried to use a card that was not his. Bartender kept the card.

 

They were scanning cards on entry at the over 21 late night venues....so anyone underage wasn't even allowed into the area. I also saw people turned away that looked like they had too much to drink.

[Puffinater]

They were scanning cards on entry at the over 21 late night venues....so anyone underage wasn't even allowed into the area. I also saw people turned away that looked like they had too much to drink.

 

Agree they were scanning cards for entry but not at Dazzles most nights. We were sitting in Dazzles one night and a young guy was going on and on about getting cut off. My guess it was the right choice. He could not tell us the story the same way twice and believe me he was trying.

 

I think we saw more scanning and screening on this trip than any we have taken before.

 

Also watched Bailey in the CL deny some younger folks.

[readytogo2]

According to the MADD website, James C. Fell, a public health researcher at the Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation, answered some questions regarding why the legal age to drink alcohol in the US was changed to the age of 21. To condense things a bit; it says because teens react differently to alcohol than adults, they get drunk twice as fast and teens naturally overdo and binge drink more than adults. Also, when the legal age to drink was 18, there were more drunk drivers and twice as many fatal traffic crashes as today.

It also states that Europe has worse problems than America does, as far as binge drinking and drinking to intoxication due to the availability of alcohol.

 

Now that was from the website, not me, so please don't shoot the messenger:eek: Personally, I was glad when I turned 18 yrs old I could drink alcohol. I do feel,for the level headed kids that are not permitted to drink, however, these laws have made our kids safer.

 

As far as the teen getting tossed off the ship,well, that's the consequences when you don't abide by the law.

[sjcruiser]

Wow!!!

[scouser7]

Many years ago saw a bunch of young blokes playing rugby in the corridors at 2 in the morning next day they were escorted off in Noumea not sure if they were thrown off for

1 playing rugby not football

2 being drunk at the time or

3 the fact they were naked while they played

LOL

[Stags14]

I could not imagine a 14 year old drinking. Something has to be said for the parenting (or lack there of) with a situation like that.

 

Really? It's actually quite common for this age group to beging experimenting with not only alcohol but drugs and sex as well. But, on the boat it was obviously provided to them, unless they smuggled it on - which we all know is also quite possible.

 

I agree with your way of thinking and I am a proud "folk in the States". For the life of me I have never understood why they changed it other than some teens at 18 aren't mature enough to understand/handle the effects of alcohol. But, are they "mature enough" to play the lottery, buy tobacco, and fight in wars which we allow at 18.........hmm........but in reality, are 21 year old's (or anyone for that matter) "mature enough" to handle alcohol.....not always.

 

would love to hear the rest of the story.

 

It's always been my understanding that the "US" drinking age had a lot of influence from when the human liver is fully developed and prepared to take the insult from alcohol. A child's liver is still developing and therefore it may cause more complications.

 

That said - I am a first generation American and growing up I always had a tad of wine dropped in my water at the Sunday table. No big deal... it's no surprise that now at 31 I have no problem sipping a glass or two of wine and that is all. But I was never served beer and I can drink quite a few beers. Wine, I only drink a little and I'm done - it's typically with a meal and that is how I was raised. Perhaps I should have been raised drinking a little bit of beer too :eek:

[Moeve]

Personally, I enjoyed having a vending machine in the hotels in Germany where I could get a cold beer if I wanted one. The thing to remember is that America was founded by prudes and their mindset is still alive and well to this day!

 

Those should be a thing of the passed now or at least you have to verify you are over 18 by using you bank card or something that has you date of birth in the magnetic band. This is also how cigarette vending maschines work now too.

[jbitzer]

I could not imagine a 14 year old drinking. Something has to be said for the parenting (or lack there of) with a situation like that.

 

Work in a middle school. See it occasionally with 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders. It is usually before school after parents went to work.

[tallyho8]

In Louisiana, it was legal to drink at 18 until 1996. It was also not unlawful to drink while driving until 1996. :eek:

[MrsPete]

You can trust the information provided by the OP. I was on this cruise and can confirm that more than those two were escorted off the ship.

 

How confidential can it be when you watch folks with their suitcases being escorted off the ship by security?

Seeing people escorted off wouldn't be a secret . . . but knowing details about what led up to their kicking-off, especially knowing about the tapes, would be confidential.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

I also have a five year old, and in Europe, many children are given a small glass of watered down wine with dinner.

 

not a big deal

You can't look at just that one thing and say, "This is why drinking works in Euorpe". Instead, you have to look at all the influences within society, and -- in my opinion -- the biggest issue that works against teens/alcohol is our American lack of moderation. We don't do anything in moderation. We want every meal to be a feast, every outfit to be a show stopper, every car to have all the bells and whistles, every vacation to be top-notch luxury. And we treat drinking the same way: Our society doesn't encourage one beer. It encourages four. Europeans have always been much more restrained and moderate.

 

Early drinking is a bad, bad idea; all the studies prove that the earlier one drinks, the more likely one is to become an alcoholic (of course, this study used American subjects). My father wasn't raised in America, and -- according to my aunt -- he began drinking around age 5. He was the oldest child and my grandmother's favorite, so she'd take him out drinking in the afternoons. My aunt believes he was already an alcoholic in his teens (so was their other brother), and he died at 40. So he began drinking early, but his parents had American habits . . . and it turned out disasterously.

According to the MADD website, James C. Fell, a public health researcher at the Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation, answered some questions regarding why the legal age to drink alcohol in the US was changed to the age of 21. To condense things a bit; it says because teens react differently to alcohol than adults, they get drunk twice as fast and teens naturally overdo and binge drink more than adults. Also, when the legal age to drink was 18, there were more drunk drivers and twice as many fatal traffic crashes as today.

It also states that Europe has worse problems than America does, as far as binge drinking and drinking to intoxication due to the availability of alcohol.

 

Now that was from the website, not me, so please don't shoot the messenger:eek: Personally, I was glad when I turned 18 yrs old I could drink alcohol. I do feel,for the level headed kids that are not permitted to drink, however, these laws have made our kids safer.

 

As far as the teen getting tossed off the ship,well, that's the consequences when you don't abide by the law.

This is all absolutely true. As the child of an alcoholic, I've read extensively on the subject and much of the research goes against what many people consider "common sense". A teenaged liver doesn't react the same way to alcohol; it is MUCH more damaging to a teen's liver, and that damage lasts forever. Also, the portion of the brain that limits impulse behavior doesn't mature 'til after the teen years. These are cold, hard facts.

 

Also, I was one of the first age cohorts affected by the 21-year old drinking age, and I know that what youj're saying about wrecks is true: In the grades above me, 2-3 people PER YEAR were killed in just my small school. 5 in my brother's grade. And alcohol was almost always involved. In my grade, only one fatality.

In Louisiana, it was legal to drink at 18 until 1996. It was also not unlawful to drink while driving until 1996. :eek:

Not true. All states made the law 21 while I was in high school (and I graduated in 1984). It always made sense from a medical standpoint, but the federal government manipulated the law by tying it to highway money. Hawaii was the sole hold-out, which is makes sense: They make $$$$$ from selling drinks and have few roads.

[klingoncruiser]

Sounds about right to me. Enough is enough.:rolleyes:

[Ocean Boy]

Seeing people escorted off wouldn't be a secret . . . but knowing details about what led up to their kicking-off, especially knowing about the tapes, would be confidential.

 

Why would it be confidential? Where is the law that says so?

[MikeNJ1109]

Why would it be confidential? Where is the law that says so?

 

Law ...? Maybe not. International treaty possibly or cruise ship policy (as a result of potential liability) sounds more likely.

 

Michael

[Happy ks]

Why do you feel it was confidential? :confused:

 

 

Sorry, I haven't come back since I last posted.

 

Think of it this way, if you or one of your family did something they weren't supposed to do on a cruise ship, say took an item off a table and didn't pay for it. Would you want the person who caught you to tell the person across the hallway what you just did? Woudl you want that person to come on to CC and relate a story that you were caught stealing?

 

I believe we are all entitled to privacy and if a person has a potentially embarrassing situation, others are not automatically entitled to know the particulars of that situation.

 

It was no one elses business to ask about the situation and it was not the staff members business to tell you about it. What if that cruise staff didn't really know the truth? Then all you have is rumor. If it is a situation that can harm you or others, it may be the business to inform you, otherwise it was a problem for the family to work out with the cruise line.

[Ocean Boy]

Law ...? Maybe not. International treaty possibly or cruise ship policy (as a result of potential liability) sounds more likely.

 

Michael

 

That is speculation. The person I quoted stated it like it is fact. I simply want to know how she knows for a fact that it is confidential.

[Mark_K]

That is speculation. The person I quoted stated it like it is fact. I simply want to know how she knows for a fact that it is confidential.

Cruise ships that depart/return to Florida are covered by a lot of Florida laws, If it is legally confidential, that would be my guess as to why.

[Captain Jake]

Drinking age facts in the USA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._history_of_alcohol_minimum_purchase_age_by_state

So the answer is Louisiana or Wyoming depending how you want to interpret it

 

:CJ

[Sequim88]

If it is legally confidential, that would be my guess as to why.

 

Might be legally and the "official" policy of the cruise line... but they have every incentive to leak the information strategically to crew and let it spread to passengers to make the consequences of violating the policy more real and a deterrant to others. Especially if no names or identification of those put off are involved.

 

News (or rumor) travels fast on a ship. While sailing from Babados back to San Juan in Feb. we were in the Schooner Bar and I glanced at the ship status monitor and noted we were headed south along the shore of St. Lucia - San Juan was the other way so I went over to two crew looking at the screen and they said there was a medical emergency and we were letting someone off at Castries. All the bars and the casino then closed so we went to our cabin to watch from the balcony. An ambulance came and as soon as the person was loaded we pulled out. Total stop was no more than 15 minutes. Next day we overheard it was a pregnant woman who had started bleeding. No name or other info and none needed.

[Puffinater]

Might be legally and the "official" policy of the cruise line... but they have every incentive to leak the information strategically to crew and let it spread to passengers to make the consequences of violating the policy more real and a deterrant to others. Especially if no names or identification of those put off are involved.

 

Never thought of that. Excellent point.

[Tucker in Texas]

In Louisiana, it was legal to drink at 18 until 1996. It was also not unlawful to drink while driving until 1996. :eek:

 

My son, Class of 1992, was offered a scholarship to Tulane University. Along with the offer came the admission application which spelled out certain rules and regulations.

 

A whole page was devoted to having liquor in your possession/dorm room and how many "guests" you could have during Mardi Gras. His interest in Tulane perked up considerably when he realized he could legally drink.

 

While the scholarship offer was nice, it wasn't enough to make it as affordable as U of Texas so he became a Longhorn and is bleeding orange to this day.

 

Unfortunately, he must have forgotten he wasn't at Tulane and picked up an MIP ticket his first year at UT. Good news is that in an effort to hide it from us, he paid it out of his pocket with earnings from his temp Christmas job. I should have gotten suspicious when he asked me in the middle of me cooking dinner and my mind on that what a money order was (lol). We found out when he put the letter submitting the fine to a JP near Waco, Texas, in the mailbox outside our house and we, coincidentally, went out to the same box later to post a letter of our own before the mailman came.

 

Tucker in Texas

[Cruisegirl6]

Getting a bit off the topic here I just want to say that we get drinks for our daughter, she is 19, to me she can die for her country in war, she can vote, and drive, work and buy tobacco....when I was her age the drinking age was 18 then they changed the laws for whatever reason I not know but I say its not fair. So we gladly will give our daughter one of those welcome aboard drinks and have a limit of 3 drinks a day, I see nothing wrong with that. Honestly, my daughter rather have a latte lol

[siren]

was it ever established where the teen got the drinks? On one cruise we had our 18yr DD and her 17 yr old friend served at a bar. We walked into the bar and there they were, drinking happily chatting with the bartender. We had frequently all gone to this bartender and he knew us and that the girls were underaged. I don't know how the drink charges or if any charges were on the sea pass. But I was livid..and went and complained. Heard nothing back and don't know if any action was taken. But if you consider the horror stories of ship staff and female customers, it was pretty scary, if we hadn't shown and caught them...

[Ocean Boy]

was it ever established where the teen got the drinks? On one cruise we had our 18yr DD and her 17 yr old friend served at a bar. We walked into the bar and there they were, drinking happily chatting with the bartender. We had frequently all gone to this bartender and he knew us and that the girls were underaged. I don't know how the drink charges or if any charges were on the sea pass. But I was livid..and went and complained. Heard nothing back and don't know if any action was taken. But if you consider the horror stories of ship staff and female customers, it was pretty scary, if we hadn't shown and caught them...

 

I think that I would have been reading my kids the riot act instead of complaining about the staff. And I most certainly would have checked the charges on their seapasses to see just what they had been up to around the ship.