Inside Edition - Story on Cruise Ship Drinking

[darrencantwait]

the Inside Edition article doesn't say anything about the bartender serving any alcohol to anybody under 18. He did observe they sharing, though.

[caribbean dreams]

They were drinking with liquor they had smuggled on. all these stories will lead the cruise lines to crack down hard on bringing liquor aboard...

 

NO, they were drinking the booze that the bartenders were selling to them, that was the whole point of the show, I did not see any of them drinking smuggled booze, all was direct from the ships bars and the waiters were serving them.

 

[berwyn]

 

NO, they were drinking the booze that the bartenders were selling to them, that was the whole point of the show, I did not see any of them drinking smuggled booze, all was direct from the ships bars and the waiters were serving them.

 

 

 

They did show kids walking around with bottles of booze. I don't believe they got those at the bar,

[cruisinMike]

the Inside Edition article doesn't say anything about the bartender serving any alcohol to anybody under 18. He did observe they sharing, though.

 

This is a quote from inside edition:

 

 

"It's all about the revenue, the tip, and pushing the alcohol and, remember, they're guests--don't interfere with the guests."

 

So, yes one can make it out that it is only older guests buying and serving the younger guest. I just am not buying it. It is too pervasive to be only the older brother/friend serving the younger ones.

[Happy ks]

After reading many of these posts (I couldn't find the show listed yesterday) I've come to the conclusion that the media is just "out to get" cruise ships these days. It grabs the attention of the viewers, to think that a luxury vacation could be rife with under age drinking.

 

Number one, it doesn't shock me. I lived through being a teen and my 20's with all the partying. That was back in the late 60's, early 70's and there is little more going on now than there was back then. My father, who was 40 when I was born, told me years ago (after my party years) that I did nothing as bad as he did in the 20's and 30's.

 

Number two, I truly believe that teens will find booze if they really want to. Whether it is by smuggling, with their parents permission :confused: , even asking an adult making the purchase for them. I have two teens, to my knowledge, neither of them have ever gotten drunk or used drugs. I talk it up all the time, warning them of the dangers, check up on them, know who they are with and what they're doing. I do this because I remember what I was capable of when I was a teen and I'm not going to fool myself into thinking they are always angels.

 

The only problem I have with this is a bartender knowingly serving underage people alcohol. I don't know what the laws are regarding alcohol consumption on a ship, who they are governed by. I do know that an establishment here in our state on land, can lose their liquor license by serving underage patrons. It can be very serious because it can lead to the loss of your business as well as criminal charges. There was an expose recently (I don't always believe all of them) that showed undercover cameras capturing adults purchasing alcohol for underage kids outside of liquor stores and gas stations. Their numbers were 3 out of 10 adults were willing to make the purchase for them, that's a pretty big number.

 

I would hope the same type of law governs cruise ships, it would be in the best interest of the cruise lines to not only not serve alcohol to those underage, but to keep an eye out for adults purchasing drinks for others.

 

What is not mentioned is the amount of underage drinking going on in resort areas. Spring break is a wild time for many venues. The biggest difference now from then is that the media covers it and the information is more widely shown.

 

For the adults who have too much to drink and pass out/pee in pools/vomit in public. Well, they're just stupid.

[caribbean dreams]

Caribbean Dream,

 

Just curious how did you know this girl was only 13?? I think that both the parents and the bartenders are resposible.

 

Because as i said, i was sitting in the promanade and at one point she came and sat down near me and started a conversation, she was very proud of the fact that she was 13 and the bartenders would serve her, she told me she had been going to the same 2 bartenders all afternoon (promanade bar & disco bar) she even started naming off the drinks that she had ordered throughout the day. A little while later, i see 2 boys, she had her arms around each of their shoulders and they were basically dragging her down the hall, her parent walked up and were laughing at her for being so drunk.

Yes , I do believe it was also her parents fault just as much as the bartenders (who should have been fired)

[Happy ks]

Because as i said, i was sitting in the promanade and at one point she came and sat down near me and started a conversation, she was very proud of the fact that she was 13 and the bartenders would serve her, she told me she had been going to the same 2 bartenders all afternoon (promanade bar & disco bar) she even started naming off the drinks that she had ordered throughout the day. A little while later, i see 2 boys, she had her arms around each of their shoulders and they were basically dragging her down the hall, her parent walked up and were laughing at her for being so drunk.

Yes , I do believe it was also her parents fault just as much as the bartenders (who should have been fired)

 

That is a very sad story, I hope this poor girl finds some way out of this type of life, the sooner the better. This type of behavior can only lead to major life problems.

[cruisinMike]

....A little while later, i see 2 boys, she had her arms around each of their shoulders and they were basically dragging her down the hall, her parent walked up and were laughing at her for being so drunk.

Yes , I do believe it was also her parents fault just as much as the bartenders (who should have been fired)

 

Yep, agreed. This is an after the fact situation I discussed before. However for the parents to blow this off as somewhat of a joke is disgusting. Parents acting in this manner only encourage the behavior to repeat.

 

I can only hope that when the parents came to their senses (maybe the next day) the teenager was taken to task. If not, the parents will reap what they sow.

[SunnieD]

What ship was this? Someone mentioned earlier it might have been the Grandeur. I was on Serenade during Spring Break last year and had no issues at all with the teens on board.

[Autumnrose]

I didn't see the show so I am a little confused. Was the segment about underage drinking on ships or just about out of control drinking on ships and they just happened to show young people??

[julesbeara]

Just want to be clear. Anyone "under the age 18" cannot purchase alcohol with "their" hole punched Seapass Card correct? Please correct me if I am wrong.

[emdia43]

Yep, agreed. This is an after the fact situation I discussed before. However for the parents to blow this off as somewhat of a joke is disgusting. Parents acting in this manner only encourage the behavior to repeat.

 

I can only hope that when the parents came to their senses (maybe the next day) the teenager was taken to task. If not, the parents will reap what they sow.

 

 

You just can't fix stupid.

[Cassandra]

Yep, I watched this also. It was mainly Spring Breakers because the cruise was on Grandeur of the Seas & based out of Tampa. They went in March.

 

Well, what did they expect? Tampa has 3 colleges! It was spring break at the time.

 

The show was so busy bashing the cruise line that they never ONCE even mentioned of taking those videos that they taped & show it to the parents & DEMAND an explanation of their behavior. I went to college at Univ. of Tampa & didn't do half the stuff those kids did. I guess I was brought up better than that. Plus didn't run off with strange men I just met either, but that's a different topic.

 

I would recommend that everyone on here go to Inside Edition's website & slam them back. Part 2 of that show is going to be on tonight. :D

[Cassandra]

Here's the link to Inside Editions broadcast.

 

http://www.insideedition.com/ourstories/reports/story.aspx?storyid=167

[AFT_LOVER]

that is who we want to sail with & the kids are IN SCHOOL. Not the little rug rats running & screaming down the halls all day & night & I get my mighty towel wet & ready to swat one with it. That shuts them up as they feel the burn ;-)

 

As far as Spring break, we are enjoying getting our yard ready for summer, that is Spring break to us, again never on cruises.

 

What they were showing was totally out of it & never experienced on any cruise we've had other than Ecstasy with Carnival.

[DAllenTCY]

I watched part one of the show, and I can honestly say that I've seen for my own eyes the same drunken behavior onboard some sailings. What wasn't addressed is how some cruise directors and staff encourage dangerous stunts such as jumping from the second story into the pool, or doing backwards summersaults from the pool edge when drunk. It isn't just the bar staff.

Fun is fun, but dangerous and wreckless is another deal.

On one sailing, a group from Toronto got so drunk they began to throw all of the furniture in their cabin overboard. Security finally broke up that mess, but not until 2am and the cabin was bare by then.

Some crusie lines cater to the younger, spring break types....others don't.

As a rule of thumb, just avoid spring break sailings altogether.

Many years ago Carnival attracted passengers by offering cheap liquor and by the pool they had a beer keg on wheels, and a 16oz cup was fifty cents. At least that cart went bye-bye. Sail on NCL or HAL, they are much more strict about conduct onboard in my personal oppinion. David

[randrea]

We were just talking about this on another thread last week. One girl who was 16 came on the thread and told all of us stunned Mothers how she has been drinking on cruises for years. She told us that alot of the times the really young (13 yrs olds) get the alcohol from their parents rooms and they hide either in the chapel or the library where noone's around and party there. She also told us of times when the kids club counselors turned their heads when they were drinking and even in some cases acted as a lookout and yelled when parents were approaching. Needless to say it was a real eye opener for me. I'm taking my 13 daughter on her first cruise in June and while I'm a pretty protective Mother anyway, I will be watching her like a hawk after the things I've heard. I don't want my fun vacation to turn into a family tragedy.

[Cruise Gopher]

Am I missing something? Since when can you purchase alcohol under the age of 21? Is RCI the only cruise line that allows this? If I remember right on Carnival you had to be 21 and if you were under 21 then your card would be denied when the bartender tries to swipe it to pay.

 

Someone enlighten me.

[DAllenTCY]

Some cruise lines cut a corner off the 3-in one cards or punch holes in the card for minors, to alert the bar staff that the person is under age. It's a nice idea, but older siblings, friends, or even the parents can purchase liquor using their cards and pass off the alcohol to the underage one.

Nevertheless, at the end of the cruise a detailed account of what has been charged to each card will be delivered to the cabin. Signed receipts back up the alcohol purchases. Parents can see exactly what the kids have used the cards for, as far as time of day, type of purchase, and where obtained.....

exactly.

As for parental guidance, this document can be quite an eye-opener I'm sure. What was that young Irish girl thinking when she signed for triple vodkas? She must have known that her parents would get the bill....which may have contributed to her ultimate demise. We'll never know if she fell over or not. Certainly her judgement was severely impared...but why was she alone at that time of night? Where were her parents that late?

Alcohol played a major part in the George Smith case as well, but at least those involved were adults. Poor judgement regarding the people they hung out with seems to be the problem there.....and probably drugs as well were involved in my opinion.

None of this fits my description of a "family vacation" or honeymoon.

Please if you want to get smashed, do it at home, not on a cruise.

David

[SakeDad]

Am I missing something? Since when can you purchase alcohol under the age of 21? Is RCI the only cruise line that allows this? If I remember right on Carnival you had to be 21 and if you were under 21 then your card would be denied when the bartender tries to swipe it to pay.

 

Someone enlighten me.

\

 

18 and over you can buy beer & wine, 21 & over for cocktails. I'm curious how or if they check this when ordered through room service?

[christineann]

We were on the Voyager in 2003 (son age 18 and daughter age 15). The three of us went to the pool bar and ordered 3 frozen drinks, only one with alcohol. The bartender looked at my son and then at me and confirmed that the one with the alcohol was for me.

 

Note to those who say ALL kids drink...........you are wrong. There are actually kids (not sure of the percentage - probably lower than we wished) who don't because they say the kids that do at their school are losers - and they know their parent(s) will not tolerate it. For example, "If I find out you are drinking, I will sell your car before the sun goes down." I know a lot of parents who give their kids the car keys and cross their fingers that they make it home with an accident or a DUI.

[SunnieD]

One thing that the show said that I have never seen was the "barf bags" placed strategically around the exits to the clubs. i have never seen that! The only time I heard of this was when the BUG was going around on board, which if I remember correctly was in March which was when this was filmed. Do you think maybe they focused on a group of partiers as they were showing the same people the whole time, just in different locations. I could find a group of these types anywhere you go that there are 3,000-5,000 people on vacation!!!! Then with the precautions of the virus being spread, the bags were out all over the ship. This was also shocking that all of those people putting their mouths all over those bottles, one after the other..:eek: ..YUCK! I don't even like to touch people plates after they have eaten off of them.:eek: Anyway, just my thoughts. I hate that RCI gets such a bad rap. Can you imagine the footage they could have gotten on a 3-4 day Carnivore cruise?:confused: I hope the Grandeur is different for my family in June!

[kbt2]

I will say I watched the story and I have NEVER seen anything near that on any of our cruises...seen that behavior in local bars !! I REALLY feel the show was biased, showed behavior DURING Spring Break on RCI, not Spring Break at Panama City or Lake Havasu in AZ is MUCH worse. So why didn't they do spring break remotes from these locations? Very biased...or for that matter a Carnival cruise spring break, ya know??? I was on a senior cruise on Carnival...I know. Inside Edition is ripping RCI bec/of the GS deal...very, very ratings/controversy they are!

[MrsPete]

Completely agree. Underage drinking has been around nearly forever, so why have things (purportedly) taken such a drastic turn for the worse?

I think it's getting worse because parents are now condoning it -- even buying it for the kids. It all goes back to wanting to be a kid's friend instead of his parent. In the past kids knew they shouldn't take things too far; they knew that all they could manage was a couple beers. Now, with no boundries, kids are really getting out of control.

 

Other less significant factors:

People have more money than they had in the past; lack of money was one thing that kept me from drinking in college -- not the only thing, but one thing.

Society and the media have both "okayed" drinking to excess (for all members of society, not just teens); in the past, drinking was a part of society, but people were expected to maintain control. Getting stinking drunk was frowned upon; now being wasted is just part of having a good time.

[MrsPete]

There is a difference. I used to drink before I was 21 too. My mom died when I was 16 and dad... well let's just say he was not cut out to parent two teenage daughters. I ran wild. The difference between then and now? STD's, harder drugs mixed with more crud (LSD then is not LSD now etc). This is a new world, with dangers we could not have concieved of back then. Kids are having sex really young now. It's not the same, we were so innocent back then, in a world with more family interaction and togetherness, less TV. We had far fewer outside influcences, no internet.

 

These kids are getting flashing images thrown at them super fast, everywhere they turn. They tell them to be cooler, braver, tougher than anyone told us to be. They think they are older, more mature, smarter than they are, smarter than we were. Okay, that has not changed, but it's not the same. Not anymore.

I agree. And since I spend all day with teenagers, I think I'm in a good position to judge.

 

The average 15 or 16 year old today is "much older" than the average 15 or 16 year old was back when I was in high school. They've been exposed to much more of the world, they have significantly more freedom, and they've got more money. They have more technical savy, but less respect for people in general and their elders in particular. They've been taught to believe that they can have anything they want, and to hell with tomorrow. They've been offered many more choices than we ever were, but they have fewer consequences based upon those choices. Despite their adult-appearance, many of them have serious, serious issues inside dealing with self-esteem, independence, and family relationships.

 

And, yes, drinking IS a much bigger problem than it was when I was high school 20 years ago.