RCI's New Alcohol Policy effective 7/28/06? (merged)

[Borat]

Did you even read his posts?:confused: Hes already stated that hes travelling with his parents and their friends..........hes not planning on approaching strangers to buy him drinks. Besides the US is the only Country in the world that has a drinking age of 21. If you look at the statistics of the unfortunate "incidents" that happen when people go overboard and theres speculation of excessive drinking they all involve people over the age of 21. Sorry but IMO this is a matter of a few right wingers with the power of making the rules imposing their beliefs and not what the majority want. It'll be interesting to see that if the cruiseline loses revenue to people changing to other lines if these "new" rules will be around for long!

 

Sandie

 

good point..these policies are subject to change...and you never know they may just bring back the drinking age at some other point.

[pediatric-rnp]

They will have no choice to accept my drivers license if I don't have my Seapass with me.

 

Wrong - they definately do have another choice. We sailed FOS 7/16/06 with our 2 sons, ages 18 & 20. For both drinking and gambling, they each had to produce both seapass card AND driver's license. Younger DS didn't always carry both of them together, and was not served alcohol or allowed to stay at the table in the casino until he produced both.

 

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[jeniceglassman]

I haven't read all your posts but it is sad that,even though you are underage, you already have the mindset you can't enjoy the cruise with your family if you are not drinking. Congrats on getting the fake Australia DL what did that set you back $10 on the internet? Best of luck with your cruise.

[caviargal]

Sorry but IMO this is a matter of a few right wingers with the power of making the rules imposing their beliefs and not what the majority want. It'll be interesting to see that if the cruiseline loses revenue to people changing to other lines if these "new" rules will be around for long!

 

Sandie

 

RCI is not a democracy, it is a business, and also has a responsibility to its stock holders. It is absolutely within their rights to set and enforce policies that protect the company, its employees and its stockholders.

 

The "other lines" do not serve alcohol to those under 21 so actually, RCI is now in line with everyone else, not out of step as you imply.

 

As for smuggling, I have personally never done it. I used to bring my own wine and pay the corkage but now cannot. I am not going to rant and rave about it. I will simply spend my vacation dollar on a line that allows me to do so, as I have in the past.

 

Frankly, what drove me away from RCI is the fact that in the past, they choose to ignore their own rules and policies. If they get back on track, I may just reconsider as will others like me.

[CanuckCruizer]

spectatorsports - Just to let you know - they check your seapass card against a master list of minors onboard all under the age of 21. If you are asked for id - you must show your seapass card and photo id (passport, driver's license) and the two ages must match. Your age as of the 1st day of the cruise will be listed on the master list. The cruiseline is not interested in seeing your driver's license alone - they will ask for your seapass card first and check it against the master list. They then may ask for your driver's license/passport, but of course, you can't show it to them because the age will not match your seapass card. Then that will cause bigger problems, like a previous poster said (think: 9/11) you are carrying false identification - not a smart move in this day and age. We watched this whole scenario go down at the bar on our last cruise when an underage guy was trying to get a drink. We later asked the bartender about that list and he explained the whole thing to us. He laughed and told us that the kids seem to think that they can get alcohol - but they don't realize that there is a master list showing their ages., which every bartender is required to check. And before you say it - I know, I know, your parents or their friends are going to get you the drinks. I am just trying to tell you that showing your fake id in the event you are asked will not fly at all. Hope you have a good cruise.

[dolfn11]

I have read that the new RCL alcohol policy is to deny boarding to people caught smuggling alcohol. I am anxious to hear if anyone has witnessed this. The new policy was to go into effect as of 7/28. Not sure if this is a scare tactic or if they really mean business.

 

I am on EOS 8/28 and I'm anxious to hear what the real situation is.....by the way, I am going out of Bayonne. Anyone??

 

Thanks,

Sharon

[NYDee]

What about the drunk teenagers who throw deck chairs overboard and destroy art work and other things on the ship. I am sure this has been costly to RCI and this, as well as other events the company has been sued over were considered.

[superjerryw]

Sounds like a scare tactic to me. If they denied anyone boarding they would likely end up being sued by the passengers to get their money back. The only way to avoid getting sued would be to deny boarding and give the passengers a refund right then and there. This would just result in the ship sailing with an empty cabin that generated no revenue.

[CaesarsNcruisin4me]

RCI is not a democracy, it is a business, and also has a responsibility to its stock holders. It is absolutely within their rights to set and enforce policies that protect the company, its employees and its stockholders.

 

The "other lines" do not serve alcohol to those under 21 so actually, RCI is now in line with everyone else, not out of step as you imply.

 

As for smuggling, I have personally never done it. I used to bring my own wine and pay the corkage but now cannot. I am not going to rant and rave about it. I will simply spend my vacation dollar on a line that allows me to do so, as I have in the past.

 

Frankly, what drove me away from RCI is the fact that in the past, they choose to ignore their own rules and policies. If they get back on track, I may just reconsider as will others like me.

I disagree with you. Yes, I realize it is a business and not a democracy.:rolleyes: I simply stated MY opinion! Personal beliefs often come into business decisions and can influence how decisions for a company are made. I also did not imply that RCI is not within their rights to make their own policies....I simply stated that IMO it was the right wingers within the company with the power to make the rules that implemented these changes. I did not say or imply that RCI was out of step with other cruiselines on the drinking age, but said that people may choose other cruiselines do to the "new" rules. BTW, I was talking about the "new" rules in general. Most other cruiselines allow you to bring bottles of wine onboard. Personally, I am not impressed with the selection of wines available on RCI and was told when I booked that I could bring two bottles of wine onboard with a $12 corkage fee. You are now no longer able to do this! I'm sure that there are plenty of people that may choose other cruiselines due to this "new" policy. BTW, not all cruiselines is the drinking age 21! Many people have booked their cruises when the "old" rules were in place and may change to other lines due to the "new" rules. Also many people may show up at the ports not knowing about the "new" rules as RCI did not do a good job at alerting people already booked on their policy changes! It will be interesting to see what happens!:)

 

Sandie

[rcicruiser]

It amazes me with all the problems with people being drunk onboard and fallen over that people still get upset if the cruiseline takes away their booze. If people took responsibility for their actions then the rest of us would not have to suffer. We could still bring our favorite drink onboard and act resonsiable. We have the George Smith's and that 21 year old Daniel who fell off the Mariner.

[Angie77]

What about wine that is being checked on embarkation? We were told that we could bring wines/champagne that is not on their wine list and just pay a corkage fee.

 

Anyone with experience on this? Hopefully the policy has not changed because we sail this Sunday - the 6th - and I am bringing my wine!

[CaesarsNcruisin4me]

What about the drunk teenagers who throw deck chairs overboard and destroy art work and other things on the ship. I am sure this has been costly to RCI and this, as well as other events the company has been sued over were considered.

 

What about the drunk adults that do this as well?:confused: We are talking about 18-20 year olds not teenagers. In Canada, 18 and 19 is the legal drinking age and anyone over the age of 18 is considered an adult by our laws.

 

Sandie

[wraithe]

Like superjerryw said, it isn't likely they will deny boarding unless you do something silly like get belligerent with them when confronted. The information that I read says to the effect of, up to and including denial of boarding, that's like saying up to half off. Zero falls into the range of up to half off. They can do anything from, hold your smuggled booze until the end of the cruise, and give it back to you. Throw it away (dispose of it) when it's blatant you're trying to smuggle by putting it in mouthwash bottles and such, or if you get loud and belligerent, deny boarding, or put you off at the next port. It's their call and each ship will probably have its own interpretation of the rules. It will be interesting to see, there's no doubt about that. I for one, hope they enforce the policy with some uniformity, so there are fewer questions.

[Borat]

What about the drunk adults that do this as well?:confused: We are talking about 18-20 year olds not teenagers. In Canada, 18 and 19 is the legal drinking age and anyone over the age of 18 is considered an adult by our laws.

 

Sandie

 

very good point...i agree with you and i like the way you think.

[caviargal]

I disagree with you. Yes, I realize it is a business and not a democracy.:rolleyes: I simply stated MY opinion! Personal beliefs often come into business decisions and can influence how decisions for a company are made. I also did not imply that RCI is not within their rights to make their own policies....I simply stated that IMO it was the right wingers within the company with the power to make the rules that implemented these changes. I did say or imply that RCI was out of step with other cruiselines on the drinking age, but said that people may choose other cruiselines do to the "new" rules. BTW, I was talking about the "new" rules in general. Most other cruiselines allow you to bring bottles of wine onboard. Personally, I am not impressed with the selection of wines available on RCI and was told when I booked that I could bring two bottles of wine onboard with a $12 corkage fee. You are now no longer able to do this! I'm sure that there are plenty of people that may choose other cruiselines due to this "new" policy. BTW, not all cruiselines is the drinking age 21! Many people have booked their cruises when the "old" rules were in place and may change to other lines due to the "new" rules. Also many people may show up at the ports not knowing about the "new" rules as RCI did not do a good job at alerting people already booked on their policy changes! It will be interesting to see what happens!:)

 

Sandie

 

I like the new rules in general, and hope they are enforced. I also hope that RCI decides to actually some of the old rules which have been inconsistently enforced in the past.

 

I am taking my 19YO nephew and his best friend with me on RCI this month. They originally were looking forward to a few CoCoLocos but now that has changed. And I will not be buying any for them. Whether they like it or not is really irrelevant IMO and I will not encourage them to break the rules.

 

I also prefer fine wines and am not fond of RCI's wine list nor their excessive markup. I am onboard SOS in 2 weeks and had three lovely bottles to bring aboard that I now will not be taking. Instead, I will pay dearly to enjoy something drinkable on board. :mad:

 

While I am not happy about the wine decision, it is part of the package and IMO a small price to pay if indeed the other rules are enforced.

 

For my money, I do not cruise with RCI for pleasure for several reasons, and a lousy wine list with excessive mark ups happens to be one of them. We all can only vote with our $$$ and that is what I personally have chosen to do.

[BearySweet2Cruise]

We sailed on July 27th and DD had no probl;em with the waiver and was served with no porblem as well. though she is 18, she never was asked for ID, just her sea pass card which showed the waiver on file. She only drank 2-3 a day and never was drunk on the ship.. she mainly had one on pool deck, one at dinner and one in the cabin. all was well. We packed alcohol in checked luggage and nothing had a problem what so ever getting to the cabin. Though we did buy drinks on board, it was nice to have them for the cabin.

Happy sailing to all.. :)

[PhoenixCruiser]

We sailed on July 27th and DD had no probl;em with the waiver and was served with no porblem as well. though she is 18, she never was asked for ID, just her sea pass card which showed the waiver on file. She only drank 2-3 a day and never was drunk on the ship.. she mainly had one on pool deck, one at dinner and one in the cabin. all was well. We packed alcohol in checked luggage and nothing had a problem what so ever getting to the cabin. Though we did buy drinks on board, it was nice to have them for the cabin.

Happy sailing to all.. :)

 

That is because the policy didn't start UNTIL the 28th, they are not going to change their policies during a cruise.

 

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[Borat]

That is because the policy didn't start UNTIL the 28th, they are not going to change their policies during a cruise.

 

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i dont understand that though..i mean if your ship leaves at 5PM on the 27th, its just too darn early to start the policy? what does 7 hours really mean?

[wraithe]

i dont understand that though..i mean if your ship leaves at 5PM on the 27th, its just too darn early to start the policy? what does 7 hours really mean?

 

If the policy is set to begin at 00:01 a.m. on the 28th of July, then the rules in place up to that point would be the rules followed until the new policy goes into effect, and for the duration of the cruise that started before that point. Just as the rule is, your age at the beginning of the cruise is your age for the cruise. If you turn 21 seven hours after the cruise starts, it doesn't matter, you're 20 for the duration of the cruise. I think that, more than anything else that establishes the meaning of 7 hours to someone who is affected.

[seamama1]

Sounds like a scare tactic to me. If they denied anyone boarding they would likely end up being sued by the passengers to get their money back. The only way to avoid getting sued would be to deny boarding and give the passengers a refund right then and there. This would just result in the ship sailing with an empty cabin that generated no revenue.

 

You're wrong, guy! All of the rules are clearly posted in terms and conditions of carriage. In addition, I am more than sure that they have very visible signage at the port. There is nothing to sue for. If you know you are not supposed to bring booze on board or buy underage passengers alcohol and you do it anyway, it's all on you.

 

And refunds? Fergit it! Do you really think these people would be rewarded for their stupidity? Not very likely.:rolleyes:

 

Rational people must know that these cruiselines have their bases covered; that before they instituted their new (and welcomed) rules, they cleared all the legal issues. The only losers in this whole matter will be the dummies who think they can get away with what they darned well feel like doing. :cool:

[seamama1]

What about wine that is being checked on embarkation? We were told that we could bring wines/champagne that is not on their wine list and just pay a corkage fee.

 

Anyone with experience on this? Hopefully the policy has not changed because we sail this Sunday - the 6th - and I am bringing my wine!

 

According to their policy that went into effect July 28, the answer is no. No beverages of any kind allowed to be boarded.

[Borat]

According to their policy that went into effect July 28, the answer is no. No beverages of any kind allowed to be boarded.

 

royal caribbean is known for not enforcing their policies...theres no reason to believe any of this until someone comes back with a story.

 

do you really believe someone will come back with a post saying "i got kicked off for having alcohol in my suitcase"...answer that honestly

[aearly]

To the OP:

 

This is nothing more than a rumor. RCCL contiues to offer Beer and Wine to teens 18-20 when a waiver is signed by the legal parent or guardian only.

[Cruise Junky]

OMG, I can't believe the self righteous people posting on this thread....Oh I would never break a rule....etc. Pullleaase.

 

In Canada you are an adult at 19, some Provinces 18. In Europe, children are brought up on wine..why is it the US probably has one of the worst cases of underage drinking and they preach like it's toxic?

 

So you guys who...OMG would never allow their children under the age of 21 to have a beer, but hell it's ok, you go fight for your country at 19, feel ok with this? that's insane.

 

Frankly I'm getting sick of cruiselines treating me like a child. After this inane policy, I will never cruise RCI again and are starting to look at land trips as a great alternative to inane rules.

 

Do you know that 7 states still classify Co-habitation as Illegal? should we start checking all the "Rule Books" before hubby wants to try something new?

[droseball]

Where is the person that always puts the dead horse on one of these threads? This is all starting to sound very familiar....

 

Denise :)