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Topic: underage drinking

mifox79
First Class Passenger
Member # 703

posted 01-17-2000 12:47 PM

I have a 20 year old daughter who is going on the Grand Princess with me this March. We sailed Celebrity's "Mercury" last year and do to their odd rules, she was able to drink because she was over 18. It wasn't a pretty site as she proved to everyone she is not yet responsible. I know that the Princess has a 21 over rule, but does anyone know how strictly they enforce this rule? I really don't want a repeat of last year. Thanks

Posts: 24 | From: Boston, MA, US | Registered: Aug 99 | IP: Logged

Patrick
First Class Passenger
Member # 364

posted 01-17-2000 01:38 PM

I´m sorry but I don´t know how strict the rules in the USA are. But you should also remember that Celebrity Cruises is a Greek Line which belongs to a Norwegian owner, so it´s a European Line. And the rules in Europe are that people are considered as adults when they are over 18 years old.
As well the Celebrity ships are all, ecept the Mercury, registerated in Liberia, which means that, after the official Sea-law, the ship is Liberian territory. In case of the Mercury, the ship is Panamaian territory.
You see that there are many ways for non-US lines to get around these American rules.
Anyway I have to say that Celebrity-crew does normally check very well about if somebody is over 18 to get served alcoholic drinks. Already the Celebrity charge card is blue instead of white, to show to the bartender that this person is under 18 years old.
It´s just a different thing than being on US territory - not to say that I don´t accept American rules, I think the age limit of 21 is quite good.

Posts: 1680 | From: OSC Luxembourg | Registered: Nov 98 | IP: Logged

geno-r
First Class Passenger
Member # 931

posted 01-17-2000 03:18 PM

Carnival does a good job enforcing the under 21 rule. But last year my 18 yr old son , got beer no problem on NCL. It's funny you would think it would be the reverse

Posts: 549 | From: Mt. Pocono,Pa. Usa | Registered: Nov 1999 | IP: Logged

CTrail
First Class Passenger
Member # 64

posted 01-17-2000 05:18 PM

I concur with geno-r about Carnival doing a great job. They electronically encode (the black magnetic strip) the cashless onboard cards with the fact that the person is underage and cannot sell or charge alcohol to anyone under the age of 21.

I thought this was a standard practise. Live and learn.

Haveagreattime:-)

Posts: 332 | From: Kitchener, ON Canada | Registered: Apr 99 | IP: Logged

Green
First Class Passenger
Member # 171

posted 01-17-2000 09:20 PM

mifox79 - Everyone deserves a second chance. I'm sure your daughter has learned her lesson and will, this trip, live by the rules with just a little supervision.

Happy cruisin'

Posts: 2913 | From: Markham, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

Paddy
First Class Passenger
Member # 357

posted 01-18-2000 01:50 PM

In the UK and Ireland anyway the "legal" drinking age is 18, yet it is very easy to drink when under this age. I go to a quite respectable school. But even so, the people aged 14 upwards get "bladdered" as we say in Belfast regularly. I know a 16 year old whose parents have converted their garage so that he and his friends can have a safe environment to drink themselves stupid, instead of going to the nearby forest as most teens here do and where they are exposed to devil worshipers(don't ask!),and where in thisummer a man died in suspicious circumstances... Kids can walk into a liquor store and buy enough alcohol to fuel every car in America.
You ar probably thinking what is he on about. But what I am trying to say is that generally kids will do what they want to do: drink sex smoke or drugs. The only way to stop them on cruises is to do what carnival do: make it impossible to buy drink! Ideally, cruise lines should give an option when booking to allow all or some on board accounts to buy liquor... I know some parents are very liberal when it comes to booze etc. In that way, different cultures can follow their own local system (It would be awkward for a european 20 year old to be refused service on an American registered ship)

Posts: 763 | From: Belfast, Ireland | Registered: Aug 99 | IP: Logged

Ascendancy
First Class Passenger
Member # 840

posted 01-18-2000 02:54 PM

I've sailed on Carnival once. Teenagers can drink anywhere. We sat behind some at a dinner show and they were purchasing bottles of champaign with an unlimited amount of glasses. Purhaps the guy buying the champaign may have been 18, but his friends weren't. And no one said anything. They don't question who they are buying the booze for, they don't care. If you want to be a good parent, you will know what's going on with your teenage child.

Posts: 354 | From: Aurora, CO | Registered: Oct 1999 | IP: Logged

AJL
First Class Passenger
Member # 956

posted 01-18-2000 03:34 PM

This is the situation in Finland:
About 60 percent of 13-17 aged have used alcohol. Here has been a really big conversation in media about this. Some of my 15-16 aged friends drink on every friday. Mostly their parents get them alcohol and some of them just wait in front of a liquor store for some "nice" adult to buy them
alcohol(both ways are illegal). I'm sixteen, and I drink about once in a month. But I don't drink so much that I can't keep myself in control, just enough to feel that you have drank something. Then it's nice, otherwise not. It's awful to see when some 12-year-old is vomiting on the street.

Some of my friends go to Viking Line's 20 hour "cruises", and they say that everybody there drink like maniacs. I guess this is the culture in Finland.
A bottle of bear costs approximately 1,2 bucks (0,33 litres/4,7%). I don't know how the prices are in the USA.

Rgds AJL

Posts: 710 | From: Helsinki, Finland (birth place of Nokia + many ships) | Registered: Dec 1999 | IP: Logged

VOYAGER
First Class Passenger
Member # 1016

posted 01-19-2000 12:07 AM

I'm happy to say that Celebrity has changed the drinking age to 21 and it is strictly enforced! Maybe there were enough complaints....

Posts: 24 | From: Wichita KS | Registered: Jan 2000 | IP: Logged

mifox79
First Class Passenger
Member # 703

posted 01-20-2000 12:18 PM

thanks for all the useful input guys, but is there anyone who has had an experience on any of the Princess cruise ships, specifically the one we are going on, the Grand Princess?

Posts: 24 | From: Boston, MA, US | Registered: Aug 99 | IP: Logged

asoowal
First Class Passenger
Member # 485

posted 01-20-2000 12:30 PM

I have 9 days till the Grand!!!
I will inquire and post after. My son is 9, and accompanying us, but, I don't think I will have that problem. We have 3 teens travelling in our group, and I will check it out.

Posts: 68 | From: Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA | Registered: Feb 99 | IP: Logged

mifox79
First Class Passenger
Member # 703

posted 01-21-2000 12:22 PM

Have a great trip asoowal! I have just 56 days till the Grand! I'd appreciate any input you could give me, including all of your "do's and don't s" of the ship.

mifox79

Posts: 24 | From: Boston, MA, US | Registered: Aug 99 | IP: Logged

MagnmPI
First Class Passenger
Member # 299

posted 01-21-2000 02:07 PM

I had a great time on Grand last year. Make sure you carry a pocket map of the ship, it takes longer than normal to find your away around her (at least it did for us =) ). You should find it in your room. If you want to dine at Sabatini's Trattoria, make your reservation early if you want to eat at a decent time. I waited and missed out(I could have reserved an 11:00pm dinner).

The Horizon Court on Lido Deck 14 is the all day buffet dining area. BUT (not sure if they are still doing this) between 7:30pm and 4:00am it turns into the "Bistro", a sit down, order from a menu type restaurant. The menu was from the main dining room, and a gratuity in cash after the meal is suggested. So in my opinion either hit the other alternative dining areas or stick to the main dining room. You can't beat the main dining room service anyways.

Have fun!

Posts: 545 | From: San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: Aug 99 | IP: Logged

hma109
First Class Passenger
Member # 593

posted 01-21-2000 02:07 PM

I was on the Grand last May when I was 22. They didn't card me at the various bars on the ship but I don't know if they have specific cards for those under 21.

Posts: 28 | From: Sinking Spring, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 99 | IP: Logged

MagnmPI
First Class Passenger
Member # 299

posted 01-21-2000 02:33 PM

My kid's cruise card had a hole punched into it. I assumed that meant underage, but it could have meant something else.

Posts: 545 | From: San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: Aug 99 | IP: Logged

Bernard
First Class Passenger
Member # 1038

posted 01-22-2000 02:33 PM

I think that all cruiseships should handle the law of the country that they are registered in.
That way it would be great fun for everybody to sail Holland-america.

Posts: 94 | From: The Netherlands | Registered: Jan 2000 | IP: Logged

geno-r
First Class Passenger
Member # 931

posted 01-22-2000 09:01 PM

Pardon me for being dumb, but why is that? Is there no drinking age in Holland?

Posts: 549 | From: Mt. Pocono,Pa. Usa | Registered: Nov 1999 | IP: Logged

CTrail
First Class Passenger
Member # 64

posted 01-23-2000 09:52 AM

Assoowal, have a great time. Sure wish I was going. It's been minus 18 at nights and minus 15 Celsius in the daytime and with wind chill it's been hovering around minus 35 to minus 45 Celsius (-31 to -49 Farenheit)for the past week with only a slight warming trend in the daytime for the next week. No let up in sight at night.

Have a good one.
Have a warm one.

Nowlet'sallgocruisin'.

Posts: 332 | From: Kitchener, ON Canada | Registered: Apr 99 | IP: Logged

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