Alcohol and 19 year old

[wilkeliza]

So how about those of us that live in states where we the parent can buy our child a drink in a bar, that is our expectation, why would we think any different? To be honest I thought that was the global law, it is all I have known for over 30 years.

If my kid had wanted a drink, she isn't interested which I think is a good thing, I wouldn't have thought twice about getting if for her, and based on how and where I grew up I wouldn't have thought I was doing anything wrong, or thought I had to check DCLs policy for.

Actually to be a bit snarky the policy in red would prohibit me from buying my wife a drink, that is very poorly worded, or done that way to give them an out if they want to bust people that they feel are drinking too much.

I imagine you would get a warning but in states where adults can not serve minors some officers won't care what your state's or country's law is theyll still issue the ticket. On a cruise since it isn't illegal when in international seas just policy it would probably just be a warning.

 

[cgolf]

I imagine you would get a warning but in states where adults can not serve minors some officers won't care what your state's or country's law is they'all still issue the ticket. On a cruise since it isn't illegal when in international seas just policy it would probably just be a warning.

Doing very quick google search, it seems our state has different laws than elsewhere, but I totally can see how confusing it could be especially for international travelers where their drinking ages are generally lower than the states. I would guess there would be a warning too, especially since DCL doesn't make this policy widely known, yes it is written, but who reads those

As far as the cops and writing tickets, I am guessing it depends on the cop, I have been let off with a warning for speeding a few times, but got a 400+ ticket for passing on the right on a two lane road when someone was turning left, 2 tires on the road and 2 on shoulder, a law nobody knows exists and other cops thought this guy was a jerk for giving me the ticket instead of a warning. To be honest, we have all witnessed that same behavior on DCL, some CMs enforce the rules and far too many let people do what they want to keep them happy.

 

[TXDCLfan]

PrincessShmoo said they could be jailed for serving a minor. That is incorrect. And no, Disney policies are not laws.

EXACTLY

 

[bumbershoot]

So how about those of us that live in states where we the parent can buy our child a drink in a bar, that is our expectation, why would we think any different? To be honest I thought that was the global law, it is all I have known for over 30 years.

Where do you live???

Haven't you noticed in your travels that some states allow kids to belly right up to the bar (like at WDW), while others have them sit away from the bar area (like at Disneyland), and others have different differences? And some areas, like New Orleans, allow you to walk around city streets with booze! That is a hint that different states have differences in the fine print on the drinking laws.

 

[Savikins]

We were on the Magic in April and I actually could not believe how easy it was for the 19 year old I was with to drink on board! We used my card for all the purchases and she was right next to me while I ordered the 6 beer package and she'd instantly drink one. At one time she even took my card and went up to the bar herself.

By the 3rd night I figured they really didn't care who drank or not which is why I let her use my card.

Not trying to start a fight, but tbh, nothing bad generally happens to underage people (esp if they're 18-20) caught drinking on ships. I've never once heard of anyone being arrested for it in my personal experience. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen but likely it won't. Lots of people look ambiguous in terms of age when they're 18-20 so it's not crazy to hear of them being served.

 

[Dug720]

Not trying to start a fight, but tbh, nothing bad generally happens to underage people (esp if they're 18-20) caught drinking on ships. I've never once heard of anyone being arrested for it in my personal experience. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen but likely it won't. Lots of people look ambiguous in terms of age when they're 18-20 so it's not crazy to hear of them being served.

Except the card clearly indicates if they are under 21, so by serving an 18-20 year old (or younger) a server is risking his/her job should a supervisor catch them - or should there be random stings which given the information is out there that they are being served could well happen.

 

[cgolf]

Where do you live???

Haven't you noticed in your travels that some states allow kids to belly right up to the bar (like at WDW), while others have them sit away from the bar area (like at Disneyland), and others have different differences? And some areas, like New Orleans, allow you to walk around city streets with booze! That is a hint that different states have differences in the fine print on the drinking laws.

When we travel on land we actually don't go out to any bars, so no I wouldn't have noticed. Actually even at home the only reason we go out to a bar is to eat, not to drink, I hate paying the inflated bar prices, I was a beer delivery guy for a few years when I was younger, so I know the crazy markup. When I am using up my obc to pay for a drink I am ok with it.

 

[steves100]

As noted, you were lucky. You could have been removed from the ship, at best. Or actually jailed for providing alcohol to a minor.

I would suggest you not boast about breaking the law on a public forum.

You of course realize there is NOTHING illegal about serving alcohol in your home to your child. There may be if they get drunk though....

 

[DMMarla07860]

Not trying to start a fight, but tbh, nothing bad generally happens to underage people (esp if they're 18-20) caught drinking on ships. I've never once heard of anyone being arrested for it in my personal experience. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen but likely it won't. Lots of people look ambiguous in terms of age when they're 18-20 so it's not crazy to hear of them being served.

worst thing I've seen happen was a guy getting kicked out of the night club the last two nights because he was caught underage, this was back in 2009 on Magic. I know the full story since he and his brother hung out with our group of 18-21 year olds.

 

[tink1970]

I'm not a lawyer, but again, even serving alcohol to minors in one's own home is state dependent. In Florida, this, too is illegal...and any parent who provides alcohol can be charged. We have a billboard campaign in our city reminding parents (and children) of this. So it's important to know the policies where you live.

 

[CurtisB]

Please note:

• All Guests must comply with all laws and Disney Cruise Line policies related to the consumption and distribution of alcohol. In particular, Guests are prohibited from providing alcoholic beverages to any other person, regardless of age.

Just wanting clarification, so technically I shouldn't be able to go to a bar and order a drink for my husband too?

 

[lanejudy]

Just wanting clarification, so technically I shouldn't be able to go to a bar and order a drink for my husband too?

Technically, yes, the bartender can impose a 1-drink per person and require your husband to be there to receive his beverage. I've seen this in land-based venues in various states. It's up to the bartender and/or management how they enforce such rules. We don't frequent the bars on DCL so I haven't paid attention to how strict they get, but it is within their authority to do so.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Doing very quick google search, it seems our state has different laws than elsewhere, but I totally can see how confusing it could be especially for international travelers where their drinking ages are generally lower than the states. I would guess there would be a warning too, especially since DCL doesn't make this policy widely known, yes it is written, but who reads those

As far as the cops and writing tickets, I am guessing it depends on the cop, I have been let off with a warning for speeding a few times, but got a 400+ ticket for passing on the right on a two lane road when someone was turning left, 2 tires on the road and 2 on shoulder, a law nobody knows exists and other cops thought this guy was a jerk for giving me the ticket instead of a warning. To be honest, we have all witnessed that same behavior on DCL, some CMs enforce the rules and far too many let people do what they want to keep them happy.

Where do you live???

Haven't you noticed in your travels that some states allow kids to belly right up to the bar (like at WDW), while others have them sit away from the bar area (like at Disneyland), and others have different differences? And some areas, like New Orleans, allow you to walk around city streets with booze! That is a hint that different states have differences in the fine print on the drinking laws.

My guess is @cgolf lives in Texas.

In Texas anyone under 21 cannot be served alcohol in a restaurant, bar, or anywhere public or private by anyone other than a parent, guardian, or spouse. Note the "or spouse". I was 19 & my husband was 21 when we got married. While eating at a Mexican restaurant in Texas when I was 19/20 my husband bought pitchers of margaritas and he legally served them to me. We have in the past purchased beer, liquor, etc. and served it to our sons in our home. Mostly it's best to ask the servers what the business's policies are. Many frown upon anyone serving under 21s nowadays. We use that approach on ships and in foreign ports. We ask the servers what the policies or laws are. Foreign ports are fun because we get a lot of surprised looks or laughs at our questions. DCL follows the more conservative US guidelines of 21 or older I think more for the benefit of adult passengers not having a conniption over what they deem appropriate. Most of the world deems an adult is an adult. 18 is an adult. It's the US that sees 18-21s as only sorta-kinda adults.

 

[cgolf]

My guess is @cgolf lives in Texas.

In Texas anyone under 21 cannot be served alcohol in a restaurant, bar, or anywhere public or private by anyone other than a parent, guardian, or spouse. Note the "or spouse". I was 19 & my husband was 21 when we got married. While eating at a Mexican restaurant in Texas when I was 19/20 my husband bought pitchers of margaritas and he legally served them to me. We have in the past purchased beer, liquor, etc. and served it to our sons in our home. Mostly it's best to ask the servers what the business's policies are. Many frown upon anyone serving under 21s nowadays. We use that approach on ships and in foreign ports. We ask the servers what the policies or laws are. Foreign ports are fun because we get a lot of surprised looks or laughs at our questions. DCL follows the more conservative US guidelines of 21 or older I think more for the benefit of adult passengers not having a conniption over what they deem appropriate. Most of the world deems an adult is an adult. 18 is an adult. It's the US that sees 18-21s as only sorta-kinda adults.

Actually in the midwest My daughter so far has made this easy on us by not wanting to drink at all, in a year and a half it will be a non issue for us anyways.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Actually in the midwest My daughter so far has made this easy on us by not wanting to drink at all, in a year and a half it will be a non issue for us anyways.

Gotcha.

My youngest doesn't care so much about drinking. My oldest likes to drink dark ales and some cocktails. On DCL, well, what goes on behind our closed doors happened. I will say the worst drunk he has ever been occurred on a Disney ship when a 24 yo in the 18*21 group was trying to get rid of a bottle of Patron. Painful lesson for my son. Thankfully his brother came to get me. I'm pretty sure that was a mild alcohol poisoning. I've never seen anyone go through that. When he was supervised we never had a problem because we could guide him. On NCL when our boys could both go to bars and be served beer without us we had zero issues. It's when they are sneaking that bad stuff happens. Like you, non-issue in just a few short months.

 

[cgolf]

Gotcha.

My youngest doesn't care so much about drinking. My oldest likes to drink dark ales and some cocktails. On DCL, well, what goes on behind our closed doors happened. I will say the worst drunk he has ever been occurred on a Disney ship when a 24 yo in the 18*21 group was trying to get rid of a bottle of Patron. Painful lesson for my son. Thankfully his brother came to get me. I'm pretty sure that was a mild alcohol poisoning. I've never seen anyone go through that. When he was supervised we never had a problem because we could guide him. On NCL when our boys could both go to bars and be served beer without us we had zero issues. It's when they are sneaking that bad stuff happens. Like you, non-issue in just a few short months.

That is one of my worst fears now that she is away at college, that she goes to a party and drinks for the first time, scary being a parent some times.

I am curious though now how DCL would handle it, she will be 20 when we go back on DCL in 2018, almost want to test the waters now I have seen the lifeguards act very confrontational with guests acting out of line, very different than normal CMs and refreshing to see, wonder how the bar tenders would handle it?

Not sure why I am being so silly about my location, guess I just want to stay away from the beer and cheese jokes

 

[sweetpee_1993]

That is one of my worst fears now that she is away at college, that she goes to a party and drinks for the first time, scary being a parent some times.

I am curious though now how DCL would handle it, she will be 20 when we go back on DCL in 2018, almost want to test the waters now I have seen the lifeguards act very confrontational with guests acting out of line, very different than normal CMs and refreshing to see, wonder how the bar tenders would handle it?

Not sure why I am being so silly about my location, guess I just want to stay away from the beer and cheese jokes

Well, when my then-19-yro got completely out of his mind drunk he was with friends. Drinking in a stateroom. They went to nightclubs after. To my knowledge no CM ever said a word to him. A couple friends in his group went to get my younger son (then 17-yro) from Vibe. My younger son + the 2 friends were trying to get him back to the stateroom when he puked in a garbage can by the deck 8 elevators then collapsed on the floor. Older son is a very big guy. They couldn't get him up. That's when my younger son came to get me. I found my kid sprawled out spread-eagle in front of the elevators. It was about 1 am. Still no CMs around but I did see cameras so I rallied the kids to get moving. We used a ship's wheelchair, loaded him up, and carted him to our room. He was awake but barely. Hubby & I kept him safely upright in the bathroom for several hours giving him water. He was very sick. Kept him quiet. I almost called medical when he turned ice-cold & started shaking really bad. His breathing never faltered and he was still semi-conscious. We watched his vitals carefully. The next day when we debarked for home he was still pretty thoroughly pickled but acting mostly normal. The whole thing scared me. In his state I'm sure had a CM found him they would've taken him to medical. Not sure what consequences from there. As it stands, yes, there were consequences with US for numerous reasons. As far as the crew, he got lucky.

 

[Savikins]

Except the card clearly indicates if they are under 21, so by serving an 18-20 year old (or younger) a server is risking his/her job should a supervisor catch them - or should there be random stings which given the information is out there that they are being served could well happen.

You're 100% correct. It's risky, for sure, and I can't imagine it happens that often for the reasons you mentioned. However, if they only scan one person's card and that person is over 21 when buying drinks, and the under 21 looks 21+, it's totally possible.

My fiancé was only 20 when we were on our cruise in January and while he never bought any drinks, he never got carded or questioned when they were handing out free drinks during Anyone Can Cook and the DVC presentations. To be honest, he doesn't even look very old and gets mistaken for being a teenager sometimes, so I was surprised.

Well, when my then-19-yro got completely out of his mind drunk he was with friends. Drinking in a stateroom. They went to nightclubs after. To my knowledge no CM ever said a word to him. A couple friends in his group went to get my younger son (then 17-yro) from Vibe. My younger son + the 2 friends were trying to get him back to the stateroom when he puked in a garbage can by the deck 8 elevators then collapsed on the floor. Older son is a very big guy. They couldn't get him up. That's when my younger son came to get me. I found my kid sprawled out spread-eagle in front of the elevators. It was about 1 am. Still no CMs around but I did see cameras so I rallied the kids to get moving. We used a ship's wheelchair, loaded him up, and carted him to our room. He was awake but barely. Hubby & I kept him safely upright in the bathroom for several hours giving him water. He was very sick. Kept him quiet. I almost called medical when he turned ice-cold & started shaking really bad. His breathing never faltered and he was still semi-conscious. We watched his vitals carefully. The next day when we debarked for home he was still pretty thoroughly pickled but acting mostly normal. The whole thing scared me. In his state I'm sure had a CM found him they would've taken him to medical. Not sure what consequences from there. As it stands, yes, there were consequences with US for numerous reasons. As far as the crew, he got lucky.

This sounds very much like what happened to me in Cozumel when I was 18. First time I was "allowed" to drink and I went overboard, big time. I was with my fiancé's family, not mine, and let's just say his family is not made up of "nurturers" or "worriers" in any sense of those words and I wish I'd been with my mom or someone like you to monitor my condition. My now fiancé, he's a bit younger than me, was freshly 18 and he really had no idea how to stop or control my ridiculously pushy self from going overboard (he now knows how to do so, I'm happy to say, haha). That, and we were allowed to wander Cozumel by ourselves...

I don't even remember getting on the ship. I'm just glad my fiancé wasn't drunk and was watching over me. Apparently some Mexican guy came up and gave him specific instructions in Spanish on how to... pour water over my head or something (we do not speak Spanish). The last thing I remember is leaving Señor Frogs and then nothing until I walked into the cabin and freaked out. I was unbelievably ill all night and most of the next day as well. Also I was the only one awake most of the night and was just crying and freaking out in the bathroom, I thought I was dying. I'm glad your son was okay and I'm also glad I was okay. Alcohol poisoning is serious business.

 

[cgolf]

Well, when my then-19-yro got completely out of his mind drunk he was with friends. Drinking in a stateroom. They went to nightclubs after. To my knowledge no CM ever said a word to him. A couple friends in his group went to get my younger son (then 17-yro) from Vibe. My younger son + the 2 friends were trying to get him back to the stateroom when he puked in a garbage can by the deck 8 elevators then collapsed on the floor. Older son is a very big guy. They couldn't get him up. That's when my younger son came to get me. I found my kid sprawled out spread-eagle in front of the elevators. It was about 1 am. Still no CMs around but I did see cameras so I rallied the kids to get moving. We used a ship's wheelchair, loaded him up, and carted him to our room. He was awake but barely. Hubby & I kept him safely upright in the bathroom for several hours giving him water. He was very sick. Kept him quiet. I almost called medical when he turned ice-cold & started shaking really bad. His breathing never faltered and he was still semi-conscious. We watched his vitals carefully. The next day when we debarked for home he was still pretty thoroughly pickled but acting mostly normal. The whole thing scared me. In his state I'm sure had a CM found him they would've taken him to medical. Not sure what consequences from there. As it stands, yes, there were consequences with US for numerous reasons. As far as the crew, he got lucky.

That sounds incredibly scary, thankfully some of his friends and your younger son made some good decisions and you all got him back to the room and everything turned out ok in the end. If I had to guess he has been more careful with his drinking since.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Well, when my then-19-yro got completely out of his mind drunk he was with friends. Drinking in a stateroom. They went to nightclubs after. To my knowledge no CM ever said a word to him. A couple friends in his group went to get my younger son (then 17-yro) from Vibe. My younger son + the 2 friends were trying to get him back to the stateroom when he puked in a garbage can by the deck 8 elevators then collapsed on the floor. Older son is a very big guy. They couldn't get him up. That's when my younger son came to get me. I found my kid sprawled out spread-eagle in front of the elevators. It was about 1 am. Still no CMs around but I did see cameras so I rallied the kids to get moving. We used a ship's wheelchair, loaded him up, and carted him to our room. He was awake but barely. Hubby & I kept him safely upright in the bathroom for several hours giving him water. He was very sick. Kept him quiet. I almost called medical when he turned ice-cold & started shaking really bad. His breathing never faltered and he was still semi-conscious. We watched his vitals carefully. The next day when we debarked for home he was still pretty thoroughly pickled but acting mostly normal. The whole thing scared me. In his state I'm sure had a CM found him they would've taken him to medical. Not sure what consequences from there. As it stands, yes, there were consequences with US for numerous reasons. As far as the crew, he got lucky.

Can I ask you, did he learn to respect alcohol from that? I would think that, at least, he would never want to experience that again. What about your younger son? I ask, because as a mother, I worry about my own boys who seem to be of the opinion that the only way to learn a lesson is the hard way.