Questions about drinking ages...

[Kaybeezy13]

Okay, so I will be 20 years old when we sail out for the 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy. I understand while on the boat the drinking age is still 21, and while with guides on the island excursions the age is 21 as well (even thought the island age is 18). My main question is: We were thinking about doing the Afternoon Beach Bash in St. Maarten to go to Orient Beach. We'll be travelling with 3 under 21 year olds (that are above the leagal 18 year drinking age). Assuming there are restaurants and bars on the beach, will the 18-21 year olds be able to buy alcoholic drinks through the local restaurants and bars as long as its not through the Disney cast members?

I hope that made sense. TIA!

 

[brianvdb]

Wow.

The legal drinking age on St Maartin (both sides) is 18. Although Disney has a corporate policy not to serve alcohol to those under 21, you're unlikely to face reluctance from the locals. Have fun and be safe.

 

[Minniemiss]

Okay, so I will be 20 years old when we sail out for the 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy. I understand while on the boat the drinking age is still 21, and while with guides on the island excursions the age is 21 as well (even thought the island age is 18). My main question is: We were thinking about doing the Afternoon Beach Bash in St. Maarten to go to Orient Beach. We'll be travelling with 3 under 21 year olds (that are above the leagal 18 year drinking age). Assuming there are restaurants and bars on the beach, will the 18-21 year olds be able to buy alcoholic drinks through the local restaurants and bars as long as its not through the Disney cast members?

I hope that made sense. TIA!

Yes, you will be able to,order drinks. Keep this in mind.
Twice when returning to the ship after excursions we have seen the DCL security with inebiriated underage passengers. They said they would keep them at the checkpoint until the adult they were traveling with could be located to escort them back onto the ship and be responsible for their safety.

 

[TinaRN]

Not to hijack your post, but I have a similar question. I know they can't order it, but can we purchase alcoholic drinks for our 20 yr old children on the cruise?

 

[1025cruise]

Not to hijack your post, but I have a similar question. I know they can't order it, but can we purchase alcoholic drinks for our 20 yr old children on the cruise?

No. If they see you doing so, you risk being offloaded at the next port, finding your own way home.

 

[Zandy595]

Bear3412, I'm not quite sure what your post was all about...

Not to hijack your post, but I have a similar question. I know they can't order it, but can we purchase alcoholic drinks for our 20 yr old children on the cruise?

I'm not sure how to read the quote below. Does this mean only European citizens can do this?

In recognition of the expectations of our multi-national guests, for roundtrip cruises departing from European countries, where the legal drinking age is lower than 21, a parent or guardian who is sailing with his or her son(s) and/or daughter(s) and/or ward(s) who is between the ages of 18 and 20, may sign a beverage consent form allowing the 18 to 20 year old to purchase alcoholic beverages while in their presence onboard. Parents or guardians may complete the beverage consent form in the Guest Ticket Booklet or inquire about the consent form at check-in. Please note: The 18 to 20 year old must comply with all laws and Disney Cruise Line policies related to the consumption and distribution of alcohol in Europe, including among other things, agreeing to not provide alcoholic beverages to any other person, regardless of age. This policy is subject to change without notice.

 

[Gigi22]

Not to hijack your post, but I have a similar question. I know they can't order it, but can we purchase alcoholic drinks for our 20 yr old children on the cruise?

You may purchase alcohol for your underage children if you are on a cruise itinerary that both starts and ends in Europe, and you have signed DCL's authorization paperwork. If I understand correctly, this provision is to enable DCL to offer cruises to European-based travellers on an equal footing with other cruise lines. You should certainly expect to be held responsible by DCL for any damages or misbehaviour of underaged, but authorized (by you), drinkers.

 

[Freesia123]

You didn't deserve such a snarky answer. If you've been the legal drinking age for two years, it's normal to want a drink. Make sure you follow the lical laws, and if you want a drink onboard, keep it to your personal cabin.

 

[MillauFr]

Wow, that was quite an answer. Way to make someone feel welcome. People are able to consume a drink or two with becoming stupid even if they haven't hit the magical age of 21. If the country a person is visiting has a legal drinking age of 18 no one there will care if an 18 year old wants a drink.

Ditto. I would have no problem at all if I had an 18 yo daughter that wanted to go have a few drinks in port with friends.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

Okay, so I will be 20 years old when we sail out for the 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy. I understand while on the boat the drinking age is still 21, and while with guides on the island excursions the age is 21 as well (even thought the island age is 18). My main question is: We were thinking about doing the Afternoon Beach Bash in St. Maarten to go to Orient Beach. We'll be travelling with 3 under 21 year olds (that are above the leagal 18 year drinking age). Assuming there are restaurants and bars on the beach, will the 18-21 year olds be able to buy alcoholic drinks through the local restaurants and bars as long as its not through the Disney cast members?

I hope that made sense. TIA!

You may be able to buy it, but...are you traveling with parents that could take responsibility should a problem arise? As a parent, I would not want my child (even though 20 is a young adult) going off and drinking at a "beach bash" in a foreign country. Just my opinion.

 

[jodifla]

I have friends who bring their 18 year olds on other cruise lines. Yes, the kids drink when they are on the islands when they buy from people on the island. No laws are broken, because it's LEGAL to drink at 18 in those countries.


Despite a PP post, none of those kids ended up in jail -- even the ones that got drunk.

 

[Chelley00]

We bought our then 19 year old son a drink on our cruise stop in St Maarten. He was of legal drinking age in that country so I had no problems with it.

I would have never bought him alcohol on the ship because the legal drinking age on the ship we were on was 21 because it began and ended in the US.

 

[Magic Fanatic]

No. If they see you doing so, you risk being offloaded at the next port, finding your own way home.

I would like to hear one example of a family being offloaded because of this. Seems unlikely.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I would like to hear one example of a family being offloaded because of this. Seems unlikely.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1429396

 

[1025cruise]

I would like to hear one example of a family being offloaded because of this. Seems unlikely.

While it might seem unlikely, it is definitely in DCL's contract to do so.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

While it might seem unlikely, it is definitely in DCL's contract to do so.

And I certainly wouldn't want to be the one to "test" whether I'd be removed from the ship or not.

 

[SnowWhite2]

Kaybeezy13 - Don't worry about drinking off-shore where the drinking age is 18.

Another tip - learned from my 16yo DD the hard way - if DCL is serving alcoholic drinks via a tray and they are free (such as the captains welcome aboard reception, CC reception, DVC reception, or NYE) you are free to grab any drink off of the tray. No one will card you. Have as many as you like. If you get fall down drunk and the officers see you, they will send you to medical. They won't throw you off the ship.

It used to be at the nightclub after 11 pm the cruise staff would have a "dance" competition and give out free shots to those who were dancing and having a good time. Most of the people were the 18-21 College club group. The last cruise I only stayed up once and they were giving out spa passes instead of alcohol so that practice may have stopped.

These are just examples to show that parents can't rely on DCL employees not to serve alcohol to minors. They might make the rules but I guess they don't always need to follow them.

 

[SuperDry]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1429396

That was a different situation. In that situation, the underage kids were walking around drunk in public areas of the ship. The OP was asking about consumption of alcohol, not being drunk. Also, the story referred to underage drinkers - the OP was not (in the jurisdiction where this would take place). To compare the two situations is very disingenuous.

Also, as to the question of serving alcohol to those under 21 while on board, that's a reasonable question even for those cruises that depart the US. Although the US has a uniform drinking age of 21, specifics of the laws vary widely by state. Some states allow in-home consumption when served by a parent. Some even allow a bar or restaurant to serve an underage person alcohol as long as a parent is present. Especially for those guests that come from one of those states, it's a very reasonable question to ask. It might even be an expectation if they haven't traveled outside their state much and don't realize that not all states are like that.

 

[bumbershoot]

...because obviously if someone under 21 ever has a glass of wine or a beer, they lose all control.

An acquaintance in high school firmly believed that there was a "switch in the brain" that was off until you turned 21. Then it turned on, and you could handle alcohol.

That was a different situation. In that situation, the underage kids were walking around drunk in public areas of the ship. The OP was asking about consumption of alcohol, not being drunk. Also, the story referred to underage drinkers - the OP was not (in the jurisdiction where this would take place). To compare the two situations is very disingenuous.

Also, as to the question of serving alcohol to those under 21 while on board, that's a reasonable question even for those cruises that depart the US. Although the US has a uniform drinking age of 21, specifics of the laws vary widely by state. Some states allow in-home consumption when served by a parent. Some even allow a bar or restaurant to serve an underage person alcohol as long as a parent is present. Especially for those guests that come from one of those states, it's a very reasonable question to ask. It might even be an expectation if they haven't traveled outside their state much and don't realize that not all states are like that.

PrincessSchmoo wasn't responding to the OP. She was responding to:

"I would like to hear one example of a family being offloaded because of this. Seems unlikely."

Which was responding to:

" No. If they see you doing so, you risk being offloaded at the next port, finding your own way home."

Which was in reference to:

"I know they can't order it, but can we purchase alcoholic drinks for our 20 yr old children on the cruise?"


Really had nothing to do with the OP's Orient Beach question, and the whole thing answered about buying alcohol for under-21s (when not on a round trip European cruise).

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

When we went on a Med cruise, DCL did not allow my son to have any alcohol. I would have let him, because when we go to visit our cousins in another country, he drinks with them, so I do not see anything wrong with it. However, since DCL told me they did not allow it, we respected the rules.