Underage Drinking

[thebooler]

Just returned from a week on the Epic which was excellent, to say the least. One of the best holidays I've ever had, and I really couldn't find any faults at all with the ship, the staff, or NCL in general.

Except.......................their reluctance to put a stop to underage drinking aboard their ship!

I spoke with 2 Officers in full view of girls as young as 14 years old drinking cocktails and bottled beers about how this can be, and none of them seemed too bothered about it. One of them even said the staff don't like to upset the guests in case they attract guest complaints, which they can't afford to do!

Now don't get me wrong here. I did this sort thing myself in my younger days, and I'm NOT having a go at the kids. But NCL need to address this problem before it escalates, word spreads, and adults start to avoid the Epic due to this problem.

As I said, the only thing I found wrong throughout the whole week onboard the Epic. But something I feel is seriously wrong.

[computerworks]

...send an e-mail to NCL Corporate and make them aware of your concerns.

[camz]

Were the parents anywhere to be seen? At least, anyone that looked like the parents?

[AttilaTheFun]

I could be wrong, but I thought NCL somehow marked your cruise card if you were underage? Maybe someone of age bought the teenagers drinks? I guess as long as they aren't sloppy messes or throwing up, it wouldn't bother me that much.

[sparks1093]

Originally Posted by AttilaTheFun

I could be wrong, but I thought NCL somehow marked your cruise card if you were underage? Maybe someone of age bought the teenagers drinks? I guess as long as they aren't sloppy messes or throwing up, it wouldn't bother me that much.

Undoubtedly that is how they got it, but the officers' reluctance to enforce the rule is indeed troubling. And NCL clips the corner of the sail and sign card if you are under 21.

[xenagurl]

Norwegian should definitely address it, but that's a serious lack of parenting right there and where 90% of the blame lies.

[che5904]

Originally Posted by xenagurl

Norwegian should definitely address it, but that's a serious lack of parenting right there and where 90% of the blame lies.

Agree with both of these statements.

[gra2172]

Originally Posted by camz

Were the parents anywhere to be seen? At least, anyone that looked like the parents?

Theyre on vacation from parenting.
We try to plan cruises while kids are still in school to avoid just this sort of stuff. Parents who take their kids out of school seem to have more more at stake and want the best vacation vs parents who just go on a summer holiday and are looking for a reason to not care. The latter group dont realize (or care) that they make it rough for everyone who encounters their out of control kids.

Having said that, there are lots of kids with caring parents (probably most of them) on any given cruise. But as the saying goes... one bad apple spoils the basket

[sparks1093]

My parents did a great job raising me and I still managed to sneak a beer every now and then. It's one thing if the parents know, it's another thing if they don't.

[time2cruise1]

Originally Posted by sparks1093

My parents did a great job raising me and I still managed to sneak a beer every now and then. It's one thing if the parents know, it's another thing if they don't.

Exactly. The fact is most drunk underage drinkers are from smuggling. I know if I was 17 again and read this boards I would have rum runners in my bag or sneak some from my parents in the cabin.

Keep in mind the drinking age onboard in Europe is 18. Did the OP check IDs to determine they were really underage or just looked young ?

[SteveH2508]

Do bear in mind that the European attitude to alcohol is VERY different to the US attitude - particularly as regards to age. Many European kids are brought up to respect alcohol and they drink beer and wine from an early age. Just saying...

[francina]

Originally Posted by thebooler

Just returned from a week on the Epic which was excellent, to say the least. One of the best holidays I've ever had, and I really couldn't find any faults at all with the ship, the staff, or NCL in general.

Except.......................their reluctance to put a stop to underage drinking aboard their ship!

I spoke with 2 Officers in full view of girls as young as 14 years old drinking cocktails and bottled beers about how this can be, and none of them seemed too bothered about it. One of them even said the staff don't like to upset the guests in case they attract guest complaints, which they can't afford to do!

Now don't get me wrong here. I did this sort thing myself in my younger days, and I'm NOT having a go at the kids. But NCL need to address this problem before it escalates, word spreads, and adults start to avoid the Epic due to this problem.

As I said, the only thing I found wrong throughout the whole week onboard the Epic. But something I feel is seriously wrong.

Believe it or not; underage drinking is acceptable at sea as long as they have their parents permission. Remember out at sea, I don't think it is consider underage drinking.

[sparks1093]

Originally Posted by francina

Believe it or not; underage drinking is acceptable at sea as long as they have their parents permission. Remember out at sea, I don't think it is consider underage drinking.

Only for 18 and up, it's not allowed for anyone under 18. The OP said they were as young as 14.

[time2cruise1]

Originally Posted by sparks1093

Only for 18 and up, it's not allowed for anyone under 18. The OP said they were as young as 14.

But the OP never checked their IDs. Who knows how old they really were.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

[sparks1093]

Originally Posted by time2cruise1

But the OP never checked their IDs. Who knows how old they really were.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

He was there and saw them. I'm willing to accept that for purposes of debate. The underlying issue is that NCL needs to enforce the drinking age on their ships and I think most of us would agree with that.

[Pokeraddict]

On the Epic January 2011 there was clearly under aged gambling going on and I brought it to the attention of casino mgr on a couple occasions and it was the same kids and apparently when they confronted the father he was quite pissed at the fact that they couldn't gamble and more a less told him to mind his own business.

[palmyrafan]

Originally Posted by thebooler

Just returned from a week on the Epic which was excellent, to say the least. One of the best holidays I've ever had, and I really couldn't find any faults at all with the ship, the staff, or NCL in general.

Except.......................their reluctance to put a stop to underage drinking aboard their ship!

I spoke with 2 Officers in full view of girls as young as 14 years old drinking cocktails and bottled beers about how this can be, and none of them seemed too bothered about it. One of them even said the staff don't like to upset the guests in case they attract guest complaints, which they can't afford to do!

Now don't get me wrong here. I did this sort thing myself in my younger days, and I'm NOT having a go at the kids. But NCL need to address this problem before it escalates, word spreads, and adults start to avoid the Epic due to this problem.

As I said, the only thing I found wrong throughout the whole week onboard the Epic. But something I feel is seriously wrong.

I am sorry to hear this has happened. I am also surprised that they would get served. We thought that the younger crowd had a color coded key that would warn the bartenders and servers of their age and they wouldn't be served. We have also seen people get asked for their I.D. when they looked too young to be served on NCL.

I would send a letter in writing, either email or snail mail to NCL and notify them of what you have seen and who you talked to. Perhaps it isn't NCL's policy and the officers you spoke to didn't want to upset the parents.

Good luck.

[thebooler]

Originally Posted by time2cruise1

Exactly. The fact is most drunk underage drinkers are from smuggling. I know if I was 17 again and read this boards I would have rum runners in my bag or sneak some from my parents in the cabin.

Keep in mind the drinking age onboard in Europe is 18. Did the OP check IDs to determine they were really underage or just looked young ?

If I said they were no older than 14, I'd be giving them the benefit of the doubt.

And if they were 18, why would they need someone else to get them their drinks.

[thebooler]

Originally Posted by francina

Believe it or not; underage drinking is acceptable at sea as long as they have their parents permission. Remember out at sea, I don't think it is consider underage drinking.

Not only is the consumption of alcohol below the age of 18 years illegal, but the supply of alcohol to someone under 18 years is also illegal. Therefore the parents would also be breaking the law.

[SteveH2508]

Originally Posted by SteveH2508

Do bear in mind that the European attitude to alcohol is VERY different to the US attitude - particularly as regards to age. Many European kids are brought up to respect alcohol and they drink beer and wine from an early age. Just saying...

Have you considered that the parents might be Europeans and have bought the drinks for their offspring? There are significant cultural differences between Europe and the US and these parents may well see this as perfectly normal. I am not condoning them breaking NCL's rules but some of the posts on here are bordering on the hysterical.

Maybe the officers were taking a pragmatic approach - supervised responsible drinking - no big deal - too much drink and the ton of bricks drops.