Carnival was going to serve my 16 yo a DOD!

[Perfect Stranger]

Honestly, I don't see the big deal, my parents started giving me small glasses of wine at around age 11, 12. WHY??? I'm not an alcoholic, far from it. You're lucky. The younger people are when they start drinking, the more likely they are to become alcoholic. They ordered me fruity drinks on the cruises when I was around 14. Again I would ask WHY??? I never thought it was a big deal, and I never drank to the point of getting drunk. A 14 year old would be drunk from one drink.

 

Oy....some parents. :rolleyes:

[Warm Breezes]

First off let me say that we did not make a big deal out of this. We just saw it as our laugh of the day. Which is how I tried to portray it here with the little smilie icons. However, this was the first time this had happened to us and I was surprised at how easily he could have gotten away with it.

 

Even though I purchased the drink, the Carnival waiter did serve it to him. To me it was wrong that they did not check his ID or S&S card, since it is Carnival's rules that prohibit it and it made me a little nervous later at how easily he could get it. Not really so nervous for him, since he has a pretty good head on his shoulders and doesn't bow much to peer pressures. I am nervous about my DD who at 13 is 5'11" and looks much older than she is. If DS could get a drink so easily now, where will she be in a couple of years. I do see her as the type of person that could bend to peer pressure (try as I might to make her independant enough to stand on her own morals) and that makes me nervous. I am sure that we will be cruising in the future and that is something I'm just going to have to keep my eye on. Unlike some I do NOT and will NOT buy drinks for my 16 yo, nor do I want others buying drinks for them. Others may not agree with me, that is their perogative.

[elcuchio24]

Oy....some parents. :rolleyes:

 

Guess it depends on how seasoned the drinker is by 14....:)

[bluehenfan]

Your experience reminds me of our 1st cruise with Disney. At the time my DGrD was about 11, but physically looked a little older. Her mom ordered her a virgin strawberry daquiri and DGrD was half done before we realized it was a reg. daquiri. Staff was so casual about it, I'm sure it wasn't the 1st time they'd made this mistake. She's now 19 and every time we go on a cruise she jokes about looking for her favorite waiter. LOL

[pe4all]

We sailed on the Glory last week and there was no shortage of alcohol offers towards my two teenagers, both on the ship and in the ports. At one port, Cozumel, my son was not only offered a shot but also a "titty twister". He was a little disappointed that we said no, LOL. My daughter is 17 and my son is 15. They look pretty young for their ages (I'd say my daughter looks about 12) and I was surprised especially about my daughter being offered drinks.

Okay- I'll bite - what is a "titty twister?" And you know what they say about Mexico? They say that if you can see over the bar they will serve you a drink!

Next night I'm in the casino playing black jack he comes up behind me to watch me and the dealer asked for his ID since he didn't have it to prove he was 21 they kicked him out.

Interesting, cause you only have to be 18 to gamble on the ships!

[Tbay-eh]

First off let me say that we did not make a big deal out of this. We just saw it as our laugh of the day. Which is how I tried to portray it here with the little smilie icons. However, this was the first time this had happened to us and I was surprised at how easily he could have gotten away with it.

 

Even though I purchased the drink, the Carnival waiter did serve it to him. To me it was wrong that they did not check his ID or S&S card, since it is Carnival's rules that prohibit it and it made me a little nervous later at how easily he could get it. Not really so nervous for him, since he has a pretty good head on his shoulders and doesn't bow much to peer pressures. I am nervous about my DD who at 13 is 5'11" and looks much older than she is. If DS could get a drink so easily now, where will she be in a couple of years. I do see her as the type of person that could bend to peer pressure (try as I might to make her independant enough to stand on her own morals) and that makes me nervous. I am sure that we will be cruising in the future and that is something I'm just going to have to keep my eye on. Unlike some I do NOT and will NOT buy drinks for my 16 yo, nor do I want others buying drinks for them. Others may not agree with me, that is their perogative.

 

You just have to instill good values and independent thought into them. Our drinking age here is 19 and the kids are smart and always have a DD. I know my kids were drinking before they were legal (I did) but I had 2 rules - ALWAYS keep your drink with you and if you need a ride call me no matter what time - I may be a little ticked to come pick you up in wee hours of the morning but I would rather do that than make a trip to the morgue to identify you. My daughter who lives in BC was home last Christmas and she called me at 2:30 in the morning to pick her up as DD had a few - she is 25 - and I gladly did it. She forgot to take her taxi money which she always does. We bought drinks for our kids on a cruise but only when they were legal here not before. People thought I was a mean Mom not to buy for them - but I am one of those anal people who believe until it is legal where you live than I will not do it.

[Crusin Hogs]

He can walk into any bar in the caribbean and order anything

he wanted , and he would be servered no questions asked

There is no legal drinking age on the islands

[jrmende63]

What is a DOD?

really Derf? I am surprised ...or were you kidding? Ok, sorry,:D I had to pick on you! :p

[keystonemama]

Having 2 boys (both 6'5) 17yr & 20yr, trust me they have already tried it! :D I know because now the 20 yr has told me stories of "trying it" when he was younger. Still good boys, but boys will be boys. Just pleased that we can communicate and feel they can share this with me. We cruise this summer, (waiting till he is 21) so we can legally drink :), will be interesting to see what will be offered to my 17yr old (he looks 21), child will be graduating from high school/college with an AA! I don't condone it, but gosh knows he deserves at least one DOD!:p

 

Happy Sailing,

[Cigar Dude]

Honest mistake. It all worked out.

[Ontario_Cruiser]

Oy....some parents. :rolleyes:

 

100% agree. It all depends on how you parent your kids. We let our kids have small amounts of wine, tastes of beer, etc. By and large, they do not like the taste. But they always see us drink responsibly, arrange the designated driver, etc. We do our best to set good role models.

 

A friend in university grew up in a house where the parents had alcohol but the kids were never allowed to touch it. The father would take the beer out of the case, put on a sheet of paper with circles for each beer, and then initial each circle as the beer was taken out of the fridge. :eek: THis way, they knew that the kids had not been sneaking a beer. The end result was a young adult that was a total alcoholic - drank to excess each and every day.

 

To me, it is important to have a balance and to set appropriate boundaries.

[Warm Breezes]

He can walk into any bar in the caribbean and order anything

he wanted , and he would be servered no questions asked

There is no legal drinking age on the islands

 

That's why in the islands we go off the ship together and do things as a family. Since we don't spend our time in the bars while we are there, we don't need to worry about this;).

[maggieworkman]

First off let me say that we did not make a big deal out of this. We just saw it as our laugh of the day. Which is how I tried to portray it here with the little smilie icons. However, this was the first time this had happened to us and I was surprised at how easily he could have gotten away with it.

 

Even though I purchased the drink, the Carnival waiter did serve it to him. To me it was wrong that they did not check his ID or S&S card, since it is Carnival's rules that prohibit it and it made me a little nervous later at how easily he could get it. Not really so nervous for him, since he has a pretty good head on his shoulders and doesn't bow much to peer pressures. I am nervous about my DD who at 13 is 5'11" and looks much older than she is. If DS could get a drink so easily now, where will she be in a couple of years. I do see her as the type of person that could bend to peer pressure (try as I might to make her independant enough to stand on her own morals) and that makes me nervous. I am sure that we will be cruising in the future and that is something I'm just going to have to keep my eye on. Unlike some I do NOT and will NOT buy drinks for my 16 yo, nor do I want others buying drinks for them. Others may not agree with me, that is their perogative.

 

But the situation was that YOU ordered the drinks and used YOUR sail and sign card to purchase it. This shows that you were over 21. If your underage children tried to order drinks using THEIR sail and sign card, it is my understanding that the sail and sign card would show the child was under 21 and therefore would be denied the drink. Now, I am not saying they couldn't potentially find someone over 21 to buy for them, but ...

 

Maggie

[T. Advisor King]

Oy....some parents. :rolleyes:

 

I couldn't let this post go by without clarifying its inaccuracies, which were annotated into the previous post. I've copied the original post below.

 

When people are introduced in a responsible manner to alcohol at an earlier age, they are less likely to abuse alcohol in the future. Early responsible exposure shows young people that it is no big deal. As a result, they are far less likely to binge drink once they are able to obtain alcohol by themselves. Any association between early alcohol use and future alcoholism is only valid when that early exposure is uncontrolled and unsupervised.

 

People become intoxicated based on the amount of alcohol they consume, their body mass and the rate at which their body metabolizes the alcohol. Age is not a factor. In general, a 160 lb 14 year old boy will be far less intoxiacted than his 110 lb mother if they consume the same beverage.

 

And no one (not even a regular size 12 year old) is getting drunk (i.e., generally considered in most jurisdictions to be 0.08 blood alcohol percentage) off one drink. A child would have to weigh less than around 60 or 70 lbs to reach that level of intoxication. Most blood alcohol charts are fairly standard, so here's one for reference:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_alcohol_content

 

 

 

Originally Posted by soozles

Honestly, I don't see the big deal, my parents started giving me small glasses of wine at around age 11, 12. WHY??? I'm not an alcoholic, far from it. You're lucky. The younger people are when they start drinking, the more likely they are to become alcoholic. They ordered me fruity drinks on the cruises when I was around 14. Again I would ask WHY??? I never thought it was a big deal, and I never drank to the point of getting drunk. A 14 year old would be drunk from one drink.

[Warm Breezes]

But the situation was that YOU ordered the drinks and used YOUR sail and sign card to purchase it. This shows that you were over 21. If your underage children tried to order drinks using THEIR sail and sign card, it is my understanding that the sail and sign card would show the child was under 21 and therefore would be denied the drink. Now, I am not saying they couldn't potentially find someone over 21 to buy for them, but ...

 

Maggie

 

You are missing the point. Yes I did order the drinks for me and DH while he was getting his food. They gave one to me and one to DS. Please note in Carnivals rules are that you are not supposed to be able to purchase drinks for those under 21. Because the server made a mistake and thought I was purchasing the drink for DS, I would have expected him to ask DS for his ID before handing him the drink. Since they did not, this makes me wonder who else could purchase drinks for DS or DD(13) without them questioning it. I know it happens. That doesn't mean I have to like it. This was the first time it happened to me and it made me think about it later. I really don't like it that it would be so easy for someone to buy my kids or anyone elses kids a drink. Just saying.

[Crazy4Koko]

That's why in the islands we go off the ship together and do things as a family. Since we don't spend our time in the bars while we are there, we don't need to worry about this;).

 

Warm Breezes,

 

I agree with you..what a great way for a laugh for the day....I'm quite sure that if your son had tried to order the drinks, it wouldn't have flown...

 

When we were in Curacao, my 16yo DD was thrilled that she was 'legal', despite our protests.

 

She tried a single sample of orange curacao liquor..and promptly told me it was 'disgusting'... problem instantly solved.

 

Kids will be kids, and things you would never expect your kids to do...they sometimes do... despite our best attempts!!

[Immisspriss]

Happened to me on our cruise 2 years ago. My DD was then 15, and we were sunbathing by the pool. She ordered a virgin strawberry daquiri, and low and behold, it came up leaded. She took one sip and said... "uh Mom... I think this is the "real thing". I took a sip and almost choked. That sucker was strong! We returned it to the bar, where we got nothing but attitude from the bartender about making a new drink. A patron sitting at the bar translated, explaining to the bartender who didn't speak very good English why we were returning it... All it got was the :rolleyes::rolleyes:.

[maggieworkman]

You are missing the point. Yes I did order the drinks for me and DH while he was getting his food. They gave one to me and one to DS. Please note in Carnivals rules are that you are not supposed to be able to purchase drinks for those under 21. Because the server made a mistake and thought I was purchasing the drink for DS, I would have expected him to ask DS for his ID before handing him the drink. Since they did not, this makes me wonder who else could purchase drinks for DS or DD(13) without them questioning it. I know it happens. That doesn't mean I have to like it. This was the first time it happened to me and it made me think about it later. I really don't like it that it would be so easy for someone to buy my kids or anyone elses kids a drink. Just saying.

 

No. I totally understand. I was trying to give you comfort that if your son tried to purchase his own drink, that he would probably be denied.

 

I have an 18 y.o. DD and a 15 y.o. DD who looks older than my 18 y.o.. So I have a similar interest in this situation and know where you are coming from.

 

Maggie

[soozles]

100% agree. It all depends on how you parent your kids. We let our kids have small amounts of wine, tastes of beer, etc. By and large, they do not like the taste. But they always see us drink responsibly, arrange the designated driver, etc. We do our best to set good role models.

 

A friend in university grew up in a house where the parents had alcohol but the kids were never allowed to touch it. The father would take the beer out of the case, put on a sheet of paper with circles for each beer, and then initial each circle as the beer was taken out of the fridge. :eek: THis way, they knew that the kids had not been sneaking a beer. The end result was a young adult that was a total alcoholic - drank to excess each and every day.

 

To me, it is important to have a balance and to set appropriate boundaries.

 

My parents were like you, they never made an issue out of drinking, and although I am now over the legal age, I have never actually drank to the point of getting drunk. For me, it's just not a big deal. Meanwhile, friends of mine that were forbidden from drinking were the ones that went crazy in college and spent every weekend puking.

[LambKnuckles]

I remember my DD's surprise on a cruise... she was 19 and the waiter approached her and offered a FunShip Special. She accepted and chanrged it. I was off at the buffet at the time... She snickered when I came back...

 

It does happen!!! It surprised me!!! :o

 

Sorry it happened to you...

[deltahog]

When we were in Curacao, my 16yo DD was thrilled that she was 'legal', despite our protests.

 

She tried a single sample of orange curacao liquor..and promptly told me it was 'disgusting'... problem instantly solved.

 

Well I'm a 40 y/o drinker and orang curacao IS disgusting! The most vile stuff I've ever put in my mouth. But I love a lot of other drinks, so maybe you're problem is not solved.....

[tallyho8]

On Norwegian they serve liquor to 18 year olds and up as long as you are out of US waters. On Carnival it is 21 and up.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

They are from other countries that may not have the same laws regarding alcohol so if they are using "your S&S card" it happens. If he would have tried to get it using his card, it would have flagged him as underage. Bar waiters in the dining room routinely ask my teen DD if she wants something from the bar.

[deltahog]

Well I'm a 40 y/o drinker and orang curacao IS disgusting! The most vile stuff I've ever put in my mouth. But I love a lot of other drinks, so maybe you're problem is not solved.....

 

Oops...I must apologize....the disgusting orange drink I was thinking of was Grand Marnier. Blech! Perhaps orange curacao is wonderful, lol......

[pkrchkr]

He's still my baby boy no matter how tall he gets:D.

I tell me son that saying several times a day. he is 20 and is 6-2 I fit under his chin. He never to tall to hug and never to big to give him a swift kick in the butt if he needs one. Here's to us the moms of tall kiddos:D