drinking 18-20 year olds

[debache]

Thinking about booking a Bermuda cruise out of Boston this summer. My son and his friend are 19, I heard they would be allowed to drink on NCL ships. If they are allowed to drink is there a limit they can use their key card? Do I need to give permission or are they just allowed to? If I have to give permission, what about his friend? Thank you.

[palmyrafan]

Thinking about booking a Bermuda cruise out of Boston this summer. My son and his friend are 19, I heard they would be allowed to drink on NCL ships. If they are allowed to drink is there a limit they can use their key card? Do I need to give permission or are they just allowed to? If I have to give permission, what about his friend? Thank you.

 

Unless they have changed the rules, I thought that the drinking age on all NCL cruise ships is 21. You would also not be allowed to give permission for the friend, his parents or guardian would have to give permission.

[debache]

Thanks. I was not thrilled with the idea of them drinking on board. As you cam see we primarily sail RCI and the drinking age is 21. But a friend of my son told him NCL allows 18-20 to drink. Just want to know the facts before I book.

[ttnc4me]

It could be 18 depending on the ports of call and other country's rules.

[wwb]

Our son, aged 18, was able to drink with our approval and signature on the Gem (April 2012). He was allowed beer, and I think wine.

Wendy

[DevCruise]

Thinking about booking a Bermuda cruise out of Boston this summer. My son and his friend are 19, I heard they would be allowed to drink on NCL ships. If they are allowed to drink is there a limit they can use their key card? Do I need to give permission or are they just allowed to? If I have to give permission, what about his friend? Thank you.

 

Per NCL (http://www2.ncl.com/faq/guest-conduct-policy):

 

The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on Norwegian Cruise Line ships is 21. Guests who are 18 - 20 years of age can purchase and consume beer or wine when the ship is in international waters (3 miles out of US territorial waters). The age modification does not apply for Alaska and Hawaii sailings. The parent or legal guardian must be onboard the sailing with the young adult and present themselves at the Front Desk so they can sign the form allowing the consumption of beer and wine only. A notarized Parent Consent Form or any other document allowing for temporary guardianship for the purposes of the sailing only will not be accepted.

 

....

 

On cruises embarking in a country where the legal drinking age is lower than 21 and where a young adult (age 18, 19 or 20) is not traveling with a parent or legal guardian, they will generally not be permitted to consume alcohol. There may be exceptions made to this restriction in areas of the world where local laws require and Norwegian Cruise Line concurs. Details on such exceptions can be obtained from the Guest Services Desk. No guest under age 18 may possess or consume alcohol at any time, while onboard or at our private destinations. No guest under age 21 may possess or consume alcohol at our private destinations. Any guest who goes ashore and consumes alcohol (whether under the supervision of a parent/guardian or not, is responsible for ensuring they consume responsibly and retain their ability to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations when they return to the ship. Parents/guardians are reminded they are responsible for the actions of their child/young adult at all times while on a Norwegian Cruise Line cruise.

[sstrong]

Per NCL (http://www2.ncl.com/faq/guest-conduct-policy):

 

The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on Norwegian Cruise Line ships is 21. Guests who are 18 - 20 years of age can purchase and consume beer or wine when the ship is in international waters (3 miles out of US territorial waters). The age modification does not apply for Alaska and Hawaii sailings. The parent or legal guardian must be onboard the sailing with the young adult and present themselves at the Front Desk so they can sign the form allowing the consumption of beer and wine only. A notarized Parent Consent Form or any other document allowing for temporary guardianship for the purposes of the sailing only will not be accepted.

 

....

 

On cruises embarking in a country where the legal drinking age is lower than 21 and where a young adult (age 18, 19 or 20) is not traveling with a parent or legal guardian, they will generally not be permitted to consume alcohol. There may be exceptions made to this restriction in areas of the world where local laws require and Norwegian Cruise Line concurs. Details on such exceptions can be obtained from the Guest Services Desk. No guest under age 18 may possess or consume alcohol at any time, while onboard or at our private destinations. No guest under age 21 may possess or consume alcohol at our private destinations. Any guest who goes ashore and consumes alcohol (whether under the supervision of a parent/guardian or not, is responsible for ensuring they consume responsibly and retain their ability to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations when they return to the ship. Parents/guardians are reminded they are responsible for the actions of their child/young adult at all times while on a Norwegian Cruise Line cruise.

 

 

I wonder what "the parent or legal guardian of the young adult" means? 18-20 year olds are, in fact, legal adults in every U.S. state. So they wouldn't have a legal guardian unless they were legally incapacitated or incompetent. It's odd to require someone else to consent on the behalf of a legal adult.

[Sauer-kraut]

I wonder what "the parent or legal guardian of the young adult" means? 18-20 year olds are, in fact, legal adults in every U.S. state. So they wouldn't have a legal guardian unless they were legally incapacitated or incompetent. It's odd to require someone else to consent on the behalf of a legal adult.

 

Yes, but the legal drinking age is 21, so the 18-20 is SOL without a permission slip.

[debache]

Thanks. I got it now. If I choose to to allow my son to drink I need to sign permission slip. His friend is out of luck since I am not his guardian.

[rvsullivan]

Thanks. I got it now. If I choose to to allow my son to drink I need to sign permission slip. His friend is out of luck since I am not his guardian.

 

 

You got it!!!

Enjoy your cruise.

[DevCruise]

Thanks. I got it now. If I choose to to allow my son to drink I need to sign permission slip. His friend is out of luck since I am not his guardian.

 

You might be able to get a notarized letter from his friend's parents. I'd check with NCL before you go through this trouble.

[toberman]

You might be able to get a notarized letter from his friend's parents. I'd check with NCL before you go through this trouble.

 

As per post #6, quoting from NCL:

 

 

A notarized Parent Consent Form or any other document allowing for temporary guardianship for the purposes of the sailing only will not be accepted

 

Janette

[bluesea777]

Thanks. I got it now. If I choose to to allow my son to drink I need to sign permission slip. His friend is out of luck since I am not his guardian.

 

Forget about allowing BOTH boys to drink aboard the ship .... they can do that on land instead - the legal drinking age on Bermuda is 18. ;)

[sstrong]

Yes, but the legal drinking age is 21, so the 18-20 is SOL without a permission slip.

 

Not quite. We're talking about international waters here. If the legal drinking age were 21, the cruise line wouldn't be able to circumvent it with a permission slip from a parent or anyone else. That's why 18-20 year olds aren't allowed to drink when the ship is in U.S. waters, period.

 

In international waters, 18-20 year olds are legally allowed to drink, but the cruiseline chooses to sell alcohol to 18-20 year olds only if their parents or "legal guardians" consent. That's an odd policy, because 18-20 year olds are in most cases incapable of having a legal guardian because they are adults (unless, as I mentioned, an 18-20 year old is legally incapacitated or incompetent).

[sstrong]

Thanks. I got it now. If I choose to to allow my son to drink I need to sign permission slip. His friend is out of luck since I am not his guardian.

 

I'm not sure this is right. See my previous posts about the absurdity of requiring permission from an 18-20 year old's "legal guardian." 18-20 olds generally don't/can't have legal guardians. In any event, even if an 18-20 year old obtained consent from a parent or someone who was his or her legal guardian before he or she turned 18, it's unlikely that such consent would have any "legal" import because 18-20 year olds are legally capable of and responsible for making such decisions themselves. Rather, this policy is strictly of the cruiseline's making, no doubt out of concern about unsupervised 18-20 year olds behaving recklessly or otherwise inappropriately while drunk. There is no reason or requirement as a matter of U.S., foreign, or maritime law for the policy. Accordingly, it wouldn't surprise me if the cruiseline was willing to accept consent from anyone traveling in a "supervisory" capacity, not just "legal guardians" in the eyes of the law. So you very well may be able to authorize your son's friend to drink.

[2inTul]

I'm not sure this is right. See my previous posts about the absurdity of requiring permission from an 18-20 year old's "legal guardian." 18-20 olds generally don't/can't have legal guardians. In any event, even if an 18-20 year old obtained consent from a parent or someone who was his or her legal guardian before he or she turned 18, it's unlikely that such consent would have any "legal" import because 18-20 year olds are legally capable of and responsible for making such decisions themselves. Rather, this policy is strictly of the cruiseline's making, no doubt out of concern about unsupervised 18-20 year olds behaving recklessly or otherwise inappropriately while drunk. There is no reason or requirement as a matter of U.S., foreign, or maritime law for the policy. Accordingly, it wouldn't surprise me if the cruiseline was willing to accept consent from anyone traveling in a "supervisory" capacity, not just "legal guardians" in the eyes of the law. So you very well may be able to authorize your son's friend to drink.

 

No. NCL owns the boat and NCL can set the rules. Period!

[fergusonvt]

On our Eastern Caribbean cruise our son who was 18 was allowed to drink with our permission. He never ordered anything when he wasn't with us and we never actually signed the permission form but they never questioned his age. His card did have the corner clipped to show he was under age.

[Single Cruiser]

From my side of the pond I always find these discussions amusing. A poor adult who can probably vote, have sex, smoke, go to war and fire a gun, drive a deadly weapon (ie a big car) but is not allowed to buy themselves a drink!

 

I know on one cruise an 18yr old in our group had to constantly carry this letter around with him ended up being bought drinks.

[sdmike]

From my side of the pond I always find these discussions amusing. A poor adult who can probably vote, have sex, smoke, go to war and fire a gun, drive a deadly weapon (ie a big car) but is not allowed to buy themselves a drink!

 

 

Yeah, we don't want them drunk when they do those things :D

[sstrong]

No. NCL owns the boat and NCL can set the rules. Period!

 

Are you agreeing or disagreeing with my post? One of my points was precisely that the policy is purely at NCL's discretion. So I think we agree on that.

 

But the main question is "what does this policy mean" or "how is it enforced"? As written, it requires consent from an 18-20 year old's parent or *legal guardian* -- something that probably doesn't exist in the legal sense. So my larger point -- in response to the original question -- was that NCL might allow anyone traveling with an 18-20 year old in a supervisory capacity to give consent. In other words, for purposes of this provision, NCL might construe "legal guardian" to mean anyone traveling with and willing to assume responsibility for an 18-20 year old (since it doesn't make sense to talk about an 18-20's "guardian" in the strict legal sense).

[Urban trekker]

Other than some muslim countries where consumption of alcohol is illegal the US is one of only five countries to have a 21 drinking age.

 

check this link:

 

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/LegalDrinkingAge.html

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[sstrong]

Other than some muslim countries where consumption of alcohol is illegal the US is one of only five countries to have a 21 drinking age.

 

check this link:

 

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/LegalDrinkingAge.html

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

Which is why 18-20 year olds are allowed to drink in international waters. The odd thing is requiring the consent of a parent or guardian.

[Urban trekker]

Actually it is probably the lawyers and insurance companies that are behind this - can't see why the cruise ships wouldn't want the extra revenue - obviously if it was a easy one to solve I am sure that some smart lawyer somewhere would have challenged it - does Maritime law allow a ship or cruise line to impose their rules.

 

With up to three days in Bermuda - those lads will probably have enough time to drink all they want and not just beer and wine.

 

It is always interesting here in Vancouver when the 19 and 20 year olds come up from Seattle on the weekends and holidays to celebrate birthdays etc. They generally drive up 4 - 6 to a car and then find a hotel room in the entertainment district and party the night away til 3 or 4 AM.

 

Lot's of extra revenue for our hotels and bars.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[bonvoyagie]

Perhaps NCL's polcies are a bit dated but it is their ship and they have the right to be stricter than the laws governing international waters - they can't be more lax.

 

The drinking age item also reflects in their requirement to set the minimum age for having a cabin to 21 as well.

 

Again their boat - their rules.

 

As an aside - Oregon law allows a minor to consume alcohol at home with parents permission - they just can't leave the property.

[emcelh]

I'm not sure this is right. See my previous posts about the absurdity of requiring permission from an 18-20 year old's "legal guardian." 18-20 olds generally don't/can't have legal guardians. In any event, even if an 18-20 year old obtained consent from a parent or someone who was his or her legal guardian before he or she turned 18, it's unlikely that such consent would have any "legal" import because 18-20 year olds are legally capable of and responsible for making such decisions themselves. Rather, this policy is strictly of the cruiseline's making, no doubt out of concern about unsupervised 18-20 year olds behaving recklessly or otherwise inappropriately while drunk. There is no reason or requirement as a matter of U.S., foreign, or maritime law for the policy. Accordingly, it wouldn't surprise me if the cruiseline was willing to accept consent from anyone traveling in a "supervisory" capacity, not just "legal guardians" in the eyes of the law. So you very well may be able to authorize your son's friend to drink.

 

Right or wrong in your view, this is the policy NCl has set for their ships just as Carnival, Princess, and RCCL have decided you must be 21.