Drinking Age for Foreigners

[brazilgirl]

We will be going on an Alaska cruise in June and in our group of 10 will be a young man who is 20. He is Brazilian. In Brazil , the legal drinking age is 18. He is very responsible and is not one to overindulge. However , he might like to have a beer while watching the World Cup or such....

 

I have read that if in your country you are of legal age it is permitted on the ship.but I may be mistaken! Does anyone have knowledge on this subject?

 

Thanks!

[brazilgirl]

Oh , nevermind! I was able to discover the answer here.

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-planning/PlanningAndAdvice.action?tabName=Safety+and+Security&WT.ac=footer_SafetySecurity#

[sapper1]

The drinking age on Holland America is 21. Period.

[Shmoo here]

We will be going on an Alaska cruise in June and in our group of 10 will be a young man who is 20. He is Brazilian. In Brazil , the legal drinking age is 18. He is very responsible and is not one to overindulge. However , he might like to have a beer while watching the World Cup or such....

 

I have read that if in your country you are of legal age it is permitted on the ship.but I may be mistaken! Does anyone have knowledge on this subject?

 

Thanks!

 

You are mistaken.

 

The Holland America policy on drinking alcohol is in the contract you agree to (article 11):

 

Persons under 21 years of age are not permitted to consume alcoholic beverages

http://www.hollandamerica.com/legalAndPrivacy/Main.action

[brazilgirl]

Yes , I just read that and it will be of no issue. Our entire family , including the over 21s , son't need alcohol to enjoy our cruise. [emoji2] We will enjoy the beauty of Alaska , good food and whale watching.

 

Actually , some cruise lines have different policies ( if the majority of passengers are European and the cruise is in Europe or South American and the cruise is in South America). That was the source of my confusion. I see that HAL differs a bit and that is fine. We are all very excited.

[brazilgirl]

Btw , I meant to include the proper link in my second post with the drinking age but I had technical issues. Not sure what happened! :)

[Sam.Seattle]

Hello Brazilgirl,

 

I hope you and your family have a wonderful cruise and enjoy all the beauty Alaska has to offer. I am confident that you will also find friendly, polite and nice passengers on board.

 

I doubt that your son will get carded if he is with your family. Unlike some cruise lines HAL does not have a 21+ disco on board and the night life will be limited.

 

The sun does not set till well after 10:00pm....

 

Enjoy!

[Typhoon1]

21, with no exceptions.

[TTFromSommersTown]

In Victoria BC where the ship will be stopping at some point in your Cruise, the legal drinking age is 19. Your friend can get off of the ship and enjoy a drink with the locals.

 

Have a very enjoyable cruise.

[Topsham]

This is not a real 'legal' age.

 

Netherlands is 18... so Dutch flag ships should be legal 18 also, BUT.... Holland America and lots of cruise ships... self limits of 21.

 

There is a list of countries and their drinking ages.

 

Most of Africa is 18... and probably most of the world except USA 21 and a few others. If you go to some muslim countries you are 'up the creek'!!! Indonesia is 21.

[solocanadian]

The drinking age on Holland America is 21. Period.

 

And if you are caught trying to buy a drink for an underage person, the bar tender could be in big trouble. Please don't try to do that.:eek:

[doublebzz]

21, with no exceptions.

 

What about Aussies?

[igraf]

And for very good reason! Do you want to share a cruise with drunk teenagers?

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

.... Holland America and lots of cruise ships... self limits of 21.

.....

[catl331]

Been there and done that on Carnival in the 90's. They partied and screamed all nite; got up at lunch time and sunbathed (hangover) and that lasted for 6 nites. They were a highschool class from San Juan with very few adults accompanying them. Never got off at any ports.

[brazilgirl]

Am I being overly sensitive or did I find the tone of some of these posts a bit , well , not quite sure which word to use ....

 

The young man in question is not a crazy , rule breaking " teenager ". He is a very kind and responsible young man who takes care of his 89 year Grandmother and takes her to Mass on weekends when he is not attending his classes in International Relations at his university.

 

 

No one in our group is looking to bend or break any rules. We will abide by the contract we signed. None of us will attempt to slip a drink to the underaged. We will not attempt to smuggle liquor onboard. Even us old 45 yr olds will not have more than a glass of two of wine. Not our style.

 

Our group , which includes a 7 yr old , a 10 yr old and assorted other ages plan to see whales , otters , eagles , enjoy pea soup while looking at the beauties of Glacier Bay. Period. ( as a previous poster put it)

 

Thank for the well wishes from some of the posters [emoji3][emoji3][emoji3]Much appreicate it. And for those who are curious , a list of the drinking ages around the world. Rather interesting.

http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol/LegalDrinkingAge.html#.U4fpbNq9KSN

 

Warm Regards to all!

[sammygoose]

Snip <Am I being overly sensitive or did I find the tone of some of these posts a bit , well , not quite sure which word to use ....>

 

I did not think any of the other posters were trying to disparage your son who sounds like a really nice guy- I personally give my highest regards to young people who take time with their elders- it defines their character IMHO.

 

The youngun's in NA can be a handful when vacation and alcohol are grouped together and add to that a cruise ship.Not everyone is the same but........ from my distant memories lol I related to some of what the other posters were saying. I see it every day in my younger employees tales of their vacations. I start many a conversation now with 'Hey Rockstar how was ______' Their tales are legendary but imagine if I was embroiled in that mayhem!

It's a big reason why I choose HAL over other lines- to reduce this effect.

It is what it is.......

Edited May 30, 2014 by sammygoose
additional information

[brazilgirl]

Snip <Am I being overly sensitive or did I find the tone of some of these posts a bit , well , not quite sure which word to use ....>

 

I did not think any of the other posters were trying to disparage your son who sounds like a really nice guy- I personally give my highest regards to young people who take time with their elders- it defines their character IMHO.

 

The youngun's in NA can be a handful when vacation and alcohol are grouped together and add to that a cruise ship.Not everyone is the same but........ from my distant memories lol I related to some of what the other posters were saying. I see it every day in my younger employees tales of their vacations. I start many a conversation now with 'Hey Rockstar how was ______' Their tales are legendary but imagine if I was embroiled in that mayhem!

It's a big reason why I choose HAL over other lines- to reduce this effect.

It is what it is.......

 

 

Yes , Sammygoose , I totally understand people's concern with anyone who has " overdone it". I don't like bars , parties and loud places and have mainly sailed Celebrity and now started with HAL because the more sedate profile. I very much agree that alcohol can be very disruptive , be it with drunk adults or young people. Very truthfully , if alcohol disappeared from the world ( gasps from the readers!) , it would be no loss for me. It is take it or leave it for me...now chocolate it is another matter entirely!

 

Just to clarify , the content of the posts is what got my " hackles" up ( as I said , I may be overly sensitive). It is just the " tone " ( which is sometimes hard to interpert online). I will just leave it at that , chuckle chuckle. I think I am being too thin skinned. :).

[sammygoose]

<wink> the internet police. Gotcha.

[doublebzz]

And for very good reason! Do you want to share a cruise with drunk teenagers?

 

igraf

 

Probably more exciting than the needlepoint and trivia fanatics.

[babyher]

Snip <Am I being overly sensitive or did I find the tone of some of these posts a bit , well , not quite sure which word to use ....>

 

I did not think any of the other posters were trying to disparage your son who sounds like a really nice guy- I personally give my highest regards to young people who take time with their elders- it defines their character IMHO.

 

The youngun's in NA can be a handful when vacation and alcohol are grouped together and add to that a cruise ship.Not everyone is the same but........ from my distant memories lol I related to some of what the other posters were saying. I see it every day in my younger employees tales of their vacations. I start many a conversation now with 'Hey Rockstar how was ______' Their tales are legendary but imagine if I was embroiled in that mayhem!

It's a big reason why I choose HAL over other lines- to reduce this effect.

It is what it is.......

 

 

I don't know about you, but I am a little envious of the young guns today . :) in those regards

 

I was a "Rockstar" in the 80s and worked in clubs and bars , so I was hardly a babe in the woods . But these kids today make the 80s look like the 50s . *LOL*

[Homosassa]

Brazilgirl,

Regardless of the self-righteous drink police on this board, if your 20 y.o ends up with a beer in his hand, no one on the cruise staff will bat an eye if he is well behaved and not obviously drunk.

 

I frequently allowed my then older teen age daughter (17-20 years old at that point) to have a pina colada or othe frou-frou drink on a cruise if she wanted one. It was NO ONE else's business on what my well behaved daughter was doing while in my company.

[cruz chic]

Brazilgirl,

Regardless of the self-righteous drink police on this board, if your 20 y.o ends up with a beer in his hand, no one on the cruise staff will bat an eye if he is well behaved and not obviously drunk.

 

I frequently allowed my then older teen age daughter (17-20 years old at that point) to have a pina colada or othe frou-frou drink on a cruise if she wanted one. It was NO ONE else's business on what my well behaved daughter was doing while in my company.

 

For the most part I agree with you. In the case where you were drinking it in your room who would care. If it's "in public" I do believe HAL could be fined for serving alcohol to miners but I could be wrong.

[doublebzz]

Brazilgirl,

Regardless of the self-righteous drink police on this board, if your 20 y.o ends up with a beer in his hand, no one on the cruise staff will bat an eye if he is well behaved and not obviously drunk.

 

I frequently allowed my then older teen age daughter (17-20 years old at that point) to have a pina colada or othe frou-frou drink on a cruise if she wanted one. It was NO ONE else's business on what my well behaved daughter was doing while in my company.

 

I agree strongly with you. As someone who passed the legal drinking age sometime during the Kennedy administration, I believe in the old adage: If you are old enough to die in the service of your country, you are old enough to drink responsibly.

[jaguarstyper]

For the most part I agree with you. In the case where you were drinking it in your room who would care. If it's "in public" I do believe HAL could be fined for serving alcohol to miners but I could be wrong.

Fined by who? I'm not sure what jurisdiction they would be under when in international waters. Would they fall under the laws of the country of ship's registration? I dunno. If that is the case, there is no legal drinking age defined in the laws of the Netherlands. Only an age of legal purchase is defined, and I believe that is 16 years old. The drinking age of 21 is self-imposed by HAL, not any particular laws, as far as I know.

 

We were on Westerdam in December of '12 and we had my girlfriend's 20 year old daughter with us on that cruise. She did have a couple beers while out on the pool deck. At one point, one of the waiters discovered she was under 21 and simply mentioned that the drinking age was 21. That's all further it went and she finished the Amstel Light she was drinking. LOL

 

Then we were on Westerdam again in May '13 and I spent a good bit of time talking to the Chief Security Officer on the ship. We shared of love of cigars and we ended up smoking a cigar together at the Seaview Bar pretty much daily. I told him about my GF's daughter and I specifically asked him about underage drinking and how it was handled on the ship. He told me it's very rarely a problem and it usually handled by a simple conversation if it escalates all the way to him. He said he does have the authority to remove the passenger from the ship, but that is pretty much the extent of what he can do.

 

Bottom line, people under the age of 21 do drink on HAL. And as long as they behave, not much is done about it. I don't think its much of an issue on HAL ships.

[cruz chic]

Fined by who? I'm not sure what jurisdiction they would be under when in international waters. Would they fall under the laws of the country of ship's registration? I dunno. If that is the case, there is no legal drinking age defined in the laws of the Netherlands. Only an age of legal purchase is defined, and I believe that is 16 years old. The drinking age of 21 is self-imposed by HAL, not any particular laws, as far as I know.

 

We were on Westerdam in December of '12 and we had my girlfriend's 20 year old daughter with us on that cruise. She did have a couple beers while out on the pool deck. At one point, one of the waiters discovered she was under 21 and simply mentioned that the drinking age was 21. That's all further it went and she finished the Amstel Light she was drinking. LOL

 

Then we were on Westerdam again in May '13 and I spent a good bit of time talking to the Chief Security Officer on the ship. We shared of love of cigars and we ended up smoking a cigar together at the Seaview Bar pretty much daily. I told him about my GF's daughter and I specifically asked him about underage drinking and how it was handled on the ship. He told me it's very rarely a problem and it usually handled by a simple conversation if it escalates all the way to him. He said he does have the authority to remove the passenger from the ship, but that is pretty much the extent of what he can do.

 

Bottom line, people under the age of 21 do drink on HAL. And as long as they behave, not much is done about it. I don't think its much of an issue on HAL ships.

 

I don't really know to be honest. Why have an age restriction then? I honestly don't think it's a big issue.