Just Off Voyager Not Happy At All

[BADBUOY]

BADBOUY So if something bad happened to you , would you prefer we all look away or ignore it? YOU GOT IT:p

We did not stay up all night waiting for the kids to hit, but if we saw or heard it we were on the phone right away. You know what they say, if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem......and that is more true today than before.

 

My only point was that you as the vacationer shouldn't have to police the ship or resort. You pay presumably good money which entitles you to have a certain guarantee that your safety is paramount to your host.

 

In this case it's both the parents and ships responsibilty to ensure that the issue at hand is dealt with appropriately.

 

It should be your job as a passenger to go about your hard earned vacation without encountering ongoing problesm such as under age drinking.

 

BD

[hermang]

hermang - You are so right I've been enjoying your posts on this thread. You make sense. :)

Thanks, To mee it's all about common sense.

If Daddy knows his credit card is going to get seriously dinged if Junior screws up one of two things is going to happen. Junior is not going or Junior is going to become a model citizen or ELSE.

 

I raised two daughters and believe me - one tested the waters many times - nothing serious buy tested none the less. Now she has a very precocious 4 1/2 year old who is beginning to Test Test Test - Hmmmmmm No sympathy from dear old dad here.

[Ericknow32]

All I tried to say was that Common sense should prevail and that the so called dress code should be a guide line for first time cruisers. WOW what a firestorm - and it still persists even after I walked away. What is hysterical

is that a couple of flamers who shall remain nameless accused me of wanting an exception and then 2-3 posts later someone asked about their elderly parents - OF COURSE THEY should have an exception she said ( which I agree) but now its - If I say you have an exception its ok but if you challenge the rules - - OH WELL! It is a never ending battle

I got in one of those arguments a while back. Some people were saying if their table mates weren't dressed properly they would have them thrown out of their table. I simply said that we should have some respect and not immediately judge them or there situation. Some of those people can be uptight but most of them are great.

[dad son team]

Thanks LDinCT.

 

I feel much better now. I have been on 2 other Voyager class ships before, once during spring break and August of last year. I have never had an issue with kids before(including my DS), and believe me, there were alot of kids on both of those sailings. Yes, I guess it can get a little wild in the general pool areas, but the only time I go there is when I bring my DS to SUPERVISE him. Otherwise, I stay in the solarium. The food has never been an issue because like you said, if you don't like it they will keep bringing something until you do.

[Tillie]

I was on the same cruise with my husband and 2 18 y.o.girls. Had a great time.Security was everywhere and, let me tell you, they were checking teens IDs all the time.

 

 

I'm Happy to hear that unlike some of the other posters I do believe that serving underage drinkers is the responsibility of the cruise line. You can't help what they consume in their rooms. This is the responsibility of their parents but thats another problem.

 

I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your cruise and I too would like to read more about the details.

Tillie

 

Navigator of the Seas 10-29-05

[sleeples23]

I would like to go on record that I loved my 7/29 cruise and I believe all 29 people I sailed with would say the same thing. Seeing young teens hanging out in the library did not bother me at all. Underage drinking was not an issue for our group and the groups of kids all about the ship didn't bother me one bit. Please don't be nervous about your sailing on the Voyager. The trip will be as good as you want it to be.:o

[herecomesthesun]

This thread is ridiculous. Underage drinking and irresponsible drinking, regardless of age, occurs everywhere, all the time. You are just shocked and/or offended by it because you are forced to witness it. I agree that it should not go on but just like the government cannot control every sixteen year old who wants to get wasted, RCCL cannot be omnipresent and take care of every situation. I am not saying there isn't room for improvement - please do not flame me. All I'm saying is that I personally do not hold RCCL responsible for teenage drunkenness. Being a teenager I know how truly easy it is for a teenager to procure alcohol, and I'll bet the bartenders don't even know what's going on, because the teenagers are having someone legal by them drinks. The 27 year old who said she got carded all the time on her cruise had it right. The cruiseline was obviously doing its job on her cruise, but the parents weren't doing theirs. Parents should raise their kids to know better and keep a tighter rein on them. Even if they allow their 18-20 year olds to drink they should let them know how irresponsible it is to get drunk. I cringe when I hear about drunk 18 year olds on cruises because I think, RCCL is going to give up and make the drinking age 21, and these stupid, immature people are ruining it for the rest of us. Anyway, I don't think it is entirely the cruiseline's fault and it is obvious they tried their best to control an out of control situation.

[worldsbestcandles]

I think RCCL could do something about it, if they wanted to do so. One of my jobs in college was working at a concert venue. I would stand in plain clothes out by a garbage can a little ways down from the beer ports and the bars. My job that night was just to specifically watch for drink passers. On nights that the concerts were aimed at younger groups there was often a one drink max per ID/per person in line. Odds are a person isn't going to buy for some strange underage kids if that means they have to wait in those long beer lines again to get their own drink. I wouldn't do anything other than signal security who would then go over to the group and card everyone; if they were of age cool, but if not they were out. We had the luxury of having police there to arrest people for drinking underage as well buying for a minor. The servers also lost their jobs - no questions asked- if they were caught selling to someone underage or without an ID (no matter how old).... just a thought. Even if RCCL didn't have the extra "eyes" everywhere, they could easily have one or two more bouncers that float around the bars and the ship looking for people close to 18 or 21 or whatever drinking and they should be able to provide their IDs whenever asked.... just a thought....

 

The grocery store by my house wouldn't sell to me when I was 21 because I had my 16 year old sister with me. We were heading to my parent's house for Thanksgiving and my Mom asked me to pick up some wine. It was ridiculous but they won't sell to anyone under 30 if they have someone under 21 with them.... I was so ticked, but I guess it's better than not caring...

[herecomesthesun]

I think RCCL could do something about it, if they wanted to do so. One of my jobs in college was working at a concert venue. I would stand in plain clothes out by a garbage can a little ways down from the beer ports and the bars. My job that night was just to specifically watch for drink passers. On nights that the concerts were aimed at younger groups there was often a one drink max per ID/per person in line. Odds are a person isn't going to buy for some strange underage kids if that means they have to wait in those long beer lines again to get their own drink. I wouldn't do anything other than signal security who would then go over to the group and card everyone; if they were of age cool, but if not they were out. We had the luxury of having police there to arrest people for drinking underage as well buying for a minor. The servers also lost their jobs - no questions asked- if they were caught selling to someone underage or without an ID (no matter how old).... just a thought. Even if RCCL didn't have the extra "eyes" everywhere, they could easily have one or two more bouncers that float around the bars and the ship looking for people close to 18 or 21 or whatever drinking and they should be able to provide their IDs whenever asked.... just a thought....

 

The grocery store by my house wouldn't sell to me when I was 21 because I had my 16 year old sister with me. We were heading to my parent's house for Thanksgiving and my Mom asked me to pick up some wine. It was ridiculous but they won't sell to anyone under 30 if they have someone under 21 with them.... I was so ticked, but I guess it's better than not caring...

 

The OP mentioned all the security present as a negative aspect of their cruise. I am sure there would be other passengers who would feel that having floating bouncers on the ship would take away from their hard-earned vacation. If they look like they might not be old enough to drink and are carded, they may respond negatively to the incident and thus to RCCL. While your suggestion is a valid one for combating this problem, I think that unfortunately some of the same people who complain about underage drunkenness would complain about the nuisance of all the security. :rolleyes: That is likely one of many reasons why RCCL does not currently do what you suggested.

[worldsbestcandles]

trust me when I say, when you actually turn 21, you won't mind being carded at all. When I went to Vegas the first time after I was 21, I practically had my driver's license tattooed to my forhead they asked me so many times, but I didn't care because I was legal.

 

And the extra security was really only for people acting out of hand. I mean if there are a bunch of people sitting around drinking on a deck and being reasonable about it most likely nothing would be said. Like I said, not a perfect solution, but having some recourse for people who buy underage people drinks (even if it is their parents) wouldn't be a bad thing in my book.

[herecomesthesun]

I agree completely with you, worldsbestcandles, but I was just saying that some cruisers would not be happy about an extra security presence carding people that look like they might not be legal. And while you may not mind being carded (I know some people take it as a compliment!) I have heard people complain about it on this board numerous times, and that is just when they are buying their drink. I was simply saying I can definitely imagine people complaining that a bouncer came up to them when they were drinking and carded them because they looked young, and how that really took away from their relaxing vacation. :rolleyes:

[worldsbestcandles]

I agree... I just think that maybe there is something in the middle... I don't know... for the record, I'm not to the point where it is a compliment to be carded yet ;) I'm only 26.... It's weird though, because I worka lot in California and never get carded there and in Michigan I get carded all the time... very weird...

[LenaDaLlama]

Which goes back to my original comment - behavior like that is learned from the parents. If Mom and Dad were out partying til the wee hours of the morning then it follows that Muffy and Biff think it is ok to do the same.

 

 

Muffy and Biff?? Do people really name their kids this?? :D ;)

[KillaFee]

Hey everyone, just try to look at it this way:

*You're in international waters, not America. Is 21 a magic age where you're suddenly mature enough to handle alcohol? OR are you just trying to mantain American culture everywhere because it's what YOU'RE accustomed to? In most other countries 18 is the legal age. Would you go there and try to change it to 21 because that's how it is in America? C'mon guys.... :(

[Ericknow32]

Hey everyone, just try to look at it this way:

*You're in international waters, not America. Is 21 a magic age where you're suddenly mature enough to handle alcohol? OR are you just trying to mantain American culture everywhere because it's what YOU'RE accustomed to? In most other countries 18 is the legal age. Would you go there and try to change it to 21 because that's how it is in America? C'mon guys.... :(

That's a ridiculous statement. Other countries are used to drinking at younger ages. They are more responsible with alcohol. That is not the case in the U.S. RCCL is an American cruise line and almost all of its passengers are American. Americans are not accustom to drinking at a younger age that is why teens act out when they can finally get their grubby little hands on alcohol. The drinking age should reflect that of America because that is were the cruisers are coming from.

[MichelleMyBell]

I am 19 years old and the July 29 trip on the Voyager was my first cruise experience. I was happy that RCCL allowed 18-20 year olds to drink with parents' permission. Thankfully, my parents accepted...I appreciated this because let's face it...if you're in college, you have probably drank and you should be able to handle alcohol by now. Everyone my age on the cruise that was drinking did not get too out of hand.

People in my age group acted no differently than others over the age of 21. For example, I loved to hang out at the Pig and Whistle in the Promenade. On several occassions, I ran into a group of people in their late 20's to early 30's. They were louder and drunker than my group of 16-19 year old's was. The 21+ guests even bought shots for my 19-year-old friend who was obviously intoxicated. My friend was initially reluctant to drink the 6 SHOTS OF JAEGERMEISTER put in front of him, but (against his own better judgment) he took the shots because our fellow barmates would not stop harrassing him to do so.

As an under-21 guest, I constantly ran into security. I was carded several times in the casino, as were my younger cousins. I had several security guards ask me to leave when I didn't have photo ID on me (they would not accept my SeaPass with 1 punch - evidence enough that I am over 18). My under-18 cousins were asked on several occassions to leave the casino because they could not show identification. Security asked them to leave and then watched to make sure they did indeed exit. I had security ask for ID as I stood by the bar in the casino. I was carded every time I tried to get into the Vault. After 11, I watched security guards at the Vault go around and ID everyone and kick out everyone under 18. This happened nightly. I went to the Pool Bar and ordered a daiquiri and they would not put rum in it because I had one punch in my card.

And as far as kids buying alcohol with their parents SeaPasses, my favorite waitress at the Pig and Whistle (who knew me very well by the end of cruise) went and checked with my mother (who was sitting at a different table in the pub) when I tried to use her card to buy a drink with hard alcohol. The waitress wanted to make sure that it was alright for me to have liquor and also to charge to her expense account. I saw her do this with other kids who tried using SeaPasses without punches (for those 21+). However, other waiters did not do the same because the card had to have been given to the child by their parent, which is evidence that the parent is okay with their child getting alcohol.

So from a cruise partying pro, here is how to prevent your underage kids from drinking:

1. Do not give them cash. Prevent your kids from having cash in every way that you can. It's so easy for kids to give cash to adults to go and buy a bottle of vodka in the duty free store or at the bar. They don't need cash on the boat so make sure they don't have access to it.

2. Frequently check in with your kids. If you see your kids every hour, they won't have time to drink. And if they have had drinks, you will know about it and you can prevent them from drinking more. The kids that I saw drunk were that way because they knew they did not have to see their parents for the rest of the night. They knew they had the free time and would probably not run into their parents randomly, so they drank.

3. Bring walkie-talkies on the boat. I lost my sister one night and after looking for over 2 hours, I still could not find her. Walkie-talkies would have definitely come in handy.

4. Yes, space is an issue, but if your kids are young, consider sharing a room with them instead of getting 2 staterooms. Or you can request to have rooms next door, across the hall, or the best option - adjoining. My parents were next door and they knew what time I was getting in. They'd hear if we were loud in our room. And I'm an adult.

I apologize for the long post, but I feel that it is absolutely ridiculous to blame RCCL for the behavior of children. It's not their job to play cops. Kids want to have fun, too. There are limited options for those under 18 (the promenade and the pool are pretty much the only options for an under 18 guest). Alternatively, there are plenty of places on the boat for 21+ adults who want to have a good time without kids: Schooner Bar, Aquarium Bar, Champagne Bar, High Notes, 19th Hole, Portofino, Casino Royale, etc.

All in all, it is extremely unfair to blame the kids for everything. Things are going to be loud in the promenade at night. With Scott rocking out at the Pig and Whistle and everyone singing along, things are going to get loud. People over 18 and over 21 were loud and ran down the halls. So don't blame the kids in this situation because plenty of adults behaved the same.

[Retired not Expired]

That's a ridiculous statement. Other countries are used to drinking at younger ages. They are more responsible with alcohol. That is not the case in the U.S. RCCL is an American cruise line and almost all of its passengers are American. Americans are not accustom to drinking at a younger age that is why teens act out when they can finally get their grubby little hands on alcohol. The drinking age should reflect that of America because that is were the cruisers are coming from.

 

While it is probably true that most of RCCL's passengers are American, RCCL is not an American cruise line. It would be nice if it were. Then it wouldn't have the problems with the Jones Act.

[smeyer418]

That's a ridiculous statement. Other countries are used to drinking at younger ages. They are more responsible with alcohol. That is not the case in the U.S. RCCL is an American cruise line and almost all of its passengers are American. Americans are not accustom to drinking at a younger age that is why teens act out when they can finally get their grubby little hands on alcohol. The drinking age should reflect that of America because that is were the cruisers are coming from.

 

 

Like all generalization this is not necessarily true. the worst group of teenagers I ever saw were Finnish. On an overnight cruise between, Helsinki and Sweden. 100's literally of throwing up drunk late teeneagers. Duty free alcohol on the ship. Since the teens on the cruise ships can't get on without a parent or someone in loco perentis, I blame the parents--not the kids. While wine may be more readily available overseas for teenagers, hard liquor is not and is generally very expensive.

[PhoenixCruiser]

trust me when I say, when you actually turn 21, you won't mind being carded at all.

 

LOL, true :D I was carded yesterday buying beer at a local Walgreens...I turned 37 last week. In fact a few weeks ago while being carded in a grocery store, the clerk passed my driver's license around to the other cashiers asking them if they would have carded me and then asked them to "guess" my age :)

 

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[wrp96]

LOL, true :D I was carded yesterday buying beer at a local Walgreens...I turned 37 last week. In fact a few weeks ago while being carded in a grocery store, the clerk passed my driver's license around to the other cashiers asking them if they would have carded me and then asked them to "guess" my age :)

 

###

 

My mom got carded at age 52. I've had people apologize for carding me and I'm 27, believe me I don't mind. There was even a person that thought my DL was faked, he even called my mother to ask her if it was really true.

[hermang]

Muffy and Biff?? Do people really name their kids this?? :D ;)

One of my best friends back at Prodigy was named Muffy - well that wasn't her real name - but every one called her that.

 

The "Horsey" set down county had lots of Muffy's and Biff's though

[Ericknow32]

While it is probably true that most of RCCL's passengers are American, RCCL is not an American cruise line. It would be nice if it were. Then it wouldn't have the problems with the Jones Act.

Ookaaaayyyyy, Sure. I thought that Royal Caribbean International was based out of Miami. RCCL is an American cruise line that targets Americans. The ships are registered in the Bahamas. This does not make Royal Caribbean International a Bahamian company.

[cruiserbarb]

I was on the VOS the same cruise and didn't see any underage drinking. Of course, that doesn't mean it didn't happen because I did hear that a young man (don't know how old), was drunk and took a swing at the attendant at the rock climbing wall. After spending the night in lock-up I understand both he and his family were put off in Grand Cayman. True or not, I don't know.

 

For the New Yorkers.....I can't say enough nice things about them. This was the first trip since the 70's that we've gone from NY (actually Bayonne) and we commented constantly on the ship about how nice and friendly the passengers were.

 

The only rude passenger I witnessed was a middle aged man in the Windjammer yelling (yes, yelling) at one of the waiters. He was so bad and red faced that several other waiters came over and tried to calm the man down. His complaint......the doors opened late.

 

All in all, it was great trip and it is what you make it. The only thing that bothered me were the kids hanging out around the stairs, but I shook my head, walked around them and got on with it. After all, I'm not working, cooking, cleaning, etc.....LIGHTEN UP!!!!!!!!

[drea7071]

My other cruises that My familed Sailed from Were out of Miami, I really dont want to believe that it is NYers because I am a born Brooklyn Girl Myself,

Now in New Jersey of Course!!! But the Crowd was alittle rought if I may say so myself. I also Witnessed a few things that shocked me

for one There was a incident in Studio b that the Guy Charged in and Jumped 5 rows almost trampled on a Senior Couple for a Seat very unnessesary I may add.

I also Did here about the Rock climbing incident my husband was up there with my children, Another instance in the Windjammer I put my beach bag got up to get a drink a lady moved it.. We all know my take on the Drinking whether its the parents fault the bartender the grandmother whoever I wouldnt have went on the trip if I would have known how it is with the drinking. We personally witnessed a Father almost choking there daughter saying if I find you on the 7th floor drinking again.

I feel it was a mess,

If you went to bed at 11.00 after the show you were fine but if you were out after 11.00 the place turns into a teenage mess....

Still in shock days later.

For the People that were on the Ship and had a great time Good for you I am glad, As for us I would mabey consider it if they tightened up Security and Changed the Age of Drinking to 21

[madforcruising]

Ookaaaayyyyy, Sure. I thought that Royal Caribbean International was based out of Miami. RCCL is an American cruise line that targets Americans. The ships are registered in the Bahamas. This does not make Royal Caribbean International a Bahamian company.

 

True they are incorporated in the Republic of Liberia and their Headquater is in Miami. There stocks are listed at the NYSE and the Oslo Stock exchange.