Carlos & Charlies Aruba- O.K. for 15 yr old?

[beachbm213]

Can't verify with specifics regarding the drinks being tampered with BUT prior to a short rather impromptu trip to Cancun there were quite a few warnings of this on that board. Every night our resort "hosted" a van going to a different nightclub where guests got VIP entrance and a roped off area where the resort's staff STAYED so people could leave purses and DRINKS without worry. I've also heard a few similiar stories in our own hometown which IMO just proves no matter where you go, you MUST be aware of what is going on around you.

Be sure when you "party", you are safe!

[hstrybuf]

Very wise choice! :D

 

The funniest thing about C&C is watching all then drunks try and make it back to the ship in time for departure!!!! :eek:

 

***

 

I agree. We had lunch at CnC's in Aruba. Not busy at all and we also didn't have kids with us. Maybe you CAN sneak in if your 15 year old has plans of his own, supervised of course.

 

We had a blast watching the ship's officers escorting everyone back to the ship before we sailed away. :D

[nosnobunny]

I agree. We had lunch at CnC's in Aruba. Not busy at all and we also didn't have kids with us. Maybe you CAN sneak in if your 15 year old has plans of his own, supervised of course.

 

We had a blast watching the ship's officers escorting everyone back to the ship before we sailed away. :D

 

Hellooooo.....it's still a bar and it's still against the law for him to be there! Sorry but I've got to disagree with you on this one Deb.

Beth

[hstrybuf]

Hellooooo.....it's still a bar and it's still against the law for him to be there! Sorry but I've got to disagree with you on this one Deb.

 

Beth

 

You misunderstood Beth. ;) DH and I went to CnC's for lunch. No kids. And I don't believe it's a good place for a teen, but maybe Mom can sneak in, eh? :D

[nosnobunny]

Ohhhhh. I didn't understand. Must have been all that cutting and pasting jc had me doing.

Beth

[OCruisers]

I will be visiting Aruba on our November cruise and was wondering if I could take my 15 yr old (looks a little older) for lunch or even dinner? Any age restrictions?

I have never been there but folks traveling with us really seem to want to go.

Appreciate your thoughts

 

 

Your 15-Year-Old will be WITH YOU -- big difference!

 

Take him! We took our "girls" with us to Carlos 'N Charlies and to other "party places" as well as on Party Boats when they were teens on cruises with us! Both are now out of grad school with great jobs (one is married and has two of the most wonderful children. :D ... yes, our grandchildren :o ) ... so ... guess it didn't hurt them. :rolleyes:

 

WITH YOU is the important thing! Off my soapbox ... but, they WILL all go to places at some point. Better to take them with you when they are younger teens so they will know what to expect when they go away to college ..... ;)

 

Have a great time with your friends and son at Carlos 'N Charlies!

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[WeLuvVacation]

Went to C & C's in Aruba for lunch and as others have said very low key. They do come around once in a while and do the wine drinking game, but with adults only, and only if they want to. It is a tourist dive for sure, but fun. And the food was not that bad, standard bar food, burgers, sandwiches, etc.

[WeLuvVacation]

Hellooooo.....it's still a bar and it's still against the law for him to be there! Sorry but I've got to disagree with you on this one Deb.

 

Beth

 

HELLOOOOOOO, it is not illegal for a minor to be in a bar, it is illegal for a minor to drink, especially if the bar serves food.

 

Would I take a 15 yr old to C & C's at night NO!.

 

Don't quote the law if you don't know the law.

[nosnobunny]

HELLOOOOOOO, it is not illegal for a minor to be in a bar, it is illegal for a minor to drink, especially if the bar serves food.

 

Would I take a 15 yr old to C & C's at night NO!.

 

Don't quote the law if you don't know the law.

 

And which law are you quoting? Are you sure it's the same in Aruba?

Beth

[OCruisers]

Actually, think some are making way too much of this! :o

 

Carlos 'N Chalies is a "Party Bar"! It's not a strip joint! You'll see many very young children in there for lunch or early dinner (too loud for the little ones later). All ages enjoy going to the Gift Shop!

 

In Aruba it's rather (to quote the kids) LAME in the day. Does get more and more active as the evening progresses .... Don't go later in the evening (or take your teens) if it bothers you seeing folks HAVING FUN -- drinking, singing, and dancing! :D

 

While we never had a problem taking ours when they were teens, some of you might ..........

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[JCSM-Mom]

I haven't been to Aruba, but I was at the C&C with my parents in Cozumel. I did see some families eating....but I also saw a lot of drunk people doing all kinds of things. The main game that night was to see who could drink enough shots to stack their glasses to the ceiling.....

 

Also, there were a lot of off duty ship staff there....hitting on the single girls from the ship......a bit awkward. And I'm not mistaken either. I was single at the time and was with my parents on this cruise and our dinner waiter was there....he asked me to dance...so I thought sure why not....right up until he actually tried to KISS me right there....Uh, excuse me :o ....Let me tell you this...dinner was sure weird THAT night...LOL. Not to mention that these poeple had been drinking all day and then had a serve food that night.

 

I certainly would not take my children there....

[WeLuvVacation]

And which law are you quoting? Are you sure it's the same in Aruba?

 

Beth

 

18 to drink in Aruba, 1 second old to eat in any country!

 

And ANY establishment can have an age limit older than the legal age.

 

There are bars in every restaurant just about that is not a fast food one in the USA, and they amazingly serve minors food as well.

 

To take a minor to C & C's after 5 pm is not wise, at 12 noon for lunch it is a parental decision. Nothing raunchy is happening there at lunch time.

[justaknucklehead]

When we went it was about 2:00 p.m. and beginning to get raunchy. So eat your lunch and then split.

[JanMD]

NO! Even with the parents with a 15 year old.

[cruz1234]

Just a quick, off the topic comment. I think the reason Aruba claims it is "CRIME FREE" is because they don't arrest anyone for anything! Even if they know it's going on ie: 17 yr olds commonly in Casino's w/ unlimited credit, and in bars C&C, bartenders putting date rape drugs in drinks, etc.. they don't arrest them then they can keep claiming they are "CRIME FREE". If we never arrested anyone here in the US we could claim to be crime free too!

[trish1c]

JF4300 --

 

I noticed you were from NJ so this should make sense to you. C&C is just like every bar at the Jersey shore in the summer. To me it's a waste to travel just to go there. ;) If you would take your kids to Jenkinson's, the Tiki Bar or any other bar in Seaside or on LBI, they will be fine at C&C.

[hermang]

That is a very serious allegation, and I am sure one that can be easily verified. If it is "common knowledge", as noted, then people must see it happening, or at the very least the police could raid the establishment to seize the tablets (pills?) of the date-rape drug. I know there have been posts about how uncooperative the Aruban govt has been, and I don't want to get into that discussion here, but surely no one in good conscience could let this continue to occur - especially if it is the worst-kept secret in town. Also, it has been widely broadcast that Aruba is virtually crime free... if bartenders were routinely slipping the date-rape drug into women's drinks, one would think there would be many, many more reported rapes (or disappearances...).

That kind of allegation sounds like the typical scare tactic from the fear merchants. If it were even 1% true - the publicity if anyone were prosecuted would kill the C&C brand everywhere - and I seriously believe their corporate risk management folks would be undercover checking it out instantly if not sooner

[hermang]

Just a quick, off the topic comment. I think the reason Aruba claims it is "CRIME FREE" is because they don't arrest anyone for anything! Even if they know it's going on ie: 17 yr olds commonly in Casino's w/ unlimited credit, and in bars C&C, bartenders putting date rape drugs in drinks, etc.. they don't arrest them then they can keep claiming they are "CRIME FREE". If we never arrested anyone here in the US we could claim to be crime free too!

No offense - but how is it that you know this fact?

[atlcple2]

Carlos & Charlies is a very wilde place at night...I don't think the location changes that. Yes, they serve dinner and yes, I have seek kids there for dinner. After 9pm it is a club, and a wild one at that..I went in my late 20s with a friend to Cancun and we went there, as well as Senior Frogs. They have the same owner. It was the wildest thing I had ever seen! I went again once in my 30s, again with a friend to Cancun. It was a young, rowdy, drunken crowd at night, so packed that you could not walk without brushing someone's back, of front for that matter. In Mexico, you can drink if you are 18, so needless to say, there were a lot of wasted 18 year olds...to the point that some of them could barely walk or speak. Go early, like 6-7pm, and eat dinner and it is a different story, you will see several families in there that time of the early evening.

 

As far as Aruba, it was reported in recent months on CNN & Fox News that more than 1/2 of Arbua's tourism is American...after seeing how their criminal/justice system worked in the Holloway case, I think I will spend my $$ elsewhere. I'm sure it is beautiful there, but so are the other islands in the Caribbean. As cruz1234 mentioned, when the Holloway case broke, the Aruban Government itself claimed that they were a "CRIME FREE" island where only 1 rape in over a year had been reported. I am taking this information from CNN & Fox. Here in the US millions of rapes go unreported, I think it is safe to say that when people are at places like C&C on a vacation drinking and carefree, many types of crimes go unreported. I originally posted just to make people aware of what is happening in bars there and that it could happen here or anywhere as well. You can never be to cautious.

[sandbag7]

Can anyone explain what the appeal of C & C is? Are the drinks that good? Or do people just like to hang out with other drunk tourists? The only locals there are there to profit from these same tourists.

C & C actually started years ago as part of the Anderson Group (I think that was the name). They actually had a very fine restaurant in Mexico City (Andersons), but apparantly found they can make more money selling drinks to boobs. I don't have a thing against drinking, I just don't understand why you would get off the ship to drink with other cruisers. Why not stay on board and get drunk or else, try some local culture; even a local bar would have some interest, or do C & C people go on a cruise just to be with their own kind?

[evildiva]

We took my 15year old nephew and 17 year old neice for dinner, they had a blast. They stayed with us the entire time and saw nothing that would corrupt them!

[hstrybuf]

Can anyone explain what the appeal of C & C is? Are the drinks that good? Or do people just like to hang out with other drunk tourists?

 

It seems to be very popular. Everyone probably has their own reasons for going to CnC's. For me, I wanted to see what all the hoopla was about. We had lunch which was just okay, nothing special, looked at the decor, bought a tee shirt and avoided it like the plague at night when it was packed to the rafters.

 

I've also been to the one in Cozumel. We stopped in for a drink with friends then went on our way to other things.

[trish1c]

Can anyone explain what the appeal of C & C is? Are the drinks that good?

 

I can't. I think the whole chain sucks but that's just me. I do have a picture of myself from college at the one in Cancun drinking a margarita out of a glass the size of a fishbowl. Maybe that's part of the lure. Obviously, people love them.