Drinking age ?

[hlsess]

I have a 20 YO and see it won't let him get the UBP package- did I read somewhere that beer and wine was for 18 & up?

[hawkeyetlse]

On European itineraries the drinking age is 18 (but the minimum age is still 21 for the UBP). Your son should be able to order whatever he likes, although now that I read the policy again, it sounds like they might only let him purchase beer and wine.

 

On other cruises, the minimum age is 21, but a parent can sign a waiver to allow a young adult (18-20) to order beer and wine (not possible on Alaska and Hawaii cruises).

Edited October 18, 2015 by hawkeyetlse

[NMLady]

I have a 20 YO and see it won't let him get the UBP package- did I read somewhere that beer and wine was for 18 & up?

 

If a parent is cruising with him the parent can sign a waiver onboard letting him have beer or wine.

 

Otherwise, unless it is a European itinerary, no drinking.

[hlsess]

Thanks it is a European itinerary-he will be 7 weeks shy of being 21- so he can't get the UBP for beer? how much is a beer?

[DMH15]

20-year-olds can drink they just will not give them the universal beverage package.

[Jane Don]

Aw, do the kid a solid and delay the trip 7 weeks.

 

In reality, I would get my kid his drinks with my UBP even though it is against the rules. That way I could keep him discreet and monitor quantity and make sure no one gets stupid. Otherwise I would make my kid buy drinks with his own hard earned money and that would help moderate as well.

[navybankerteacher]

Can't help wondering: as it is a European itinerary, which ordinarily means a lot of port days - which might be taken to mean a fair amount of time ashore not being able to use drink package. How many beers would he need to drink on sea days and evenings to make it a good value vs. buying individual beers? Drink package usually only makes sense for someone drinking a fair number of more expensive mixed drinks --- do yourself (and him, ultimately) a favor and let him buy drinks by the bottle.

[hawkeyetlse]

Aw, do the kid a solid and delay the trip 7 weeks.

If he's like most American 20-year-olds, he's getting plenty of liquor wherever he is right now, he can survive on beer and wine for 9 days at Christmas with his family. No need to be "discreet" about it, he can just walk up to the bar and order it himself.

 

As for sharing the UBP, in this situation I have no problem with it, since (from the OP's other threads) the son will be booked into his own room, and he could normally choose the UBP as a free booking perk, only NCL won't let under-21s have it.

[mikenhe]

you are stuck with NCL rules. however as its in europe then he can drink whatever he likes off the ship and just beer and wine on it.

 

you can write and protest the rules (and the more that do this then the better chance you have of getting it changed but don;t expect anything to be done in that time frame or specifically for your son.

 

Unfortunately your are subject to the rules that are set by NCL, which in turn is influenced by the American mindset of having a drinking age in line with Oman and Pakistan rather than the lower ages used by the rest of the world.

Luckily you are going with NCL and are allowed wine and beer.

[hlsess]

thanks- we don't cruise often so I didn't know that he could have beer- doesn't drink liquor- will just let him buy his beer- thanks for the quick answers

[Sailing the waves]

Hi am looking at possibly booking the Escape for August 2016 with my 17 and 20 year old sons. Would they have a meet and greet for the older one as they did on RCI this summer and it was perfect for him

thanks

[abe3]

Aw, do the kid a solid and delay the trip 7 weeks.

 

In reality, I would get my kid his drinks with my UBP even though it is against the rules. That way I could keep him discreet and monitor quantity and make sure no one gets stupid. Otherwise I would make my kid buy drinks with his own hard earned money and that would help moderate as well.

 

 

This is one of the reasons why they increase the UBP prices and also make everyone in the cabin get the package. People love to take advantage of it.

Edited October 19, 2015 by abe3

[hawkeyetlse]

This is one of the reasons why they increase the UBP prices and also make everyone in the cabin get the package. People love to take advantage of it.

They have always made everyone in the cabin get the package, from the very start. NCL loves to take advantage, too, and if they assume from the get-go that all of their customers are thieves, they should actually feel vindicated and relieved if some of their customers, in fact, turn out to be thieves.

[abe3]

NCL does not force you to get the UBP. You can pay for each drink if you wish. They are not thieves by forcing you to give them money. Using the UBP and letting others use it while not paying for it not only is stealing it also is stealing from passengers that actually play by the rules paying for their drinks a la carte or with the UBP purchased.

Edited October 19, 2015 by abe3

[hawkeyetlse]

NCL does not force you to get the UBP. You can pay for each drink if you wish. They are not thieves by forcing you to give them money. Using the UBP and letting others use it while not paying for it not only is stealing it also is stealing from passengers that actually play by the rules paying for their drinks a la carte or with the UBP purchased.

First of all, I agree that using one person's UBP to get drinks for another person is stealing, no two ways about it. And in most situations I am strongly against it (for example, to the poster above who actually suggested doing this and tried to justify stealing as good parenting: pay for your kid's beer :mad:). But in a minority of cases like the OP's, I'm willing to say it's not as big a deal (the full details of the OP's case are not in this thread).

 

Second, I didn't say that NCL were thieves. I said that the "all must purchase" rule of the UBP assumes that their customers are thieves, or potential thieves that cannot be trusted not to steal given the opportunity. Princess introduced their all-inclusive package last year, and after a short test, they removed the "all must purchase" rule, and it still costs less and includes more than NCL's UBP. As I said, I didn't call NCL thieves, but they don't look great by comparison here. What saves them for the moment is that they are giving away the UBP to so many people, and it's pretty hard to complain about that (although plenty of people still manage to ;)).

[abe3]

First of all, I agree that using one person's UBP to get drinks for another person is stealing, no two ways about it. And in most situations I am strongly against it (for example, to the poster above who actually suggested doing this and tried to justify stealing as good parenting: pay for your kid's beer :mad:). But in a minority of cases like the OP's, I'm willing to say it's not as big a deal (the full details of the OP's case are not in this thread).

 

Second, I didn't say that NCL were thieves. I said that the "all must purchase" rule of the UBP assumes that their customers are thieves, or potential thieves that cannot be trusted not to steal given the opportunity. Princess introduced their all-inclusive package last year, and after a short test, they removed the "all must purchase" rule, and it still costs less and includes more than NCL's UBP. As I said, I didn't call NCL thieves, but they don't look great by comparison here. What saves them for the moment is that they are giving away the UBP to so many people, and it's pretty hard to complain about that (although plenty of people still manage to ;)).

 

understand your point and completely agree with your reasoning. I am not a big fan of everybody in the cabin has to purchase it, since you might have someone that might not drink alcohol and/or soda. It is hard to regulate, but maybe in the further they will implement some type of system like you said with Princess. I can't condone the poster who is using the UBP for others and of course giving their children, even if they are 17-18 years old a lesson on drinking and also teaching how to get things for free without paying for it. To me that is irresponsible parenting IMO.

 

 

If you are a Iowa Hawkeyes fan GO HAWKS!

[hawkeyetlse]

Thanks it is a European itinerary-he will be 7 weeks shy of being 21- so he can't get the UBP for beer? how much is a beer?

Update on this: he cannot get the promotional UBP (which stinks :mad:), and they won't let him buy the UBP.

 

But if he wants to drink a lot of beer, he can purchase the Corks & Caps package ($49/day + 18% gratuity). Young adults on European itineraries are allowed to have this package. For some reason the US site fails to mention this, but you can read it on the NCL EU site. Personally I think when they deny a young adult the promotional UBP because of the age restriction, they should downgrade it to Corks and Caps on European cruises.

 

Most beers cost around $6 before tip, so you'd have to drink 9 of them every day to break even with this package. Or mix in a few glasses of wine (up to $15) and get there faster.

[hlsess]

yikes- think he will just stick with buying them without package.... I doubt he would drink that many