What are your views on allowing 18-20 yo drink beer/wine onboard?

[needalatte74]

Hoping this doesn't start an angry debate...

 

It is the policy of the some cruise lines to allow 18-20 year olds to consume beer and wine on board with their parent's consent.

 

I am ok with this. I have my own views on the issue which are driven primarily by culture and hertitage. We are of Spanish decent and my 18 yo teenager is allowed to have a glass of wine with dinner when she is with us.

 

I'm guessing my view isn't going to be very popular but there it is. What is your opinion?

[suenruss]

The legal drinking age in the UK is 18, and quite often teens are allowed a drink with meals / parents when they are younger than that - so I am happy with the 18 year age limit on cruises.

[uppitycats]

I don't have any problem with it..with parental supervision. Why should it be my concern? I DO find it an issue on "spring break" cruises, no responsible adult in sight, kids having way too much...fun....

[sailinglisa]

Culturally speaking, those in Europe and other parts of the world have a different view on alcohol than those in the US. In Europe, wine is served with meals and it is not made that big a deal of. Usually there is no problem with 18 - 20 year olds from Europe causing problems when traveling because of alcohol. Here in the US, alcohol is treated as a taboo........heaven forbid the government allow parents and families to teach kids about drinking responsibly! Therefore, cause the kids can't have it, they want it more (forbidden fruit)......and they haven't been taught moderation or that drinking alcohol is not that big of a thing.

 

I guess I am ok with 18 - 20 year olds drinking wine or beer on board IF: 1) the parents sign the waiver; 2) they are totally responsible for their kids on board and 3) they are all thrown off the ship at the next available port if the kids abuse the privelege. jmho

[BethV114]

Here in the US, alcohol is treated as a taboo........heaven forbid the government allow parents and families to teach kids about drinking responsibly!

 

I think that if more parents did teach their children to drink alcohol responsibly, then the U.S. government might not try to control it so tightly. As you mentioned, there are cultural differences and in many countries parents do teach their children to have a glass of wine with dinner and to otherwise be more responsible with alcohol. Thus, their governments are not quite as strict.

 

Getting off my soapbox - to the OP, I see nothing wrong with allowing your 18-20 year old child to drink beer or wine on the cruiseship, so long as you set some guidelines/ground rules about amounts, behavior, etc. My DD is only 8 1/2 months old, but DH and fully intend to help her to be responsible regarding alcohol intake, including allowing her to drink wine or beer while we're cruising, and perhaps an occasional glass of wine with dinner at home. As the laws are written in the U.S., she can't purchase alcohol until age 21, but we are permitted to provide it to her, and only her, as our child.

[palavra]

Since it is legal in international waters, I think it should be allowed. As a parent, I wouldn't allow my 18-20 year old to cruise by himself or herself if I thought he or she would stay drunk the whole trip.

[cb at sea]

When I was 18, it was legal to drink...if you're old enough to sign a contract, you're old enough to drink. Simple!

America should change it's laws regarding alcohol....we do things so backasswards in this country, regarding anything "mind-altering"...it's totally silly and stupid! If you didn't treat alcohol as some sort of "taboo" thing, it wouldn't hold such an interest to the younger crowd! They would learn that it's simply a part of life, and not "binge" the way they do now. I'm all for allowing anyone of adult age to exercise their right to choose!

[ashxoxo89]

well when you are 18 by law you are an adult so i dont see anything wrong with drinking as long as you do in responsibly.. i am almost 21, have cruised when i was 17 and 19 with my parents and never got IDed for alcohol but my parents knew I was having a few and didnt care because I am repsonbile... now for those immature (usually guys no offense :) 18-20 yr olds.. it may be a different story. BUT we have all seen the belligerent and crazy older drunk adults on our cruises who can be worse then us young ppl :)

[celle]

Hoping this doesn't start an angry debate...

 

It is the policy of the some cruise lines to allow 18-20 year olds to consume beer and wine on board with their parent's consent.

 

I am ok with this. I have my own views on the issue which are driven primarily by culture and hertitage. We are of Spanish decent and my 18 yo teenager is allowed to have a glass of wine with dinner when she is with us.

 

I'm guessing my view isn't going to be very popular but there it is. What is your opinion?

 

Since 18 is the legal drinking age in my country, I would allow an 18-20 year old to drink. I see nothing wrong with people of this age drinking in controlled circumstances. Once they reach 16, we have allowed our teenagers to have an occasional glass of wine at a family dinner.

[quincytoo]

Drinking age here in BC is 19 and I don't see anything wrong with allowing my soon to be 19 year old have a glass of wine or beer while with us on a cruise, when he turns 19. Judging from our 22 and soon to be 25 year old we have raised them to be responsible adults who know how to behave around alcohol.

 

Especially if it is in International waters.

[Warm Breezes]

I would follow the rules of the cruiseline I am sailing. If they allowed 18-20 year olds to drink on their ships then I am ok with it. If it was against their rules then I am not ok with it. IMHO if you are are sailing on a particular line, then you are agreeing to abide by their rules. If you don't like their rules pick a different cruiseline whose rules you agree with.

[akcruz]

Personally I don't have an issue with an 18 - 20 year old having a beer or glass of wine on a trip as long as it is known to the parent what they are doing.

 

On our last cruise my DD was 19 and met a lot of kids in this age group that had smuggled alcohol onboard in various ways. They were sneaking it left and right and quite often wasted. Fortunately for us she is a good kid (we have tried to teach our kids to be sensible with alcohol) and ran the other way. She ended up spending most of her time with us. Of course when on shore she did have a few fruity cocktails as the drinking age was 18.

 

Unfortunately as usual the few that don't follow the rules have caused the rest to have even stricter rules.

[fleetingfam]

In Texas if your over 18 and either married or with your parents than your aloud to drink at some restaurants/bars. So since I'm already use to that I feel like if your with a responsible party than you should be able to. Of course it is up to the responsible party to make sure you don't drink to much and don't become unsafe to yourself or others.

[Onessa]

I would have no problem with an 18YO drinking age. As others have indicated, problem drinking has as much to do with attitude as any other factor and the attitude in the US toward drinking is not healthy. Drinking to excess is celebrated, and reaching the drinking age is given way too much significance.

[lorieg]

While ship is International Waters, first, follow line's rules...then parent's rules. For us, 19 yr old son, not interested, he's seen enough to come to his own conclusion.;)

[jerin]

I have no problem with young adults having a drink when accompanied by their parents (or with another older adult willing to be responsible).

[bplazo]

I guess I am in the minority because I do not like drinking and I would never encourage my daughter to do it. So, we always followed the rules when on the ship which was no drinking for under 21.

[lovesublime]

Just my 2 cents. I have no problem with parents allowing their 18-20 yo children to have a drink on a cruise or anywhere else. As long as they're being monitored and the parents are taking full responsibility. I do have a problem with people stating that the U.S. is behind the times on alcohol education and that Americans in general have an unhealthy attitude toward alcohol. It is a fact that our higher drinking age has reduced the number of young teens who drink. It's also known that the earlier one begins drinking-the more likely that problems with alcohol may develop. For those touting that Europeans are somehow more sophisticated and enlightened about alcohol-please note that most of Europe consumes way more alcohol than Americans do, and also has much higher rates of alcoholism. The U.S. isn't even in the top ten when it comes to alcohol consumption and abuse.

[kitty9]

Since it is legal in international waters, I think it should be allowed. As a parent, I wouldn't allow my 18-20 year old to cruise by himself or herself if I thought he or she would stay drunk the whole trip.

 

This is not necessarily true. Some cruise lines allow parents to sign a waiver for that age group to drink, and some do not. And if you're doing an Alaska cruise, even if you're outside the 3 mile limit, they do not allow that age group to drink, even if parents would allow it. I know that Royal Caribbean and Celebrity don't allow that age group to drink for their Caribbean/Mexico/Canada/Bermuda/Panama Canal cruises and don't have a waiver for anyone to sign.

[kitty9]

I would have no problem with an 18YO drinking age. As others have indicated, problem drinking has as much to do with attitude as any other factor and the attitude in the US toward drinking is not healthy. Drinking to excess is celebrated, and reaching the drinking age is given way too much significance.

 

The only problem with that is, when will it stop? You give the 18 year olds the right to drink, then you're going to have the 16 year olds pushing the envelop, and then even the middle school kids. Yes, I know some of them drink already, but once you start lowering the age, won't the desire to drink go younger and younger? Heck, in Milwaukee, they have their first 10 year old in the pregnant mother's program. Pretty sad. Kids push a lot of things to younger and younger ages. Isn't it sad that kids grow up way too fast? What happened to innocent childhood? Maybe I'm too old.........

[kitty9]

I have no problem with young adults having a drink when accompanied by their parents (or with another older adult willing to be responsible).

 

But there is an inherent problem with that, and that issue is, there are so many parents who are irresponsible. When we were in Aruba, we were shocked to see parents allowing their 14 and 15 year old kids to drink at various bars. Heck, one dad let his very drunk 16 year old daughter to dance on top of the bar at Carlos and Charlies. You have all sorts of parents who hold the opinion that as long as they're drinking in front of them, there's no problem. Tell that to the parents of the two 14 year olds and the 16 year old who were killed in our community when a parent provided alcohol to those kids and they got into an accident on the way home.

[MartinB2001]

Here in QC the legal age for drinking is 18. I have absolutely no problem to have people (I find difficult to call 18-20 years old people to be callled children anymore :rolleyes:). QC is a little bit different from the ROC as we do have a more latin/Europe oriented attitude toward these things. Therfore alchool is not a taboo.

 

I was taught well by my parents, and I certainly intend to do the same with my 9 1/2 year old DD, as she sees her parents and grand parents drink wine at dinner, she also has a her wine glass filled with "her own white wine" (apple juice!) and participate as a full person.

 

when comes to teaching anything to kids, example must be set first and foremost by parents. So if parents travelling with 18-20 years raised there kid proper public behavior in public, I don't see why they should not be allowed to drink on board.

 

As people mentionned earlier in the thread, if your old enough to sign contract, work, get married; or even worst get killed in Irak; well by all mean you should be old enough to drink.

[AZVoodoo]

The US is so backward in its view on alcohol.

 

• Fiji
  
• Pakastan (for non-Muslims, prohibited for Muslims)
  
• Palau
  
• Sri Lanka
  
• United States
  

are the only countries in the world that have a drinking age of 21. Most of the world it is 18.

 

Like a previous poster said; If you are a legal adult at 18 then why not be able to drink.

[Havingfun2010]

Hoping this doesn't start an angry debate...

 

It is the policy of the some cruise lines to allow 18-20 year olds to consume beer and wine on board with their parent's consent.

 

I am ok with this. I have my own views on the issue which are driven primarily by culture and hertitage. We are of Spanish decent and my 18 yo teenager is allowed to have a glass of wine with dinner when she is with us.

 

I'm guessing my view isn't going to be very popular but there it is. What is your opinion?

 

Whenever this question is brough up, it revolves around view, laws, European Laws, customs etc. However, the drinking age on a ship, is not dictated by any of those. It is dictated by behaviour and experience that the cruise lines have. So, it was abused, an 18 year old limit, so it was raised. Any other discussion of why, or laws, or rules, or customs, etc, is a mute point. Behave, and the rules, could be lax again.

[Onessa]

I would have no problem with an 18YO drinking age. As others have indicated, problem drinking has as much to do with attitude as any other factor and the attitude in the US toward drinking is not healthy. Drinking to excess is celebrated, and reaching the drinking age is given way too much significance.

 

The only problem with that is, when will it stop? You give the 18 year olds the right to drink,. . .

My point is that it is not so much the drinking "age" as it is the attitude toward alchol in American culture.

 

Have you watched a major sporting event on TV lately? -- Coors/Miller, AB, and Sam Adams are the primary sponsors. St. Louis has Busch Stadium, Denver Coors field, Milwaukee has Miller Park. Going to a game is ridiculous - beer vendors in the aisles and people all around overimbibing. TV and movies seem to think that someone getting fallingdown drunk is normal (and just the funniest thing that could possibly happen). Drinking - and more importantly drinking to excess - is considered to be "normal" and a "right of passage".

 

Carrie Nation demonized the drink - it is the attitude. A beer after a round of golf, a glass of wine with a nice dinner, a margarita on the back deck with a few friends (note "a" in each example) is not the image we give to our children. The image our society gives is a frat keg party, drinking and exotic "dancers" at a bachelor/bachelotte party, wild nights out on the town.

 

then you're going to have the 16 year olds pushing the envelop,

OK, don't tell my DD this, but when I was in high school the drinking age was 18. In the late 70s in Wisconsin, if you went to a bar with a guy (and you were a girl), you'd NEVER get carded - so yes we'd go to the discos (and I'd still drink cocacola :))

 

and then even the middle school kids. Yes, I know some of them drink already, but once you start lowering the age, won't the desire to drink go younger and younger?

And if we push the drinking age higher won't the temptation get greater and greater (forbidden fruit) and what makes that 21YO any more "prepared" to drink than the 18YO. As others have stated, being a good role model to your kids and preparing them for ALL of the rights/responsibilities of adulthood is what is really important.

 

Heck, in Milwaukee, they have their first 10 year old in the pregnant mother's program. Pretty sad. Kids push a lot of things to younger and younger ages. Isn't it sad that kids grow up way too fast? What happened to innocent childhood? Maybe I'm too old.........

I'm not certain that the 10YO mother has too much to do with drinking. But society also has some really unhealthy attitudes toward sex and other things that are causing some of our kids to grow up too early (is it really necessary to have an ad for Erectile Disfunction drugs on a showing of Ratatolli at 7:35 at night, for example).

 

But to the OP's question, if you want to take responsibility for your kid (not other kids) and let him/her have a drink while in your presence, I still do not see a problem with that.