Underage Drinking Onboard

[janetz]

Most of the time it is not the crew that has served the alcohol. You can blame the 21 and older crowd gettting for the younger ones. The unknowing parents with alcohol in their cabin that they get into. Also, the 18 year old on ashore, where 18 is the legal age, buys a bottle, finds a place like a public bathroom, transfers it to a water bottle and brings it back onboard. Lets just say where there is a will there is a way..They know all the tricks. A member of the crew is the last person I would think about. :)

 

 

 

To the op I am sorry I had even responded after reading just your first post. Now that I have read more I see that this was a case of your daughter being given a drink by staff. How upset you must be :(

[KPGirl]

I have a very different view, I'm from Ontario where the drinking age is 19 however most kids are starting way before that ( including myself). I think 21 yrs to drink is ridiculous. I don't for a second believe one shot would make someone that sick, something's up there. But maybe if people were so uptight about the 21 drinking age maybe 17 - 20 yr olds wouldn't be making such bad choices and having to be so sneaking. My kids and most of their friends started drinking at 16 ( I was much younger), we knew where they were and how much they had to they didn't have to be sneaking and make bad choices. Being old enough to vote, drive ( much more dangerous) and go to war but you can't have a drink, wierd in my book. Sorry to upset people with my opinion. I will be cruising in Dec with my 17 yr old daughter and 20 1/2 yr old son. They will both be drinking in the ports, my daughter more limited then my son. I can't imagine telling my 6"5 son that he can't have a beer !!!

[ronrythm]

First off, from your daughter's reaction, it seems she might be one of those people who are allergic to alcohol. If she did indeed have only the one shot, it is very likely. You may want to have her checked for that. It could save her a lot of trouble later.

 

Next back to the law. The Carnival Dream is registered in Panama. The legal drinking age in Panama is 18, but it is not enforced in Panama, so getting it enforced on a ship is not realistic. Criminal law is just not going to happen.

 

A civil suit is another manner. This would prceed in the US. Due to the failure of Carnival's employees to follow their own procedures, your daughter was placed in danger. If you feel strongly enough about it, you may want to speak with an attorney. Before you do, decide two things:

1. How much is this worth to you, in money, time & energy? Can you afford to spend several thousand dollars with the chance you will not get it back? Do you want to devote your time to this or spend it with your daughters?
   
2. What do you want to achieve? Do you want monetary payment? Do you want Carnival to do something like mandatory training for its' workers? What is your ideal outcome?
   

After you decide what you want, you may be able to achieve it, without resorting to a civil suit.

 

Thank you for telling others about this. Hopefully someone else may read this thread and tell their daughter about it and that daughter take it seriously enough to avoid placing themselves in the same danger. That may be the only good that comes out of this event.

 

Ron

[dphockey13]

Most of the time it is not the crew that has served the alcohol. You can blame the 21 and older crowd gettting for the younger ones. The unknowing parents with alcohol in their cabin that they get into. Also, the 18 year old on ashore, where 18 is the legal age, buys a bottle, finds a place like a public bathroom, transfers it to a water bottle and brings it back onboard. Lets just say where there is a will there is a way..They know all the tricks. A member of the crew is the last person I would think about. :)

 

Haha, if you read my previous post, this is exactly what we did, except I was 17 and was still able to buy ashore. We would buy a bottle, transfer to water bottle, and hide it between my stomach and belt. We would do it multiple times till we had a stash. Got drunk all week and got quite a few other teens on the ship drunk as well.

[MissKIA]

OP, this almost sounds like a drugging issue. Unless DD is on medication, that extreme reaction from one shot in the 60 minutes you were gone seems nearly impossible. That's even MORE frightening... the possibility of being drugged and "some guy" bringing her back to her room. I can't imagine your fear and frustration! :eek::mad::eek::mad:

 

That was my first thought too. I don't know anyone, small or not, who would get THAT drunk and out of it after one shot of alcohol. The fact that a (seemingly) annoymous stranger bought it for her brings up huge red flags!

[dphockey13]

That was my first thought too. I don't know anyone, small or not, who would get THAT drunk and out of it after one shot of alcohol. The fact that a (seemingly) annoymous stranger bought it for her brings up huge red flags!

 

Honestly, I think she drank more either before the club or after, and isn't being honest about it. Probably before. Getting alcohol on these ships is easier than you think. I managed to do it years ago when I was a minor. Of course a parent would want to believe their child didn't do exactly what you don't want to think they did, but in reality, that is the simplest explanation, and usually, the simplest explanation is the right one.

[HarpHarp]

That was my first thought too. I don't know anyone, small or not, who would get THAT drunk and out of it after one shot of alcohol. The fact that a (seemingly) annoymous stranger bought it for her brings up huge red flags!

 

I agree that the drink being drugged is a real possibility.

 

However, as someone who researched alcohol metabolism, I can tell you it is very possible for someone to get that sick from one drink.

Orientals are especially prone to this genetic trait. This young lady is small and has a metabolic abnormality as it is. This makes her more prone to a severe reaction to alcohol.

 

I had a 100 lb Korean girl pass out from less than a shot of vodka during one of my experiments. One of our Chinese professors actually had a true allergic reaction to less than 10 ml of vodka, sneezing, watery eyes etc.

 

I'm just glad that it didn't turn into a more serious situation and the young lady will be OK

[GraNanny]

Honestly, I think she drank more either before the club or after, and isn't being honest about it. Probably before. Getting alcohol on these ships is easier than you think. I managed to do it years ago when I was a minor. Of course a parent would want to believe their child didn't do exactly what you don't want to think they did, but in reality, that is the simplest explanation, and usually, the simplest explanation is the right one.

 

If she was that drunk, the first drink is probably the only one she remembers. This story brings back memories of a time when my son was about 17 or 18, and he and a friend got ahold of some alcohol at the grocery store near us. I woke up in the middle of the night and he was on the floor in the bathroom, so drunk he had no muscle control, sick all over everything, etc. We called the ER for fear of alcohol poisoning, it was a nightmare. When we asked him what he had been drinking, he kept saying "3 wine coolers"... We joke about it today, but seriously that night we thought he was going to die!

[dphockey13]

If she was that drunk, the first drink is probably the only one she remembers. This story brings back memories of a time when my son was about 17 or 18, and he and a friend got ahold of some alcohol at the grocery store near us. I woke up in the middle of the night and he was on the floor in the bathroom, so drunk he had no muscle control, sick all over everything, etc. We called the ER for fear of alcohol poisoning, it was a nightmare. When we asked him what he had been drinking, he kept saying "3 wine coolers"... We joke about it today, but seriously that night we thought he was going to die!

 

Who knows. But I know the time I got sick and my parents found me, I lied about what really happened, or at least what I remembered haha.

[misstopgun]

I seriously don't want to add more concern to what you have already experienced but the thought that she may have reacted so violently to one shot concerns me and it worries me immensly.

 

I am concerned that she may have been drugged. It happened to me once and it's scary. I never knew what hit me.

 

My next concern is that a stranger walked her to the room. Did you ever meet this stranger? Do you know that his intentions were true and he just brought her back out of concern?

 

If your daughter was trying to minimize the events because she knew she was in touble, would she be open to speak for you if anything else happened?

 

As I said, I don't want to borrow trouble, but please be vigilent and look for signs that you daughter may have experienced more than she is telling you and without therapy, could have reprucussions that could effect her throughout her life.

 

It's probably my own paranoia talking, but dont dismiss the possibilities, for her sake.

[dphockey13]

I seriously don't want to add more concern to what you have already experienced but the thought that she may have reacted so violently to one shot concerns me and it worries me immensly.

 

I am concerned that she may have been drugged. It happened to me once and it's scary. I never knew what hit me.

 

My next concern is that a stranger walked her to the room. Did you ever meet this stranger? Do you know that his intentions were true and he just brought her back out of concern?

 

If your daughter was trying to minimize the events because she knew she was in touble, would she be open to speak for you if anything else happened?

 

As I said, I don't want to borrow trouble, but please be vigilent and look for signs that you daughter may have experienced more than she is telling you and without therapy, could have reprucussions that could effect her throughout her life.

 

It's probably my own paranoia talking, but dont dismiss the possibilities, for her sake.

 

Why does no one think she just drank too much with some people she met in one of the cabins before going to the club? That is completely plausible and out of fear of upsetting her mother, she claims she had ONE shot and doesn't remember anything else........

 

This kind of thing happens all the time. No memory is the best memory when you are in trouble.

[KPGirl]

I bet if you tell your daughter that you are contacting Carnival to discuss this incident and asking them to review security camera's the truth would come out.

[Djonemore]

Wow, I can't believe she got into the club, AND GOT SERVED!!! Carnival dropped the ball. When I was 17, granted this was on RCCL, I tried, HARD, to get into the clubs and to get served with zero luck.

 

Now, I did manage to get drunk just about everynight. Before I get attacked, I am just posting this so you know what goes on with the underage kids on the ship. I am older now and abide by most of the rules:D

 

Some nights I would just hey mister and people would buy me a drink and hand it to me discretely. But that wasn't the real danger. My brother and I would buy half gallons, at the ports, fill up water bottles, and hide them in our shorts, and walk right past security. Worked like a charm, though was quite nerve racking. I am positive kids still do this. We'd go back and forth a couple times at the first port and had a stock pile. Got drunk everynight and shared with other teenagers we met.

 

Just saying, the kids don't just get drunk at the ports, they get it on the ship for use later. More than likely, unless the crew drops the ball, they shouldn't get served on the ship.

 

Heh, I thought we were the only ones that did that under 21... Well we actually took it a step further which I won't say, because the method still works. I was given alcohol, and taught by family how to drink... Adults who start there first drink at 21... They get blind sighted, because they never experienced it before..

[k2excursion]

Heh, I thought we were the only ones that did that under 21... Well we actually took it a step further which I won't say, because the method still works. I was given alcohol, and taught by family how to drink... Adults who start there first drink at 21... They get blind sighted, because they never experienced it before..

 

Excellent point! Other than a few sips every once in awhile that my parents let me have, I didn't have an alcoholic drink at all until I was 23. (btw, I'm not alone. There are tons of people like us, that didn't drink at all as teens, and some continue to not drink at all as adults. Because of the "everybody's done it" attitude of society, most of us are ironically embarrassed to admit to not drinking when we were younger, which is very sad.) I could really feel it with my first real drink! Even now, only having a few drinks a year, it has a big effect on me. It's just like how Tylenol does wonders for me, while it might do nothing for people who take alot of medication. I've never really done a shot, but I could see it knocking me out and making me sick. That's different than slowly sipping on a mixed drink.

 

But the level with this young lady, sick all night like she was, I would be thinking that she either drank more, was drugged, or that she has some kind of allergy to alcohol. I do feel for the OP & the daughter, and I really hope that there's nothing more to this story that the young lady is afraid to talk about.

[nitro2448]

Yup....they are not buying it them self. A S&S card for someone under 21 will not allow an alcoholic charge, it is locked out in the computer system.

 

I have seen people underage order drinks from a bar, after the bartender gives them the drink, they take their S&S card to charge it. By the time the bartender gets back with the S&S card to inform them they are to young to drink, they have already drank it. They will not get much that way, but they will get some. :)

[zqvol]

I know that the drinking age on Carnival's ships is 21, but I'm unclear as to what actual laws they have to follow... If a 17 year old is served alcohol, is that against the law or just against Carnival's policy? What laws apply? The laws of the country the ship left from? The laws of the country who's flag the ship displays? (I've read both of those answers while googling this question but I am still unsure what the answer is). Thanks in advance for your help!

 

 

A 17 year old is probably illegal under any of the possible laws that you mention, but Carnival is not going to do anything about it, if they are with their parents unless they are drunk.

 

Carnival's goal is to sell alcohol and they do not care if 18 - 21 year olds drink if they are with their parents. (They won't sell to the 18 -21 year old but don't care if the parents buy for them.)

[zqvol]

Funny how there was really only one bona fide attempt to answer your question, which I think is valid. I think this mainly comes from the perspective that US law is generally uniform and is the "right" law, so if you were complying with other laws that are different, it isn't "right". Even describing this as an issue of "underage" shows an inherent bias.

 

I appreciated ronr's response in particular. I generally agree with the conclusions, However, I question the comment "you are always under the laws of your home country". While I think the murder example cited is probably accurate, I don't think it extends to things like liquor control. An American student living in Germany who goes to a football game and orders, pays for and consumes a beer at age 17 isn't breaking the law in Germany and isn't subject to US law on that matter.

 

Similarly, a US passenger on a Carnival ship in international waters isn't breaking the law by drinking at 18. A 19 year old US passenger on a Carnival ship in a Canadian port is not breaking Canadian law by drinking. The passenger is almost certainly in breach of contract with Carnival and is laible to be put off the ship. But that passenger couldn't be charged with a liquor offence.

 

I'm interested in differeing views on this point. However, when I travel internationally with my teenagers, I expect them to follow local law and custom and I encourage them to do so. If the local drinking age is 21 (which it is almost nowhere in the world outside the US -- look up the drinking age page on Wikipedia), then that is the law I expect them to follow. If the local drinking age for beer or wine is 16 (ever flown Luftansan?), they they are welcome to order.

 

I don't view it as a matter of "right" or "wrong" -- particularly "wrong" from the context of US law. It is just a matter of "different". I do however find it common that posters will post comments that effectively assert the position that the standard US drinking age of 21 is the "real" or "right" age and any lower international drinking age is wrong or morally invalid.

 

 

Very well said and explained. Probably won't go over well but some people can't handle the truth.

[zqvol]

OP, this almost sounds like a drugging issue. Unless DD is on medication, that extreme reaction from one shot in the 60 minutes you were gone seems nearly impossible. That's even MORE frightening... the possibility of being drugged and "some guy" bringing her back to her room. I can't imagine your fear and frustration! :eek::mad::eek::mad:

 

 

I have to agree, it takes a lot more alcohol than one or two shots to get someone that sick.

 

OP probably doesn't realize that it could have been a whole lot worse, thank goodness her daughter is OK.

 

I know for a fact this is not true ( or the waiters can over ride it somehow). On a carnival cruise over christmas my dh did not have his card on him and dd (who is 18) was able to purchase alcohol with her card. It even came up on her folio #

 

This is because dad was with her. They really don't care if a parent is around.

[zqvol]

moved

[ibcnusoon]

Carnival's goal is to sell alcohol and they do not care if 18 - 21 year olds drink if they are with their parents. (They won't sell to the 18 -21 year old but don't care if the parents buy for them.)

 

 

Not true. I bought a bucket of beer at the sports bar for DD and I. DD would be 21 only two weeks after the cruise. DD and I opened a beer each and the bartender came over and said, "No, you can't drink you're not 21 years old" - I guess he checked her age when he swiped my card.

 

I signed up for the wine package and in the MDR I ordered a bottle of wine and 2 glasses. Server came over and said, "She can't drink, she's not 21 years old". I said, "she'll be 21 in two weeks!" She said, "It's policy" and left, came back with a bottle of wine and 2 glasses.

[OPP]

Deleted... Managed to login under my correct username and will repost as Westtxgal

[Westtxgal]

Once again I appreciate all the responses. I am writing Carnival a letter expressing my thoughts about everything that happened on this cruise. They may not care but at least I will have made my feelings known.

 

As for some of the comments about my daughter possibly having met someone and drank in a room with them prior to going to the club, I completely understand why you may think that. I probably would too if I had not been there.

 

But please keep this in mind... This was the very first day of the cruise. I had been with my children the entire day... I left them at midnight and was back by 1:30... Now, I know that anything is possible... I'm not a parent who lives in denial and thinks that my children can do no wrong... But to think that at midnight she left the room and met up with some stranger and went to their room immediately and got trashed and then went to the club and drank more seems extremely unlikely to me... I do not believe for one second that my daughter would walk into a stranger's stateroom within a couple of minutes of meeting them... now, had this been 2 or 3 days into the cruise and she had met some friends, I might feel like that was more possible.

 

I do think it's possible, however, that she drank much more than she is telling me. That is definitely not out of the question. Whether she really doesn't remember or just doesn't want to admit it, I do not know. I don't know why she would admit going to the club and drinking the first shot and then deny drinking more... What would be the point? She's already in big trouble at that point. But hey, what do I know about how a 17 year old thinks these days? My gut feeling as a mother is that there was something in that first shot besides the alcohol... but I'll never be able to prove it... and I do think she probably continued to drink at that point because her inhibitions were already gone.

 

I absolutely realize that things could have been much worse. No doubt in my mind. And I thank God that things ended the way they did. I am extremely grateful that she is still with me and is okay. That does not, however, take away from the fact that this should not have happened in the first place. And if my daughter's experience can help prevent even one other young girl from going through a similar experience (one that might not have a positive outcome) then it's all worth it.

[nitro2448]

Nobody can justifiably judge you or your daughter, because nobody here knows you. But a lot of people on here spend a great deal of time on CC, and read all kids of stories about kids an trouble on cruise ships, and the parents always want to blame someone besides their kids. So you have to understand the skeptics on here and I am one First off if she was doing shots it wouldn't take long to get wasted, especially if she's as tiny as you say. Second if you thought she was drugged, you could have had a drug test done, I doubt she was drugged IF she received the shot from a waitress, carnival is in the business of selling alcohol, not drugging the passengers. And yes I read all the stories and know there are bad employes that do work on cruise ships, but primarily the male workers. Third thing is if that was only for 18 to 20 year olds, why would there have been any alcohol served? Carnival policy is 21. The main thing is she is safe, after some of the stories I read be thankful. But to blame carnival to me is a stretch, you were not there for that hour an a half so have no idea what really happened, your daughter was to wasted, however she got that way, to remember what really happened. Or may not be telling you everything, which does not make her a bad teenager, just a teenager. But either way you really don't know. I also have bad news for you, this doesn't just happen on carnival. So go to another line if you want, but it can still happen

[dphockey13]

I should have read more thouroughly. First day, with you all day, probably hard for her to meet some friends and drink with them beforehand. Still skeptical on the drugging part though. I haven't heard many stories of people getting drugged on cruise ships....but hey, she's ok and that's all that matters.

[thistimeplease]

Nobody can justifiably judge you or your daughter, because nobody here knows you. But a lot of people on here spend a great deal of time on CC, and read all kids of stories about kids an trouble on cruise ships, and the parents always want to blame someone besides their kids. So you have to understand the skeptics on here and I am one First off if she was doing shots it wouldn't take long to get wasted, especially if she's as tiny as you say. Second if you thought she was drugged, you could have had a drug test done, I doubt she was drugged IF she received the shot from a waitress, carnival is in the business of selling alcohol, not drugging the passengers. And yes I read all the stories and know there are bad employes that do work on cruise ships, but primarily the male workers. Third thing is if that was only for 18 to 20 year olds, why would there have been any alcohol served? Carnival policy is 21. The main thing is she is safe, after some of the stories I read be thankful. But to blame carnival to me is a stretch, you were not there for that hour an a half so have no idea what really happened, your daughter was to wasted, however she got that way, to remember what really happened. Or may not be telling you everything, which does not make her a bad teenager, just a teenager. But either way you really don't know. I also have bad news for you, this doesn't just happen on carnival. So go to another line if you want, but it can still happen

 

I don't remember reading where the OP blamed carnival for anything other than not checking her ID. The OP fully admits that her daughter drank even though she shouldn't have, the question is why was she allowed in to begin with? It does sound like she had something slipped into her drink and in these times I believe it does happen, even on cruise ships. Hopefully this experience will show the OP's daughter that she needs to be much more careful and thank goodness nothing worse happened.