Drinking wine onboard with parent's consent

[CH_ca]

Our family likes to drink wine at dinner time. I'm wondering if X has consent forms for parents to sign, allowing their adult children (under 21) to drink alcohol? Our daughter is 19+ and we're considering the Honolulu --> Vancouver itinerary. If not, will it make a difference on the 5 sea days when the ship is in international water?

[dkjretired]

6 minutes ago, CH_ca said:

Our family likes to drink wine at dinner time. I'm wondering if X has consent forms for parents to sign, allowing their adult children (under 21) to drink alcohol? Our daughter is 19+ and we're considering the Honolulu --> Vancouver itinerary. If not, will it make a difference on the 5 sea days when the ship is in international water?

 

Here's the policy from the web site...

 

The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on Celebrity Cruises ships sailing from North America is 21. The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on Celebrity Cruises ships sailing from South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand is 18. In certain circumstances where local laws permit or require, Celebrity Cruises may modify this policy which may also require parent/guardian request/authorization. Guests may contact Guest Relations or refer to Celebrity Today for specific minimum drinking age information on their cruise vacation.

[Zoedokey]

From the US the official age is 21.  However I have heard many times that bartenders and sommeliers often look to parents for an OK and may serve.  We will see next month with my almost 21 year old child.  

[A Sixth?]

Each Canadian province and territory is free to set its own drinking age. The legal age for purchase is: 19 years of age in BC, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, PEI, Saskatchewan, and Yukon. 18 years of age in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec.

 

Sailing from BC try requesting a waiver from Celebrity as pointed out in dkjretired's post

[CH_ca]

7 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

Here's the policy from the web site...

 

The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on Celebrity Cruises ships sailing from North America is 21. The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on Celebrity Cruises ships sailing from South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand is 18. In certain circumstances where local laws permit or require, Celebrity Cruises may modify this policy which may also require parent/guardian request/authorization. Guests may contact Guest Relations or refer to Celebrity Today for specific minimum drinking age information on their cruise vacation.

I saw that too. It's this: In certain circumstances where local laws permit or require, Celebrity Cruises may modify this policy which may also require parent/guardian request/authorization  I'd like to know if this applies to the Hawaii->Canada cruise (Yes it sails from North America but I heard somewhere people was able to do it). Hope someone in similar situation and has taken this same itinerary before could shed some lights.

[CH_ca]

11 minutes ago, Zoedokey said:

From the US the official age is 21.  However I have heard many times that bartenders and sommeliers often look to parents for an OK and may serve.  We will see next month with my almost 21 year old child.  

I'd really appreciate your feedback after your cruise. What itinerary is it? Could you post your reply onto this thread in case I miss your other future posts? Thanks!

[CH_ca]

8 minutes ago, A Sixth? said:

Each Canadian province and territory is free to set its own drinking age. The legal age for purchase is: 19 years of age in BC, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, PEI, Saskatchewan, and Yukon. 18 years of age in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec.

 

Sailing from BC try requesting a waiver from Celebrity as pointed out in dkjretired's post

We'll be sailing from Hawaii to BC. Not sure if that makes a difference.

[WestLakeGirl]

Yes it makes a difference.  The drinking age will be 21. Bartenders and servers who bring alcohol to minors risk losing their jobs.  I wouldnt look for rhem to do that,

[cruisestitch]

As both Hawaii and Vancouver are in North America, I think you will find the standard Celebrity drinking age of 21 will be in effect.  There will not be any forms or waivers you can sign in this situation.  The daughter's SeaPass card will be marked so it can be identified as belonging to a minor, and I very much doubt she will be able to purchase alcohol on the ship.  It isn't worth a bartender's job (he or she would be fired and have to pay his or her own way home) to serve a minor.  

[CH_ca]

I would never want any crew to bend the rule for me nor would I ever want to do anything illegal. That's why I'm asking if anyone who's been in similar situation had the forms or waivers available to them. I've heard one case that it is doable. I just want to know more cases to confirm it. 🙂

[cruisestitch]

If you look again at Zoedonkey's post it said that she had "heard" it was do-able, but hadn't done so herself.  I think you will find that it will not be a possibility on your cruise.

 

Here is the entire policy from the Celebrity website FAQ.

 

Q.

What is Celebrity's Alcohol Policy?

A.

The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on Celebrity Cruises ships sailing from North America is 21. The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on Celebrity Cruises ships sailing from South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand is 18. In certain circumstances where local laws permit or require, Celebrity Cruises may modify this policy which may also require parent/guardian request/authorization. Guests may contact Guest Relations or refer to Celebrity Today for specific minimum drinking age information on their cruise vacation.

 

For purposes of complying with the minimum drinking age requirements, a guest’s age is established upon boarding at the beginning of the cruise vacation. If a guest celebrates their birthday during the cruise vacation, and thereby becomes of age to consume alcohol, the guest may thereafter ask the Guest Relations Manager to modify ship’s records to permit their consumption of alcohol during the remainder of the vacation. The guest will be required to appear at Guest Relations to present a valid government-issued form of identification to permit verification of their age.

 

No guest under age 18 may possess or consume alcohol at any time while onboard. No guest under age 21 may possess or consume alcohol at our private destinations. Any guest who goes ashore and consumes alcohol (whether under the supervision of a parent/guardian or not, is responsible for ensuring they consume responsibly and retain their ability to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations when they return to the ship. Parents/guardians are reminded they are responsible for the actions of their child/young adult at all times while on a Celebrity Cruises cruise vacation.

 

Guests who violate any alcohol policy, including but not limited to underage drinking; providing alcohol to minors or young adults; possessing, concealing or attempting to conceal alcoholic items in their luggage, when boarding or while onboard; engaging in alcohol drinking games; or failing to consume alcohol responsibly, will be considered for discipline under the provisions of this policy.

 

 

[bEwAbG]

The waiver form they used to have online was very specific that they only made exceptions based on the port of embarkation, i.e., if the legal drinking age was lower than 21 in the country from which you were leaving, they would entertain waivers.  The current policy is very specific about cruises leaving North American ports not allowing waivers, so I would be surprised if they did it.  Have you tried calling Celebrity and asking them?  If they say "yes," then ask for that answer in writing.

[Denny01]

1 hour ago, CH_ca said:

I would never want any crew to bend the rule for me nor would I ever want to do anything illegal. That's why I'm asking if anyone who's been in similar situation had the forms or waivers available to them. I've heard one case that it is doable. I just want to know more cases to confirm it. 🙂

What a great response! Just about every time someone asks about how much wine we can bring aboard or can I bring an iron and so on, there are inevitable posts about sneaking it on because ‘you may not got caught’ or ‘they don’t always follow the rules’, and in this case The Law, and you addressed this up front that you are asking if this is allowed, not how to do what you want. 

 

Very nice to read an adult response. Enjoy the cruise!

 

Den

[crilski]

But she can gamble in the casino?!?   😜

[cruisestitch]

Yes she can gamble in the Casino on that itinerary

 Info on the casino from the Celebrity website:

 

 

Age

18+ (21+ in Alaska)

 

Dress Code 

Shirt and Shoes Required

 

Currency

US Dollars

 

Environment

No Smoking

[Bo1953]

10 hours ago, CH_ca said:

I saw that too. It's this: In certain circumstances where local laws permit or require, Celebrity Cruises may modify this policy which may also require parent/guardian request/authorization  I'd like to know if this applies to the Hawaii->Canada cruise (Yes it sails from North America but I heard somewhere people was able to do it). Hope someone in similar situation and has taken this same itinerary before could shed some lights.

 

Everyone's experience may be different.

 

Your best bet is to call X and if told it can be done, get the waiver, signed, sealed and delivered back to X with a copy in tow for proof that it is fine.

 

To wit, some say yes, some say no, some say maybe... no need to fish for information which may not be applicable to your situation.

 

The policy has been cited here, the only way to find out how applicable it is to your situation is to call and get it in writing and even then, it may be difficult on-board, yet that possibly can be mitigated in advance.

 

bon voyage

[ipeeinthepool]

I know Royal doesn't seem to have flexibility with their drinking policy.  We were on a cruise where my daughter turned 21 during the cruise and they would not waive the policy until 12:01 am on her 21st birthday.  At 12:01 am we were at Guest Services getting an "Adult" seapass card that allowed her to drink.

[snyniew]

I've asked for the waiver form twice now when sailing with my niece who was under 21. The resounding answer when sailing out of the US (even Puerto Rico where the legal age is 18) was NO! However if I was to get a drink and hand it to my niece they didn't blink an eye. Or at dinner she would drink from my wine glass and they just kept refilling it. The last night in March the Sommelier did fill up the glass she slid in front of him along with mine.

 

What we did for her was since I had the drink package we just brought on board the 2 bottles of wine she wanted and she took a glass to the dining room with her at night. She looks old enough so no one questioned her. Obviously you take the risk by doing so but I never had an issue. However my niece was always with me and stayed in control and never sloppy drunk.

[TFLG]

I've never asked for a waiver for the kids, I simply order them a wine or beer if they want one and give it to them.  I've taken my 3 daughters on many cruises and I've never had a waiter not serve them wine or beer if we ordered it for them. I think the youngest one was about 9 or 10 on her first cruise and we would let her have a glass of wine with dinner if she wanted (she would only drink the sweet fizzy wine like Muscato etc).  Occassionaly the waiters would glance at us for apporval but I've never had one say no. Obviously they can't buy booze but if you get a bottle of wine with dinner and pour your kid a glass no one seems to mind.  They also don't seem to mind if I bought a drink at the bar and handed it to my teen.  My daughters are not drinkers, they might have one beer or glass of wine a night and if they kids were pounding drinks maybe the staff would have said something.  But we've had no issues on X, RCL, Carnival or NCL.

Edited November 27, 2018 by TFLG

[Zoedokey]

14 hours ago, CH_ca said:

I'd really appreciate your feedback after your cruise. What itinerary is it? Could you post your reply onto this thread in case I miss your other future posts? Thanks!

Sure, we are on the Infinity out of Port Everglades.  If they serve her great, if not it is no big deal.  We will bring the wine she likes for the cabin and she can take a glass to dinner or a show.

[CH_ca]

Thanks all! It won't be a big deal if my daughter is not allowed to drink onboard. She's only a light drinker. It's our family ritual to drink during dinner and talk about our day. Just something nice to have. Looks like I shouldn't pre-purchase the wine package because the number of bottles I order depends on whether she'll be drinking or not!

[dkjretired]

I always laugh at this policy since 18 yr olds are of legal age, what does it matter if the parent signs a waiver, they are all adults.  However that is the policy and hopefully the poster will get back to us and let us know what his experience was on this cruise. 

[caladezi]

It's also interesting that an 18 year old can wear the uniform to fight or die for the country, but can't buy a beer at the bar.

[OCruisers]

14 minutes ago, caladezi said:

It's also interesting that an 18 year old can wear the uniform to fight or die for the country, but can't buy a beer at the bar.

 

So agree with the above ... also, can vote.  

[K12Guy]

1 hour ago, caladezi said:

It's also interesting that an 18 year old can wear the uniform to fight or die for the country, but can't buy a beer at the bar.

That was always a sore spot with me. I was old enough to spend a year in Vietnam and luckily return. However I was still under 21 for six months or so and could drink 'on base', but not at a bar in the city. Most of the time, however, if I was asked for ID I showed my military ID and most didn't even look at it, just served me and said "Thanks".