Just turned 18 year old son

[toyotaworker]

My son just turned 18..We are cruising RCCL in April.He is taking a 17 year old friend..Question is can my 18 year old still enter 17 and under club?

[Hootsie]

My son just turned 18..We are cruising RCCL in April.He is taking a 17 year old friend..Question is can my 18 year old still enter 17 and under club?

 

Nope.

[Ollie_WA]

:o and unfortuanetly the 17 year old can not get into the 18 and above places! We waited till a week after my youngest daughter turned 18 so she coud do everything with her 19 year old sister!

[jennew]

They don't always enforce this stuff. On the Spirit last year, ALL 4 my teens went to the nightclub to dance. Two of them were over 18 and the other two were 15 and 17. As long as they did not draw attention to themselves no one seemed to mind. Maybe it varies by ship or by sailing?

 

I will say that Princess strictly enforced the 18 and over policy for their nightclub.

[Gingee]

That is a bummer. We debated about taking our "recently turned l8" daughter to Alaska but I know she wants to hang out with kids and she would be too old for it. She is only a junior in high school and is not use to hanging out with college age and older people and I don't like that idea. Right now it is just going to be my husband and I. She did go on the last three cruises with us.

[Hootsie]

That is a bummer. We debated about taking our "recently turned l8" daughter to Alaska but I know she wants to hang out with kids and she would be too old for it. She is only a junior in high school and is not use to hanging out with college age and older people and I don't like that idea. Right now it is just going to be my husband and I. She did go on the last three cruises with us.

 

Maybe she could bring a friend? We are cruising with four teens over spring break this year. Three are ours (all girls, ages 13, 14 & 18) and the 18 year old is bringing a friend (also 18). Believe it or not, all four like to hang out together but there will be plenty to do without having to worry about the teen disco, etc...

 

18-20 is a tough age for cruising.

[shoolover]

when you say "she/he is bringing a friend" are you paying for them to come or their parents? I'm asking cause we are sailing in March and my daughter 18 is going with us as part of an early graduation celebration and she has asked about 5 girls to come along but no one is allowed. Thought she wouldn't have a difficult time finding anyone to go with being their graduation year but that's not the case. I can't afford to pay for someone elses kid so it looks like she's going alone again!! Just curious with all these other posts about taking a friend, who pays. Thanks

[Hootsie]

Actually, we are paying for the friend's cruise and he is paying for airfare. He will be in our cabin since our teens are all girls.

 

Yep, call us nuts. Our 18 year old picked her boyfriend as her cruisemate. They've been dating since 8th grade and we are really close to him and his family. My DH is actually looking forward to it since he'll have a guy to hang out with and I'm sure there will be times when those guys take off and the girls & I do something together too.

 

Both these 18 year olds are just awesome kids. They are both honor's students and got accepted to the same college for next fall. This is a graduation present for them both. His parents are paying the airfare and S&S costs as his present. Later in the spring, they will take our daughter with their family to Banff, Canada for a ski vacation, so it evens out. She went with them to Canada last spring too.

 

We started planning this cruise a year ago and asked her who she wanted to bring. Of course, we were leaning towards her bringing a GIRL but she said, "But, he's my best friend!" So, we gave in and talked to them both before we booked and threw out the ground rules for the vacation, etc....

 

We are in an ocean view and the three girls are across the hall. DH is a veteran so we got our cabin CHEAPER than the three girls across the hall. SO, adding this boy to our cruise really didn't cost much because of that discount.

 

Plus, our family is flying to Miami on Frequent Flyer miles. DH travels for his job, so he really racks them up. If we had to pay airfare out of Montana PLUS the cruise tickets, it would be a different story.

 

It's too bad your daughter can't find a friend to bring. That would be so much fun for her. Many families around here are going on spring break vacations with their seniors (and taking extra) and it's about half and half on who is paying. Don't feel bad you can't afford it. Like I said, if we had to pay airfare and didn't get that military discount, it would be a different situation here too. Bottom line is you get to cruise with your daughter and that's what matters! (where are you going?)

[dkjretired]

Just as a heads up to all who have posted but on RCCL and 18 year old can drink and gamble in the casino.

[shoolover]

Western Carribean (Grand Cayman,Labadee,Ochos Rio,Cozumel)

 

yep....its really stinks she can't find someone! I'm sure there will be kids her age on the ship but would be nice if she knew someone to start, especially since they are able to drink, which we chose this date to cruise as she will turn 18 the week before and I would rather be around when she has this experience. She has had wine and coolers and tastes of drinks at home with us before during the holidays! Have set the ground rules and discussed leaving drinks unattended, etc. She'll be fine, just scary with all the press lately on the cruiselines.....

[Hootsie]

Western Carribean (Grand Cayman,Labadee,Ochos Rio,Cozumel)

 

yep....its really stinks she can't find someone! I'm sure there will be kids her age on the ship but would be nice if she knew someone to start, especially since they are able to drink, which we chose this date to cruise as she will turn 18 the week before and I would rather be around when she has this experience. She has had wine and coolers and tastes of drinks at home with us before during the holidays! Have set the ground rules and discussed leaving drinks unattended, etc. She'll be fine, just scary with all the press lately on the cruiselines.....

 

We are on Carnival and the drinking age is 21 (thankfully).

[mtaylor04]

My daughter is bringing a friend and we are paying. We booked more than a year in advance so that we would have time to save enough for her to bring someone with her. Her friend would never be able to afford to go and I think it is something nice we can do for them.

 

However, we are able to do so because my husband (teacher) works doing taxes during tax time. So he works really hard 3 months a year and we get to take 1 or 2 cruises a year as a result.

[hlfdzn]

I never saw them enforce the drinking age on Carnival Glory last year when i sailed in May for my 20th anniversary. We were hanging with a groupd from the CC boards and I personally sawy them serve a 15 yr old the drink of the day...never carded her or anything. I was a bit shocked and so was hubby when he found out how young she was.... she never misbehaved, however, so maybe since she did not bring attention to herself they just let her drink.

[jcanino]

I never saw them enforce the drinking age on Carnival Glory last year when i sailed in May for my 20th anniversary. We were hanging with a groupd from the CC boards and I personally sawy them serve a 15 yr old the drink of the day...never carded her or anything. I was a bit shocked and so was hubby when he found out how young she was.... she never misbehaved, however, so maybe since she did not bring attention to herself they just let her drink.

 

Did you actually hear her order the drink or just see her walk away from the bar with it? Could it be possible that she ordered a VIRGIN drink of the day? The bartenders run the risk of being fired if they serve underage guests. Personally, I have seen them ask people over 21 to go back to their cabins to retrieve a driver's license.

[Cotton]

I never saw them enforce the drinking age on Carnival Glory last year. I personally sawy them serve a 15 yr old the drink of the day...never carded her or anything.

 

That is highly unusual. As Joe suggested, perhaps it was a virgin drink? She would have had to show her card to purchase the drink, and Carnival S&S cards are encoded with young folks' age...and it's unlikely a bartender would jeopardize his job.;)

[UCFKnight85]

Did you actually hear her order the drink or just see her walk away from the bar with it? Could it be possible that she ordered a VIRGIN drink of the day? The bartenders run the risk of being fired if they serve underage guests. Personally, I have seen them ask people over 21 to go back to their cabins to retrieve a driver's license.

 

I may be wrong, but I don't think liscenses are necessary on board. Most cruises I've been on they include your age on your sail and sign card so if a bartender goes to swipe it to charge your account, it will say if you're 21 or not.

[wrp96]

I may be wrong, but I don't think liscenses are necessary on board. Most cruises I've been on they include your age on your sail and sign card so if a bartender goes to swipe it to charge your account, it will say if you're 21 or not.

 

I've seen Royal Caribbean card people as they were coming into the disco at night, so don't make the assumption that a driver's license isn't needed. Now, on RCI they do punch your card if you aren't allowed to purchase alcohol.

[hlfdzn]

I watched him put the alcohol in the drink after she ordered it. It was no virgin drink. Maybe RCCI cards people, but I know of many underage people who were drinking on that trip. Maybe it was because she was with adults? I would never try to get him in trouble...he was a great bartender. I was a bit shocked though when this girl was served.

[jcanino]

I may be wrong, but I don't think liscenses are necessary on board. Most cruises I've been on they include your age on your sail and sign card so if a bartender goes to swipe it to charge your account, it will say if you're 21 or not.

 

Since your Sail & Sign card does not have your picture on it (visable at least), the bartender has no idea that it is really your card. If they are in doubt, they have the right to ask for additional ID.

[Lynne79]

Hootsie,

 

I just wanted to let you know I don't think you're nuts.

 

When I was 17 and a senior in HS, my parents let me go for almost a week on a trip across the country with my boyfriend. We stayed with his brother and sister-in-law and there were ground rules laid out before the trip. (I paid for it myself, as my parents were nice enough to pay for me to go on a short tour for choir earlier in the year.)

 

Any way, the boyfriend and I ended up getting married and we've been married 7 years now.

 

So you're not crazy - however, if it were me I'd be a little sad about not getting a "adult room."