teen drinking on Explorer?

[massachusetts_mama]

A recent review of Explorer of the Seas says that the teen lounge was closed because of too much teen drinking, and his daughter (age 15) was brought to her room to vomit (with 3 other girls). Can anyone else corroborate this story of teen drinking?

 

How do teens (especially that young) get liquor on board?

 

We'll be on Explorer in April with our 14 year old. How can I watch her closely enough to prevent this?

 

I was pretty flexible with her last time (Radiance, April 06) but I don't think she was exposed to any drinking (or do I have my head up my butt)?:eek:

 

Mass Mama

[Nurse Daybreak]

Wow, I hadn't heard that one but it sure would be disconcerting for a parent of a teen. Only you know your daughter. I'd sit down and talk with her about her past experiences and the dangers that have been recent news stories. Some use walkie talkies to keep a check on their teens and others use the portable ship phones. Also setting up frequent checkin times can help as well. Also a surprise visit to see if they are where they said they would be is good to reassure you that you can trust her. It's really a difficult age. They want to do what's right but want to be part of a group as well. Sure am glad I'm past those years with my daughter, but I do have a grandson approaching them all too fast.

[crusinmama06]

I haven't been on Explorer. But I have to tell you this little story. We were on a NCL ship that had a teen club that became a disco night club after midnight. Well I saw a young girl drinking lots and lots of drinks.

 

The next day, I happened to be in line at the pursers desk when an irate father started yelling at the crew that there were multiple "drink charges" on his tab and "he didn't put them there". So they showed him the signature, it was his daughters. So he says "Well she didn't do it, she's only 14" :eek:

 

Well she DID do it. He was in total denial. And the crew were trying to be so professional.

 

The best thing to do is to keep in contact with your daughter. Check in on her. Know where she is. And of course, don't go to sleep until you make sure that she is tucked safely into her room. :)

[wrp96]

The easiest way for a teenager to get alcohol is that they smuggled it onboard in their suitcase. OR their parents are providing it to them. OR they are meeting older cruisers who are supplying it to them.

 

If you are aware and aren't doing those things, your teens shouldn't be getting alcohol.

[Lightsluvr]

I haven't seen that review and would like to know where to find it...

 

LL

[crusinmama06]

I haven't seen that review and would like to know where to find it...

 

LL

 

I found it....

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=19791

 

"The teen club was closed early that night because of excess numbers of drunken children on board!!!!! The issue is that the Optix teen club is where parents are not allowed. This is a crew chaperoned area that is for teens only. What happened? I wish I knew. My wife and I found our 15-year old daughter in her room with 3 other girls. She had been brought there to vomit. She continued to vomit for 4 hours. She also continued this for the 3 hour ride home. Granted, it was a matter of time for the teen experimentation, but we placed our faith in RCCL for the safety of our kids in the teens-only Optix program. This is wrong.

 

Our 16-year old son also told us of another male teen that had his stomach pumped in the med facility onboard that night.

 

Liability?"

[piercetc4]

if those kids took alcohol that had been left outside the cabins ( purchased onboard and from the islands) .................rci may need to re visit this policy- and some parents need to have a sit down with their kids- theft and underage drinking- rci cannot be responsible for everyones actions- they are not 100% at fault here in my opinion-

liability?

how about you dont hold rci liable and rci won't press theft charges......?

[PVDCruiser]

How do teens (especially that young) get liquor on board?

 

Their parents smuggle booze onboard. :rolleyes:

[Pop Tart]

I had 2 teens on Navigator a couple of years ago and thank goodness nothing like that happened! As a parent I would be extemely upset with the RCCL staff if they observed alcohol being used in the teen area and did nothing about it - however.......I would not put total blame on them.

It's up to parents to make sure stuff like that doesn't happen.

I would like to know how a 14yr old can sign for alcoholic drinks?:confused:

[piercetc4]

i read the review-

the teens went around stealing the liquor left outside the cabins on the last night- this liquor had been purchased by the passengers and held by rci til last night of cruise- after it had been delivered to the cabins of those that purchased it- the teens went around stealing it- took some where and proceeded to drink it- some got sick- this is why we all need to keep an eye on our kids............i cannot believe they stole the liquor!

[HunnyBunnyTink]

Coming from a teen you just need to know your daughter. I was on a HAL cruise in 2001 and on New Years Eve they were handing out champagne to everyone regardless of age (I was 13 at the time) I took one sip and thought it was totally gross so i just left it. However some of my teen comrades (most 16 or 17) got totally and utterly drunk. Now, this has NEVER happened on any other cruise that ive been on so its pretty safe to say that they do a good job with monitoring that teens dont get alcohol.

 

So like i said know your daughter and how much trust you can have in her and communicate with her about what your concerns are and let her tell you her feelings on the subject and everything should be just fine.

[Nitra]

Last cruise I was on in May, there were a few young girls, under 18, that were in the club, out by the pool late at night etc, drunk off their hineys! They had befriended another female, in her 40s that was buying them drinks, and I saw another one, not sure her age, bringing a big bottle of booze out by the pool, after we got them kicked out of the bar! We reported them to security but they just made them leave the club.

 

They find a way to drink, even if not from the parents stash. Kids are going to drink if given half a chance, not all, but a lot of them. I was approached one time from a young man, about 14ish maybe, asking me for a cigarette, I told him he was underage and I was not about to contribute to that, he asked everyone he could find, fortunately, not a single adult gave him one, well not while I was out there anyway.

 

The only way you can control it, is keep your kids on a tight rope. Make them report in every so often, pay close attention to who they are befriending, make sure you know where they are and what they are doing. I know it is not easy, heck I was a teenager and gave my mom fits, almost did not make it to adulthood cause she wanted to take me out more than once, and believe it or not, I was considered a good kid. I made good grades, was in church choir, on the bible quiz team, in the youth group at church, etc, so even good kids can get into things and give parents a few more grey hairs!

[Lightsluvr]

...and we wonder why RCI increased the drinking age to 21...

 

OMG

 

 

LL

[piercetc4]

the review did not state that the kids stole the liquor from their own cabins- it just said they stole the liquor that was delivered to the cabins on the last night- they could have gone down the hall and just taken what they saw from who knows whose cabin- they leave it outside the cabin door? if not , then they did take it from their own cabins and parents- we have not done this but i thought i remembered seeing some sitting outside cabins on last night on some cruise..........? i could be wrong about that........sorry if i am....

[LG123]

they could have gone down the hall and just taken what they saw from who knows whose cabin- they leave it outside the cabin door? if not , then they did take it from their own cabins and parents- we have not done this but i thought i remembered seeing some sitting outside cabins on last night on some cruise..........? i could be wrong about that........sorry if i am....

 

My memory sometimes fails me, but I thought that our purchased liquor was put in our stateroom by our attendant on the last night. Is that not correct?

 

We are sailing on Sunday so will let you know if it is left outside the door or put in the cabin.

[piercetc4]

after reading this , i hope it is delivered inside the cabin- i thought i had seen it outside but i could be wrong- could have been yrs ago and another cruise line?

if this is the case- the kids took the liquor the parents bought from their own cabins- still not rci responsibility in my opinion- my kids would be in a world of hurt if they did this- and i would not be posing the liability question - as the poster of the review sort of did....... it just gets old reading about some who want everyone but themselves to be responsible for a negative outcome....

[crusinmama06]

if those kids took alcohol that had been left outside the cabins ( purchased onboard and from the islands) .................rci may need to re visit this policy- and some parents need to have a sit down with their kids- theft and underage drinking- rci cannot be responsible for everyones actions- they are not 100% at fault here in my opinion-

liability?

how about you dont hold rci liable and rci won't press theft charges......?

 

My thoughts EXACTLY? At some point this person needs to take responsibilty for his child's actions. The world can not babysit YOUR child. :rolleyes: People like this give good parents a bad name...blaming RCCL? PUHlease!

[Merion_Mom]

1. If the liquor was delivered inside a cabin, and taken by the teenager therein = parents' fault.

 

2. If the liquor was smuggled on board by the parents and kept in the cabin = parents' fault.

 

3. If the liquor was left outside the cabin, in the public hallway, and taken by the teenager = Royal Caribbean's fault.

 

4. If a 14 year old with a correctly-coded SeaPass was sold drinks in the bar by Royal Caribbean staff = Royal Caribbean's fault.

[Nurse Daybreak]

It seems from the review that the liquor was delivered to the cabin where the teens then just helped themselves.

 

"On the last night of the cruise when RCCL distributes all purchased alcohol, it is their practice to drop off the boxes to each room without having it signed for. Being that there are many children onboard, many teens feel that they have the chance to steal bottles and experiment."

I have always had my liquor delivered inside my cabin. It was in there when I came back from dinner. Paul should not blame the cruise line for this. He needs to put the blame where it should lie and that is on his own daughter's back and therefore his. He should be grateful that they brought his daughter back to the cabin and that she got back safely. So many worse things could have happened. We've all read about some of them in the last few years.

[Merion_Mom]

From one Mom to another, I agree. :)

[Esmerelda]

Merion Mom...very well put indeed. As parents, we are ALL responsible for our own kids whether its on a ship...at school...in the mall..etc. A kid on a ship does not get alcohol on their own. This isn't rocket science.

 

Just like these parents of the teens in the ER that are drunker than 6 monkees..."gee..we don't know how/where little Jane got that 5th of Jack Daniels...we haven't seen her since 4pm today and its only 1am now...." (ok..now that makes no sense...the child has been out of your site for 9 hrs and you don't know where she is or what she is doing and now she is in a coma and she is only 14!) Keep better tabs on your child and it might save their life!

 

 

E...

[bplazo]

The teen room may be for teens only but I still went in there every night to check on my daughter. I just walked in and talked to her for a few minutes to make sure she was doing what she was supposed to be doing.

[MGoBlue2]

3. If the liquor was left outside the cabin, in the public hallway, and taken by the teenager = Royal Caribbean's fault.

While it may not be the safest place to put it (somewhat like leaving the keys in your car), it is still the fault of the person doing the stealing.

[Nliedel]

While it may not be the safest place to put it (somewhat like leaving the keys in your car), it is still the fault of the person doing the stealing.

 

This would be considered an attractive nuisance. Someone recently was sued by kid's parents. The kid went into their backyard and jumped on their trampoline. The kid broke his neck. Because the trampoline was considered to be too tempting for the child, even tho he was trespassing, he got over a million dollars. Seems wrong? I'm not going to debate that. I am stating that placing bottles of booze out where a gang of teenagers can find it is too tempting for them to resist.

 

One teen is one teen, but we all know they gather in groups and what would normally seem like a bad idea turns into a festival of stupidity but quick. Is it RCI's fault if they left bottles of booze in the hall? Yes. It is not their fault the teens stole it, but they are culpable and actionable if that is what happened.

[ORANGEinINDY]

1. If the liquor was delivered inside a cabin, and taken by the teenager therein = parents' fault.

 

2. If the liquor was smuggled on board by the parents and kept in the cabin = parents' fault.

 

3. If the liquor was left outside the cabin, in the public hallway, and taken by the teenager = Royal Caribbean's fault.

 

4. If a 14 year old with a correctly-coded SeaPass was sold drinks in the bar by Royal Caribbean staff = Royal Caribbean's fault.

There must be at least ONE scenario where it is the KIDS fault.:confused: