Of course, the legal drinking age in the United States is 21. This law extends 3 miles off our coast. Various countries around the world give young adolescents the right to drink. For cruise lines, this becomes a bit difficult, as they naturally serve international guests and sail in international waters. Some cruise lines make exceptions for these variations and others do not. Of course, this has not always been the case. Just a decade ago, rowdy high school groups on large cruise ships were a daily sight, especially during spring break. Barely accompanied crowds of young excessive drinkers practically took control of a ship, took sun loungers, came out of cabins, fainted in the corridors, pooped down the stairs and bravely staggered towards the adults in the bars asking for drinks (which, if they were sweet enough, they usually had some!). No guest under the age of 18 may possess or consume alcohol on board at any time. No customer under the age of 21 may possess or consume alcohol in our private destinations.

Any guest who disembarks and consumes alcohol (whether under the supervision of a parent/guardian or not) is responsible for ensuring that they consume responsibly and retain their ability to detect and avoid potentially dangerous situations when returning to the ship. Parents/guardians are reminded that they are responsible for the actions of their child/young adult at all times during the vacation of a Celebrity Cruises cruise. Ok, first of all. Most cruises won`t allow you to drink on the cruise ship unless you`re 21 years old (assuming your cruise leaves and returns to the United States). Here are the official guidelines from three major cruise lines: So if you`re sailing on one of these cruise lines, even if a relative is on board, you won`t be able to drink on the ship. Paul Gaughin Cruises – Paul Gauguin Cruises adheres to a strict service policy for alcoholic beverages. The minimum legal age for drinking alcoholic beverages on board is 21 years. All passengers must be 21 years of age to drink alcohol, with the exception of cruises to Europe, South America and Australia, when parents sailing with their children sign a waiver allowing their 18 to 20 year olds to consume alcohol. Passengers must be 18 years old to play at the casino (and 21 years old on Alaska cruises). If you are under the age of 21, you must have at least one person over the age of 21 in the cabin, unless minor children are sailing with their parents or guardians and staying in an adjacent cabin.

Norwegian Cruise Line – The minimum age for alcohol consumption of all alcoholic beverages on Norwegian Cruise Line ships is 21 years old. Guests between the ages of 18 and 20 can purchase and consume beer or wine when the ship is in international waters (3 miles outside U.S. territorial waters). The parent or guardian must be on board the sail with the young adult and go to the reception so that he can sign the form that only allows the consumption of beer and wine. A notarized declaration of parental consent or any other document that allows temporary guardianship solely for the purpose of navigation will not be accepted. The age change does not apply to departures to Alaska and Hawaii. U.S. law applies in U.S.

territorial waters that extend 12 nautical miles from the coast. Since the legal drinking age in the United States is 21, no cruise line allows passengers under the age of 21 to drink in U.S. territorial waters. However, in international waters, as well as in countries claimed by countries with a lower drinking age, some cruise lines allow passengers aged 18 and over to drink. Crystal Cruises (crystalcruises.com) allows passengers between the ages of 18 and 20 to consume beer and wine outside of U.S. territorial waters. Guests must be 21 years of age to consume alcohol. Norwegian`s parental consent only applies to beer and wine. Norwegian passengers under the age of 21 are not allowed to consume alcohol, even with the permission of their parents. Carnival – Guests under the age of 21 are not allowed to consume alcoholic beverages on board a Carnival cruise ship.

Carnival requires valid, unexpired identification from all guests attempting to purchase alcohol on board the ship. Holland America Cruise Line – Alcoholic beverages are not served to guests under the age of 21. However, applies to travel from 1 July. In 2016 and thereafter, the legal age for alcohol consumption on board is 18 years for travel to and from Europe, China, Hong Kong, Singapore or Taiwan, and the legal age for alcohol consumption on board is 20 years for travel to and from Japan. Cruise line rules apply to protect the health, safety and enjoyment of all passengers. Ultimately, adult parents and guardians are responsible for the actions of minors during the vacation of a family cruise. Parents can still take a vacation, but you can never take a parenting vacation when your kids are on vacation with you. Regent Cruise Lines – The minimum age for alcohol consumption in the entire Regent Seven Seas fleet is twenty-one (21) years of age or older. If you are caught drinking minors in the port, you are subject to the laws of this country. Depending on the country, this could mean serious legal problems at worst. At best, it could make you sweat if you return to the ship in time for departure. The rules are very clear on the consumption of alcohol during a cruise and in port.

If you are under 21, it is best to wait until you arrive at the port before taking a sip. If you are under 18, most ports and the cruise ship are taboo. The legal drinking age in the United States is 21. There is no way around it. If you want to buy alcohol, you must be of age or face serious consequences. Azamara (azamaraclubcruises.com), Celebrity (celebritycruises.com) and Norwegian (ncl.com) allow guests between the ages of 18 and 20 to drink with parental permission. Azamara and Celebrity`s policies only apply to departures from Europe, Australia or South America, while Norwegian`s policy applies whenever the ship is in international waters, except on alaska and Hawaii routes. On all three lines, your parent or guardian must be on the ship with you and appear in person to sign the waiver. For those under 21, you`ll be happy to know that the legal drinking age in the Caribbean is 18 or younger. In addition, some countries have consumption limits of 16.

But what about the age of drinking on a cruise? Do you still have to be 21 years old? After all, we`ve all heard of «international waters» – a magical place a few miles from the coast where normal rules don`t apply. Doesn`t that mean, if you`re not of legal drinking age, but not in the United States, that you can live it? In order to respect the minimum age of alcohol consumption, the age of a customer is determined at boarding (start of the cruise). If a guest celebrates their birthday during the cruise and thus reaches the age of majority to consume alcohol, then they can ask the customer service manager to modify the ship`s records to allow alcohol consumption during the rest of the cruise. The customer must go to Customer Service to present a government-issued ID that allows them to verify their age. Since those wild days, cruise lines have tightened their policies a bit. Unsupervised groups of teenagers are no longer allowed on board. That`s not to say you`ll never meet obnoxious teenagers — with more and more families on cruises, there are plenty of teens sailing these days — but mom and dad are on board hoping to keep their offspring online. Well, if you`re a civilized teenager who wants to sail alone with a friend or two, you`re out of luck.

Azamara Cruise Line – The minimum age for alcohol consumption for all alcoholic beverages on AzamaraClub Cruises ships departing from North America is 21 years old. No guest under the age of 18 may possess or consume alcohol on board Costa Cruises at any time – no alcohol may be purchased or consumed by guests under the age of 21 on cruises that guests embark or disembark in U.S. ports, or under the age of 18 for all other Princess Cruises The legal drinking age of 21 is always respected on board and proof of age may be required. All staff on board are trained to take seriously their responsibility not to serve alcohol to underage customers. Age restrictions are clearly displayed in the bars.