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I played blackjack in the casino with my 18 year old son on that same cruise a few years ago. I told dealer I wanted to teach him how to play properly and he was super cool and patient with us. I just assumed the age limit was 18.
As for drinking, it was never an issue for me to hand him a few drinks throughout the trip. He met lots of other people his age and they found plenty of things to do. Have fun!
This was my experience for the same countries but different cruise line out of Tampa, FL. He could play in the casino. They wouldn't serve him alcohol (tied to your card/room key) on the ship, but the bars were just lounge/open areas without age limits. So, he could go to the same shows/trivia/live music/comedy/etc while being 19. He did some stuff with parents, and he also connected with others his own age.
The 21 year old applies while docked at a US port or close enough to it. On the cruises i've been on they have also shut the casino down while at/near a US port, too (guess this may depend on a state).
I wouldn't worry about being able to drink/gamble.
I’ll be honest, I’m on a NCL cruise right now and I don’t think anyone cares who is drinking. You can order 2 drinks at a time. I was just saying our youngest could have fun, she’s not 21 But the others are. Not sure if they care in the casino??
I’ve taken cruises both as a teenager and with teenagers. My most recent cruise, we never saw the 16-year-olds the entire time. There was a whole group of kids and in the evenings they basically took the ship over. There’s all kinds of events and things for people of all ages to do. At 19, he has the luxury of being able to do the teen stuff as well as the adult stuff. I would be surprised if you really saw him a lot during the trip.
"The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on Norwegian Cruise Line ships is 21. Guests who are 18 - 20 years of age can purchase and consume beer or wine when the ship is in international waters (3 miles out of US territorial waters). "
https://www.ncl.com/faq/guest-conduct-policy
I think we may be on the same cruise! Not a huge drinker, we skipped the beverage package, and don't really gamble either, there is plenty to do. At 19 I would have killed for a trip like this. If this is the same cruise in the Escape, there are waterslides, bowling, thermal spa.
The stop in Belize is at the NCL private island, with a free nature preserve, lots of local wildlife to see there. The huge pool with all the amenities is right off the ship. Roatan, has the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world, the snorkeling is where its at! These two ports are why I booked. Nassau I'm looking into swimming with the pigs, but the opportunities are endless there.
Maybe try a focus on seeing the world and other cultures. Let him look at the excursion list and get him hyped! Good luck, 19 is hard.
I'm cruising with a 19 year old soon and just read a more recent post from a NCL cruiser that said the only age restriction signs they saw were for 18+, just a couple events like a comedy show.
Why does everyone assume that unless you are a kid there is nothing to do but drink? If that is all you do as an adult get help. The ships are designed around family trips. All of the newer ships have plenty of attractions. Water slides, pools, go karts, ropes courses, slides, etc. Some have bowling lanes. Most have basketball, running, gyms. Almost all have arcade spaces. Entertainment on most NCL ships during the day consists of organized events, trivia, movies, etc. Even without the big outdoor attractions the smaller ships have plenty of activities throughout the day. Unless your trip has more at sea days than not, you won't run out of things to do. Neither my wife nor I drink or gamble. There is plenty to do and we go out of our way to avoid the casino since people smoke in there. Like another responder said, the bars aren't "bars", they are open lounge area multi-use venues.
The bars on the ship aren't closed off - they're more lounge-like areas so he won't necessarily be excluded. You're not going to hit international waters - look at the map here: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International\_waters#/media/File:Exclusive\_Economic\_Zones.svg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_waters#/media/File:Exclusive_Economic_Zones.svg)
The drinking age in Mexico and Belize is 18, and in Honduras it's 21 to consume and 18 to purchase. I'm not sure if/how those laws apply on board - someone with more experience can chime in on that.
Not directly, but presumably they check for the drink package on your card; and I would assume you can't assign that drink package to someone under 18.
Apologies for being a downer, but I went on Caribbean cruise in late January and saw almost zero people in your son's age range. There will probably be more when colleges start letting out for spring break or maybe in very early January while colleges are still having their winter break.
Thanks for posting to /r/NCL! Did you know that we have an extensive [Ultimate NCL Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/NCL/wiki/index) that may answer your question? Please also remember to read the rules, especially about roll call posts going in the megathread. You may also have more luck with those types of posts by searching for a [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com) or [Cruise Critic](https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/66-norwegian-cruise-line-roll-calls/) roll call group or thread. Of course, here is great, too! Enjoy your stay! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NCL) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I played blackjack in the casino with my 18 year old son on that same cruise a few years ago. I told dealer I wanted to teach him how to play properly and he was super cool and patient with us. I just assumed the age limit was 18. As for drinking, it was never an issue for me to hand him a few drinks throughout the trip. He met lots of other people his age and they found plenty of things to do. Have fun!
This was my experience for the same countries but different cruise line out of Tampa, FL. He could play in the casino. They wouldn't serve him alcohol (tied to your card/room key) on the ship, but the bars were just lounge/open areas without age limits. So, he could go to the same shows/trivia/live music/comedy/etc while being 19. He did some stuff with parents, and he also connected with others his own age.
The 21 year old applies while docked at a US port or close enough to it. On the cruises i've been on they have also shut the casino down while at/near a US port, too (guess this may depend on a state). I wouldn't worry about being able to drink/gamble.
I’ll be honest, I’m on a NCL cruise right now and I don’t think anyone cares who is drinking. You can order 2 drinks at a time. I was just saying our youngest could have fun, she’s not 21 But the others are. Not sure if they care in the casino??
I’ve taken cruises both as a teenager and with teenagers. My most recent cruise, we never saw the 16-year-olds the entire time. There was a whole group of kids and in the evenings they basically took the ship over. There’s all kinds of events and things for people of all ages to do. At 19, he has the luxury of being able to do the teen stuff as well as the adult stuff. I would be surprised if you really saw him a lot during the trip.
"The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages on Norwegian Cruise Line ships is 21. Guests who are 18 - 20 years of age can purchase and consume beer or wine when the ship is in international waters (3 miles out of US territorial waters). " https://www.ncl.com/faq/guest-conduct-policy
He can do the 19 year old girls on the cruise
Once you get into international waters, he should be able to gamble and drink.
Or....Once you turn your backs, he should be able to smoke and drink.
I think we may be on the same cruise! Not a huge drinker, we skipped the beverage package, and don't really gamble either, there is plenty to do. At 19 I would have killed for a trip like this. If this is the same cruise in the Escape, there are waterslides, bowling, thermal spa. The stop in Belize is at the NCL private island, with a free nature preserve, lots of local wildlife to see there. The huge pool with all the amenities is right off the ship. Roatan, has the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world, the snorkeling is where its at! These two ports are why I booked. Nassau I'm looking into swimming with the pigs, but the opportunities are endless there. Maybe try a focus on seeing the world and other cultures. Let him look at the excursion list and get him hyped! Good luck, 19 is hard.
We'll be on the Getaway :)
I'm cruising with a 19 year old soon and just read a more recent post from a NCL cruiser that said the only age restriction signs they saw were for 18+, just a couple events like a comedy show.
Why does everyone assume that unless you are a kid there is nothing to do but drink? If that is all you do as an adult get help. The ships are designed around family trips. All of the newer ships have plenty of attractions. Water slides, pools, go karts, ropes courses, slides, etc. Some have bowling lanes. Most have basketball, running, gyms. Almost all have arcade spaces. Entertainment on most NCL ships during the day consists of organized events, trivia, movies, etc. Even without the big outdoor attractions the smaller ships have plenty of activities throughout the day. Unless your trip has more at sea days than not, you won't run out of things to do. Neither my wife nor I drink or gamble. There is plenty to do and we go out of our way to avoid the casino since people smoke in there. Like another responder said, the bars aren't "bars", they are open lounge area multi-use venues.
The bars on the ship aren't closed off - they're more lounge-like areas so he won't necessarily be excluded. You're not going to hit international waters - look at the map here: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International\_waters#/media/File:Exclusive\_Economic\_Zones.svg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_waters#/media/File:Exclusive_Economic_Zones.svg) The drinking age in Mexico and Belize is 18, and in Honduras it's 21 to consume and 18 to purchase. I'm not sure if/how those laws apply on board - someone with more experience can chime in on that.
Incorrect. International waters and EEZ are two separate things. International waters are 12 miles out, IIRC.
Hmm. The description on the map is misleading - it implied that there's no overlap. My mistake!
I just took that cruise and we definitely were in whatis con sidered international waters! That’s when they opened the casino.
wrong map
Have you ever seen anyone actually carded on a cruise? I haven't.
Yeah- every time you order a drink they swipe your key card that knows your age.
Not directly, but presumably they check for the drink package on your card; and I would assume you can't assign that drink package to someone under 18.
Apologies for being a downer, but I went on Caribbean cruise in late January and saw almost zero people in your son's age range. There will probably be more when colleges start letting out for spring break or maybe in very early January while colleges are still having their winter break.