The Drinking And Gambling Age On Your Cruise Ship Is Probably Not What You Think

There's something about boarding a cruise that makes you feel like the possibilities are endless. Sure, there are some head-scratching cruise ship rules — like banning certain common activities like fishing or restricting entertainment items like sports equipment — but cruises also offer unique experiences you simply can't find on land. Want to stroll around without wearing a stitch of clothing? That's why cruises like Bare Necessities exist. Fancy speeding around a go-kart track in the middle of the ocean? Norwegian Cruise Line's got you covered (seriously, look it up). With the sense of being in uncharted waters, it's easy to think that land rules don't apply at sea. However, when it comes to things like the legal age for drinking and gambling, that assumption couldn't be further from the truth.

More often than not, cruises departing from the U.S. adhere strictly to the country's legal drinking age of 21 and gambling age of 18. (Yes, that includes Bingo games.) For many cruise lines, like Carnival Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises, this hard rule applies to any trip departing from North America.

There was a time when cruise lines were more a little bit more flexible with drinking ages, letting under-21s have a little fun with alcohol in international waters. But those lawless days are mostly over, as cruise companies sailing around North America have tightened up and aligned with U.S. law to avoid any legal headaches. Still, for those between 18 and 21 hoping to sip on something stronger than soda (and hopefully tastier than desalinated cruise water) there's a workaround — and it entails getting your parents involved.

If you're sailing from the U.S., cruise lines are pretty unyielding about their rules. No one under 18 is allowed to gamble — except in Alaska, where the cutoff is 21 — and if you're under 21, don't even think about getting a drink. But some cruise lines throw a bone to the under-21 crowd ... as long as they can rope their parents into it.

Take Royal Caribbean, for instance. The cruise line has an Alcohol Waiver and Acceptance of Responsibility form that allows parents to sign off on their 18- to 20-year-old kids drinking in regions where the legal age is lower, like Europe and Australia. Parents must be on the cruise as well and have to agree to supervise their children's alcohol consumption and, naturally, take responsibility for whatever shenanigans might ensue. Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Lines offer similar waivers that allow your kid to clink glasses with you so long as you agree to deal with whatever consequences follow. Oh, and you have to abide by the cruise line's alcohol policies, too.

Cruise lines like Carnival take a more hardline approach. If you're under 21, alcohol is off-limits — full stop. Carnival's Brand Ambassador, John Heald, made that abundantly clear when a parent asked if their daughter and her friend could enjoy a drink with them on board. "I find it a wee bit strange that a parent would ask for this," he wrote in a Facebook Group (via Cruise Radio). On the upside, Heald did introduce a meet-and-greet activity for the 18- to 20-year-old crowd to make new friends. And so if you're under 21, you might not get a cocktail, but at least you'll have company to commiserate with.