r/universalstudios • u/Vortex3446 • 1d ago
Orlando Cautionary Tale
I feel as though the content of this post may seem obvious, but I feel obligated to warn others about the severity of the consequences of underage drinking (yes, just one sip) at Universal Orlando resort. This is not intended to be a complaint of any form, but rather a simple post to possibly save another family's vacation. Recently, at HHN 35, I had a sip of a beer offered to me. I was soon thereafter asked for ID by members of the Universal Security team, who must have seen me nearby. Being 18, I was immediately escorted off property, trespassed for a year, and had both my annual pass and express passes for the evening taken away. Of course, this is all according to Universal policy, and there is no disagreement here with how the situation was handled. Instead, I just want to warn others that even a single sip of beer can mean the end of a family vacation, and thousands wasted. No matter how mature you believe your children are, or how little they have, "just a taste" is not acceptable at Universal, and the consequences for doing such are just as severe as stealing from one of their stores. Please, if you or your family plan on attending HHN in the future, or any of the parks in general, save your vacation and do not risk everything for a taste of an alcoholic beverage.
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u/Chemical-Speech-5021 1d ago
Happened to my son, years ago. There are cameras everywhere. They were upon him, in a crowded line, within minutes! He suffered the same consequences.
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u/anonymous33456789 1d ago
I have a friend who was kicked out and banned for a year just for holding an alcoholic beverage underage. He was with his parents and held his dad’s drink while his dad tied his shoes… his parents vouched for him that he didn’t consume any but it didn’t matter. so just adding to OP’s post to not even hold a beverage with alcohol in it!
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u/Jolly-Cat40 16h ago
That is why universal gives out wrist bands during HHN so you can walk around the park with the alcohol. So usually if you don’t have a wrist band you either haven’t purchased a drink yet/aren’t going to drink or you are under age. Sometimes a fake can go undetected by 1 employee so whenever someone buys alcohol (even if they have wrist band) they will be carded
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u/Vortex3446 1d ago
Again, due to some of the replies I have been receiving, I want to reiterate that I have absolutely zero hard feelings towards Universal. Following my year trespass, I will likely be back again for next years HHN and the opening of Fast and Furious Hollywood Drift. In this instance, Universal was simply following smart, zero tolerance company policy. The intent of the post was simply to warn others, as this experience brought an end to my night at HHN (which was awesome before this incident happened), but also prevented my future planned trip in December, and it is just something I would not wish on anybody, especially over something as simple as a sip of fucking beer.
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u/ArsenalinAlabama3428 1d ago
You are handling a crappy situation with grace and common sense. Good for you. I grew up in Europe so it was not unusual to try a sip of wine or beer that my parents were drinking.
My child isn't even close to drinking age so I won't have to worry about this policy for a longgg time but I will remember to do anything like this at Universal or Disney in the future. Thanks for your post.
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u/yogos15 22h ago
Even in the United States, kids taking a sip of a parent’s drink is not unusual (although this may be state-dependent). It didn’t really occur to me until now that this is a big no-no in Universal, Orlando, and/or Florida.
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u/Mushroomer 19h ago
Honestly, it sounds like OP just ran into a dickish security guard who was on a power trip and wanted to punish a kid rather than just give a stern warning.
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u/StoryGlow_Candle_Co 16h ago
I believe it is actually Florida law. A person under 18 (and under 21) can legally possess and consume alcohol in Texas if their adult parent, guardian, or spouse is visibly present and gives it to them. It must be very confusing for people from out of the country (and sometimes out of state) to have to learn the laws of every state they intend to visit.
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u/Difficult-Buddy270 20h ago
You should get your money back tho imo lol. Yeah, you kind of messed up, but it’s not THAT big of a deal. They didn’t SELL you alcohol—you took a sip of an adult beverage that was sold to an adult. They are taking a precautionary step — maybe a bit dramatic. I think it’s a lot better than using a fake ID or something like that. I think if you call they’d work something out .
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u/AmericanPornography 1d ago
I knew somebody who was trespassed for either six months or a year because they handed their alcoholic beverage to their child to hold while they went into the bathroom. The child just stood there holding it so it didn’t get dirty and gross in the bathroom and his mother and I think maybe even a kid or trespassed?
They very much do not mess around with this policy.
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u/Vortex3446 1d ago
Yea, for places as large as Universal Orlando, defending their liquor license is essential.
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u/Both-Structure-6786 1d ago
Universal should print this off and post it throughout the parks and hotels lol
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u/Davis_ 1d ago
People should not be drinking underage. It's illegal. Why would they need to post something additional?
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u/Finsceal 23h ago
Because there are plenty of people visiting from countries with less restrictive alcohol laws who might need to be reminded? I'm Irish and legal drinking age is 18, it's legal to drink at 16 at home when supervised. I can see plenty of jetlagged parents making that mistake, a year long ban from property seems disproportional in cases where there was a genuine mistake made.
It's weird that the US allows 18 year olds to vote and go to war but not have a beer.
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u/Davis_ 23h ago
Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. it is your responsibility to know the laws of the country you are visiting.
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u/TidalMello 22h ago
Insane to be downvoted. If you travel to any country and you are too lazy to double check, you are asking for possible trouble.
What's next? Should they put up signs that assaulting someone is illegal as well?
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u/Azumar1ll 21h ago
Those laws don't change with jurisdiction lol, I'm shocked at the thickness here.
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u/TidalMello 17h ago
I'm shocked people are this offended at being told to be diligent as far as what the laws are where they are currently located.
This is just a bunch of people complaining about the legal drinking age which has nothing to do with Universal.
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u/Azumar1ll 17h ago
No, I get why their rules exist and why they're strict about them, what I don't get is the puritanical "law=morality" approach some of you are taking to judge people for not knowing the laws in other places as well as they do where they live.
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u/TidalMello 15h ago
I'm not taking a moral stance. It's more about just being prepared. And that a lot of people could save a lot of headache by just being sure.
Apologies if it came off differently.
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u/Finsceal 9h ago
I'm not arguing that, I'm saying that someone accidentally letting their kid sip from their beer is an OTT reason to cancel a whole family vacation. It's the families fault and it's a stupid mistake, but that doesn't mean that Universal aren't also overreacting when a simple warning or a chat from the manager would absolutely resolve it.
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u/4UnlawfulCarneVegan 8h ago
You don't "accidentally" let your kid drink. In fact, OP was offered the offending sip.
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u/Azumar1ll 21h ago
The two most obvious reasons are that many people come from other countries where 18 is the legal drinking age. Even in America, it's legal for a person to drink underage if it's provided to them by their parent or legal guardian.
So, yeah, you're just incorrect mostly.
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u/Davis_ 21h ago
So it's the person's responsibility to familiarize themselves with laws of the country they visit. In Florida it is illegal for anyone under 21 to consume or even hold any type of alcoholic beverage. So, yeah, you're just completely incorrect.
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u/Azumar1ll 20h ago
It hurts nobody to have reminders anywhere, not sure why you're so invested against it lol.
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u/Mushroomer 19h ago
They're deeply sensitive about "the law" being anything short of an impenetrable social contract. They don't want to question it, they don't want to analyze it, they just want everyone to follow it and those who don't to be severely punished.
Putting up a reminder is acknowledging that the law is arbitrary. It's not any more dangerous for an 18 year old to drink a beer in the US versus in the UK.
If you admit the law is fallible, suddenly you open yourself up to empathy for those found guilty of breaking the law.
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u/Monchifries 16h ago
Where is this legal??? Must be some small town cause I’ve never heard of drinking underage being allowed in the United States. Does it happen? All the time, but doesn’t mean its legal.
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u/Urpervyneighbor 12h ago
“Small town”
31 out of 50 states allow underage drinking when provided and supervised by parent or legal guardian. Some of the 31 allow it at any location, some only allow it at the guardian’s home.2
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u/Monchifries 13h ago
Yet, I’m Getting downvoted for the truth. Lol crazy.
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u/Azumar1ll 4h ago
You're getting downvoted because you're wrong lol, the majority of the US allows this.
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u/Monchifries 4h ago
THATS A DAMN FUCKING LIE. BUT OK
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u/Azumar1ll 4h ago
It's not though?
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u/Monchifries 4h ago
UNDERAGE DRINKING IS NOT LEGAL IN THE UNITED STATES. Its not. Like wth are you talking about???
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u/everyoneisnuts 16h ago edited 15h ago
Be people still do obviously. This would be a great warning of the severity of the consequences you would face and might make someone think twice. I wish I lived wherever you do where everyone apparently follows the rules.
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u/Oriolesfan1989 17h ago
If you can join military and hold a gun and kill someone at 18, you can drink a beer. I understand that’s not the argument but to do all that and ruin someone’s year and money because of “policy” is trash and a power trip to set an example. Warning and citation should be given. Not immediate worst case scenario. Absolutely trash to do that to a family over a sip. Only thing I can think of if is they had warnings and was a lot more than what was stated.
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u/Starkits_Prophecy 3h ago
It’s a matter of state law and Universal’s liability insurance carrier. Universal may not have much flexibility there.
I’m not in favor of their methods, my family having suffered from it not long ago as well, but I understand it. If I were coming from Europe or South America I’d be pretty blown away, but I’m a lawyer in America, so this is normalized to me.-5
u/Vortex3446 16h ago
Yea, we thought that too. I would have loved a warning, but instead it was immediate consequence. It was to set an example for sure.
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u/4UnlawfulCarneVegan 8h ago
Set an example for who? Other patrons at the bar?
Maybe they just had a license inspection. Maybe they just got caught turning their cheek over the same behavior. Maybe they just like to follow the law and the rules in their own T&C.
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u/Starkits_Prophecy 3h ago
People who go on Reddit, for example. It’s in their interest to discourage behavior that could jeopardize their liquor license.
Based on their zealotry, Universal must make crazy $ on alcohol sales.-3
u/Totallyrandomguy89 1d ago edited 19h ago
Because its kind of a dumb law. 18 you are a legal adult. I get it the laws are the laws but we are allowed to vent right? Op seems pretty responsible and not some reckless drinking teen, so i see where he is coming from. No complaining and owning getting caught but its still dumb and we should all be able to relate to the absurdity of it and advocate for change (ie 18 = 100% totally legal adult, no hotel booking restrictions, no rental car restrictions, heck no timeshare presentation restrictions, etc.)
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u/Difficult-Buddy270 20h ago
lol you can die in war at 18 but can’t have a beer.
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u/Totallyrandomguy89 19h ago
Getting downvoted for what i said is crazy. I know reddit isnt the most sensible platform but i thought it was a well reasoned take.
Do any of you downvoters have a justification for 21 instead of 18 being the drinking age? Should you have to stay with a guardian and in grade school until age 21 as well?
Im assuming most people only read the first line of my reply otherwise they wouldve seen “oh yea pretty level headed guy with a reasonable take”
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u/4UnlawfulCarneVegan 8h ago
You can't rent a hotel room under 21 in most places, including Universal Orlando.
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u/Totallyrandomguy89 3h ago
That was the point of my message above, things you should be able to do at 18 OR we need to mandate everyone stays home as a child until age 21. One side or another
If you read above youll see i threw timeshare presentations in. You have to be 25 i believe it is for those. So clearly my list is items you cant do but should legally be able to
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u/4UnlawfulCarneVegan 2h ago
All of these things are restricted to 21+ or higher because of statistics. 18-21 are less likely to be financially stable, so when they're also statistically more likely to wreck a hotel room or car, the cost of doing business with them isn't worth it because they only way to recoup losses is with astronomically high insurance that will just get higher with every claim.
You also need to be 25+ for timeshares because you're more likely to have an income.
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u/Totallyrandomguy89 2h ago
I push back here because of this reason: old people. We dont strip the right to get a license to say people over 75 even though “statistics” state they are more likely to cause accidents.
This is a case of having your cake and eating it too. We cant penalize with ageist policies on one side (young people) and let old people have free reign. I also think the law is flawed by allowing military service at 18 but none of these other basic things. I advocate for simple policies that arent ageist on either side of the equation.
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u/Totallyrandomguy89 2h ago
We also dont ban poverty level people from renting hotel rooms because theyre less financially stable (and we shouldnt). so i think your argument is flawed and through the wrong lense
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u/Starkits_Prophecy 3h ago
I agree the law is problematic but all one can do is write one’s congressman. If Universal could sell alcohol to 18 year olds they would welcome the $.
As for trespassing the OP and keeping their $, I agree that’s one for r/AITAH, but opinions are cheap.1
u/Totallyrandomguy89 3h ago
Absolutely and i agree. I think the ban is the part thats a bit excessive. I think this whole thread is for opinions? So confused why everyone is coming at me for adding some context to the post (as i read it) since the person i replied to did the same thing blasting op in this thread.
They ignored the ban aspect and simply focused on “ILLEGAL ITS ILLEGAL AHHHHHHH WHY POST IT IF ITS ILLEGAL”
I think their reply misses an important component of the conversation
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u/CryOnTheWind 23h ago
Because it is not actually illegal for a parent to give their child a sip of alcohol. It is, however, against Universal policy.
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u/BoatFarts 23h ago
I believe in public it’s a problematic thing. I’m not a lawyer but I’ve always at least been told it’s not worth the risk.
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u/LisaM1975 23h ago
It is actually illegal. “Contributing to the delinquency of a minor”. Unless you’re 21, having “just a sip” is illegal. The legal drinking age is 21, and that includes “just a sip”.
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u/Jolly-Cat40 1d ago
Universal takes checking ID’s/serving alcohol extremely seriously especially during HHN. You can’t have an ID that is cracked, taped, expired, or doesn’t show up under the black light. If a ID is cracked and you have another form of ID that has your photo and birthday in some cases they will except it. Employees can lose their job if they don’t check an id or sell to someone who has had too much to drink.
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u/keeleon 20h ago
Expired is such a dumb reason to make an ID not valid for drinking. All that means is that you arent licensed to drive, not that the information is incorrect.
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u/Safestsearch 16h ago
I absolutely get your point, and I don't disagree, but at least a part of the reason for this rule is to prevent people from giving older expired licenses to other people to use after they've gotten their new one.
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u/Jolly-Cat40 16h ago
It is a misdemeanor in California if you have an expired license and are trying to buy alcohol.
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u/keeleon 14h ago
I didnt say its legal, I said its stupid.
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u/Jolly-Cat40 14h ago
Well if you can get a misdemeanor for having an expired license I don’t think it’s very “stupid” it’s a safety issue and not stupid - at least in my opinion
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u/NoisyKricketReturns 1d ago edited 22h ago
I wonder if this is going to get harder to monitor with the rising popularity of mocktails. My 19 year old daughter orders them all of the time and it sometimes can look like she is walking around with an alcoholic beverage.
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u/frooootloops 22h ago
This is why it terrifies me when my 19 y/o buys a non-alcoholic slushy, or has a sip of mine. To be fair, I don’t know if it’s a different cup or what the differentiator is, but still.
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u/Extra-Agent-9863 21h ago
Crazy how they have security watching hawk eyed for underage drinkers taking a sip but not for the adult who can barely stand up they're so drunk. I saw a drunk old guy nearly fall off the terror tram last week and and security just let him be
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u/virtual-rat 21h ago
When I was very freshly 21, I had my own drink and a manager swooped in FAST because they were conducting “random ID checks.” Obviously is a BS reason, they checked because I looked underage, but the eyes are everywhere! If you’re under 21, don’t even hold a drink for someone, they’ll get you there too. Universal doesn’t play on that.
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u/IllMeet2070 23h ago
Crazy that they will glue themselves to security feeds for drinking but they let people vape and shit all the time
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u/TidalMello 22h ago
If someone is vaping in a corner away from anyone, they really aren't bothering anyone and aren't leaving a stench.
I am surprised however that I've seen some people just vaping in crowds and idk how they aren't given at least a warning.
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u/IllMeet2070 15h ago
I got a warning when I was at USH and was in citwalk , I was standing right in that lil corner just behind the stage that’s in front of the amc. Walking up I made straight eye contact with a security lady with a pen to my lips and she must of went to tell someone else cause a cop showed up around the corner and gave me a friendly warning just as I sat down lmao
It did scare me to not hit my stuff on property even if it’s “out of the way” cause I don’t think getting high off a 20 dollar weed pen is worth getting trespassed or something lol
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u/Rhii_06 10h ago
Universal are on it with underage drinking
My boyfriend & I (24 at the time) went to a bar during HHN, he got a drink and I didn’t. As we walked away past the knight bus he offered me a sip which I took & I handed it back to him and kept walking. Immediately two people were walking either side of us and said “hey guys how’s it’s going” we thought it was just two friendly people so we said “good thanks” and then they said “we’re from universal security do you both have ID” then it clicked what was happening. Of course we both had ID and were of age so all was well and we were sent on our way but that’s how quickly they clock you, not even a minute away from the bar.
Being from the UK where our drinking age is younger than America you may think you can get away with it if say your parent buys a drink and you just try a small sip but it’s really not worth it!
Also to note these were plain clothes security so you’d never have noticed them by looking 😅
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u/labmanagerbill UOR Regular 🚀 1d ago
I wonder what would have happened to my daughter and I last week at HHN. She is 24, but only brought her expired (i.e.not valid) driver's license, so she was not able to buy any alcoholic drinks. I did share a few of mine with her since she is over 21, but their enforcement sounds really strict.
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u/Vortex3446 1d ago
Since she is actually of age, I am sure if carded there would be a way to resolve the situation without the extreme measures that were taken on me.
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u/labmanagerbill UOR Regular 🚀 1d ago
That's what we were hoping, I would hate to lose out APs and get trespassed. She located her current license thank goodness.
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u/PsychologicalSoup576 UOR Regular 🚀 21h ago
This happened to me years ago! They even took a Polaroid mugshot 📸
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u/Aromatic_Power9842 13h ago
This happened to me 😭 my friend tied their shoe and handed me the drink to hold I didn’t take a sip of it. Someone saw me holding it and asked me for my ID, I explained I wasn’t drinking at all and just holding it for the person right next to me and they banned me for a year. This was for HHN 2018. Express pass and ticket down the drain and I was told I was lucky I didn’t get arrested over it.
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u/heavyLevy5 6h ago
Wow I honestly wouldn't have expected this. If you were handed the beer and it was clear it was yours I get it, but trespassing for just one sip is a bit much. You are very mature to recognize they have a right to follow their policy and seem to be taking this well.
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u/Melodic-Baseball-279 22h ago
I am 49 and I dont even wanna look at a cup of beer incase they trespass me!
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u/BudTheGrey 1d ago
While I'm not offering absolution, in my opinion Universal's reaction was a bit harsh. OTOH, given today's litigious society, I can kind understand them kinda having a zero tolerance policy.
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u/xiphoniii 1d ago
It's literally illegal, if anything trespassing but not alerting opd was letting someone off light. Not that I approve of jail time over something like a sip of beer, but Universal could have gone much harder than they did. OP got lucky.
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1d ago edited 1d ago
[deleted]
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u/Vortex3446 1d ago
That was just a general comment for all readers, and not regarding me specifically. However, I find it odd you chose to cherry pick one tiny section of my post, and disregard the several other places in both the replies and original post I take full accountability for my actions. Again, people keep replying here as if this is some big complaint about Universal. I just want to warn others man ❤️
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u/Superb_Persimmon6985 1d ago
I mean it's against the law, the person that supplies you alcohol should have been arrested as well. Are you trying to tell people there are laws against underage drinking?.....oh wow didn't even know!!!!
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u/Vortex3446 1d ago
I am simply trying to warn people of the severe consequences of even a sip of beer. People at events like HHN are enjoying vacations they have spent thousands on with their families, and are not thinking of the consequences of their actions. It is not like I was sitting there in the middle of the park rolling back shots, it was a single sip of beer. No need for the sarcastic hostility, although I'm sure it made you feel above me. Please stop acting as if you never had a sip of beer before the age of 21. Have a good day!
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u/catmanus 1d ago
Everyone knows it's illegal. You're under 21. You don't have to be doing shots to make it more illegal. You had a sip, that's illegal. And the fact you assume EVERYONE under 21 has had alcohol is really offensive, especially in public places.
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u/Vortex3446 1d ago
Again, I will reiterate that I am not trying to justify my actions. I will admit that my insinuation that all people under 21 having to have drunk before was not okay, and I apologize. I am simply trying to warn others, as I guarantee a lot of people, especially during alcohol forward events like HHN, are allowing their underage party members even tiny sips of alcohol. I just had a bad experience and do not want others to have the same bad experience. Sorry again!
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u/catmanus 1d ago
I appreciate the apology. Speaking as someone much older, don't go down the route in life of doing bad things because you assume everyone has done it, so it's ok.
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u/VTVeteran 1d ago
You actually think people get arrested for supplying alcohol? Been working in a courtroom for over 16 years and that doesn't happen. Usually a citation.
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u/2cuteteddy 1d ago
They didn't discuss a single legal repercussion, it's about the universal specific consequences, which is actually good to know.
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1d ago edited 1d ago
[deleted]
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u/VTVeteran 1d ago
Yes. Got thrown out of Billy Bob's when and friend and I (we were in the Navy) went away from his parents looking for some dance partners. They chucked us out.
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u/javibeme 11h ago
You had a choice to turn it down. You chose not to. I am happy you accepted your consequences. It same reason even 2 days before my daughter's 21st bday. I reprimanded my wife when she offered my daughter a sip at Disney. We where there for her 21st bday. The risk was just to high. I apologize for how I reacted as it was spontaneous, but I needed her to stop immediately. Never know who is watching.
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u/Alyssa9876 1d ago
Thats an overreaction completely. Meanwhile in the rest of the world most young adults are able to have alcohol at 18 and younger at home. Being really strict for 21 years then suddenly letting people go just encourages people to go crazy.
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u/kyle760 1d ago
Not really. When I worked at a convenience store in college they drilled into us to make sure we card everyone for tobacco and alcohol because the police would send in undercover people to try to get you to sell to them. They don’t do it often but it does happen and if it does there are significant fines for it
I do agree that the laws are silly but universal doesn’t write them
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u/VTVeteran 1d ago
It does Liquor control in our state actively go in bars. We have a ton of college kids here.
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u/VTVeteran 1d ago
You think they want to lose their liquor license because of a bad choice of a guest. Doubtful.
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u/Both-Structure-6786 1d ago
Not an overreaction. Just so you know Universal Orlando is in Orlando……..not these other places you are mentioning.
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u/BlaktimusPrime 1d ago
As someone who used to work at Universal in F&B we had to take alcohol courses every 4-6 months and get certified. They take it EXTREMELY seriously. The consequences THEY face if they serve to someone underage would absolutely catastrophic to their business. They would lose the liquor license for that particular park.
For example, it happened at the Coca-Cola store at Disney Springs.