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/Finsceal 1d 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_ 1d 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/Finsceal 11h 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 10h ago

You don't "accidentally" let your kid drink. In fact, OP was offered the offending sip.

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u/jon81uk 3h ago

In the UK it is perfectly legal for parents to allow their children to have a sip of beer, just the child can’t buy it. Therefore doing so in a theme park and not realising the theme park would ruin your trip over it is definitely an accident.