Do I need a certain form for daughter whos dad will not be cruising?

Hello all! Quick question- I will be traveling with my daughter on the Conquest on the 23rd. Me and her dad are not together and she has his last name. Is there a form that he needs to sign granting her permission to go on the cruise? Would it need to be notified?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I recommend you call Carnival to be sure but when crossing an international border a simple signed letter is enough

We have taken our daughter's friend on a couple of cruises with us..when she was 9 or 10..and all we needed was a letter from the guardian stating it was OK for her to board with us. We did have it notarized (but not sure if that is required or not)...Best to call the port and ask them directly.

find this https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2134173

also this from carnival https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2544/~/minor-guest-policy

Quick answer: you don't need anything if you are the child's parent. I've taken my kids on multiple cruises without my husband and no one has ever asked for any documentation either on the ship or in any port. [emoji106]

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I've been called a liar on these forums when I've related our experience of DH traveling to England with our oldest son and being asked for the letter - and we knew nothing about the letter. They did get to go, but not without our jumping through some hoops. I will only suggest what others have - see what Carnival recommends.

Traveling abroad is entirely different. I was talking specifically about cruising with Carnival from US ports, which I thought was what the OP was asking about. [emoji5]

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My daughter had a notarized consent from her children’s dad before cruising last year.

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Quick answer: you don't need anything if you are the child's parent. I've taken my kids on multiple cruises without my husband and no one has ever asked for any documentation either on the ship or in any port. [emoji106]

 

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is this your experience or is this Carnivals Answer? your experience will differ from others so the best bet is to go by Carnival's policy and the department of homeland security.

Traveling with a Minor

When traveling with a minor where one parent or both parents or legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original signed letter from the absent parent(s) or legal guardians authorizing the minor to travel with you. This will expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security.

you can ignore it at your own risk but at least you are aware

Definitely a good point and best to be prepared. [emoji106] It was solely my experience on several cruises in the last year that no one ever asked for any type documentation.

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I always had a letter from my ex and never needed it, but I always felt better having it just in case.

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From Carnival's website:

Traveling with a Minor

When traveling with a minor where one parent or both parents or legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original signed letter from the absent parent(s) or legal guardians authorizing the minor to travel with you. This will expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security.

And someone will argue that “strongly recommend” does not mean it’s absolutely necessary [emoji849]

My sister and her husband are happily married. She was asked for the letter at Customs driving back from the ship. They made her go get it in the trunk of her car. They were looking for escaped criminals, both of whom were male. There was no male in our party of four adults and two children.

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And someone will argue that “strongly recommend” does not mean it’s absolutely necessary [emoji849]

 

My sister and her husband are happily married. She was asked for the letter at Customs driving back from the ship. They made her go get it in the trunk of her car. They were looking for escaped criminals, both of whom were male. There was no male in our party of four adults and two children.

 

This, too, was at a land border crossing (Canada / USA). I still agree it's probably safest to cruise with a letter, but if someone doesn't happen to have one, it's very likely not going to be a big deal. [emoji4]

And someone will argue that “strongly recommend” does not mean it’s absolutely necessary [emoji849]

 

My sister and her husband are happily married. She was asked for the letter at Customs driving back from the ship. They made her go get it in the trunk of her car. They were looking for escaped criminals, both of whom were male. There was no male in our party of four adults and two children.

 

This, too, was at a land border crossing (Canada / USA). I still agree it's probably safest to cruise with a letter, but if someone doesn't happen to have one, it's very likely not going to be a big deal. [emoji4]

Sorry - the formatting between the message above and my reply got messed up when I tried to edit! [emoji6]

 

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Quick answer: you don't need anything if you are the child's parent. I've taken my kids on multiple cruises without my husband and no one has ever asked for any documentation either on the ship or in any port. [emoji106]

 

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Ditto. (y) I take my little guy twice a year and never bring a letter. Never occurred to me before.

Carnival recommends travelling with a notarized permission letter from the absent parent. That said, I'll tell you my experience...

My first cruise in 2004 I was 17 & went with my best friend's family. We had a notarized letter from my parents ready to go. It was never used.

I am divorced. My kids have come along on 3 cruises all post divorce & obviously without their dad. First cruise I asked him for a notarized letter. Jerk didn't understand what "notarized" means & simply signed a letter. My kids don't have passports so I use their BCs. My last name matches my son but not my daughter who was born before marriage. I brought my marriage license & divorce certificate along with the unnotarized letter. They never asked for the letter & when I handed over my marriage & divorce decrees they were promptly handed back with a "we don't need this".

The next 2 cruises we sailed sans letter & with no divorce or marriage decrees. No issues, no questions.

A notarized note is really meaningless.

There are so many scenarios where one parent is unavailable.

Thanks all for the advice! I will go ahead and get the notarized letter just to be safe :-)

My experience traveling with a minor who has a different last name: I took my underage nephew on several land vacations and cruises. The cruiselines didn't care one way or another during the boarding process.

US Customs and Border Patrol did care when we returned back to the USA from the cruise. I had to provide the notarized letter of consent to travel from his mother, ostensibly to prove I wasn't a pedophile or human trafficker. (I'm a senior male, different profile than a Mom with a child).

I also had a proxy letter of medical consent, giving me the ability to make emergency medical decisions for my nephew in case of an accident or emergency while we were abroad.

So 2 very different things, the cruiseline requirements for boarding and US Customs on return.

Thanks all for the advice! I will go ahead and get the notarized letter just to be safe :-)

Wise thinking.

You see this pop up on the boards every few months and you always get a variety of answers. The OP did not say how old the children were. I think the best answer if you have the time is to have passports for the children. Mine were both teenagers when their dad passed away. I have traveled with them several times by cruise and plane and as long as they have their passports no one questions anything. We have different last names. They are old enough to travel as unaccompanied minors, though.

Believe me when I say, follow the most detailed information you can find.

I have traveled with adult child (Momma) and their child. The Momma (married to Dad) did not take the spouse's last name, child was 5 and had dad's last name. At that sailing we had 2 options, bring a notarized letter signed by dad and second letter from absent parent. Plus of course birth certificate, marriage license and name trail for Mom. Heavens! It could have been a mess at the port. DD could not find the notarized letter and the port wanted nothing less than. It was in DGD carry on bag with her swim wear and favorite rabbit bedtime toy. Found it after a 20 min search and were allowed on.

Another child/grandchild issue that is much more recent, dad (divorced since child was 6 mo old) will not sign for passport and demands a 6 month notice for any trips out of state or he will not sign any letters for transport. This is a Dad that only sees the child for 1 week each summer (and has returned the child after 2 nights every year as he "can't deal with it") and does not give birthday calls/cards/gifts or Christmas calls/calls/gifts for 7 years. (Child support come from payroll) It is amazing what the courts will allow. So we can plan no last minute trips to summer water parks or amusement parks or quick weekend cruises. Sad what they(children) are forced to miss out on. Meanwhile, the Mom has gone back to court 3 times and each time the Judge says the Dad has to have his rights protected too. Oh well...off that soap box.

Be smart and take everything that you MIGHT need with you, just in case.Keep it all together in a folder so you will have it all right there when you step up to the desk for check in. Start the cruise on a stress free note and enjoy every minute together!!! Memories are worth every minute of jumping through those hoops!

You see this pop up on the boards every few months and you always get a variety of answers. The OP did not say how old the children were. I think the best answer if you have the time is to have passports for the children. Mine were both teenagers when their dad passed away. I have traveled with them several times by cruise and plane and as long as they have their passports no one questions anything. We have different last names. They are old enough to travel as unaccompanied minors, though.

for the record, a passport would change nothing here. it doesn't say you are taking the child out of the country without the other parents permission. it doesn't resolve what they are looking for. Even with a passport... a notarized letter is still very very recommended. Most don't ever need it but if they ask... you will be out of luck and there are cases where they do. why take the chance?