18 YO traveling without parents

[Luke gs Daddy]

We are taking 2, 18 YO Seniors from high school on a cruise without their parents, staying with other adults.

We were told to have a notarized letters for taking them.

What say you?

Seems weird to me since they are legally consenting adults.

 

Thanks.

[jk04]

Royal's international age policy for sailing unaccompanied from the US is 21 years old.  The exceptions are if minors are sailing with parents or guardians in connecting stateroom, married couples, or active-duty military.

 

I understand the seniors may be in a room with another adult, but unless they are their legal guardian, it could be questioned.  Take the notarized letter from the parents as a precaution.  It's better to have it and not need it than the other way around.  🙂

 

RCL Age Policy

 

Edited February 19, 2023 by jk04

[smokeybandit]

That just says the 18 yr old can't sail alone. It doesn't say the 18 yr old needs permission from his parents.

On the consent form RC provides, minor is 0-17 yrs old

Edited February 19, 2023 by smokeybandit

[robmtx]

We're doing the same thing, only with 3 extra 18 YO's. We got two connecting rooms with me being the primary in room 1 with an 18 yo, and a connector with 2 18 YO's. We then got a room down the hall with my wife and another 18 YO. They 18 YO's will ultimately share the connecting rooms and I'll stay down the hall with the mrs.

Royal said nothing to us about the setup or the different names. I even explained what we were doing. I had to call this in to get the rooms reserved, and no mention of it.

 

The boys all have passports and a confirmed reservation.

From where did you hear about this parental consent? If you hear anything else about this, please share!

[S.A.M.J.R.]

We took an unaccompanied (by her parents) minor with us on our cruise last July.  She was 17 at the time.  We did have a notarized letter from her parents.  No one ever asked for it.  

 

We also had a 19yo with us (unrelated).  We did not bother with a letter for her.

Edited February 19, 2023 by S.A.M.J.R.

[jk04]

7 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

That just says the 18 yr old can't sail alone. It doesn't say the 18 yr old needs permission from his parents.

On the consent form RC provides, minor is 0-17 yrs old

Are you saying Royal has unclear or conflicting information?  Say it isn't so!! 😆

 

Didn't realize there was even a consent form, and maybe that is good enough.  For just about everywhere but North America, the age is 18.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

22 minutes ago, jk04 said:

Royal's international age policy for sailing unaccompanied from the US is 21 years old.  The exceptions are if minors are sailing with parents or guardians in connecting stateroom, married couples, or active-duty military.

 

I understand the seniors may be in a room with another adult, but unless they are their legal guardian, it could be questioned.  Take the notarized letter from the parents as a precaution.  It's better to have it and not need it than the other way around.  🙂

 

RCL Age Policy

 

From the link...

For voyages originating in North America:

No Guest younger than the age twenty-one (21) will be assigned to a stateroom unless accompanied in the same stateroom by an adult twenty-one (21) years old or older. A guest's age is established upon the first date of sailing.

 

This age limit will be waived for children sailing with their parents or guardians in connecting staterooms; for underage married couples; and for active duty members of the United States or Canadian military.

 

As I mentioned, this was not enforced for us.  We had a 17yo unrelated minor, a 19yo unrelated "adult", and a 16 yo related all in the adjoining (NOT connecting) cabin in July. 

[smokeybandit]

6 minutes ago, jk04 said:

Are you saying Royal has unclear or conflicting information?  Say it isn't so!! 😆

 

Didn't realize there was even a consent form, and maybe that is good enough.  For just about everywhere but North America, the age is 18.

It's not conflicting. If you're under 21 you can't book a room by yourself. If you're under 18 you should take the unaccompanied minor form.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

7 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

It's not conflicting. If you're under 21 you can't book a room by yourself. If you're under 18 you should take the unaccompanied minor form.

According to the link, there MUST be someone 21 or older in every room unless

A) Parents are in a CONNECTING room.

B) Underage married couples

C) Active duty military

 

They don't say anything about the unaccompanied minor.

[smokeybandit]

1 minute ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

According to the link, there MUST be someone 21 or older in every room unless

A) Parents are in a CONNECTING room.

B) Underage married couples

C) Active duty military

 

They don't say anything about the unaccompanied minor.

 

18 is not a minor, that's the point.  No permission letter is needed for 18-20. Just 18-20 can't book that cabin.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

1 minute ago, smokeybandit said:

 

18 is not a minor, that's the point.  No permission letter is needed for 18-20. Just 18-20 can't book that cabin.

I agree with you.  Too bad that's not what the policy at the posted link says.  Again, here's the exact wording...

No Guest younger than the age twenty-one (21) will be assigned to a stateroom unless accompanied in the same stateroom by an adult twenty-one (21) years old or older. A guest's age is established upon the first date of sailing.

 

And, again, we put a 16yo, a 17yo, and a 19yo (two of them unrelated to us) in the adjoining (not connecting) cabin. According to the link, that shouldn't have been doable. And before someone throws it out, this is how we had it BOOKED.  We didn't do the "fake an adult in the cabin and go get extra keys". 

[Denversail]

37 minutes ago, robmtx said:

We're doing the same thing, only with 3 extra 18 YO's. We got two connecting rooms with me being the primary in room 1 with an 18 yo, and a connector with 2 18 YO's. We then got a room down the hall with my wife and another 18 YO. They 18 YO's will ultimately share the connecting rooms and I'll stay down the hall with the mrs.

Royal said nothing to us about the setup or the different names. I even explained what we were doing. I had to call this in to get the rooms reserved, and no mention of it.

 

The boys all have passports and a confirmed reservation.

From where did you hear about this parental consent? If you hear anything else about this, please share!

How are you going to get the correct key cards once on board?

[SNemeth]

We took our daughter's boyfriend with us when he was 20.  We booked him in a cabin with an adult and did nothing else.  No letters were required.  This was in April out Port Canaveral.

[smokeybandit]

13 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I agree with you.  Too bad that's not what the policy at the posted link says.  Again, here's the exact wording...

No Guest younger than the age twenty-one (21) will be assigned to a stateroom unless accompanied in the same stateroom by an adult twenty-one (21) years old or older. A guest's age is established upon the first date of sailing.

 

And, again, we put a 16yo, a 17yo, and a 19yo (two of them unrelated to us) in the adjoining (not connecting) cabin. According to the link, that shouldn't have been doable. And before someone throws it out, this is how we had it BOOKED.  We didn't do the "fake an adult in the cabin and go get extra keys". 

The OP is asking about a permission letter for an 18 yr old, which is not needed, despite the 18 yr old not being old enough to be the oldest on a reservation.

[silentbob007]

I think a lot of people in this forum err on the side of caution. Do you need the letter? Probably not. Even if you need it, you may not be asked for it. BUT if you get someone shoreside who asks you to produce it, you are probably not getting on the ship.
 

I just had an issue with my father in law and taking oxygen a plane. We did everything asked and the particular agent at the desk denied him boarding. Once that one person decided he was not boarding it wasn’t happening no matter who we complained to or showed what the website said. 

[4everAfamily]

1 hour ago, Luke gs Daddy said:

We are taking 2, 18 YO Seniors from high school on a cruise without their parents, staying with other adults.

We were told to have a notarized letters for taking them.

What say you?

Seems weird to me since they are legally consenting adults.

 

Thanks.

When my DS(18) brings friends on cruises, I get a notarized letter from the parents giving me permission to take their child out of the country, seek medical attention, and make medical decisions on their behalf. 

[DirtyDawg]

2 hours ago, Luke gs Daddy said:

We are taking 2, 18 YO Seniors from high school on a cruise without their parents, staying with other adults.

We were told to have a notarized letters for taking them.

What say you?

Seems weird to me since they are legally consenting adults.

 

Thanks.

First thing. I have no idea if you require notarized letters or not.

Second thing. I applaud your courage to bring two 18 YO adolescence homo sapiens on a cruise with you. Good luck -  We'll all be preying for you! 😁

[Ourusualbeach]

While this doesn't address the consent form this is the full official policy for berthing of underage kids and not the abridged version as found on their website.  Note that underage adults are only allowed to be berthed in their own cabin if it is their parents who are in the cabin directly beside or across the hall.  

 

 

Royal Caribbean International’s sailing age policy is as follows:

 

On all sailings embarking in the USA and Canada, no guest under the age of 21 will be booked in a stateroom unless accompanied by an adult 21 years or older. The adult does not have to be a parent or guardian.

 

Connecting staterooms are counted as different staterooms for the above requirements. The sailing age policy is determined by the embarkation port. Thus, on a sailing from the United States to the United Kingdom, the minimum age is 21. On a sailing from the United Kingdom to the United States, the minimum would be 18.

 

The exceptions to Royal Caribbean International's age policy are as follows:

 

A. Underage Married Couples: Underage married couples are allowed to sail, provided they show proof of marriage during pier check-in. The "proof of marriage" is the document guests receive from the official presiding at the ceremony; the critical component of the document is the notarized signature of the official.

 

B. Active Duty Military Personnel: Underage active duty members of the United States or Canadian military are allowed to sail with proof of active duty military status that must be presented during pier check-in. For sailing age requirement purposes, these underage members of the military will be considered an adult in the stateroom.

 

C. Minors Traveling with Parents: Minors can be berthed without an adult in the stateroom only when at least one parent is sailing and the staterooms are physically adjacent (directly next door or directly across the hall) to one another.

 

Minors travelling without a parent or legal guardian shall be berthed with an adult. No other family members (such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) may fill the role of a parent or guardian for berthing purposes. If a guest brings both related and non-related minors, the following applies:

 

·          If the total of related minors is equal to or greater than the number of non-related minors sailing, then the minors may sail in a room physically adjacent (directly next door or directly across the hall) to the parents' stateroom.

 

·          If the total number of non-related minors is greater than the number of related minors in the traveling party, there must be an adult in each stateroom.

 

·          The number of non-related minors may not exceed the number of related minors in a stateroom that does not contain an adult.

[broadwaybaby123]

2 hours ago, Luke gs Daddy said:

We are taking 2, 18 YO Seniors from high school on a cruise without their parents, staying with other adults.

We were told to have a notarized letters for taking them.

What say you?

Seems weird to me since they are legally consenting adults.

 

Thanks.

I'm taking my niece on my next cruise.  If they don't have passports, they'll need copies of their driver's license and birth certificates in addition to a notarized form, which is signed in the presence of a notary by the parents.  Notaries can usually be found in any hospitals, nursing homes, or banks.  

[cruiseguy1016]

1 hour ago, Denversail said:

How are you going to get the correct key cards once on board?

 

It's very simple. You go to Guest Services and tell them who will be staying in each cabin. They will issue new cards that correspond to the room everyone is staying in and the on-board expense account for that individual. We have done this multiple times.

[stevea36]

The issue is not "are they allowed to sail at 18", but more of "what happens if there is a need for some medical care, transportation", etc.  Without a notarized letter from the parents granting you the right to seek medical care or return transportation for the child there may be issues.   Remember, you are leaving the US, so US rules do not apply, it is the rules of the local country that take precedent.  (oh, and make sure that you have copies of their insurance information.

[lcpagejr]

12 minutes ago, stevea36 said:

The issue is not "are they allowed to sail at 18", but more of "what happens if there is a need for some medical care, transportation", etc.  Without a notarized letter from the parents granting you the right to seek medical care or return transportation for the child there may be issues.   Remember, you are leaving the US, so US rules do not apply, it is the rules of the local country that take precedent.  (oh, and make sure that you have copies of their insurance information.

Exactly! It is more about who is authorized to make decisions in his parents absence.  They never look at it or request it. Its more like an insurance policy. When we've  cruised with our preteen grandson 4 different times) we never were asked for it even with his last name being different and he being a minor. Immigration never asked to see it as well

[mjkacmom]

2 hours ago, Denversail said:

How are you going to get the correct key cards once on board?

We book 2 cabins for our family of 7 and go to guest services to get extra keys, it’s done all of the time.

[mjkacmom]

58 minutes ago, stevea36 said:

The issue is not "are they allowed to sail at 18", but more of "what happens if there is a need for some medical care, transportation", etc.  Without a notarized letter from the parents granting you the right to seek medical care or return transportation for the child there may be issues.   Remember, you are leaving the US, so US rules do not apply, it is the rules of the local country that take precedent.  (oh, and make sure that you have copies of their insurance information.

No, an 18 year old isn’t any different than a 40 year in the eyes of the of the world, except for cruise cabins, bars, casinos in the US, hotel rooms, and some rental cars. They can travel freely and make their own medical decisions. Most health insurance in the US doesn’t work outside of the US which is why travel insurance is important.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

2 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

While this doesn't address the consent form this is the full official policy for berthing of underage kids and not the abridged version as found on their website.  Note that underage adults are only allowed to be berthed in their own cabin if it is their parents who are in the cabin directly beside or across the hall.  

 

 

Royal Caribbean International’s sailing age policy is as follows:

 

On all sailings embarking in the USA and Canada, no guest under the age of 21 will be booked in a stateroom unless accompanied by an adult 21 years or older. The adult does not have to be a parent or guardian.

 

Connecting staterooms are counted as different staterooms for the above requirements. The sailing age policy is determined by the embarkation port. Thus, on a sailing from the United States to the United Kingdom, the minimum age is 21. On a sailing from the United Kingdom to the United States, the minimum would be 18.

 

The exceptions to Royal Caribbean International's age policy are as follows:

 

A. Underage Married Couples: Underage married couples are allowed to sail, provided they show proof of marriage during pier check-in. The "proof of marriage" is the document guests receive from the official presiding at the ceremony; the critical component of the document is the notarized signature of the official.

 

B. Active Duty Military Personnel: Underage active duty members of the United States or Canadian military are allowed to sail with proof of active duty military status that must be presented during pier check-in. For sailing age requirement purposes, these underage members of the military will be considered an adult in the stateroom.

 

C. Minors Traveling with Parents: Minors can be berthed without an adult in the stateroom only when at least one parent is sailing and the staterooms are physically adjacent (directly next door or directly across the hall) to one another.

 

Minors travelling without a parent or legal guardian shall be berthed with an adult. No other family members (such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) may fill the role of a parent or guardian for berthing purposes. If a guest brings both related and non-related minors, the following applies:

 

·          If the total of related minors is equal to or greater than the number of non-related minors sailing, then the minors may sail in a room physically adjacent (directly next door or directly across the hall) to the parents' stateroom.

 

·          If the total number of non-related minors is greater than the number of related minors in the traveling party, there must be an adult in each stateroom.

 

·          The number of non-related minors may not exceed the number of related minors in a stateroom that does not contain an adult.

Is a "minor" <21 or <18?  If it's <21, I had TWO minors unrelated to me in the cabin next door with my 16yo.  According to the above, that shouldn't have been allowed.  If it's <18, I had one minor unrelated to me in the cabin next door with my 16yo and a 19yo.  According to the above, that shouldn't have been allowed.  

 

I had a notarized permission slip for the 17yo, not for the 19yo.  It wasn't asked for at any point.