Grandmother cruising with minor

[lindsaygal]

I am looking for anyone with experience in a grandmother and minor cruising. We are have sent in our passports for renewal (expedited) but with the unexpected jump in US wait times for passports we are cutting it very close. Can a grandmother cruise with a minor who only has a birth certificate? It is a closed loop cruise from Ft Lauderdale to the western Caribbean. We will also be sending a notarized letter and power of medical attorney.   I am just trying to see if this is possible….

[brisalta]

I would expect you would need some form of documentation from the actual parents that the grandchild is allowed to be in your custody for the duration of the journey.

[Torfamm]

You both must have a passport. https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/

 

[Calabazar]

I cruised with my 8 year old granddaughter in December, albeit in Australia. I had a letter from her mother (my daughter) just in case but at no stage was I asked to produce any documentation for her. It may have helped that we had the same surname but no one ever checked our relationship or whether she had permission to travel without a parent.
 

[lindsaygal]

5 hours ago, brisalta said:

I would expect you would need some form of documentation from the actual parents that the grandchild is allowed to be in your custody for the duration of the journey.

Yes, we will have a notarized letter from the parents saying it is okay to travel with him. 

[skynight]

Post number 3 is correct. Both grandmother and minor will require valid passports. Princess does not accept a birth certificate and ID (WHTI) in the OP's situation. Refer to the passage contract Section 2, Paragraph iii. It is very clear on the OP's situation and provides the reasons.

[1025cruise]

I could be mistaken, but I believe in this case Princess does require everyone to have passports so there would be no issue in the unlikely event of having to disembark due to an emergency at a port of call.

[caribsun]

Copy and paste from Princess FAQ's. 

On select U.S. roundtrip (sometimes called “closed-loop”) voyages, U.S. citizens ages 16 and above may also travel with an original or certified copy U.S. birth certificate (or U.S. Certificate of Naturalization if foreign born) presented together with a valid U.S. government-issued photo identification. U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 15 and younger may travel with a birth certificate.

• Alaska roundtrip from San Francisco, Los Angeles or Seattle (roundtrip Seattle cruisetours excluded)
• Canada/New England roundtrip from New York
• Caribbean roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale^, Galveston^ or New York (voyages that do not call to Martinque or Guadeloupe only)
• Hawaii roundtrip from Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, or Seattle
• Mexico roundtrip from Los Angeles, San Francisco or San Diego

[Coral]

13 minutes ago, caribsun said:

Copy and paste from Princess FAQ's. 

On select U.S. roundtrip (sometimes called “closed-loop”) voyages, U.S. citizens ages 16 and above may also travel with an original or certified copy U.S. birth certificate (or U.S. Certificate of Naturalization if foreign born) presented together with a valid U.S. government-issued photo identification. U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 15 and younger may travel with a birth certificate.

• Alaska roundtrip from San Francisco, Los Angeles or Seattle (roundtrip Seattle cruisetours excluded)
• Canada/New England roundtrip from New York
• Caribbean roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale^, Galveston^ or New York (voyages that do not call to Martinque or Guadeloupe only)
• Hawaii roundtrip from Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, or Seattle
• Mexico roundtrip from Los Angeles, San Francisco or San Diego

There is something unique about when minors travel with only one parent or not their parents. I think post #3 is correct.

[Rick&Jeannie]

We are dealing with this exact situation...although on a different cruise line.  But that doesn't matter...it is the US Gov. that has put these rules into place.  The minor in question did not have a passport so we have been scrambling to get it done before cruising in July.  Started the process in Feb.  Hopefully this is going to work out!

[skynight]

1 hour ago, caribsun said:

Copy and paste from Princess FAQ's. 

On select U.S. roundtrip (sometimes called “closed-loop”) voyages, U.S. citizens ages 16 and above may also travel with an original or certified copy U.S. birth certificate (or U.S. Certificate of Naturalization if foreign born) presented together with a valid U.S. government-issued photo identification. U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 15 and younger may travel with a birth certificate.

• Alaska roundtrip from San Francisco, Los Angeles or Seattle (roundtrip Seattle cruisetours excluded)
• Canada/New England roundtrip from New York
• Caribbean roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale^, Galveston^ or New York (voyages that do not call to Martinque or Guadeloupe only)
• Hawaii roundtrip from Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, or Seattle
• Mexico roundtrip from Los Angeles, San Francisco or San Diego

These rules do not apply when a minor is traveling with only one adult. When traveling with only one person Princess requires the minor and the adult to have a passport. Refer to the passage contract. 

[caribsun]

19 minutes ago, skynight said:

These rules do not apply when a minor is traveling with only one adult. When traveling with only one person Princess requires the minor and the adult to have a passport. Refer to the passage contract. 

Well than i suggest OP to sail with Carnival or Celebrity because I did with no issues with my under 15 yo grand.

 

[caribsun]

I wish the OP would call Princess and get a answer than wait 15 minutes and ask again.

[billco]

1 hour ago, caribsun said:

Well than i suggest OP to sail with Carnival or Celebrity because I did with no issues with my under 15 yo grand.

 

I suggest OP follow the rules rather than take a chance on whether or not they are enforced. I don't see it being helpful to post anecdotal instances of getting away with it.

[caribsun]

1 hour ago, billco said:

I suggest OP follow the rules rather than take a chance on whether or not they are enforced. I don't see it being helpful to post anecdotal instances of getting away with it.

What are you talking about ?   I never suggested to side step the Princess guidelines.

[donaldsc]

The problem is absurdly simple.  If child or grandparent gets sick and has to fly home and child or grandparent does not have a passport neither one of them will be able to fly home.  Makes total sense.  Why is everyone making it so complicated.

 

DON

[flutprop]

11 hours ago, caribsun said:

I wish the OP would call Princess and get a answer than wait 15 minutes and ask again.

 

When you call Princess you don't always get the correct answer. I am cruising with my 15yo and his girlfriend this summer. I had told the Mom she would not need a passport because it was closed loop. When I signed into the Medallion app, I got the above notification about passport requirement because I am the only adult. My PVP told me to call a specific number to get info about requirements, and they told me it was not required because closed-loop. So obviously incorrect info from them. And the PVP had no idea of requirements

[dave_k58]

20 hours ago, Torfamm said:

You both must have a passport. https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/

 

What about US citizens sailing from Vancouver to Alaska on a closed loop cruise?

[jeromep]

20 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

We are dealing with this exact situation...although on a different cruise line.  But that doesn't matter...it is the US Gov. that has put these rules into place.  The minor in question did not have a passport so we have been scrambling to get it done before cruising in July.  Started the process in Feb.  Hopefully this is going to work out!

Our experience with renewing a passport for a minor (young daughter) non-expedited passport (and passport card, mostly for domestic flights and driving to Canada), was 8 weeks, give or take a day or two, from the time the package arrived at whatever passport center the agent sends the applications to.  Passport arrived first, Priority Mail.  Passport card came separately, and I'm pretty sure it came in a normal #10 envelope sent regular, non-traceable, First Class mail.  We received back her "proof" documents, an old passport and birth certificate, last.

 

Let's say you applied and the passport processing center got the material by mid February.  At the longest predicted time, which is 11 weeks now, let's call it 12 weeks for good measure, that would be 3 months, so arriving mid-May.  I think you'll be fine.  You certainly do have quite a bit of cushion until the first of July.  But I agree, this can be a real nail biter.

 

I don't consider 8-11 weeks to get, what is now becoming a necessary piece of identification (don't agree with that, but there are other battles to fight right now), acceptable. No form of government ID, especially if it has become ubiquitous, should take more than 3 or 4 weeks to get.  The only thing I'll say is that my daughter's passport is about the most impressive ID document I've seen.  The ID page is no longer a top laminated piece of paper same as the rest of the passport pages.  It is a plastic card with a "nylon tab", the width of the ID page that is sewn into the passport book.  The page is built exactly like a passport card with many of the same characteristics, color shift icons and marks, raised printing on some data, microprint, textures and patterns, big photo in B&W, with a lot of embossing and overlays.  Tiny photo in color with birth date printed in tiny print over it.  And on the sig page a color photo that is composed of a mosaic of microprint.  The passport number is then perforated through all of the pages of the book.  Maybe this is why they are taking so long to make; this is a very complex document.

 

8 hours ago, donaldsc said:

The problem is absurdly simple.  If child or grandparent gets sick and has to fly home and child or grandparent does not have a passport neither one of them will be able to fly home.  Makes total sense.  Why is everyone making it so complicated.

 

DON

 

I get why people have questions and issues associated with children and cruises and the government required documentation, but feeling how I feel about certain things, and seeing the handwriting on the wall (none of my opinions germane to Cruise Critic), it just seems easier to keep my daughter in possession of a passport.  She has had one since she was about 18 months old.  It does make some aspects of travel a lot easier.

[Torfamm]

6 hours ago, dave_k58 said:

What about US citizens sailing from Vancouver to Alaska on a closed loop cruise?

My understanding is that Princess requires the entire party to have passports anytime a minor travels with only one adult. Even if it were possible to enter Canada without a passport using another document, I would expect them to require it for boarding. 

[1025cruise]

10 hours ago, dave_k58 said:

What about US citizens sailing from Vancouver to Alaska on a closed loop cruise?

A passport would be required to enter Canada.

[nunyabidness]

1 hour ago, 1025cruise said:

A passport would be required to enter Canada.

By air, yes. Driving across the border, no.  There are other acceptable documents for a land border crossing.

[Potstech]

Having a valid passport book for all travelers meets the entry requirement for all countries that do not require an additional visa. Trying to travel without it raises these same questions and answers time after time after time.  Have passport book can travel.

[lindsaygal]

On 4/7/2023 at 7:53 AM, skynight said:

Post number 3 is correct. Both grandmother and minor will require valid passports. Princess does not accept a birth certificate and ID (WHTI) in the OP's situation. Refer to the passage contract Section 2, Paragraph iii. It is very clear on the OP's situation and provides the reasons.

Thank you, I chatted with a person on the Prince live chat and they gave me a completely different answer, which is not overly surprising but I wanted to find something in writing to support what I remembered. 

[parentsof5]

On 4/7/2023 at 9:56 AM, Rick&Jeannie said:

We are dealing with this exact situation...although on a different cruise line.  But that doesn't matter...it is the US Gov. that has put these rules into place.  The minor in question did not have a passport so we have been scrambling to get it done before cruising in July.  Started the process in Feb.  Hopefully this is going to work out!

I think we are on a cruise later in the summer together?

 

We applied for a passport for our Grand turning in the paperwork locally Feb. 25, marked as received March 6. Marked approved on a Sunday, April 2. We did do expedited (I wasn't going to because the instructions said our trip was too far out, but the person that accepted our paperwork said we could, so we went ahead as I was waiting to book flights, etc. to make sure there were no issues getting it. I have seen others call and change to expedited that had trips coming up quickly.). We received it the 6th. 

 

Like you, I was reading all of those having struggles and it made me nervous even though it was so far out.