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Divorced Parents


Lunur

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If the parent who is taking the child on the trip has sole custody, they do not need permission from the other parent. They need to bring a copy of the court papers giving them sole custody.

 

If the traveling parent does not have sole custody, they need notarized permission from the other parent to take the child out of the country.

 

When you apply for a child's passport, you either need to prove sole custody, or get permission from the other parent. So....if the child has a passport, that means that the custodial parent already has "permission" to travel alone with the child. Just bring the passport.

 

All of the above is the way it's *supposed* to be done, however there are many cases of parents (divorced or not) traveling alone with a child and never being asked for any consent from the absent parent.

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My ex and I have joint custody of our son. Each of us always gets a letter from each other when we travel with our son. I've never been asked for it, but I figure the first time I don't get one, will be the time I'll need it. :) Next year, my son will be 16 and I don't think I have to do the letter thing anymore. :)

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Lunur, FYI I'm also a divorced parent and have been traveling with my DD for years. I had a letter with me for the first few vacations we took and no one ever requested the letter. My DD is 15 now and has a passport. I don't take a letter anymore with me. Just wanted to share my experience. Happy Cruising!

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I try to remind people that these requirements are not just for divorced/separated parents.

 

If you are married and taking the children out of the country without your spouse (the other parent of the children) you are still required to have the above mentioned notarized letter showing that you have permission to take the child/children out of the country.

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I am traveling alone with my son. I am not formally divorced but my son's father no longer lives with us. My son spends every other weekend with his dad. When I first read this policy I was a bit huffy but I quickly realized it is for the safety of the kids. There are lots of crazy people out there!

So I will obtain a letter and gladly present it to anyone who asks!

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My DD and I have taken 7 cruises, all without her dad, in the last few years. I brought the letter the first time, and have not bothered with it since. We have not had any problem with both RCI and DCL. If you read RCL's policy, it says that if the child is not traveling with a parent (it doesn't specificy divorced, etc) then you need the letter.

 

We travel by air to Mexico at least once a year. Up to about 2004-2005 we needed the letter granting permission from her father to go into Mexico. However, once the passport rules changed, which now require both parents to sign the application, that letter is not even required by the airlines. In the past you could get your child a passport without both parents consent.

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We encountered a problem on the cruise we just returned from. My sister-in-law was traveling with her 15 year old son. She is divorced and she has retained her maiden name and her son has the last name of his father. This is not the first time she has cruised and had a letter from him in the past. This year she thought that since she had a passport for him that there would not be a problem. Wrong! RCI was not going to allow them to board. They wanted proof that she was his motherand that the father was giving permission for their son to go on the cruise. She had to call her ex and have him fax a letter and copy of Drivers License that matched up the last names. Luckily we were sailing at 10:00 so it all worked out. I would take all precautions, even if you end up not needing it. You do not want to be left sitting at the port.

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We encountered a problem on the cruise we just returned from. My sister-in-law was traveling with her 15 year old son. She is divorced and she has retained her maiden name and her son has the last name of his father. This is not the first time she has cruised and had a letter from him in the past. This year she thought that since she had a passport for him that there would not be a problem. Wrong! RCI was not going to allow them to board. They wanted proof that she was his motherand that the father was giving permission for their son to go on the cruise. She had to call her ex and have him fax a letter and copy of Drivers License that matched up the last names. Luckily we were sailing at 10:00 so it all worked out. I would take all precautions, even if you end up not needing it. You do not want to be left sitting at the port.

 

This is the only situation that RCI has any "official" recommendation about. I looked at my e-docs, that arrived a week or so ago, and they recommend having extra documents if you are traveling with a minor who has a different last name than you; either proof of guardianship, if it is your child, but with a different last name, or proof of permission from at least one parent, if it's not your child (e.g. bringing along one of your child's friends). There is no mention of extra documents for a single parent traveling with their own child w/ same surname.

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I can only think of a handful of posters who have ever been asked for this letter, but the first time you don't have it... I vaguely remember a post where a cruise did not want to let someone one about a year ago, but that may be me. I can't seem to find the post.

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Does RCCL have a specific policy regarding one parent taking kids on a cruise? Anyone experience any problems with this matter?

Thanks

 

There should be no problem, as long as this is allowed in the divorce agreement. I would think Royal Caribbean does not want to get involved would allow single parents to take their kids, leaving the decision up to the parents, between themselves or through the court.

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