Told by Carnival that we DON'T need notarized note for minor & one parent traveling..

I called Carnival today just to make DOUBLY sure the last CCL agent gave me the correct information. Apparently she did...

...Anyway, the way they have it printed in their brochure and website is confusing. It's the statement about a child traveling with only one parent and needing a notarized letter from the absent parent giving permission for the child to travel. It specifies that if you debark in Mexico, it will be needed. (I had always had one done when we sailed on Princess, although never once did anyone in Mexico question me. Besides, how would they know my husband wasn't just staying on the ship instead of getting off with us in the port?

Anyway, he said that rule does not apply unless someone is staying 24 hours or longer in Mexico. And, we aren't, of course. I told him it didn't say that in the brochure/website. He replied that "debark" means to get off and stay awhile. At least that's what they intend it to mean. Why did they even put it in there then, if the rule doesn't apply? I don't know...they sure are vague about their rules sometimes.

If it were just me I would probably just type up a little permission note and have it notarized like I've done in the past. But, the other three women who are traveling with me and taking their daughters won't be as thrilled, I know. :rolleyes: Especially one of them. :) So, I'm going to call Carnival one more time and speak to yet, another agent and see if I get the same answer. If so, then it must be right. I'll also get his or her name, too. :)

I also asked about the amount of wine/champagne we can bring on at the home port. As much as we want, I was told. I'll probably bring one bottle of champagne. But I know one of the other gals likes wine, so she'll bring more, no doubt.

Why take a chance and get to the port and they won't let you board.....you DO need a notarized note and it's not uncommon for getting several answers from Carnival.....Just play it safe and have it.:)

I have always brought along the notorized note.... Carnival can not speak for anyone BUT THEMSELVES. Bottom line.

Why take the chance of the hassle?

Yes, you do need the notarized letter from the non-custodial parent.

You got a bad rep on the phone.

We are constantly reminded by Carnival rez agents when making our client's reservations if they see we are booking single parents.

I didnt even know about this rule, and when I took my daughter last year we had no problems and we went to Cozumel and she has a different last name then me so glad I didnt have any problems since I didnt even know about this rule.

Just curious though...what if you could not get a note from absent parent? Sometimes you dont even know where the absent parent is?

I called and asked Carnival the same thing. I also received the same answer about it not applying unless you are staying over 24 hours.

Carnival may not need a note, but customs will. Never leave the USA without everything you need. It could turn into a nightmare.

Carnival may not need a note, but customs will. Never leave the USA without everything you need. It could turn into a nightmare.

and.....if you fly, I am sure the airline may want it.....why chance it and possibly lose your vacation.....:confused:

One year I took my three boys to Mexico. My husband had died the year before. We got to the airport in Chicago and they wouldn't let us board without a death certificate. If we were divorced a notarized letter from the other parent or a divorce decree would have worked. My TA didn't tell me I needed a death certificate so we weren't allowed to leave. We went home and then flew out the next day with the death certificate in hand! It's so much easier just to have the letter in case.

there is a risk of being stopped and asked. As you know there are parental abductions of children in which the abducting parent leaves the country.

Why risk the chance of a problem? It is not all that difficult to obtain this permission letter. Your friend may be uncomfortable asking the hubby for permission to take his child out of the country and maybe they are hostile...but imagine if she didn't ask, she was stopped and he was contacted...he could make a world of trouble for her if they were that hostile to each other. Especially in her case...better safe than sorry.

I work in the field of law, including family law - boy can it get UGLY!:mad:

You DO NOT have to have the letter unless debarking in Mexico for over 24 hours. When flying into Mexico you MUST have the letter. If you were to get left behind in Mexico, you might run into some problems with immigration without it. Someone at the Carnival debarkation desk might get confused and think you do need it. IT is in no way a U. S. customs requirement. U.S. Customs/Immigration does not control anything about leaving the country, only coming back in.

This is Mexico's Law (undoubtedly encouraged by the U.S, to help stop parental child abductions to Mexico). It is not U.S. law or even Carnival's rule.

But, to be safe I always get the note signed and notarized, just in case.

Hi

I am taking my 14 yr old daughter in April. This is an all girls trip so my husband (her stepdad ) isn't coming either. I got her a passport, I had to have her father sign and fill out a part of it. I had to provide EVERY document under the sun about our legal separation, divorce, custody, divorce judgement and so on just to get the passport, then I was advised at the passport office to STILL have a norotized letter from her father with every single detail (dates, and flight numbers and ship name) about our trip, so that I won't have any problems. All this and we have joint custody and have been divorced since she was an infant. lol

I say better to be safe than sorry. I'm lucky because we have maintained a great relationship even after the divorce but I can surely understand why it may be really hard for some to have to ask him to sign a letter.

Just FYI, we are Canadian, not sure if it makes any difference but if I were you, or your friend, get the letter. I also made sure I put that I was in control of making any medical, emergency or otherwise, decisions if anything should happen in that letter.

Good luck

Tara

As a single parent, I took my underage children on several cruises (including ones that stopped in Mexico) and I never had a note with me from my ex-husband. Nobody ever questioned it.

Bottom line, you have to weigh the trouble of getting the permission vs. the possible trouble/expense of being denied boarding and make your choice.

Everyone will have a slightly different experience based upon their situation as well as the legal policies in place at the time they cruised. Some people have to get a court order if they want to go across state lines (much less take a cruise) with their own child--its a lot of time and expense and trouble to go through, but they happen to have a manipulative jerk for an ex-spouse. It happens.

From Carnival's current website:

"When traveling with a minor and both parents/legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original signed letter from the absent parent/legal guardian authorizing the minor to travel with you. This will expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security. Please note that a notarized letter to this effect is required if debarking with children in Mexico."

This letter is still a suggestion, not a requirement, at this time. Things happen, Homeland Security could change the threat level, parental kidnappings could suddenly be a hot-button topic in Congress, somebody sues a cruise line for allowing their child out of the country without their knowledge or permission. If you can easily get permission, get it. At least try. Notarized is better than not.

Just curious though...what if you could not get a note from absent parent? Sometimes you dont even know where the absent parent is?

Or who! :p

(Sorry...couldn't resist.)

I took the kids to Canada last summer without dad/DH. I still use my maiden name, so their passports show a different name than mine.

Had the letter all ready, and no one was interested in even seeing it! Go figure...

From the State Department web site: http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/regional/regional_1174.html

"In an effort to prevent international child abduction, many governments have initiated procedures at entry and exit points, including requiring documentary evidence of relationship and permission of the parent(s) or legal guardian not present for the child's travel. Parents of minor children (under 18 years old) should carefully document legal custody prior to traveling to Mexico. If a minor child is traveling with only one parent, the absent parent should provide notarized consent. If only one parent has legal custody, that parent should be prepared to provide such evidence to airlines and Mexican authorities. In cases in which a minor child is traveling to Mexico alone or in someone else's company, both parents (or the sole, documented custodial parent) should provide notarized consent. If a child traveling to Mexico has a different last name from the mother and/or father, the parents should be prepared to provide evidence to airlines and Mexican authorities, such as a birth certificate or adoption decree, to prove that they are indeed the parents. Mexican entry regulations require Spanish translations of all legal documents, including notarized consent decrees and court agreements. Enforcement of this provision is not always consistent, however, and English-language documents are almost always sufficient."

I always believe in covering your butt. I always get the letter from the ex. He is a PITA to deal with, but I always insist on it.

What if, God forbid, you got left behind in Mexico? Then you WOULD need the letter, and then where would you be? That could cause a lot of problems!

I have always traveled with more documentation that I seriously thought I would need, just in case. I take a copy of my marriage certificate to prove my name. I take the notarized letter for my kids. And I fingerprint them and do an ID kit on them just in case the unthinkable happens. I hope I never have to use any of the above, but I have it with me just in case.

*Some of my post is facetious, so please don't think I'm a wiseacre. ;)

I never had it when I took my older girls back in 1988. Never even heard of it. The only reason I had a notarized letter in 2002 and 2003 when I took my younger daughter on Princess is because I read about it somewhere. Even then I never got a definitive answer as to whether it's necessary. I was never asked for it. Since I am married to my daughter's father, I would think that if we DID get stuck in Ensenada over 24 hours, they could just call him up and ask if he gave us permission to go on a cruise to Mexico. But, under normal circumstances, if we're only there for a few hours, why would they even ask? Again, it seems those guys that check when you get on and off the ship are mostly just looking at what's in your bags. And, they want to see your ID, of course. I always had that letter with me, though. I almost wanted to make them look at it since we went to the trouble of having it notarized, etc. :D

Some say you don't really need it, but to have it "just in case you do". Well, heck, I might need an umbrella, too. Should I bring that? Or maybe I should bring my hair rinse in case it starts to go gray while I'm on the cruise. I better tuck that in! I know! I know! I'm being facetious and I realize that this is a bit more serious than worrying about if it's going to rain or if my hair is going gray. :p

I just don't want to have these other women I'm cruising with go to the trouble of having this done if it's not necessary. I know when I had a notarized letter, my husband had to be there to sign it in front of the notary public. I'm not even sure these gals' hubbies are available during working hours. And, one is an EX who rarely speaks to the mom. Oh Lordie! I'm just trying to make this simple. You just don't know what I've been going through with this particular woman (Other issues. Don't even ask.). To add something else to the mix would put her over the edge. Or, worse yet, ME! :eek:

I'll call or e-mail someone in Mexico to see what they have to say. If they say YES, you better run down to the notary and have it done, pronto...then, that settles it. :)

As a single parent, I took my underage children on several cruises (including ones that stopped in Mexico) and I never had a note with me from my ex-husband. Nobody ever questioned it.

I recommend getting a notorized letter from any absent parents. Here's our experience:

A couple months BEFORE 9/11 we were on an Alaskan cruise going out of Seattle. Well, U.S. Immigration showed up at the port that day and took over all approving of all documentation instead of letting the cruise line reps do it. They demanded that every child without both parents have a signed letter of consent from the parent(s) that weren't cruising. (And we were going to Alaska, not Mexico.) That didn't affect us. But they also required all kids above a certain age (I don't remember what it was) to have a photo id even if it was just a school id. My kids were in junior high and we'd never had to have a photo id before on a cruise. They weren't going to allow my kids on the ship without a photo id being faxed to the port.

There were people scrambling all over the waiting area calling people to fax them letters of consent or copies of school ids for kids. It was a nightmare! Parents and kids were crying. It wasn't the cruise line's fault because U.S.Immigration can show up unannounced and take over everything and set their own rules. Also, the fine print in the cruise line's brochure says it is the passenger's responsibility to have whatever documentation is required at that time and they won't give refunds if you don't have what you need. The cruise line reps said they'd be contacting everyone with kids cruising the next week to let them know what they needed.

We got a copies of my daughters' school ids faxed to us, so we got on. We vowed that we'd apply for passports as soon as we got back home and that's what we did. We never wanted to go through that again.

It doesn't matter what the cruise line reps tell you, if US Immigration wants to require it on your cruise even though you've never needed it before, you'll need it or you won't get on. And you won't get your money back.

I will be cruising with my son, age 6. His father's legal rights have been terminated, although his info is still on the birth certificate. Will the official court papers (pertaining to the termination of parental rights) be sufficient?

I will be cruising with my son, age 6. His father's legal rights have been terminated, although his info is still on the birth certificate. Will the official court papers (pertaining to the termination of parental rights) be sufficient?

To the OP, obviously you should do what you want and what you feel comfortable with. I would never take the chance; you just never know what might happen. My vacation is too important to me to risk screwing it up by not taking a simple precaution. ;)

Interesting topic for me. I'm sailing alone soon with my 6-yr-old grandson and had not considered this. He does have a passport, but I'll make sure that his parents get a notarized letter giving me permission to travel out of the country with him, and maybe more importantly, authorize me to oversee medical care if required.

Thanks for bringing this up!

We have traveled out of the country several times with our grandson and although we have notarized papers from his parents, we have luckily never needed them. Better safe than sorry.

I just don't want to have these other women I'm cruising with go to the trouble of having this done if it's not necessary. I know when I had a notarized letter, my husband had to be there to sign it in front of the notary public. I'm not even sure these gals' hubbies are available during working hours. And, one is an EX who rarely speaks to the mom. Oh Lordie! I'm just trying to make this simple. You just don't know what I've been going through with this particular woman (Other issues. Don't even ask.). To add something else to the mix would put her over the edge. Or, worse yet, ME! :eek:

 

I'll call or e-mail someone in Mexico to see what they have to say. If they say YES, you better run down to the notary and have it done, pronto...then, that settles it. :)

Why don't you take the information you have gathered so far and present it to these women and let them make the decisions for themselves? They are all adults and they are all capable of making the decision of whether or not they want to have their spouse/ex-spouse sign this letter. You have done your part. Now let them worry about the details. If someone decides they do not want to bother with it, and for some reason they are not allowed to board, you can wave bye-bye to them while they stand at the dock and your ship gracefully sails away . . .