Have you ever been asked for a notarized letter for your child/children?

[beachykeen018]

I've taken my 15 year old daughter on two cruises with me and my husband. She has a different last name than us. The first time, my husband's daughter also came so everyone had the same last name besides my daughter. The second cruise, it was me, my parents, my husband, and my daughter-still the only one with her particular last name. They never asked for a notarized letter on either cruise.

 

Our next cruise is planned for August and my ex is being a jackoff and won't sign the letter. He is a very immature, alcoholic idiot and he says that we "go on too many vacations." Actually, he's just being difficult-because that's the way he is. He has been difficult about signing the letter each time.

 

Since I have full custody of her AND she will be 16 AND we will have my husband with us, so it will appear that two parents are present, will we be okay without the letter?

 

Have any of you ever gotten asked for one? Thanks!

 

BTW; we are cruising to Mexico if that counts.

[omgletmeon]

have I been asked for the letter...and to be honest I think it was because I mentioned I had it so she said ok and reached for it. I really don't think she would have mentioned it. This was on RCCL btw.

 

I have taken my son who has different last name along with my DH and DD who have same name as me 3 times on Carnival and have never been asked. I have also taken my niece who has different last name and never been asked. One of these was also to Mexico.

 

If he is being difficult and absolutely refuses to sign, just make sure to take your court papers stating you have full custody and I would think you would be ok.

 

Good Luck!

[jenndun]

I've read if you have sole custody you will be fine. Just take the divorce papers showing you have sole custody.

 

I on the other hand have joint custody. My x is a big jerk. Threatened to call port and have us stopped if I try to take the kids. He told the kids how bad crusing was and that we had better things to do then go on a vacation. I ended up not taking dd this year. But we are planning a multi generation family cruise next summer to celebrate a couple of graduations (mine included). I am going to court to get permission. I want to get passport while I am at it and permission from now until they are 18 to leave the country. My lawyer is charging $500 to walk it through court. Said there should not be any problems getting permission.

[beachykeen018]

I forgot to add that he's just my ex boyfriend. We were together for 10 years (Sorry, had to add that as to not look like a whore) but we were never married.

[candigirl41]

I cruised several times with my daughter and husband didn't come. I always had the letter but was never asked for it. I believe if you have full custody and have papers stating that you are okay. I was not divorced, just hubby didn't want to go. Hope you work it out. I know if I was the child involved and my one parent did this to me and I couldn't go I would never talk to them again. People need to realize that the child isn't a prize. Good for you for being generous and taking your child on a very nice vacation.

 

Candi

[kgj1970]

My husband is deceased and I had to jump through many hoops to get my twin 8 yr old daughters' passports, but I got them. I was then told (or read somewhere on Carnival's website) that I had to have something to prove that my husband was deceased if I wanted to take them off of the ship, specifically in Mexico. I took a copy of his death certificate and their passports with me everywhere I went and was never once asked for them or any kind of letter with his permission. My brother is divorced and got the letter from his ex-wife and said they never asked for his either. good Luck! I don't understand why some people have to make life so hard on their kids just to get a shot at their ex!

[klfrodo]

Not to say it can't happen,

But, never asked on 8 cruises.

Only time I was ever asked for a letter was a land border crossing into Canada. Didn't have it and was turned around.

[Calker]

My husband and I are caucasian with the same last name. Our son is Korean and has our last name. When our son traveled with us we always had one of my nephews with us. Nephews are caucasian, have a different last name but look like they would be our biological child.

 

We were asked many many times for documentation.

 

I think we were stopped because of the combination of different names and nationalities. We just didn't fit their preconceived notion of a family.

[rrraydon]

My 12yr old and I have taken 3 or 4 of our cruises without my husband, her dad, I've never been asked for to show any papers.

[Muumuu]

Have taken oldest grandson on 11 cruises and the youngest on 9.

Luckily have never been asked. I have had papers from our daughter.

Once someone asked the older who I was, said grandmother and that was that.

[smileeys]

Step daughter and husband have same last name. I did not change my name when we married. We have only been on two cruises and had the letter both times but have not been asked. They usually ask her who we are.

[cbreed2]

When I went on my first cruise ten years ago, I was 13, the TA told my grandfather we need to get a notarized letter which we did...they never asked for it though.

[wasiii]

.....me and my son's 9th cruise on Carnival. I have gotten a notarized letter from my x-wife, on every single cruise we have taken, that it is okay I travel with our son out of the country.

 

Never once have I been asked to produce it.

 

I'm sure that one reason she has always given it to me, is so that when she asks for the same thing eventually, I'll have no problem doing the same for her.

 

He he. Little does she know!

 

;)

 

wasiii

[NewYorkDenise]

I've taken my 15 year old daughter on two cruises with me and my husband. She has a different last name than us. The first time, my husband's daughter also came so everyone had the same last name besides my daughter. The second cruise, it was me, my parents, my husband, and my daughter-still the only one with her particular last name. They never asked for a notarized letter on either cruise.

 

Our next cruise is planned for August and my ex is being a jackoff and won't sign the letter. He is a very immature, alcoholic idiot and he says that we "go on too many vacations." Actually, he's just being difficult-because that's the way he is. He has been difficult about signing the letter each time.

 

Since I have full custody of her AND she will be 16 AND we will have my husband with us, so it will appear that two parents are present, will we be okay without the letter?

 

Have any of you ever gotten asked for one? Thanks!

 

BTW; we are cruising to Mexico if that counts.

 

I went to Mexico last year w/my two children and was told that I needed a letter (they actually have a form as well that I think you can get when you pick up a passport application at the post office). I had the letter signed and notarized, but no one asked for it. Better to have one just in case if you could get it.

[gill_boo]

I cruised with my boyfriend and his 2 children, DD 13 and DS 11, last October. We got a notarized letter and was never asked for it. We had 2 stops in Mexico, Cozumel and Costa Maya.

[Luv4dacruise]

Wow, Carnival is really, really slacking in this department. Kind of scary when you think of just the way the world is now-a-days. Back in '06 i took my 6 year old niece on an NCL cruise out of NY on a Bahamas/Florida run (she has a different last name) and was asked for the letter, they made a copy of it and everything, told me to carry it with me at all times when leaving the ship and sure enough, everytime i left the ship they checked that letter, same upon reboarding.

 

Shame on Carnival for not enforcing such an important rule :(

[NewYorkDenise]

.....me and my son's 9th cruise on Carnival. I have gotten a notarized letter from my x-wife, on every single cruise we have taken, that it is okay I travel with our son out of the country.

 

Never once have I been asked to produce it.

 

I'm sure that one reason she has always given it to me, is so that when she asks for the same thing eventually, I'll have no problem doing the same for her.

 

He he. Little does she know!

 

;)

 

wasiii

 

I hope you're kidding. It's a shame when people want to punish their own children. Let us all remember, that it's all about the kids, they are the most important ones. What we teach and show them will affect them and they will take that into their adult lives. It can be a cycle that will last into future generations because that's all they know. :(

[lillian marie]

I would try to get the notarized letter and there is a form that you can get off the passport site for this. It could be a problem and it's not worth the risk of losing your vacation.

[makingwaves6]

My mother did when my sister and I were younger. We all have the same last name but my parents are divorced. My parents did it as a precaution (even though my mother has full custody) but like you, my mother was never asked to produce it. I'm no expert as now i'm in college and don't have the custody/minor problem anymore, but I would imagine if you can't get your ex to agree to sign it, taking a copy of her birth certificate and a copy of the custody document would suffice?

[afcj1]

I forgot to add that he's just my ex boyfriend. We were together for 10 years (Sorry, had to add that as to not look like a whore) but we were never married.

 

:confused::confused::confused:

 

A little strange to mention it in this context, but OK...

 

In any case, as others have mentioned, as long as you have a court decree stating sole custody, then you can take it along with her original BC to the post office and get a passport. It's much easier for teens to travel with a passport then a bunch of papers. Keep the decree with the passport and your set.

[airlink diva]

Have taken oldest grandson on 11 cruises and the youngest on 9.

Luckily have never been asked. I have had papers from our daughter.

Once someone asked the older who I was, said grandmother and that was that.

 

Same for my parents!

They took my nephew on a cruise two years back. They made sure that they had the notarized letter from my brother and sister-in-law, ok to make medical decisions and contact numbers. When they checked in, the lady ask my nephew was he with mommy and daddy, he told them no, my granddaddy and grandmother are taking me on a big boat!!!

But someone stated how hard it was for them go get the child a passport. One of my friends is in her late 40's and she only knew her father's name and nothing else. She had a slighty hard time getting her passport. Like she told them, if her mother refuse to talk about her father and never told her anything, she couldn't answer the questions about his date of birth or place of birth.

[mickeys101]

It isn't a carnival thing it's a customs/ border crossing thing. It's so that a person can't take kid out of country without other persons consent. If you have full custody bring paperwork. If not bring notarized letter with permission from other parent. If won't do take him to court. No need for a lawyer. Friend did by herself her ex threw a fit she brought in tickets for cruise to prove it was a trip. He made the ex sign there in front of him. And then made ex pay for court fees. But it's like passports alot of times won't need but on that off chance do you really want to have a headache on your hands?