Taking young adults with us on the cruise

[mattman7779]

We are booked and set to go on the Legend out of Tampa and are taking two friends of my children who are 18 years old. They both have passport cards and full parental permission so there is no issue there. I am just wondering if we need to secure a letter signed and notarized by their parents to that affect or if I am worrying over nothing. Will they have trouble traveling or is 18 considered a full adult?

[5waldos]

We are booked and set to go on the Legend out of Tampa and are taking two friends of my children who are 18 years old. They both have passport cards and full parental permission so there is no issue there. I am just wondering if we need to secure a letter signed and notarized by their parents to that affect or if I am worrying over nothing. Will they have trouble traveling or is 18 considered a full adult?

 

At 18 they are adults. You are worrying over nothing. Better that you worry about taking two 18 year old!:eek::D

[silverado44]

We are booked and set to go on the Legend out of Tampa and are taking two friends of my children who are 18 years old. They both have passport cards and full parental permission so there is no issue there. I am just wondering if we need to secure a letter signed and notarized by their parents to that affect or if I am worrying over nothing. Will they have trouble traveling or is 18 considered a full adult?

 

 

An 18 year old is an adult. They don't need a letter from their mommies and daddies.

[barbgazz]

They will still need a birth certificate and a driver's license.

[5waldos]

They will still need a birth certificate and a driver's license.

 

They have passport cards- that should do yes?

[YB Nrml]

DH and I took his two kids, 16 and 18 on a cruise a few years back. They're my step-kids so we had a notarized letter with us that said I could ok any emergency medical care for them if needed and DH wasn't available.

 

Another tip: Our daughter was the 18 yr old. She wanted to leave the ship, alone, in Mazatlan to go bar hopping, this was after we returned from a shore excursion. We told her no but my "Mom" radar was pinging loudly. We had them put a hold on her S & S card so she couldn't leave the ship without us. Guess what! She tried to get off the ship, a huge horn blared, lights flashed, the crew blocked her from leaving. We found all this out the next morning at breakfast. She was PI**ED off! DH and I laughed about it later but we were so glad we did it. Kept her safe. Now she's in Africa for two and a half years with the Peace Corp. Can't keep them in the nest forever.....

[big_duck]

They have passport cards- that should do yes?

 

Hmm, Government issued photo id - check.

 

Proof of Citizenship - check.

 

As long as there is no international air travel involved they are sufficient.

[GaNavy]

They are adults so no permission requirements, but they need full identification just like everyone else. Be very careful about this - there are ways to travel without passports, but there is a lot of misunderstanding over what exactly those ways are and what they're good for. Those passport cards are fine as long as the YA's come back into the US on the ship, but if something happens that means they have to fly home from a foreign country, those cards won't be enough - they'll get back into the country but only after a major hassle that's avoided if they have passports.

 

Read the documentation requirements at the State Dept. and Carnival web sites very closely.

 

I hope you have a great time - wish I could have been cruising when I was 18 ;)

[DaDivaMom]

I'm quite surprised that they let you notate the 18 year old's card as she is a legal adult. I'm glad it worked out for you but I think she had a right to be upset.

As a parent to a 17 year old and a 21 year old there comes a time when our children have to start making their own decisions.

 

As for the OP you will be fine you are traveling with two adults, no permission is necessary.

[alreadypacked]

I'm quite surprised that they let you notate the 18 year old's card as she is a legal adult. I'm glad it worked out for you but I think she had a right to be upset.

As a parent to a 17 year old and a 21 year old there comes a time when our children have to start making their own decisions.

 

As for the OP you will be fine you are traveling with two adults, no permission is necessary.

 

I believe Carnival does not consider an 18 yr old to be an adult in terms of cruising on their ships. In most cases, you have to be 21 years old to cruise without a parent or guardian who is at least 25 yrs old.

[YB Nrml]

We stopped her from leaving the ship on her own because we were in another country and anything could have happened. If something had happened to her or she'd missed the ship we would have been in a huge mess with her mother because we hadn't been responsible enough to take precautions and keep her safe. We have 4 children between us, 26, 23, 22 and 20. Some mature faster than others. We knew she was not responsible enough to be loose in Mexico on her own, with liquor involved. We didn't want her drinking anyway at 18. It was a tip for anyone who is concerned that their tween, somethings might be able to leave the ship without parental ok.

[Cozzette2]

Natalie Holloway. Enough said.

[PhoenixCruiser]

We are booked and set to go on the Legend out of Tampa and are taking two friends of my children who are 18 years old. They both have passport cards and full parental permission so there is no issue there. I am just wondering if we need to secure a letter signed and notarized by their parents to that affect or if I am worrying over nothing. Will they have trouble traveling or is 18 considered a full adult?

 

You might be interested in this thread...A CC member was kicked off the ship due to the actions of a 19 YO friend...pretty scary... Check out post 14.

 

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http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=729959&highlight=kicked

[YB Nrml]

Natalie Holloway. Enough said.

 

 

Thank you!

[NYOB]

DH and I took his two kids, 16 and 18 on a cruise a few years back. They're my step-kids so we had a notarized letter with us that said I could ok any emergency medical care for them if needed and DH wasn't available.

 

Another tip: Our daughter was the 18 yr old. She wanted to leave the ship, alone, in Mazatlan to go bar hopping, this was after we returned from a shore excursion. We told her no but my "Mom" radar was pinging loudly. We had them put a hold on her S & S card so she couldn't leave the ship without us. Guess what! She tried to get off the ship, a huge horn blared, lights flashed, the crew blocked her from leaving. We found all this out the next morning at breakfast. She was PI**ED off! DH and I laughed about it later but we were so glad we did it. Kept her safe. Now she's in Africa for two and a half years with the Peace Corp. Can't keep them in the nest forever.....

 

Great story! I wish I could do that with my young 20 somethings on our cruise, but they are 21 and 23, so unfortunately I can't

[zqvol]

We are booked and set to go on the Legend out of Tampa and are taking two friends of my children who are 18 years old. They both have passport cards and full parental permission so there is no issue there. I am just wondering if we need to secure a letter signed and notarized by their parents to that affect or if I am worrying over nothing. Will they have trouble traveling or is 18 considered a full adult?

 

Not sure why you would need a parental letter. They are adults for all purposes (not all adults are of the required age to consume alcoholic beverages). There parents do not have the right or abilty to consent to anything that they do or legally prevent them from doing anything. ANy letter signed by there parents has the same effect as if they were 50 years old and brought one signed by their parents. In other words it is worthless.

[okwriter]

We stopped her from leaving the ship on her own because we were in another country and anything could have happened. If something had happened to her or she'd missed the ship we would have been in a huge mess with her mother because we hadn't been responsible enough to take precautions and keep her safe. We have 4 children between us, 26, 23, 22 and 20. Some mature faster than others. We knew she was not responsible enough to be loose in Mexico on her own, with liquor involved. We didn't want her drinking anyway at 18. It was a tip for anyone who is concerned that their tween, somethings might be able to leave the ship without parental ok.

 

Even though it wasn't necessary for you to justify your choice as a parent, you did so quite logically. ;)

[PhoenixCruiser]

Not sure why you would need a parental letter. They are adults for all purposes (not all adults are of the required age to consume alcoholic beverages). There parents do not have the right or abilty to consent to anything that they do or legally prevent them from doing anything. ANy letter signed by there parents has the same effect as if they were 50 years old and brought one signed by their parents. In other words it is worthless.

 

What about a medical consent in case of a major injury?

 

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[mattman7779]

Thanks for the quick response everyone, really helped.

[DaDivaMom]

Carnival does not set the standard for a US citizen being an adult. The legal age to enter a contract is 18 in most states. Carnival can set the age that they will allow to sail but legally the 18 year old is responsible for his/her own actions.

 

I appreciate your answer YB and understand it completely however what Carnival did was in violation of your child's rights and some 18 year olds might make an issue of it and would have every right to do so. I agree with you that our job as a parent doesn't end when the child reaches 18. I was just stating my point that I was surprised that Carnival let one legal adult set a standard for another legal adult. I was in NO WAY being critical of your parenting. We each do what we feel is necessary for the protection of our children.

 

What happened to Natalie Holloway is terrible but it happens to people of all ages. People do mature at different stages and ages but the law says 18 whether we agree with it or not. (this is applicable in most US states)

[broberts]

It hasn't been mentioned by anyone previously and I believe for the Legend's ports-of-call it is moot, but in addition to the cruise line one also has to consider the legal adult ages of the various countries being visited.

[cruisin_happy]

I believe Carnival does not consider an 18 yr old to be an adult in terms of cruising on their ships. In most cases, you have to be 21 years old to cruise without a parent or guardian who is at least 25 yrs old.

 

You are quite right on this one, and I suggest the OP check with Carnival or his TA to verify. I've worked with alot of student groups, where the young adults have been 18. If the 18 yr olds are in the same cabin with the parents, no problem. If not, and they have their own cabin, they can do so without a person of 25 yrs of age or up in the cabin IF they have a cabin right next door, or right across the hall from the parents. At 18 yo, no parental consent form is needed, but an emergency medical permission form is recommended.

 

Also, Carnival's recommendation is to travel with a passport. As stated above, though not required, if you have to fly home on an emergency it will be heck to accomplish as passports are required for air entry into the U.S.