14 yo Traveling Without Parents

[carolinesmom]

My 14 daughter is going on a cruise with a friend's family over spring break with NCL. The mother had me fill out a form she got from NCL's website which grants permission for her to take my daughter. Both my husband and I had to sign it. I called NCl to confirm this is all that is needed and the answer was yes. I will be sending her with her passport and a copy of our insurance card. Is there anything else as far as paperwork I should include?

 

I also just set her up a high school checking account with a debit card. It is linked to my account and I can move money in/out online. I'm going to have her use this for her onboard account. Is there a minimum amount of money I will need to have in there? I don't generally use debit cards, so I'm not too familiar but I thought I read somewhere that they put a hold on a certain amount of money. If anyone has any insight into this I would love to hear it.

 

Thanks!

[russianmom]

I would also advise you to write a quick note saying that you authorize the other parent/s to make medical decisions on behalf of your daughter in your absence. I would have that signed and notarized as well.

 

 

http://www2.ncl.com/faq#n19244

How do I pay for onboard expenses?

For your convenience, all shipboard expenses are charged to Norwegian's special onboard credit program. Sign up on the first day of your cruise, by establishing your method of payment with a credit card (Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express®, Discover®, Diners Club®), travelers checks or cash. If you choose to settle your account with cash, a deposit will be required in advance. Norwegian does not recommend the use of a debit card as payment for your onboard folio. However, if you choose to pay with a debit card, please be advised that Norwegian obtains pre-authorization which some banks may hold for up to 30 days.

 

Using your debit or ATM card

 

Norwegian does not recommend the use of a debit card as payment for your onboard folio.

Please be advised that multiple holds will be placed on your debit card account based on your onboard purchases.

After settling your onboard folio, these debit card holds may remain on your account up to 30 days after the cruise ends.

To avoid overdraft charges from your bank, please make sure that you have enough available funds in your account during this hold period.

Norwegian will not be responsible for overdraft charges resulting from holds placed on Debit Card accounts.

 

 

Cash/Traveler's Checks Procedures

You can deposit cash or US Traveler's Checks into your onboard account. To start, US$100 per person per day is required, although more can be deposited depending on what you plan to spend. If you don't have enough money down to cover expenses, your account(s) will be closed and you cannot purchase anything until more money is deposited. You can deposit as much money as often as you'd like throughout the cruise, however, refunds cannot be made until the day of disembarkation for any excess. US Traveler's Checks can be cashed onboard and are the same as cash.

 

**Personal checks will not be accepted, nor can they be cashed onboard.

[beachchick]

Does the letter include authority to approve medical treatment? Make sure that it's comprehensive in case of emergency.

 

On the ship, her medical insurance card will be of no use. They do not take or deal with insurance, so any medical services (God forbid) would be charged to the onboard account. She/you or her friend's parents would need to pay and then you would submit the paperwork for reimbursement to the insurance company. Depending on their ports, the same will hold true on shore.

 

Have fun!

 

beachchick

[carolinesmom]

Thanks for the good information. I will write a separate letter authorizing the friends' parents to make medical decisions if need be on our behalf.

 

I'm still not sure what to do about the onboard account. I really don't want her to be carrying around lots of cash, though she will bring some for when they are in ports for food and souvenirs.

 

Her excursions and tips are already pre-paid, so she shouldn't need too much onboard. I'm going to call NCL and see exactly what kind of hold will be put on the account, so I'm prepared. But I'm leaning toward that method of payment. I had called NCL about this once before and they suggested I get her a credit card. I did explore that option with my mastercard company, but there wasn't any easy option there.

[mikesteg]

Why not give her cash? I assume you're talking about a couple hundred bucks maybe? I can't imagine that a teen can/should spend all that much on board. It sounds like you are being proactive in teaching her financial responsibility, so it shouldn't be a problem. Note that she can deposit the cash up front so she wouldn't be holding onto that portion of the cash for the entire cruise.

 

My understanding is that the cruise line will try to stay well in advance of spending on a debit card. They will place a hold, and at a certain threshold below the hold, they'll place another hold. If you search here (or google) I think you'll find a number of bad stories where the holds stacked, weren't refunded timely (as mentioned in the FAQ below) or otherwise went bad. Unless you're willing to put a substantial amount of extra cash in that account, and leave it there for 30 days (or call the back to check on holds) you risk running into an overdraft which wouldn't even really be the fault of your DD.

 

Also, I don't know if NCL customer support answers are as random as Carnival's but I wouldn't bank (pun intended) on what they tell you to be 100% accurate and complete.

[mikesteg]

Very nice of you to let your daughter go BTW, and very good of you to deal with the tips and such in advance. ;)

[fredflint]

The debit card should be ok, they say no to debit as you could easily ring up a lot if you booked trips or drinks on it. If you have the time you can order a credit card from your account in her name. You can probably go online and put your credit card information in ahead of time too.

[carolinesmom]

According to what Russianmom posted above, cash will require an initial deposit of $100/person per night. It is a 7 night cruise, so that would be $700! She will also be bring $150 for spending money. That is a lot of cash for her to be walking around with and she isn't going to spend anywhere near $700. I could get her traveler's checks. My bank doesn't charge for them and maybe that would work. I inquired with Chase about getting her a mastercard on my account with a much lower limit. They said they could not do that. We still have a few weeks, so we will figure something out. Maybe I will look into putting my credit card in ahead of time, that would be a good solution if it works. Thanks for all of your input.

[russianmom]

According to what Russianmom posted above, cash will require an initial deposit of $100/person per night. It is a 7 night cruise, so that would be $700! She will also be bring $150 for spending money. That is a lot of cash for her to be walking around with and she isn't going to spend anywhere near $700. I could get her traveler's checks. My bank doesn't charge for them and maybe that would work. I inquired with Chase about getting her a mastercard on my account with a much lower limit. They said they could not do that. We still have a few weeks, so we will figure something out. Maybe I will look into putting my credit card in ahead of time, that would be a good solution if it works. Thanks for all of your input.

 

What I did for a friend who I cruised with who did not have a credit card is used my CC when checking in and she gave me cash or went down to the desk each evening saw what her total was for the day and paid in cash.

 

This may not work for everyone but we have been friends over 20 years and I made sure I saw up front that she had enough cash to cover any spending.

[mikesteg]

According to what Russianmom posted above, cash will require an initial deposit of $100/person per night. It is a 7 night cruise, so that would be $700! She will also be bring $150 for spending money. That is a lot of cash for her to be walking around with and she isn't going to spend anywhere near $700. I could get her traveler's checks. My bank doesn't charge for them and maybe that would work. I inquired with Chase about getting her a mastercard on my account with a much lower limit. They said they could not do that. We still have a few weeks, so we will figure something out. Maybe I will look into putting my credit card in ahead of time, that would be a good solution if it works. Thanks for all of your input.

 

I missed that about the $700. Clearly they are trying to discourage cash. That might not be the case since the overall cabin will (presumably) be on a credit card, but I wouldn't take that for granted. (Yikes... that would be $2800 for us, travelling with 2 kids...)

 

They usually require the credit card to be swiped at check in, so I don't think putting it in ahead of time would work. I'm surprised Chase wouldn't work with you. They are usually really good, but I guess if the system doesn't support it they can't do much. Do you have AMEX? I know that they can assign individual limits to sub-accounts at least on some of their products.

 

Perhaps you should just get her the M/C for the duration of the cruise. It seems you have some liability in all cases, and at least this way it is somewhat contained. If she lost it on the ship it's unlikely anybody could use it (I'd hope) and it seems unlikely she could charge a huge amount (if that is a concern) while on the ship. Booze and gambling are the big expenses, and not applicable. You could ask the hosting adults to keep the card in the safe if needed. She should only need it to check in anyway. Just a thought. ;)

[vavasmom]

We are taking my niece on a cruise this June as a high school graduation present - she will be 17 at the time. She plans on giving me $150 for on-ship spending and souvineers - to avoid a hassle I tied my niece's account to my CC (my 16 yo's is also tied that way). I will refund what she does not spend.

 

The other parents would need to agree to this - you must trust each other since you DD is sailing with them.

[topspot]

Our DD has travelled to Australia with People to People. They recommended a credit card called Visa Buxx. It is in her name, and it is funded from our bank account, but It only gives her access to the amount you put on it. Every time she makes a purchase I get an email telling me what she spent. This came in handy when her camera broke in New Zealand, she emailed us, so I knew to put more money onto the card.

[newbiecruiser09]

You could also buy OBC for your daughter and have it posted to her account. I believe any unused amount would get returned to her/you at the end of the cruise.

[carolinesmom]

Thanks for all the helpful input. I spoke with the other mom and she is going to use her credit card for my daughter and I will pay her at the end. She was fine with that and it shouldn't be a significant amount of money. The mother will also hold the debit card we got our daughter, which can be used in case of an emergency. This seems like the easiest solution.