Permission for 17 yr old to travel

[kaiiak]

We have not cruised in several years due to my youngest son (3 yrs) not being potty trained. He has autism and is slightly delayed, but we are currently training and I'm crossing my fingers he may be trained for a spring break or summer cruise in 2013. However, my question is regarding my older son who will be 17 in November. He has no contact with his biological father. On past cruises when he was young I use to get a notarized letter stating his father's whereabouts were unknown and stating travel purposes, etc. this always worked fine and is how he got his first passport at 9 yrs old. Now that he will be 17 he needs a new passport. Do I still need this type of letter when boarding a ship. Every timewe cruised I always held my breath when we checked in. We only got asked once to view the letter and they didn't even read it, just looked at notary signature. Any experience with 17 yr olds? Btw he has my maiden name and I have a new married name. Thanks.

[crusinmama06]

Yes - since he is not 18 yet, not an official adult - you would still need the same letter that you used when he was a younger child. It couldn't hurt.

 

And as far as your 3 year old - try a cruise line like Carnival or NCL that accepts children with diapers into the kids clubs. :)

[kaiiak]

Thanks. If we decide to cruise i will get the notarized letter for my teen.

 

I am more concerned about swimming and water play for my younger son, which is why we've done land vacations the past few yrs. he loves the water and it would be too cruel to be on a ship where he couldn't swim. Because he is pretty nonverbal I probably won't use the kids clubs much for him. I know they are safe, but I still worry that he can't tell me if somebody wasn't being nice or if he was unhappy or something. We always looked into the few ships on RCLthat had the baby splash area, but in comparison to princess or Hal they were always so pricy we ended up doing Hawaii by land instead. I'm a teacher so I am stuck traveling during the pricy Easter week or summer...

[reallyitsmema]

Thanks. If we decide to cruise i will get the notarized letter for my teen.

 

I am more concerned about swimming and water play for my younger son, which is why we've done land vacations the past few yrs. he loves the water and it would be too cruel to be on a ship where he couldn't swim. Because he is pretty nonverbal I probably won't use the kids clubs much for him. I know they are safe, but I still worry that he can't tell me if somebody wasn't being nice or if he was unhappy or something. We always looked into the few ships on RCLthat had the baby splash area, but in comparison to princess or Hal they were always so pricy we ended up doing Hawaii by land instead. I'm a teacher so I am stuck traveling during the pricy Easter week or summer...

Just so you know, if you do decide on RCL, they will waive there potty trained requirement for your son, you would just need to contact the special needs department.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/accessibleseas/otherNeeds.do

[crusinmama06]

Just so you know, if you do decide on RCL, they will waive there potty trained requirement for your son, you would just need to contact the special needs department.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/accessibleseas/otherNeeds.do

 

You are absolutely right! I apologize for forgetting that! Yes, that would be a perfect option for you!

[kaiiak]

Thanks for all of the information. I read rcl's policy and was researching ncl as well. Do you know offhand which ships industry wide have water play areas for children in swim diapers - in case he isn't trained by March? Thanks.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Disney has a little pool for kids in diapers which is like a big inner tube that keeps draining and refilling with fresh water- so quite "clean" if you will. and Royal Caribbean's new vessels- Independence, Liberty and Freedom (Freedom Class), Oasis and Allure (Oasis Class) have splash areas which were fun. I liked them better than the swimming pool which was freezing.

[kaiiak]

Thanks. I was looking into freedom and independence on RCL. Disney is ridiculous in price and there is no casino for DH. I was also looking at NCL pearl, princess Caribbean Princess and HAL Eurodam. We have never done RCL before so not sure how it compares to the other 3.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Of the ones you mentioned- I like Princess the best but there is nothing really for a toddler on Princess. That goes for Holland as well.

 

I have sailed on Caribbean Princess and Independence of the Seas- of those two ships, taking in all your needs... I'd go with Royal. They used to also offer in-cabin sitting

 

This is from their website.(call the cruise line for more details on this)

 

Sitters At Sea

While parents enjoy the night out, our Sitters at Sea can entertain young cruisers (one year and older) right in your stateroom. They'll bring along Fisher-Price toys and games and keep a log of the activities your child participated in under their care. Hourly rate applies.

 

This is the splash area on Independence (Freedom Class)

[kaiiak]

Yes I agree, RCL does seem to better fit our needs. I really love Princess and HAL, but they seem less accommodating. We actually had a cruise bioked on HAL last spring and cancelled in lieu of Hawaii because they really didnt seem to have any accommodations for our son and it seemed too hard for him at the time. Plus, I like that RCL kids club is separated into different small age groups. We won't really need the babysitting because our older son will be there to babysit. The water play area looks really fun and is next to the pool which would be nice. Thanks for all your help.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

It is great if your son is willing to babysit but I think you would be pleased with the in-cabin sitting. I did it on Celebrity and it worked out great and allowed for us to eat as a family. I would fed our little guy in the buffet or order room service for him- while the adults had a nice relaxing dinner. Just a suggestion.

[kaiiak]

Thanks. My son is surprisingly pretty well behaved, so dinners shouldn't be a problem. He is one of those super passive kids with autism. We usually just

Like to do one or two date nights on board to dinner and the casino, so hopefully my son will be able to stay in to babysit and do his own thing the other nights. But I'll keep the sitters in mind if he has plans.

 

Now I just have to convince my husband to book the trip!

[6rugrats]

Just so you know, if you do decide on RCL, they will waive there potty trained requirement for your son, you would just need to contact the special needs department.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/accessibleseas/otherNeeds.do

But this is only for the club, correct? They still will not allowed a child in the pool in swim diapers, will they?

[rebeccalouiseagain]

They will make an exception in the club but not regarding age. The child still has to be 3 or older for the youth program. As for the pools- this is a mystery to me. First of all- most cruise lines have an apparatus to lower disabled people into the pool. I would assume that if one can't walk- they may have incontinence problems too.

 

The CDC says that swim diapers contaminate the pool water. They do nothing to prevent urine or diarrhea from entering the pool. The only thing they do is stop solid fecal matter from entering the pool. So I doubt that any pool on the ship allows diapers for children or adults regardless of disability. And for good reason.