Cruising with child without his dad?

[zqvol]

Please do what ever you want regarding this issue. It is not a cruise line issue it is a CBP issue. Here is a link to what CBP says about the situation:

 

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/268/~/children---child-traveling-with-one-parent-or-someone-who-is-not-a-parent-or

 

If you get detained, and it is not likely to happen on a closed loop cruise, don't say you weren't warned.

[loxley]

my apologies.. I thought she said she did

 

if she does not have it written that she has full custody and the father is not in the picture... If she cant get that I guess she spins the dice. there is a very good chance nothing will happen but there is some who have been asked

So what if she is asked by the check in person? It is still not required but if you are not comfortabe saying so, I have the perfect solution. Say you left it in the car. Step back a few minutes and go to another check in person.

 

I say this because there used to be a person who claimed she was a check in person for carnival who claimed she always asked. Every single time she made that claim, I asked what happened if they did not have the paper. Would you believe, I never got a reply to my question. Makes you kind of go hmmmmm doesn't it.

 

Look, the bottom line is, if it was a requirement, it would be a requirement and no-one would get on without it. Some cruise lines do require it and even require passports. At this time carnival does not.

 

Get on a cruise without your picture id or your proof of citizen ship. You can't because those are required documents. But add you can see on this very thread, plenty of people get on without providing such a letter proving it is not a requirement to board. I know it seems I am beating this too death, but I got so tired of people scaring people like the op that she may not get on the ship when it simply is not true.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[hftmrock]

 

. I know it seems I am beating this too death, but I got so tired of people scaring people like the op that she may not get on the ship when it simply is not true.

 

 

 

and how would you feel if someone directly followed your advice and then was asked...

[loxley]

and how would you feel if someone directly followed your advice and then was asked...

I would not care. It is NOT required for carnival and that is an end to it.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[hftmrock]

I would not care. It is NOT required for carnival and that is an end to it.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

it is recommended.

 

and that is the end to it

[KPfromCT]

We have brought my step daughter on 10 cruises and the first one her mother called carnival and told them we were kidnapping her! Carnival asked her (7 at the time) who her parents were and if her mom knew she was coming? She told them all the names and that she knew ( we have sole custody by the way even if they asked) she was going and they said enjoy your trip! NEVER even asked to see our court papers ( which we brought). We have exchange students every year and not one has asked for our guardian papers or parents ok to travel! Enjoy your cruise!

 

:eek::eek: What a LUNATIC!!!! Kidnapping? Really? Wow!!!!!

Great to hear you guys have sole custody of her.

That would just send me off the deep end.

Some people.....:mad:

[Stinger-pr]

While I might not be able to give you THE answerI can, however, tell you my experience. I sailed this past August 2015 with my 12 year old daughter on Carnival fro San Juan, PR. I had read the stories here of "yes" and "no" about being asked for permission so I decided to be a little proactive. I typed up a letter "To Whom IT May Concern" where my daughter's mother agreed to grant travel permission with while my kid was with me (we have shared visitation but she has physical custody). In that letter the ship's name, sailing date and port of embarkation was provided (notice no date or port of arrival was specified in case of any emergency that required debarkation at another port to fly back home). The permit was for "the duration of the cruise" (leaving an opening for any "what if's...") and was signed by the mother and me. Contact information of the mother and a copy of her driver's license (as an ID) was included as an addendum.

 

The outcome: I was NEVER asked for an explanation or permission of any kind at any point of the trip by anyone either at the ship, at any port, or by Homeland Security or CBP.

[loxley]

We have brought my step daughter on 10 cruises and the first one her mother called carnival and told them we were kidnapping her! Carnival asked her (7 at the time) who her parents were and if her mom knew she was coming? She told them all the names and that she knew ( we have sole custody by the way even if they asked) she was going and they said enjoy your trip! NEVER even asked to see our court papers ( which we brought). We have exchange students every year and not one has asked for our guardian papers or parents ok to travel! Enjoy your cruise!

I somehow missed this post. This is how not needed it is. The child mother called to say she was being kidnapped and still no documentation was needed.

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[It's a Ship!!!]

No such letter will be needed.

 

There are probably people that are going to jump on here and try to scare you.

 

You will not need the letter with carnival. Just make sure you have a gov issued picture id for him and his official birth cert or his passport. NOTHING else will be needed.

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Here we go again. You always go on a crusade when people ask this question. You always tell people not to worry. You always bash everyone that disagrees with you or shares their experience if it doesn't fit your agenda.

 

However, it is possible that they will be asked for a letter from the parent not traveling. If the they are asked for it and they don't have a letter, then there could be a delay. If they happened to be running late or the delay takes a long time, then they could miss their cruise because of it. That is very unlikely, but it is possible.

 

Some medicines have a .1% chance of a certain side effect, yet the companies that make them still have to list that side effect as a possibility. Both Carnival and US customs and border protection recommend taking a notarized letter from the absent parent. If it were my decision, I would take that recommendation.

[Muumuu]

I have traveled with my grandsons now 19 & 14 since they were tots.

Mostly without their parents. And including to Europe

Not once in 17 yrs and over 25 cruises, all on Carnival, have I ever been asked for anything in the way of documentation other than their passports. Never!

I have always had a letter from their parents just in case

[loxley]

My crusade is to stop people on here from scaring usually a first time cruiser single parent that they will not be able to board without this not required letter.

 

I have seen suggestions ranging from hire a lawyer to hire a private investigator to postpone the cruise until you can get the matter taken care of.

 

I am really surprised not to see the usual bunch jumping on here with their fire warnings and their suspicious first hand accounts. Maybe it is because they have learned, I am going to be asking questions when they do.

 

And I will point out, I have never got a satisfactory answer from one of them if I got an answer at all.

 

Yes, border control had their suggestion, but it has nothing to do with going on a cruise. There used to be a section on the carnival site that pertained to debarking in Mexico. Meaning ending your cruise there that said such a letter was required. I have not been able to find that in a long time. I guess they figured out no carnival cruise ends in Mexico and if it happens accidentally, special rules would go into effect just like they did when other problems have come up.

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[Drose716]

I took my kids (10 & 6) on their first cruise last month. I sm a single mother. Shared custody with my having physical custody. I decided to bring a letter just in case. I like to be prepared.

 

So i typed up a letter & sent it off to my exhusband asking he have it notarized. Apparently, we'll need to review what "notarized" means. He gave me back a signed letter :rolleyes: and insisted he did notarize it. Since I didn't book too far out there was no time to try arguing & we just went without.

 

I wasn't questioned in the slightest. My youngest & I have matching last names. My daughter's is my married & maiden hyphenated. I used my passport & their birth certificates. Check in was easy as pie no questions asked. TSA asked their names & who they were with. They stated their names & said "mommy" & off we went.

 

I'm cautious so I bring whatever documentation I can to be safe, but I'd say chances are quite good you have nothing to be worried about.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Drose716

[n6uqqq]

Carnival is in the business of selling cruises, not checking into custody issues. They only make sure the name matches the documents. I have never seen customs and border patrol upon boarding a cruise. They only may ask questions on your return. IF a Carnival rep ever asked for " the letter " I would ask where in the cruise contract it is mandated. I sailed with my two younger teen daughters and have never had issue. Both Carnival and Border patrol only " recommend " you have it. That is not mandatory.

Edited February 17, 2016 by n6uqqq

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

I have heard that to cruise with your child without both birth parents the other parent needs to give written permission and have it notarized. My son will be 17 at the time of our cruise and we haven't had any contact with his birth dad in over a year, he lives in a different state and he hasn't been present much at all in the last 5+. Getting written permission from him is probably not going to happen purely out of spite on his part. Would our divorce papers showing I have custody work? Has anyone actually been asked to provide this?

 

I've traveled Carnival 6 times with my daughter without her mother and my sister has travel as many times without her sons father. Never had an issue. My daughter and I have the same last name so I'm not sure if that makes a difference. But if you are nervous about it then bring your custody paperwork and that should suffice. A judges signature on a divorce decree or custody agreement is the law :)

[momdaughterondestiny]

In 4 cruises with my daughter I only took

the letter once. They didn't ask the first

time so I quit carrying around another

thing I don't need.

[Yellowbird75]

My crusade is to stop people on here from scaring usually a first time cruiser single parent that they will not be able to board without this not required letter.

 

Yes, but it's HOW you do it. You're aggressive and immediately call people who have a different experience than you a liar. If this post was nothing but people saying a letter is needed, then maybe I could see value in your comments....but it's not. The OP is an adult, can read all the experiences on here (in which the vast majority have not needed it) and make her own conclusion.

 

Haven't encountered this situation yet but it could become something we do in the future with my stepson so I appreciate everyone's input!

[almitra]

Cruising Carnival, RCCL, and Norwegian with my young son (started taking him on cruises at 3 years of age), I did allow the nay sayers to frighten me into getting a letter from my ex, but on all of these many cruises and multiple cruiselines, NO ONE has ever asked for it. I even offered it on the first 1 or 2 , but they said they didn't need to see it. My son has a different last name from me and the first few cruises he didn't even have a passport, only a birth certificate. I quit bringing one quite some time ago & don't worry about it as it is a non issue. Bon Voyage and enjoy your vacation with your child. :)

[Cpw221]

I was so worried about this before we cruised with our kids two weeks ago. My Ex-Husband and I share custody of our daughter. My last name is different from my DD. My stepson's Mother is in rehab, and is out of his life completely, although she and my DH share legal custody (for now). We moved heaven and earth to get her to notarize a letter for him. We eventually got letter from both of the Ex's.

 

We were never asked for the letter, at the Port or when we were in Mexico. I'm glad we had the letters, because I'm a "better safe than sorry" person, but it seems like custody papers would suffice, and the OP's 17 year old is certainly old enough to explain his situation to anyone who asks.

[taram999]

I've taken my exchange students on a cruise and never had an issue.

[socbay3]

:eek::eek: What a LUNATIC!!!! Kidnapping? Really? Wow!!!!!

 

Great to hear you guys have sole custody of her.

 

That would just send me off the deep end.

 

Some people.....:mad:

 

 

Lunatic isn't the word I use for her! Lol