Guardianship Question

[Annefran]

Hi, I'll be cruising with my teenaged daughter (14 yrs old) on 15 Jan 07 on the Enchantment of the Seas from Ft Lauderdale, FL. My daughter wants to bring a friend along with us. She is also 14. The friend is in the process of trying get her passport and is going up to NYC to get it in one day. I know that I have to have some kind of Form Letter that her parents have to sign to grant me guardianship for her while she vacations with us.

 

My question is where do I get this Form Letter? Or does anyone have a link to where I can get it or what type of information should be in it?

 

Thanks for the help and happy holidays!

[Havana Daydreamin]

Anne,

 

When my DW's parents took our daughter (underage at that time) on a cruise, we simply crafted a letter authorizing the Grandparents to be responsible for the child. We did it very similar to what you do with a medical kind of release for other childcare concerns in country. Everything went smoothely at that time.

 

Hope this helps.

[mommabean]

Here is one sample form.

 

http://***************/permission_ltr.htm

 

oppss...they don't want that name in there. Just go to google and type in "cruise permission form" and go down to the 7th one down where is says - Permission letter for minor children to travel. It's at the cruise diva site.

[Annefran]

Here is one sample form.

 

http://***************/permission_ltr.htm

 

oppss...they don't want that name in there. Just go to google and type in "cruise permission form" and go down to the 7th one down where is says - Permission letter for minor children to travel. It's at the cruise diva site.

Thanks for the info Mama. But I notice at the bottom of the form that it has to be notarized.

 

Havana, did you have to get your form notarized also?

[TEXASMUNK]

Be sure it is not only permission for the young lady to travel with but also for medical treatment...

 

and...

 

It must be notorized!!!!

[Annefran]

Be sure it is not only permission for the young lady to travel with but also for medical treatment...

 

and...

 

It must be notorized!!!!

 

Thanks Jim! I got a copy of a form letter and it does include medical authorization if needed. But one more question, do I and one of her parents have to be there together to sign at the notary?

[mommabean]

Thanks for the info Mama. But I notice at the bottom of the form that it has to be notarized.

 

Havana, did you have to get your form notarized also?

 

Yes, get it notarized. They may not even ask for it in the end. But be prepared just in case. Only the parent's signature needs to be notarized, not your signature. You need to have possession of the letter the child's parents have notarized.

 

I once took a 16 year old on a cruise with us who lived with her legal guardians - not her parents. I had the papers along with the legal documentation of guardianship from a lawyer's office - as RCI said I needed. And then no one asked me for anything. We got back home and I had forgotten and packed all passports in our luggage. So, all the girl had was a school ID card when we went through customs upon our return. No one seemed to mind.

 

But...be prepared. You never know if you are the one they will pick on.

[Annefran]

I once took a 16 year old on a cruise with us who lived with her legal guardians - not her parents. I had the papers along with the legal documentation of guardianship from a lawyer's office - as RCI said I needed. And then no one asked me for anything. We got back home and I had forgotten and packed all passports in our luggage. So, all the girl had was a school ID card when we went through customs upon our return. No one seemed to mind.

 

But...be prepared. You never know if you are the one they will pick on.

 

Thanks so much for the info Mama. I printed out a copy of the form from Cruise Diva site and will use that. Happy Holidays!

[Tjukka]

Get her medical insurance or you will have a ill if somthing happens.

Tj

[JTHOMAS]

You are suppose to have one and have it notarized as well. However, when I took my son last year we were never asked for it. He does not have a passport and my ex tried to screw things up and gave me a registration of birth (from the hospital) instead of his birth certificate from the county. It was sealed up and not given to me until we left for the airport. That did cause a problem when we went to get on the ship.

[mommabean]

And yes, I did buy cruise insurance for the girl we brought with us - just in case. It's the first and only time I've bought the insurance but I wanted it for my peace of mind. My own medical insurance satisfies my needs (mentally :) ) for my own family.