Permission to travel

[Cruisetrio]

My last name is hyphenated (maiden+married), my daughter has my maiden name and husband obviously has his name. I have never been asked for any other parental permission when taking a cruise...I wonder if its because of how our last names are presented.

[caribbean dreams]

My last name is hyphenated (maiden+married), my daughter has my maiden name and husband obviously has his name. I have never been asked for any other parental permission when taking a cruise...I wonder if its because of how our last names are presented.

 

My names not even hyphenated and i've never been asked.

 

 

Hey Cruisetrio, are you booking the last leg of the Splendor???

[Cruisetrio]

My names not even hyphenated and i've never been asked.

 

 

Hey Cruisetrio, are you booking the last leg of the Splendor???

 

YES MA'AM! Are you??

[caribbean dreams]

YES MA'AM! Are you??

 

 

I already did yesterday, me, my DH, DD & DB are going.

 

I see most everyone is doing the 1st leg or all 3, not to many doing just #3, but i like the fact that i won't have to fly home again after the cruise.

[Cruisetrio]

I already did yesterday, me, my DH, DD & DB are going.

 

I see most everyone is doing the 1st leg or all 3, not to many doing just #3, but i like the fact that i won't have to fly home again after the cruise.

 

Who did you talk to at Carnival? I usually book through cruisedeals.com, but today I called a PVP and she told me the pricing wasnt available yet..ticked me off actually.

 

What kind of cabin did you get?

[caribbean dreams]

Who did you talk to at Carnival? I usually book through cruisedeals.com, but today I called a PVP and she told me the pricing wasnt available yet..ticked me off actually.

 

What kind of cabin did you get?

 

I Called Carnival last night & put the cabins on hold, then called my TA this morning and had him put my deposit down.

I don't thing that PVP knew what they were talking about, they actually started booking yesterday about 2pm.

 

the itenerary is pretty good with only 2 sea days between each port.

[Calicruiser101]

My sister did not sign a letter giving her ex permission to take their DD on cruise to Mexico. Not sure the ex knew he was to have it or not, they were not bothered because the DD has the same last name as the Dad and of course the step-mom shares the name of the dad. So they had no problems they all looked like a family w/ mom (step-mom) dad and DD. However, this time my sister is taking DD and she HAD to get a consent form, she does not have the same last name as DD, this is where the problem is. A friend of mine works at the port in San Pedro, she said if the names are not the same they must have the consent form. Yes, the ex can call have the account flagged at check-in if they know you are planning on taking the child out of the country and they have not given their consent. She has seen this many, many times. She says bring all the papers that a papertrail, meaning on the child's birth cert. it will have your maiden name and DOB and then they match that to your passport and see that the first and middle name match the birth cert. and your DOB matches. Hope this makes sense:eek: Bottom line bring the consent, just in case. Homeland security is working on keeping our borders more secure. Doesn't really matter that others have not been asked, the point is bring the papers and you won't have problems.

[Cruisetrio]

I Called Carnival last night & put the cabins on hold, then called my TA this morning and had him put my deposit down.

I don't thing that PVP knew what they were talking about, they actually started booking yesterday about 2pm.

 

the itenerary is pretty good with only 2 sea days between each port.

 

I am going to call back tomorrow...will let you know. It looks great and like you said, only need 1-way airfare :)

[Cruisetrio]

My sister did not sign a letter giving her ex permission to take their DD on cruise to Mexico. Not sure the ex knew he was to have it or not, they were not bothered because the DD has the same last name as the Dad and of course the step-mom shares the name of the dad. So they had no problems they all looked like a family w/ mom (step-mom) dad and DD. However, this time my sister is taking DD and she HAD to get a consent form, she does not have the same last name as DD, this is where the problem is. A friend of mine works at the port in San Pedro, she said if the names are not the same they must have the consent form. Yes, the ex can call have the account flagged at check-in if they know you are planning on taking the child out of the country and they have not given their consent. She has seen this many, many times. She says bring all the papers that a papertrail, meaning on the child's birth cert. it will have your maiden name and DOB and then they match that to your passport and see that the first and middle name match the birth cert. and your DOB matches. Hope this makes sense:eek: Bottom line bring the consent, just in case. Homeland security is working on keeping our borders more secure. Doesn't really matter that others have not been asked, the point is bring the papers and you won't have problems.

 

I guess since I share both last names ( I am the mom), they've never questioned her step dad being her "stepdad", so to speak. Also, Carnival told me that for Mexico, its only if debarking for 24 hours. My husband ( fluent in spanish) called the Mexican consulate today and also confirmed this.

[Calicruiser101]

I was just talking w/ my friend and sister today about this. Too many conflicting answers, everyone is being told different things. They need to get this figured out that way all the information being given is the same, that way it would cause less problems for EVERYONE, including them and a lot less chaos and confusion. Good luck to you and I hope all goes well.

[Cruisetrio]

I was just talking w/ my friend and sister today about this. Too many conflicting answers, everyone is being told different things. They need to get this figured out that way all the information being given is the same, that way it would cause less problems for EVERYONE, including them and a lot less chaos and confusion. Good luck to you and I hope all goes well.

 

I agree....

[madge57]

The law is the same in every state. If the child is under the age of 16 a parent needs to sign for their passport. If they are 16 and older they can sign it themselves as long as they have a drivers license. I just went through this last year. My DS was 17 and my DD was 15 so my DS got his and she waited till she was 16 to get hers. If they are under 16 the passport is only good for 5 years 16 and above 10 years so we waited. You may not have that opportunity but it was good for us. As for getting a parent to sign a document stating that is ok to talk the child out of the country it would be best advised to do so. You never know what will happen if someone is having a bad day it could be bad for you. Have a good on your cruise:)

[S.S.Oceanlover]

this was in with our ticket booklet when we cruised last month. We had my sons girlfriend with us who is 16. We had a letter but nobody asked for it. I try to cover all bases when traveling. Never know when you'll be asked. Better to be safe than sorry!

 

Bill

[caribbean dreams]

this was in with our ticket booklet when we cruised last month. We had my sons girlfriend with us who is 16. We had a letter but nobody asked for it. I try to cover all bases when traveling

 

Bill, that is so true, although i have personally never been asked, i know people who have, therefore when my kids were under 21, i would always make sure i was traveling with custody papers.

You just never know at what point you may be asked to show them.

[henepup]

this was in with our ticket booklet when we cruised last month. We had my sons girlfriend with us who is 16. We had a letter but nobody asked for it. I try to cover all bases when traveling. Never know when you'll be asked. Better to be safe than sorry!

 

Bill

 

We will be cruising w/ my niece, 14yrs, are were told by pvp that we need notorized letter from parents with consent to take her out of the country. Pvp actually sent me the generic letter to have them sign and get notorized. I also asked about medical emergency paper work , if something was to happen to her, that I could get her medical attention. Pvp stated that I would have to do that part on my own, that CCL only requires the letter that she can travel with me out of the country. So Bills info is correct.

[brcris75]

We have legal custody/guardianship of our grandson so he is legally "ours" to take. BUT we HAVE been asked twice out of 6 cruises with him for letters of permission. Luckily I knew to cover bases and we had a copy of the guardianship papers. Not sure what would have happened had I not had them.

[ShelleyQT]

This is an important issue for me because my ex lives overseas and is very diffficult to communicate with. So far, I've always had a signed letter from him to take my daughters on cruises, but he is always difficult about it, and even though I've had the permission letter each time, they not only didn't ask for it at embarkation, but they even shrugged it off and said they didn't need it. This time, I'm not planning to bother to get a letter from him (the girls are now 17, 15, and 13). He almost never even calls the girls...but he's not malicious and wouldn't call to stop us at the port.

 

So for years now, I've been reading these boards and this topic comes up again and again. Even though I've asked this question before, I've never heard of ONE person who said that they were actually denied boarding because they didn't have the letter. Many people tell stories about how they were "almost" denied, but then allowed on, or that they were asked for the letter and felt lucky that they had it, or even that they knew someone who couldn't go. But no one has ever given an example of when they were denied.

 

Anyone out there ever denied boarding because they didn't have a letter from the ex?

[crusinmama06]

That Carnival employee that you talked to should be fired. Bill was right to show you the info included in the contact ticket.

 

THIS is what I take with me when I travel alone with my kids but without my husband.

 

LETTER OF CONSENT TO TRAVEL

 

I ___________________________________________________provide my consent for

NAME OF PARENT

 

my child(ren) ____________________________________________ to travel with

NAME OF CHILD(REN)

 

________________________________ to ____________________________ from

NAME(S) OF ADULT TRAVEL COMPANION(S) COUNTRY/COUNTRIES

 

________________________________ to ____________________________ .

DATE DATE

 

(List specific travel information in the space below such as airline, flight number, cruise line and ship or tour operator.)

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

 

Signed_____________________________________________________________

PARENT'S NAME

 

Telephone/Contact:__________________________________________________

Address:

___________________________________________________________________

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

Signature of Notary:__________________________________________________

 

Notary's Printed Name: ____________________________________________

 

Notary Seal:

 

[Cruisetrio]

This is an important issue for me because my ex lives overseas and is very diffficult to communicate with. So far, I've always had a signed letter from him to take my daughters on cruises, but he is always difficult about it, and even though I've had the permission letter each time, they not only didn't ask for it at embarkation, but they even shrugged it off and said they didn't need it. This time, I'm not planning to bother to get a letter from him (the girls are now 17, 15, and 13). He almost never even calls the girls...but he's not malicious and wouldn't call to stop us at the port.

 

So for years now, I've been reading these boards and this topic comes up again and again. Even though I've asked this question before, I've never heard of ONE person who said that they were actually denied boarding because they didn't have the letter. Many people tell stories about how they were "almost" denied, but then allowed on, or that they were asked for the letter and felt lucky that they had it, or even that they knew someone who couldn't go. But no one has ever given an example of when they were denied.

 

Anyone out there ever denied boarding because they didn't have a letter from the ex?

 

ShellyQT-Post back and let me know how it goes after your cruise in 8 days...same situation for me and we've never been asked.

 

CrusinMama-The info that Bill posted was posted before ShellyQT's post and I saw that on my ticket and all of the others in the past as well. In terms of firing the Carnival employee..a bit harsh.

[crusinmama06]

In terms of firing the Carnival employee..a bit harsh.

 

Not at all harsh. It is pretty wide spread knowledge in the travel business that traveling with a child to Mexico requires more than just a birth certificate. It has been posted on Carnival's site and on their contracts. If a customer service person at Carnival whose job it is to answer those kinds of questions doesn't know that, then they should be in a different line of work.

 

Children either need permission to travel or a passport.

[ShelleyQT]

Children either need permission to travel or a passport.

 

 

We have always had passports for the three girls. Do you think this is why they didn't need the permission letter on the last three cruises?

 

(I did have permission letters for all three cruises that I took my daughters on, but the carnival reps at embarkation never wanted to see the letters.) We still have up-to-date passports for them that we are planning to take.

 

I wonder, though: The instructions on the Carnival ticket do not say anything about having a passport in lieu of parent permission.

 

Besides, I can imagine a scenario in which a single mother may not have had any contact with the father since before a child's birth, in which case the mother would have sole custody, but may not have any kind of legal document that proves it. In that case, the mother wouldn't have any kind of legal proof that would meet Carnival's standard as stated in the boarding documents.

 

I just think Carnival's goal is to get as many people on their ship as possible. They aren't interested in being world police. Look how well they enforce the drinking and gambling age restrictions, for instance. :rolleyes:

 

Similarly, although they "require" that a minor under the age of 21 must share a room with someone 25 or older, they routinely have given us another key so we could exchange rooms so that the adults are in one cabin and the kids in another. (Our PVP had recommended this to us on our first cruise with the kids!) They have rules so that they can say they have rules, but in the end they want to make their customers happy.

[big_duck]

Carnival telling you what documentation you may require to enter and leave the ports they take you to is a courtesy they are extending.

 

When you check in Carnival will check to ensure you have the minimum required ID. If you need extra documentation, and you run into problems that's on you not them because you were advised.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

We have always had passports for the three girls. Do you think this is why they didn't need the permission letter on the last three cruises?

 

(I did have permission letters for all three cruises that I took my daughters on, but the carnival reps at embarkation never wanted to see the letters.) We still have up-to-date passports for them that we are planning to take.

 

I wonder, though: The instructions on the Carnival ticket do not say anything about having a passport in lieu of parent permission.

 

Besides, I can imagine a scenario in which a single mother may not have had any contact with the father since before a child's birth, in which case the mother would have sole custody, but may not have any kind of legal document that proves it. In that case, the mother wouldn't have any kind of legal proof that would meet Carnival's standard as stated in the boarding documents.

 

I just think Carnival's goal is to get as many people on their ship as possible. They aren't interested in being world police. Look how well they enforce the drinking and gambling age restrictions, for instance. :rolleyes:

 

Similarly, although they "require" that a minor under the age of 21 must share a room with someone 25 or older, they routinely have given us another key so we could exchange rooms so that the adults are in one cabin and the kids in another. (Our PVP had recommended this to us on our first cruise with the kids!) They have rules so that they can say they have rules, but in the end they want to make their customers happy.

 

I don't see how having the passport proves the missing parent gave permission.:confused:

 

Bill

[ShelleyQT]

Bill, I agree that a passport doesn't prove that a missing parent has granted permission. I was responding to Michelle's idea that I would need a passport OR permission.

[sheriandbob]

Hmm we are taking my son's gf with us on the Fantasy in Dec. She is 16. Her mom has custody and is having a letter notorized giving us permission to take her out of the country and also to authorize medical treatment. Wonder if her ex has to sign the letter also even though he does not have physical custody.