Minors off ship question

[pawstat]

So, if my husband is running the castaway 5k and we get off the ship early for that, would our girls be able to get off the ship later to meet up with us? They are 12 and 14. On our last cruise they roamed the ship on their own, but I figured this is different.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So, if my husband is running the castaway 5k and we get off the ship early for that, would our girls be able to get off the ship later to meet up with us? They are 12 and 14. On our last cruise they roamed the ship on their own, but I figured this is different.

As far as I know, a minor must be accompanied by an adult registered in the same room to debark the ship.

 

[Prose]

As far as I know, a minor must be accompanied by an adult registered in the same room to debark the ship.

That’s our experience...in fact, they wouldn’t even let our daughter exit the ship right in front of us. One parent had to go first and she had to go immediately after.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

That’s our experience...in fact, they wouldn’t even let our daughter exit the ship right in front of us. One parent had to go first and she had to go immediately after.

Plus, there's the fact that, if the family has bunked a minor child with, say, grandma on a cruise, grandma has to sign a permission slip for some other adult (in a different room) to take said minor child off the ship without her. Yes, even it it's YOUR child, if they are staying in a room different than yours, the adult in THAT room must give you permission to take your child off the ship with out that adult.

 

[aliceinvunderland]

You can definitely sign a waiver allowing your children to get off the ship at Castaway Cay without an adult. I know this because I’ve done it twice so my teenage daughter can get off and run the 5k on her own, and also so she and my teenage son can go back and forth to & from the ship while on CC. I have done it on our past two cruises in 2017 and 2018. However, as far as I know, this only applies to Castaway Cay and the form I signed was specific to CC. Any other port requires an adult to accompany the minor.

 

[cmph]

I signed a waiver that allowed my 13yo to get off at ANY port for our June cruise (Alaska). I have no idea if that was a new thing, b/c she had just turned 13 a few weeks before the cruise. We also didn't test it out to see what would happen. The only reason I did that was as a back-up, should she have gotten off the ship with family in other staterooms. I don't remember anything like that popping up as an option before she was 13 though, and it wasn't an option for the younger kids this time, as far as I can remember. So it's either a new option, or it only kicks in when the child hits 13. Incidentally, that's also when you can give them the ability to check younger children in/out of the kids' clubs. DCL assigns some new magical maturity to the age of 13, I guess! So it's entirely possible that your 14yo will be able to get off the ship, but not your 12yo.

 

[scrapbookjulie]

My daughter and her friend will be 16 on our cruise. When/where would I get the Castaway Cay waiver? We'll probably get off the ship together...but if they are sleeping later for some reason, I don't want to waste my beach time waiting for them to get up and get ready! LOL

 

[NZMUM]

My daughter and her friend will be 16 on our cruise. When/where would I get the Castaway Cay waiver? We'll probably get off the ship together...but if they are sleeping later for some reason, I don't want to waste my beach time waiting for them to get up and get ready! LOL

From memory there is a form you can print and fill out in your online check-in. Otherwise there are forms available onboard. A couple of years ago when my DS was 17, a form was left in our stateroom to fill out if we wanted.

 

[Ariel-Rocks]

I did my on board check in last month and it is now on-line. I could sign for her to get off at any port by herself (she's 12) or just CC. I also could add other people for her to get off the boat with at that time. Last year when we cruised all that paperwork had to be filled out and turned in but now it's all done during check in.

 

[gotomu212]

I did my on board check in last month and it is now on-line. I could sign for her to get off at any port by herself (she's 12) or just CC. I also could add other people for her to get off the boat with at that time. Last year when we cruised all that paperwork had to be filled out and turned in but now it's all done during check in.

This. You’ll be prompted for it during online check in now. I think it’s a fantastic improvement to the online site (something I almost never say about Disney’s websites).

Edited to add this was an option for my 10 year old. We could select to let him get on/off with another adult, get on off all ports, get on/of CC only. I just double checked and it’s under “Traveling With Minors” subheading.

 

[MaleficentRN]

Yes. You can now take care of this when you do your online check in:

Minor Debarkation Authorization
I represent that I am the parent or guardian of the child/children listed above who are under the age of 18 and hereby authorize the listed children to debark the ship unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. I accept full responsibility for the actions of the children while ashore and release and hold Disney Cruise Line harmless from any and all responsibility or liability arising from the listed children being ashore unaccompanied by a parent or guardian.

Once onboard, please visit the Guest Service Desk to make any changes.