Parental Letter

[mousetravel]

Has anyone been asked for a parental letter? I've been on other cruises and did not get asked for one. Me & DD have the same last name, so I don't think there would be any problem, but I wanted to see if anyone here had any issues with that.

 

[JsMom2]

Has anyone been asked for a parental letter? I've been on other cruises and did not get asked for one. Me & DD have the same last name, so I don't think there would be any problem, but I wanted to see if anyone here had any issues with that.

I've taken DD on 13 cruises all around the world. The first time we were asked was last month when we departed Los Angeles for a one way trip thru the Canal to Ft Lauderdale.

I had a notarized letter from her father, so I simply produced it and the agent looked at it and gave it back to me.

I had similar letters when we sailed to Morocco and Russia, but was never asked. My letters usually say:

[My Name] has my permission to take our daughter, [DD's Name] on a cruise on [Ship] from [Dates From and To]. I understand that they will visit [All Ports of Call] but that the ship's itinerary could change at any time.

I also keep a copy of DD's birth certificate in my passport wallet (we do have different last names) as well as a copy of her shot records in case of emergency.

Have a great time on your cruise!

 

[mkmommy]

I have travelled 4 times out of country with my dd's alone and once I was asked for a letter. I would never go out of country with out a notarized letter from my husband, it is not worth a ruined vacation in my mind.

 

[mousetravel]

I would never go out of country with out a notarized letter from my husband, it is not worth a ruined vacation in my mind.

Here's my problem: There is no "father" to get permission from. The "father" is nowhere to be found. She's never seen him and he took off before I even had her. So to be on the safe side should I write a statement & have it notarized?

 

[JsMom2]

Here's my problem: There is no "father" to get permission from. The "father" is nowhere to be found. She's never seen him and he took off before I even had her. So to be on the safe side should I write a statement & have it notarized?

Right now you don't need a passport or letter to cruise on DCL to the Caribbean so just be sure to bring both of your birth certificates.

However...eventually your daughter will need a passport. And you can't get a passport without BOTH parents approval.

The best thing you can do is consult a lawyer for a long-term solution to protect yourself and your DD. There are usually state/county organizations that can help with legal paperwork at no-cost.

I don't want to get into your personal business, but I'm also a single parent. Feel free to send me a PM if you want to talk.

Wendy

 

[jlowejd5]

DCL seems to be now including a form in their cruise docs to cover this situation. I kinda skipped over it, as it's not applicable to us, but this is the first time I've seen anything like it in our forms. I think it covers non-custodial parents and/or a situation where you're bringing a child of which you are not the parent.

Granted, it appears to require the other person's signature, which may not help you, but it's a start. It's been way too long since I worked on any kind of juvenile law, but I would assume in a situation like this (no other parental claims) that you could get a statement of some sort from a court of competent jurisdiction that says that you have complete authority and autonomy to travel and obtain travel documents for your child.

Man, I turned on "lawyer mode" and my plane leaves for our next cruise in like 42 hours. That's impressive, since I told my boss on MONDAY that I'd already shipped my brain to Port Canaveral... I still got it!

 

[orlandothebeagle]

Has anyone been asked for a parental letter? I've been on other cruises and did not get asked for one. Me & DD have the same last name, so I don't think there would be any problem, but I wanted to see if anyone here had any issues with that.

I have never been asked for one for my niece but I will def always have one.

 

[ladywine]

I would never even have thought about getting one, so I'm glad the question has been asked. The whole family is traveling together this time, but I don't know if I might take the boys somewhere without DH in the future! DH came with me to get the kids' passports, but I really never would have thought about it as far as taking them on a trip out of the country if he wasn't traveling. But I'm kinda ditzy that way.

 

[Im_A_Princess]

However...eventually your daughter will need a passport. And you can't get a passport without BOTH parents approval.

Yes...this is true.
I had to have the letters to get me DDs passposts for the EB Panama Cruise.
The letter had to be notarized and sent in with the Passport apps. & BCs.
Their father had to sign a letter saying it was ok and then he got it notarized and mailed it to me.
The BCs and Passports came back but they kept the letter from their father.
When we sailed on DCL the year before I carried a similar letter that was notarized and the US customs (Bahamas- USVI) wanted to see it before the girls could get off the ship. That was the only stop they wanted to see it. Not DCL before we got on the ship...I thought that was odd.
DDs last name is different than mine now.

 

[Im_A_Princess]

I have never been asked for one for my niece but I will def always have one.

If I were you and I was taking my niece on a cruise I would make sure I have a signed paper for legal authority to make medical decisions and such.
I am always over prepared.

 

[shasess]

However...eventually your daughter will need a passport. And you can't get a passport without BOTH parents approval.

The best thing you can do is consult a lawyer for a long-term solution to protect yourself and your DD. There are usually state/county organizations that can help with legal paperwork at no-cost.
Wendy

Contacting a lawyer is a good idea but you actually can get a passport without having both parents written approval. My aunt had to get a passport for her DS and his father could not be found. You can go to the US passport website and obtain a special circumstances form that allows you to apply for a passport when the written consent of the non-applying parent or guardian cannot be obtained. http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/ds3053/ds3053_846.html

 

[Lthouseprincess]

We got a passport for my daughter with out the father (never been in the picture). i had to send in her birth Cert and court papers showing that i have sole physical custody as well as fill out a form stating why I can't obtain the fathers signature. It does take a little bit longer than normal passport so give it time.

 

[orlandothebeagle]

If I were you and I was taking my niece on a cruise I would make sure I have a signed paper for legal authority to make medical decisions and such.
I am always over prepared.

I can remember one time immigration asking her when she was just 9 if mommy knew where she was and if she wanted to go on holiday, I was thinking thank god I have letters signed by her Mum, but really pleased She never said anything sassy!

 

[dollysmom]

I took my daughter on vacation from Canada to disney, without her father. I did not need that notarized letter until we landed back in my hometown. I was surprised that they never asked me for when I left the country with her. I would get one just incase, because you just never know when you may need it.

 

[tazcat]

took my nieces11 yrs and 13 yrs to ireland 2007 did have a letter from my sister. just had in with there passport. will be taking my nephew on the baltic cruise june 2010 will have the letter. dlc does require them, they have pdf file in there online check in with a form you get filled out. i feel it better to have the letter instead not be able to board

 

[tvguy]

Sad but true, and apparently necessary.

The last 3 Amber Alerts in our area ended up being non-custodial parents taking children out of the country without the permission of the custodial parent. Some how, in each case, the non-custodial parent had the child's Passport, and in each case, the non-custodial parent and child were already in the air on non-stop flights out of the country before the Amber Alert was issued.
In one case, they ended up in BUCHAREST.....and the child is still there because under Romanian law, what dad wants trumps what any U.S. court has ordered.

 

[mousetravel]

I called DCL yesterday just to see what they said, and the lady I talked to said I did not need a letter. I wonder if I should take something anyway just to be on the safe side.

 

[orlandothebeagle]

You know there is a form you can print out on the cruise web site??

 

[mousetravel]

You know there is a form you can print out on the cruise web site??

I went to check it out, and the form says it's to be filled out "if traveling without parent or guardian". So is there a form letter for traveling with only one parent? The letters I've seen are for the absent parent to sign for permission. In my case, there's no "other parent" available to sign because they're no where to be found. That's my issue.

 

[ShawnaH]

Here's my problem: There is no "father" to get permission from. The "father" is nowhere to be found. She's never seen him and he took off before I even had her. So to be on the safe side should I write a statement & have it notarized?

Is his name on the Birth Certificate? my DS' bio-father and I slit up before he was born. He didnt contact me at all after he learned I was pregnant. When he was born I gave him my last name and didn't list a father on the birth certificate. When I went to get a pass port I was very concerned that this would be a problem. They said since he wasn't listed on the birth certificate i didnt need his permission to do anything (even though there was a paternity test). As far as they were concerned there was no "father"