Travelling with Minors - documentation?

[KLA]

Hi all - my 5 year old niece and her mother will be travelling with us on our Mariner cruise next week. Since I've never cruised with kids or checked in with a birth certificate, is the official birth certificate all she'll need at the pier and for check in online? No government issued photo ID?

[NS8VN]

Officially, yes.  I have heard from some parents traveling with their children but not the child's other parent that they sometimes take proof that the other parent is aware of the trip/has no custody/deceased as border agents sometimes get suspicious.  This has been much more an issue for Canadian land crossings (apparently taking your child to Canada is a popular way to get around custody requirements) but I do know people who insist on always having that information with them any time they leave the country with their child.

Probably not a big deal on this itinerary (doubt many people attempt to flee the country via a Caribbean cruise), but if getting such documentation will be easy for her then it won't hurt to have it.

[KLA]

Just now, NS8VN said:

Officially, yes.  I have heard from some parents traveling with their children but not the child's other parent that they sometimes take proof that the other parent is aware of the trip/has no custody/deceased as border agents sometimes get suspicious.  This has been much more an issue for Canadian land crossings (apparently taking your child to Canada is a popular way to get around custody requirements) but I do know people who insist on always having that information with them any time they leave the country with their child.

Probably not a big deal on this itinerary (doubt many people attempt to flee the country via a Caribbean cruise), but if getting such documentation will be easy for her then it won't hurt to have it.

Unfortunately we already knew that one - we're travelling with my brother's death certificate. I was more unsure of the online check in process and what was needed from the birth certificate online from the set sail pass before my niece's mom hands it off to my mom (long story short, my mom is travelling to Florida ahead of my niece's mother and is taking my niece with her so we've already navigated that paper trail including a notarized note from my niece's mom and a death certificate). 

[tiny260]

Kayla, these are a few things I gathered when I traveled with my Grandson this summer, the consent form is a must and the notarized birth certificate should work.

One mistake I made was thinking the notarized copy would stay with Royal on check in, the notarized copy is for the guardian, to save time take a copy for the check in agent.

Also have the form available when you go through disembarkation, they may want to see it.

Parent consent_form_US_22Mar2018.docx

[tiny260]

 

Another discussion about the same topic.

[JasonL]

I think Matt always recommends getting passports. Cost more, but it's a safer bet in case you run into problems off ship. We got passports for our kids, it makes it much easier going through security check points in airports as well as border crossings on land. Kid passports are only good for 5 years though and cost about $75 

[KLA]

51 minutes ago, JasonL said:

I think Matt always recommends getting passports. Cost more, but it's a safer bet in case you run into problems off ship. We got passports for our kids, it makes it much easier going through security check points in airports as well as border crossings on land. Kid passports are only good for 5 years though and cost about $75 

While I agree with this - not my kid, not my call. 

[KLA]

2 hours ago, tiny260 said:

Kayla, these are a few things I gathered when I traveled with my Grandson this summer, the consent form is a must and the notarized birth certificate should work.

One mistake I made was thinking the notarized copy would stay with Royal on check in, the notarized copy is for the guardian, to save time take a copy for the check in agent.

Also have the form available when you go through disembarkation, they may want to see it.

Parent consent_form_US_22Mar2018.docx

Thanks for sharing this here - her mom will be with us on the cruise itself, she's just flying in the night before the cruise with us and her daughter is going a couple days early with my mom. I was mostly just concerned for what needed to be entered on the Set Sail pass check in through the Royal site since her mom was going to do that after she gave the birth cert and other docs to my mom.