jenmsherm Posted January 17, 2023 Report Share Posted January 17, 2023 Hello! My family and I are taking our first cruise next month. It’s my husband, my daughter, my step daughter and me. I’ve been finding a mixture of different answers regarding custody documentation so wanted to ask here and see if anyone’s been in a similar situation. My ex and I have joint custody of my daughter. My husband has full physical custody of his daughter. What documentation, if any, should we need to board? TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted January 17, 2023 Report Share Posted January 17, 2023 If you go to the FAQS section of the Royal website, there is a form you can print off. We took our grandson whose mother has full custody. Basically has all the cruise information, passenger taking the child & gets notarized by the custodial parent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted January 17, 2023 Report Share Posted January 17, 2023 Chances are you will need very little but... the people who work in the cruise terminal are not Royal Caribbean employees nor are they legal professionals. For all the right reasons if a little red flag goes up you will be very glad you have done your research and armed yourself with all the documentation you can. Different last names for example is innocent in daily life but at an international border crossing it raises an eyebrow. Hopefully you won't need any of it but if you do, you will be very glad you have it. In my experience you should have a notarized letter covering your daughter signed by your ex. Your husband should bring the court papers indicating he has full custody of his daughter. Don't offer it until they ask for it. Chances are you will present as a family and they won't ask another question. In a best case scenario you will have passports including the children. While not required for a closed loop sailing from the US for US citizens in most cases, the possession of a passport for a minor child speaks volumes towards the legitimacy of your purpose. A notarized letter from the other biological parent and a passport for the child will help to grease the wheels to the point it can be so much easier. That's not to say a passport is required for all cruises in an absolute sense but a passport makes this scenario so much easier. Having cruised with a minor child who was not my biological child most of the time it was normal but on one or two occasions I was very glad I brought the kitchen sink of papers with me. We have been called into CBP secondary upon our return to US but I'm okay with that. It's after the cruise and they just want to make sure everything is on the level when minor children are involved. Everybody does. For all the right reasons. Cactus527 and DoomSlayer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveling Mike Posted January 17, 2023 Report Share Posted January 17, 2023 From my past experience take more than what you would need. I had full physical and legal custody, but I found out that I needed to carry my divorce paperwork. Alot of the cruises they wanted a letter of release from his mother, and they would not believe there was not a mother in the picture. Disney ended up giving me a large upgrade because the person checking me in would not let us on and would not take my divorce paperwork. She kept telling me the mother had to sign a release. Once I got a supervisor they apologized and moved us up to a large balcony for the attitude I got. So, from my story, if you have issues, ask for a supervisor. I would have a release from your ex-husband and have divorce papers for your husband. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda R Posted January 17, 2023 Report Share Posted January 17, 2023 We are taking 3 minor grandchildren on a cruise this year and used the form provided by RC. Both parents sign and have it notarized. Pooch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus527 Posted January 17, 2023 Report Share Posted January 17, 2023 Even from a married relationship, I can tell you crossing borders sans one parent can be a nightmare without proper paperwork. My daughters and I were held up at the Canadian border once for an hour until they could physically reach my husband on the phone to confirm that he knew what was going on. They didn't care that I had notarized paperwork, passports, and birth certificates - it was such a headache. Definitely get all your paperwork for custody agreements, permissions, passports, birth certificates, divorce decrees, and other paperwork notarized before traveling. You'll be grateful if something comes up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letscruise Posted January 17, 2023 Report Share Posted January 17, 2023 33 minutes ago, Cactus527 said: Even from a married relationship, I can tell you crossing borders sans one parent can be a nightmare without proper paperwork. My daughters and I were held up at the Canadian border once for an hour until they could physically reach my husband on the phone to confirm that he knew what was going on. They didn't care that I had notarized paperwork, passports, and birth certificates - it was such a headache. Definitely get all your paperwork for custody agreements, permissions, passports, birth certificates, divorce decrees, and other paperwork notarized before traveling. You'll be grateful if something comes up! This doesn't sound like a cruise. Was it? Your post is scaring me a bit b/c I am taking my minor son on a Canadian cruise and I have given no thought to the fact that my husband/other parent won't be along (in terms of paperwork). Has anyone run into an issue taking a minor (no divorce or other circumstances--just a parent and minor child) on a cruise and is there special paperwork necessary that I need to be aware of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus527 Posted January 17, 2023 Report Share Posted January 17, 2023 5 hours ago, letscruise said: This doesn't sound like a cruise. Was it? Your post is scaring me a bit b/c I am taking my minor son on a Canadian cruise and I have given no thought to the fact that my husband/other parent won't be along (in terms of paperwork). Has anyone run into an issue taking a minor (no divorce or other circumstances--just a parent and minor child) on a cruise and is there special paperwork necessary that I need to be aware of? No, it was NOT a cruise! Just saying, even those of us that don't have divorces or other things going on with minor children can still experience problems, so have your paperwork! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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