HOLY COW! and one parent with the kids. . .

[jenmouse]

He'd be best to leave the kids with her and go on his vacation without the kids. As much as he'd love to him them with him, it's no worth what could come of it all, unless he gets that paper from her allowing the kids out of state and country. He thinks things are a mess now, wait till he comes back from the cruise, how nasty it'll be then if she should claim kidnapping, etc.

 

He would never go on the cruise without the kids. This is supposed to be something for them to enjoy, and to spend time with their grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins, not to mention their dad.

 

I think it is possible for him to get custody based on many things (including her own mother's testimony). If he does not, he will of course get visitation including a few weeks in the summer - he wouldn't accept any less.

 

I agree that it is sad that this is an issue, but the fact is that she is a very petty, vindictive person. Rather than give up on the idea of the cruise, he will attempt to get every necessary paper "signed, sealed, and delivered" so that he can have this family time. Never at any time has the idea of "sneaking" the kids out without necessary papers been suggested - just does he need them, and if yes, he will have to get them.

 

Thanks to everyone for their help in answering the question - I really appreciate it!

[melodieRN]

I have a friend that went on a cruise last year with her kids and husband. The ex was out of her life for ove 15 years and she was remarried fo 10 years with no contact to her 16 + 15 year old son during that time. He was in the military and hid from giving her child support. This girl really struggled too. Her husband now is a state trooper and a real man that has truely given those boys a wonderful home. Anyways they had to get a judge to basically sign the letter. since the military was no help only til the judge put a declared dead form with the govenment did the a** show up. He denied the right to get a passpot for the boys unless they gave him 3000.00. They gave him the money only if the a** signed a giving up all rights to the boys and mike then adopted them. The law is you need both parents permission for a passport.

[NavarreCruiser]

My DD is a single parent. Her ex was a drug addict. He went thru her savings. He has no rights. He is out the country. But they have never asked for any proof that she has sole custody of the boys. They have been on 5 cruises with us. Lynda

[whyrlygig]

All I ever used for my son when he was a minor was certified copies of custody orders. Never needed or had a letter and wouldn't have had a way to get one anyway.

[pabrett46]

I can tell you from my own experience.. my husband passed away a few years ago. Since he wasn't living I never thought I would have any trouble with traveling with them. Thank goodness my travel agent warned me that I might. She told me to bring a copy of my husband's death certificate and I had to make sure my children's birth certificates had his name on them to prove he was their father. Since I live in Canada we had to go through customs to come to the US. The customs agent asked me if I had a letter allowing me to travel. I indicated my husband had passed away. I asked him if he wanted to see the death cert..but he said no that's ok. If I didn't have it I'm sure I would have had a problem. During our entire conversation though he watched my kids the whole time.. I'm guessing to see if they'd send him some signal or whatever. I'm glad they do ask. What is a bit of an inconvenience to me is nothing.. compared to a missing child.

 

I hope everything works out for your BIL and they have a great time.

 

D

[BND]

I have a friend that went on a cruise last year with her kids and husband. The ex was out of her life for ove 15 years and she was remarried fo 10 years with no contact to her 16 + 15 year old son during that time. He was in the military and hid from giving her child support. This girl really struggled too. Her husband now is a state trooper and a real man that has truely given those boys a wonderful home. Anyways they had to get a judge to basically sign the letter. since the military was no help only til the judge put a declared dead form with the govenment did the a** show up. He denied the right to get a passpot for the boys unless they gave him 3000.00. They gave him the money only if the a** signed a giving up all rights to the boys and mike then adopted them. The law is you need both parents permission for a passport.

 

Um, that doesn't sound kosher. First, if he was ordered to pay child support and is in the military, it's a garnishment of wages and you don't need to find him to do that, a judge can order it. Second, $3,000 is blackmail and that alone could get him court martialed not to mention his command all over his business. BTW, my DH is a US Navy Captain (0-6) and it's very common to have member's wages garnished for non-payment of child support.

[wrp96]

Wow, that'd be tough on me. I live near the state line, and we certainly don't plan 30 days in advance. I suppose people who are in custody situations and who live in places like I do must write that into the contract: If you're leaving these two states, then you have to have notice.

 

 

Someone I know has it written in their custody agreement that if the parent takes the child away from home for more than one overnight, then the other parent has to be notified. This was added to the agreement after the father took the child on a 14 day vacation by plane (the child's first flight) and the mother found out when the child called home from Disney World - despite making a major fuss earlier that summer when the mother took the child on a weekend trip somewhere within driving distance. The father is a good parent but has gone out of his way to make everything about their custody arrangement an argument. He's exactly the kind of person that would claim his child had been kidnapped if the mother did not get permission in advance.

 

In the OP's case, they definitely need to get the letter - and he needs to talk to his lawyer about making sure the custody arrangement details what travel is allowed.

[imsulin]

For RCI, he does not need the letter as long as he can prove he is their legal guardian or parent. Think about it. What about a single parent when there is no mother around? How would they get a letter? If he sails with BC/ID (where appropriate) and his name is on that BC, he will be fine for RCI's standards.

 

That said...it gets ookie taking kids out of the country without the other parent's permission.

 

You're wrong. Without the letter signed by the other parent, he needs an order from a judge. RCI will - and has - asked for that letter of permission.

[tammycmd]

I can tell you from my own experience.. my husband passed away a few years ago. Since he wasn't living I never thought I would have any trouble with traveling with them. Thank goodness my travel agent warned me that I might. She told me to bring a copy of my husband's death certificate and I had to make sure my children's birth certificates had his name on them to prove he was their father. Since I live in Canada we had to go through customs to come to the US. The customs agent asked me if I had a letter allowing me to travel. I indicated my husband had passed away. I asked him if he wanted to see the death cert..but he said no that's ok. If I didn't have it I'm sure I would have had a problem. During our entire conversation though he watched my kids the whole time.. I'm guessing to see if they'd send him some signal or whatever. I'm glad they do ask. What is a bit of an inconvenience to me is nothing.. compared to a missing child.

 

I hope everything works out for your BIL and they have a great time.

 

D

 

When I first started traveling with my daughter, I got her a state ID, just to prove who she was and traveled with her birth cert. When we went out of country, both parents had to be present when we applied for her passport. I asked what if the parent was deceased, they said a death cert. was needed.

Besides this I get a letter noterized saying when, where and with who the child is traveling with. I printed this letter from a travel web site for singe parents . I also did this when I traveled with my niece w/o her parents, along with a letter authorizing authority for any mishaps that may occur.

I have only been asked once for the letter. But feel much safer with it.

There are a lot of tip for single parent travel if you search the internet. A lot of websited dedicated to single parent travel.

[imsulin]

He would never go on the cruise without the kids. This is supposed to be something for them to enjoy, and to spend time with their grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins, not to mention their dad.

 

I think it is possible for him to get custody based on many things (including her own mother's testimony). If he does not, he will of course get visitation including a few weeks in the summer - he wouldn't accept any less.

 

I agree that it is sad that this is an issue, but the fact is that she is a very petty, vindictive person. Rather than give up on the idea of the cruise, he will attempt to get every necessary paper "signed, sealed, and delivered" so that he can have this family time. Never at any time has the idea of "sneaking" the kids out without necessary papers been suggested - just does he need them, and if yes, he will have to get them.

 

Thanks to everyone for their help in answering the question - I really appreciate it!

 

He should get a short-term court order from a judge if Tiger won't sign, until divorce details are finalized. Yes....he really, really needs written permission!

[cindersdad]

its a shame he would have to go through that. Im a divorsed parent with 2 kids and they have been on 2 cruise and about to go on a third and i never had to bring a notorized letter to bring my kids its a shame i feel for him

[grod19]

To the OP, you might want to be very careful as to what you say here on the boards, especially about what doctors, loved ones etc are saying in regards to the case. You never know in today's day and age what will be presented in court. Best to play it safe.

 

In regards to the letter I highly advise getting one. I have traveled with single parents and their kids before and they weren't asked for it (the mother and daughter even had different last names) but as many others have said plan for the worst and hope for the best.

 

I'd suggest talking to a lawyer about getting the letter and the best path forward.

[catlady27]

First of all, I was looking for a cabin for my brother-in-law and his three kids to sail with us on the August 21, 2011 sailing of Allure. The only cabins left on the ENTIRE SHIP that sleep four were some OV staterooms on deck three, and one Boardwalk view balcony stateroom on deck nine, according to the rep on the phone. I didn't check suites, though.:D When I booked a few weeks ago, there was a lot available for a group of four!!

 

Now, for my question! My brother-in-law is in the process of getting a divorce. Without going into the detail, it is his soon to be ex-wife's fault, completely - let's just call her Tiger.:rolleyes: She is very angry that he DARES to divorce her, and won't make his life easy about taking the boys on vacation. Without going into the need/no need for a passport debate, and the necessary steps to get one (I am aware of all that) my question is will RCCL allow the kids to sail on the ship with one parent, without a notarized letter from the other parent? I checked the RCCL website and the only thing I see pertains to children traveling with someone who is not their parent or legal guardian.

 

Thanks for any help - the soon to be ex has isolated my brother-in-law from his family for several years now, and he really needs this vacation.

 

Jennifer, I know that in Texas you must have signed permission from the other parent if one parent is wishing to take the child/children out of the country. Not sure how that would work on a ship, but I would suggest contacting a family law attorney in your city or even checking the Family Law rules for your state (you can google them and find them all online now).

 

P.S. I am so sorry your BIL is going through this :(

[FreshOffTheBoat]

I am confused here a little bit. So in America, lets say I wanted to take my kids on a trip without my wife, I would have to have a letter saying it was okay for the kids to go on a trip with there dad?

 

Or has it already been to court and there are conditions that the kids can't leave the country without the other halfs permission?

 

Part I don't understand is if no one knows there getting a divorce (it hasn;t been to court yet) how would anyone know of anything when going to a cruise port?

[Mack2]

It speaks volumes to me that the "Cougar"... whoops... "Tiger" lady would punish the children by not allowing them on the vacation in retribution against the OP's BiL.

 

Even though the attorney costs $400/hr... I would still suggest you have him consult the lawyer to see what the best solution for this issue would be for him. It's not always the best idea to go to an anonymous message board to ask...

 

Just by reading some of the responses... if I were "Tiger" lady, I now have a better understanding of how I can make the BiL's attorney bills higher.

[jenmouse]

Part I don't understand is if no one knows there getting a divorce (it hasn;t been to court yet) how would anyone know of anything when going to a cruise port?

 

We are not cruising for a year.

[wrp96]

I am confused here a little bit. So in America, lets say I wanted to take my kids on a trip without my wife, I would have to have a letter saying it was okay for the kids to go on a trip with there dad?

 

Or has it already been to court and there are conditions that the kids can't leave the country without the other halfs permission?

 

Part I don't understand is if no one knows there getting a divorce (it hasn;t been to court yet) how would anyone know of anything when going to a cruise port?

 

Basically to prevent international abductions, it is generally required that if a child is departing the country with only one parent, then you need to provide some proof that you have sole custody or have permission of the other parent for the child to depart the country with you. It's not required in all situations or for all countries. Will people be asked for it most the time? Not usually. But in situations like the OP's where there is a contentious divorce, this is exactly the time when you need the letter or proof of sole custody. BTW, I believe Canada has similiar requirements.

[NYC cruiser lady]

i work in family court and i see stuff like this all of the time. i can assure you that if he takes the kids out of the counrty without her permission, it will be used agaisnt him in court. without knowing specifics, just because tiger cheated does not give your brother in law the upperhand in gaining full custody. he really should make as few waves as possible.

 

also, they do not need to go to court to get the travel letter.

 

I also work in Family Court. He has enough time to present her with the document and, if she does not sign it, start a proceeding to get court authorization to go on the trip.

 

BTW, make sure the letter is taken from the RCL website or another website before he presents it to her. Chances are, she won't sign it twice, so he should make sure it is drafted properly.