Traveling as a blended family

[charw20]

I have 3 different questions. Hoping to get an idea of how it will be. My husband and I have cruised before but never with the kids. A little background, I have a 15 year old girl and 10 year old boy...My husband has a 11 year old boy....and we have a 4 year old daughter. My questions are, we are traveling on the Carnival Fascination in June and

 

1. What documents will our children need? They don't have passports, we do. Traveling without the other parent, what kind of stuff will they ask for?

 

2. Our 11 year old will turn 12, 5 weeks before we go, will they let him go with the 10 year old to camp carnival? The stuff for teens is things he probably wouldn't be interested in anyways.

 

3. What kind of activities for our 4 year old?

 

Thanks for any input you may have. Oh, also we have to fly in the day of the cruise this time. Before we always have flown the day before, hope it all works out. :)

[kitty9]

You will need a notarized letter from both parents who will not be on the cruise, giving you permission to take the children out of the country. If you don't have this, you won't be allowed to board the ship and you won't get a refund.

 

All kids will need a certified birth certificate, one that's government issued and not a hospital one or a church one.

 

They NEVER allow an older child to go down a level for the camp. It's all a liability issue. Look at it this way, would you be happy if your daughter, who might be in a younger group, was in a group with older kids? I wouldn't. They are steadfastly strict with the age rule for older kids moving down a level. It just doesn't happen.

[6rugrats]

They NEVER allow an older child to go down a level for the camp. It's all a liability issue. Look at it this way, would you be happy if your daughter, who might be in a younger group, was in a group with older kids? I wouldn't. They are steadfastly strict with the age rule for older kids moving down a level. It just doesn't happen.

I agree with all of Kitty's post but this. IME, they have allowed children to move DOWN a level. They just don't usually allow them to move UP a level. No matter what anyone here tells you though, sometimes it seems as if employees make up the rules as they go along.

 

Suggest you ask the first night when you board. You never know. Your son may find he likes the teen activities and doesn't want to be with the "babies".

[charw20]

Thanks, I really hope they do let him go down. He looks like he is 9 years old and I don't think he is quite ready or mature enough to mingle with the older kids. I mean he was is 11 now and will just turn 12. I guess we will see....:)

[printingchick]

Whatever the rules regarding the kids clubs, I think it often ends up being at the discretion of the person in charge on your cruise.

 

My daughter went down a level, but she was not as young. For her high school graduation cruise, she was 18 but her best friend, traveling with us, was 17. My daughter was allowed to attend the teen activities, but by doing so, surrendered her ability to cruise as an adult with access to the casino and night club.

 

This situation was on a Carnival ship.

[cherylandtk]

Back to the documentation. Unless you have kept your maiden name throughout, consider bringing along your most recent marriage license (and divorce decree if your name changed upon that event, too). It probably will not be necessary, but they might be needed to show that you are the same person as listed as the mother on your kids' BCs.

[Essiesmom]

There is a forum here for Family Cruising, under Special Interest Cruising. There is a poster there who has links to kids activity sheets for several lines in her signature. Look for threads or replies by crusinmama06. EM

[sail7seas]

In the Permission Letters from the non-traveling parent, be certain to include complete detail of any flights you will be taking, the dates, every port where the ship will call and allow for 'unexpected' changes to itinerary/travel.

 

Be certain you have it notarized.

[njmomof2]

I always say to bring the letter but the poster who said you will not be able to board without it is incorrect. I have cruised with my boys several times, some when I was still married to my ex, and then without. No one even asked for the travel letter, although I always have it with me just in case.

 

It is all about child abduction and for those of you on the East Coast, we all know about the Sean Goldman case here in NJ and the years of fighting it took to bring him home.

 

I cannot comment on whether they will let the 12 year old down into the 9-11 group. Some will say it never happens, others will say it does.