Notorized letters

[Karencruiser43]

Can anybody help me? My aunt and uncle are bringing THEIR daughter's two children with them on the cruise. They have the same last name as my aunt and uncle. How necessary is it for them to have the letter "Notorized" This is their 2nd cruise with their grandchildren who all live in England, and now every time they go on a cruise and bring their grandchildren with them they have to pay $80 for a notorized letter. Anybody let me know if these letters are really "looked at" and if so, can anybdoy recommend anywhere else these letter can be notorized without going to an attorney and paying $80 everytime they want to take them on vacation. Many thanks for any info on this very important question. They are leaving in a couple of weeks.

[gulfcoast39]

I brought my daughter's friend out of Port Canaveral and they did look at the letter. Have you thought of trying to go to a bank to get it notarized? I think it would be cheaper than $80. Hope this helped.

[cruz1234]

I have always gone online and gotten a from letter, filled in the blanks and had the notary at my bank notarize it for free. Have never had to pay anything. I would not let a letter be the reason I was standing on the dock as the ship sailed away. Better safe than sorry. Plus if there is a medical emergency they need authorization to have them taken care of. Much too risky to go without, IMO.

[Havana Daydreamin]

You might also want to consider if your church does this service. Ours does.

[beachlady58]

I just brought my 2 boys on a cruise without their father (we are divorced) and I was told to get the letter. My TA said it would not stop the cruise but strongly recommended that I get it. I did get the letter and no one looked at it. Most banks and insurance cos do this for free - $80 is a rip-off!:mad:

[SraLiz]

Last summer my cousins and I took our daughters on a "chicks rule" cruise and our TA told us to get the letters.

Not only did the pre boarding staff look at our letters, the checked the passports and asked our daughters questions verifing that their parents were indeed married and that their fathers knew they were on the cruise!

We boarded with no problem. They (the cruise ship officials) also told us to take the letters with us when we left the ship, just to be safe if something happend on an island.

We had a geat trip and no problems!

My husband's secretary is a notary so there was no fee, but I would pay whatever the cost to keep from getting stressed before I get on the ship.

[wanda1101]

I think it's rare that they actually look at the letter, but why risk it? I've always used a permission to travel and a medical form I found online, print, and take to the bank to be notarized for no charge. If the parents work, there's almost always a notary working somewhere.

[Bluenose Sandy]

If they live in the UK, they may not be able to get the letter notarized for free at a bank. I know in Canada, notaries are hard to find outside of a lawyer's office.

[wanda1101]

If they live in the UK, they may not be able to get the letter notarized for free at a bank. I know in Canada, notaries are hard to find outside of a lawyer's office.

 

If they're American, they should be able to do it at the Embassy.

[scubapuss]

All real estate companys will do it.

[Karencruiser43]

Thanks everybody for your replies. I will pass these messages on to my relatives in England. We have 40 people going on this cruise, so I want everything to go smoothly. I would also like to mention, the granddaughters uncle, who is their mother's brother is also going and he has the same last name as the kids also. Maybe they will think their his kids. I guess it is up to my uncle what he wants to do. Thanks!

[Nliedel]

There is an English connection here. I am not sure if they are all from the UK or just some of them.

 

No matter what get the letter. One time could ruin your trip.

[Candleonwater]

I would agree... even if no one looks at the form, better to have it than not. I actually had to go through the court system here to get paperwork to ease my way, since a notarized letter wasn't going to be possible.

[Mjjpower]

I am a notary and I just wanted to mention a few things. A lot of banks will not allow their notaries to notarize non-bank items anymore. I needed this same form a few years ago from Princess (before I was a notary) and what I found out was that you need to have a form with the notarial wording on it...you cannot just have a letter notarized. What I mean by that is that there is specific language on a form that needs to be notarzied and this can vary by state and I'm sure country. The attorney's advantage is that they are legally allowed to draw up these forms where as a notary does not usually do that. You can probably find a from on line. Now, once you have the right verbage on a form you should be able to look up a notary in the phone book. I am actually called a "Notary Signing Agent" and there are several websites that you can look up who is in your area. I am sure the UK has the same type of service. In the USA you can use www.123notary.com, or www.notaryrotary.com or www.gomobilenotary.com. I will tell you that in WA state where I practice I can not charge more than the state allowed fee for a notarization which is typically $5 per signing plus mileage, so do not get bamboozled into a higher price, unless that is an attorney is drawing up the paperwork, in which case I'm sure it will cost more. And I guess when all is said and done I'm sure there are notaries out there who would notarize documents without the wording but just be aware that it may not be a binding document.

Okay...hope this helps someone.