Travelling with unaccompanied "minors" aka 20 year olds

[tiff234]

I booked a cruise for my husband and I, my 22 year old son and my 20 year old son, and we allowed them to bring a friend each who happen to both be 20 years old. 

 

RCCL considers the 20 year old friends as minors, and it appears I have to get a letter notarized from their parents (the sample form attached) allowing them to travel with us and assigning someone to make medical decisions on their behalf???  This is so bizarre. Am I reading this policy right?  I tried calling guest services twice but I just get people who seem just as confused as I am... In the end, they say it is necessary to have. However, the form that they supposedly need clearly states it is for minors 0-17 years old.   I feel silly asking their parents for this. 

 

Has anyone been through this and how did you handle it?  Should I just cross out the "0-17" and put "20?"  I really don't want to show up to port and have them turn us away.

minor-traveling-without-parent-or-guardian-form.pdf

[not-enough-cruising]

Royal does not consider 20 year olds minors.
You need no additional documentation for the friends. 

[smokeybandit]

Under 18 is a minor. Under 21 just can't be the oldest person on a reservation

[dd likes to cruise]

Could it be how you have the rooms booked?  Is an adult in each room?

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, dd likes to cruise said:

Could it be how you have the rooms booked?  Is an adult in each room?

That makes no difference in documentation required 

[RD64]

In view of the recent incident of the 19 year old incident on the Wonder of the Seas last week, I have to say that you are quite brave for taking on the responsibility for young adults that are not your own. 

[brevardcruiser]

The 20 year old does not require documentation from parents/guardians.  I brought a 16 and 17 year old for my daughters sweet 16 cruise last year which required the form.  The 20 year old no. 

[Tree_skier]

I just brought my three grand kids on a cruise 14, 17 and 20.  The 14 and 17 year old required the notarized form.  Nothing was required for the 20 year old.

[gluecksbaer]

22 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

That makes no difference in documentation required 

But it may have caused the confusion.  If the rule that those under 21 had to have an "adult" in the cabin and the 20 year olds were not considered "adults" in that sense was not well explaine, it may have led Tiff to believe that they considered the 20 year olds "minors" in general and not just in terms of booking a room.

[Ourusualbeach]

24 minutes ago, gluecksbaer said:

But it may have caused the confusion.  If the rule that those under 21 had to have an "adult" in the cabin and the 20 year olds were not considered "adults" in that sense was not well explaine, it may have led Tiff to believe that they considered the 20 year olds "minors" in general and not just in terms of booking a room.

18 year olds can travel by themselves in places other than North America.  Two separate policies but definitely could cause confusion

[not-enough-cruising]

On 9/3/2023 at 8:47 PM, RD64 said:

In view of the recent incident of the 19 year old incident on the Wonder of the Seas last week, I have to say that you are quite brave for taking on the responsibility for young adults that are not your own. 

Let’s not paint all young adults with the same broad brush. 

[stobe1]

On 9/3/2023 at 8:47 PM, RD64 said:

In view of the recent incident of the 19 year old incident on the Wonder of the Seas last week, I have to say that you are quite brave for taking on the responsibility for young adults that are not your own. 

You said the key word. "Adults". The OP would not be responsible for them, nor their actions. There is nothing that would make the OP legally responsible for the actions of a 20 year old.

[jean87510]

On 9/3/2023 at 6:06 PM, tiff234 said:

I booked a cruise for my husband and I, my 22 year old son and my 20 year old son, and we allowed them to bring a friend each who happen to both be 20 years old. 

 

RCCL considers the 20 year old friends as minors, and it appears I have to get a letter notarized from their parents (the sample form attached) allowing them to travel with us and assigning someone to make medical decisions on their behalf???  This is so bizarre. Am I reading this policy right?  I tried calling guest services twice but I just get people who seem just as confused as I am... In the end, they say it is necessary to have. However, the form that they supposedly need clearly states it is for minors 0-17 years old.   I feel silly asking their parents for this. 

 

Has anyone been through this and how did you handle it?  Should I just cross out the "0-17" and put "20?"  I really don't want to show up to port and have them turn us away.

minor-traveling-without-parent-or-guardian-form.pdf 355.63 kB · 17 downloads

It is just a form that the parents get notarized.  Their bank can do it.  I'm sure the parents will be ok with it especially since you are giving their child a great trip.

[RD64]

30 minutes ago, stobe1 said:

You said the key word. "Adults". The OP would not be responsible for them, nor their actions. There is nothing that would make the OP legally responsible for the actions of a 20 year old.

Yet the OP refers to them as minors.

[stobe1]

1 minute ago, RD64 said:

Yet the OP refers to them as minors.

The OP mistakenly thought that Royal considered 20 year olds as minors and needed documentation aka permission slips from their parents, which isn't the case. Not the same thing. 

[chfenton]

Just to add my .02 - as with many things the United States is unique. There are only a few things where you aren't considered a "real" adult at 18 in our country and we have a bifurcated age of majority.  While the overwhelming majority of transactions can occur as an adult at 18 (such as vote, buy a house, enter any other contract, get married etc..) we have a fascination about alcohol and for that the legal age is 21. So you can go get married, buy a house, serve your country in a war zone, but can't buy a six pack at Publix. Ok - no judgement 😀. 

 

But likely the drinking age concept in our country results in RCCL policy of 21 being considered adult for purposes of booking room/travelling alone. As a data point, in the Dominican where the drinking age is 18, my 20 year old was able to book, go, and drink on vacation with his buddies -no chaperone needed.

[not-enough-cruising]

47 minutes ago, chfenton said:

Just to add my .02 - as with many things the United States is unique. There are only a few things where you aren't considered a "real" adult at 18 in our country and we have a bifurcated age of majority.  While the overwhelming majority of transactions can occur as an adult at 18 (such as vote, buy a house, enter any other contract, get married etc..) we have a fascination about alcohol and for that the legal age is 21. So you can go get married, buy a house, serve your country in a war zone, but can't buy a six pack at Publix. Ok - no judgement 😀. 

 

But likely the drinking age concept in our country results in RCCL policy of 21 being considered adult for purposes of booking room/travelling alone. As a data point, in the Dominican where the drinking age is 18, my 20 year old was able to book, go, and drink on vacation with his buddies -no chaperone needed.

Royal doesn’t consider 21 as an adult for the purposes of booking. 

[chfenton]

2 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Royal doesn’t consider 21 as an adult for the purposes of booking. 

Per their website the minimum age to sail unaccompanied is 21 in North America and 18 elsewhere (which fits nicely with their alcohol policy).  I don't recall seeing any higher age for booking- what you are you saying is that if if you are 21 you have to have mom or someone call in and make a reservation even though you can travel alone?  This makes zero sense since you can make reservation on computer.  Respectfully, I disagree and believe the website backs me up. 

[RD64]

6 minutes ago, chfenton said:

Per their website the minimum age to sail unaccompanied is 21 in North America and 18 elsewhere (which fits nicely with their alcohol policy).  I don't recall seeing any higher age for booking- what you are you saying is that if if you are 21 you have to have mom or someone call in and make a reservation even though you can travel alone?  This makes zero sense since you can make reservation on computer.  Respectfully, I disagree and believe the website backs me up. 

A 20 year old has to sail in a cabin with someone who is at least 21 years old. For example - a 20 year old cannot make a reservation for himself and travel because there is nobody 21 years of age in the cabin. So from the RCL perspective - yes - 20 years old is still considered a minor.

[Ourusualbeach]

9 minutes ago, chfenton said:

Per their website the minimum age to sail unaccompanied is 21 in North America and 18 elsewhere (which fits nicely with their alcohol policy).  I don't recall seeing any higher age for booking- what you are you saying is that if if you are 21 you have to have mom or someone call in and make a reservation even though you can travel alone?  This makes zero sense since you can make reservation on computer.  Respectfully, I disagree and believe the website backs me up. 

They were using booking and sailing as if they were the same.

[not-enough-cruising]

44 minutes ago, chfenton said:

Per their website the minimum age to sail unaccompanied is 21 in North America and 18 elsewhere (which fits nicely with their alcohol policy).  I don't recall seeing any higher age for booking- what you are you saying is that if if you are 21 you have to have mom or someone call in and make a reservation even though you can travel alone?  This makes zero sense since you can make reservation on computer.  Respectfully, I disagree and believe the website backs me up. 

My mistake

[karena1]

42 minutes ago, RD64 said:

A 20 year old has to sail in a cabin with someone who is at least 21 years old. For example - a 20 year old cannot make a reservation for himself and travel because there is nobody 21 years of age in the cabin. So from the RCL perspective - yes - 20 years old is still considered a minor.

As long as  (under 21) are next door or across from the parents, they can be in a cabin alone.  I do this many times for my clients.  They just have to be next door or directly across the hallway.

[Georgia_Peaches]

On 9/3/2023 at 9:47 PM, RD64 said:

In view of the recent incident of the 19 year old incident on the Wonder of the Seas last week, I have to say that you are quite brave for taking on the responsibility for young adults that are not your own. 

One very sad incident such as the one you cite would not deter me from taking 20 y/o adults who aren't mine along on vacation.  A sad situation is not the same as a common one.  I pray for the family.

[chfenton]

1 hour ago, karena1 said:

As long as  (under 21) are next door or across from the parents, they can be in a cabin alone.  I do this many times for my clients.  They just have to be next door or directly across the hallway.

From experience, if you have a legitimate reason this can also be waived (at least it was for me about 10 years ago).  At the time, we had our nanny who was 20 and wanted her to sail alone and we purchased her a balcony which was nowhere near our Crown loft suite.  Instead of having to book that room in my wife's name and put nanny with the rest of us and then switch once on board, I simply asked the executive office to let her sail in her cabin alone.  Received a response of "no problem" in about 10 minutes.

[stobe1]

5 hours ago, chfenton said:

. So you can go get married, buy a house, serve your country in a war zone, but can't buy a six pack at Publix. Ok - no judgement 😀. 

.

 

I have made this point a few times along the way here on CC and elsewhere.

 

I fully believe that if, at the age of 18, you can join the military and go fight in a war in some God-forsaken country or wasteland that some politician sends you off to and die answering the call of duty, you should be able to have a beer. 

Edited September 5, 2023 by stobe1