Huge problem before our 1st cruise!!!

[Dee777]

As some of you know, I will be going on my very first cruise on Jan 6. We've run into a problem, and I am not too sure whether or not I need to worry overly much, but to be on the safe side, I'll start to panic right NOW, so as not to waste any time LOL.

 

I will be cruising with mainly family, 17 of us in total going. Well, my 23 year old son is bring his girlfriend, who is going to be turning 20 right after we return home. While she is of age here in Canada (19 years), she will not be by Carnival's standards. Our TA had us sign a form stating that she will be our responsibility, which was fine. She is a very sweet and responsible girl, and I have no worries about her. The form was signed a month ago, and Carnival just yesterday informed our TA that now, they require one of her parents to sign a permission form which we will also have to sign, and re-submit to them. This would be fine, except for one thing: She is not on good terms with her mother, whom she no longer lives with, and her father is living out of town. Exactly how deeply does Carnival dig with this stuff? If she cannot get parental consent, does this mean that she can't board the ship? I am supposed to have this form filled out and faxed to the TA by Monday... might have to take a road trip to her dad's.

 

I thank all who will answer in advance, I am so green at this stuff that I am completely in the dark on this one!

 

Dee

[Mglmstr]

Simple solution.

 

Find a way to make a signature magically appear on the form.

 

My buddy has the same problem. I highly doubt they'll spend the time, money or resources needed to do a background check.

[laura2161]

This is news to me. I was under the impression that you did not need a parental slip for anyone 18 and over :confused: :confused:

 

I'm taking my daughter's friend with us in December. She's 18.

 

Laura

[gazingm42]

I have had many folks who had paper work and they never asked for it.

 

But I like you I would worry about this myself, but I do that. Guess I get

that from my Mom.

 

But I would one try to see if she get Mom to sign it.

 

Or you have time to contact DAD by mail. I might suggest a notary sign

it with Dad.

 

Do I assume she doesn't live with MOM? If not if she lives on her own. I would

have her bring bills, ie phone, power, lease which shows she lives on her own

and not in the care of her parents.

 

 

Good Luck

[JLC@SD]

Simple solution.

 

Find a way to make a signature magically appear on the form.

 

My buddy has the same problem. I highly doubt they'll spend the time, money or resources needed to do a background check.

 

.......and then when her mother or father wants to know who signed for her.........the OP will have a BIG LEGAL PROBLEM......this is bad advise....;)

[cuyahoga11]

Guests are required to be 21 years old (on embarkation day) to travel. Guests under the age of 21 must be accompanied in the same stateroom by a parent or guardian 25 or older. The exceptions Carnival will make to this policy are:

Married minor couple - The booking must be documented that the couple is married. The couple must have proof of marriage at embarkation or they will be denied boarding without the benefit of a refund.

Domestic Partners/Same-Sex Union minor couple - The booking must be documented that the couple are legal Domestic Partners/Same-Sex Union. The couple must have legal proof of partnership/union at embarkation or they will be denied boarding without the benefit of a refund.

Guest ages will be verified at embarkation. Guests not conforming to this policy will be denied boarding and assessed a 100% cancellation penalty. NO exceptions will be made at embarkation.

The Group policy is slightly different because of stricter group terms and conditions including mandatory chaperones, damage deposits and other considerations.

[Jenna1983]

Since when did people over the age of 18 have to have mom or dad's permission to leave a country? I'd challenge that.

[Jenna1983]

Oh and I don't know what is up with this because my brother has two friends coming on this cruise (both under 21, one turns 21 on our cruise) and no one said anything about them having to have parental permission. Actually, our PVP said that we'd need it and then said, "Oh wait, they're over 18. No problem on that. They just have to have someone over 21 in their cabin." That's not a problem, but no parental permission from their mom and dad was needed.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Oh and I don't know what is up with this because my brother has two friends coming on this cruise (both under 21, one turns 21 on our cruise) and no one said anything about them having to have parental permission. Actually, our PVP said that we'd need it and then said, "Oh wait, they're over 18. No problem on that. They just have to have someone over 21 in their cabin." That's not a problem, but no parental permission from their mom and dad was needed.

 

The policy stated above says that if you are under 21 you need someone 25 or older in the cabin.:confused:

 

Bill

[CruiseFever]

They can be real sticklers about "the rules" when they want to. Most of the rules are there for a reason but sometimes they do seem to be a bit overly cautious. Still, they do own the boats and if they want something, you pretty much better give it to them.

 

On the other hand they do make "the rules" and they are often interpreted differently by different people who answer the phone. There's an old saying that is dead accurate about Carnival customer service people "If you don't like what they say, call back until you get someone who will tell you what you want to hear"

 

Here's what I'd do if I was you

 

Try to get the estranged parent to play ball, that's the easiest most direct way to get this done. It's something YOU have some control over. The other choice is to play with Carnival. But see, Carnival just wants to play with your TA, not you, so this can be frustrating.

 

Write all this down like a script; get your story down on paper very much like you have said here.

 

The truth goes a long way.

 

Then have your TA (this Will be a good test of your TA's commitment to you) call Carnival and tell someone there your story. I think it's obvious that you are not abducting this person, sneaking bombs aboard with their luggage or trying to circumvent someones parental authority so this should be ok. It's just a matter of getting to the right person and presenting your case in an appropriate manner. This is not (or shouldn't be) a big deal.

 

Someone with their head screwed on right at Carnival should be able to make this go away.

[Yemaya]

We took my daughter's boyfriend with us this past September and he is just 18 and we had no problem at all. His parents never signed anything and Carnival never asked. We booked direct through Carnival so they knew. He had a passport and all his ID and that is all they needed. I hope it all works out.

[tkere]

Is the problem that the 23 year old is in the same room with his girlfriend, no 25 year old?

[nothomeonacruise]

I agree about the legalities of this situation. What IF something happened to this girl on the cruise? Her mother sounds like she could be a problem. You're better off getting the proper signature.

[NCTribeFan]

I'm going to request that a "sticky" be put on these boards with links to Carnival's FAQ and some of these other topics that come up over and over.

 

Here's what I found when I did a search on Carnival's site for "minor" traveler...

 

 

MINOR GUESTS

Guests under the age of 21 must be accompanied by a parent, grandparent or guardian 25 years or older in the same stateroom.

***

 

When traveling with a minor and both parents/legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original signed letter from the absent parent/legal guardian authorizing the minor to travel with you. This will expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security. Please note that a notarized letter to this effect is required if debarking with children in Mexico.

 

In addition to the above requirements, all guests 16 years of age or older must provide an official photo ID.

***

 

I took my daughter's friend with us when they graduated from high school and all she brought was a signed letter from her parents. She handed it to the person when we were checking in, who glanced at it and handed it right back.

 

We did NOT stop in Mexico on that cruise.

 

When we cruised last December, DD's boyfriend, from England, only brought his passport. It never occurred to me that he might need a letter.

 

We did have to book him with my friend in one cabin. We spent the whole cruise switching room keys back and forth because I was not aware we could switch them once on board and put DD and BF together. I mean, WHY make it so you have to book the 20-yo with an "adult" if you can simply switch them around once on board? I figured if you couldn't book it that way, you couldn't switch. I mean, what's the point in going through all that?

 

That was before I discovered Cruise Critic.

[lvtotrvl1]

Sometimes when there is a large party, or a group, the res is flagged, and this may be the reason for this. Will her Dad sign it? You have til Jan for your cruise. I know CCL says they need it by Monday , but if you call and give the circumstances..that her Dad live out of town, they will extend it for you.,I would defintaly have it signed. They may not look, but the fact that your res was noticed and they contacted the TA, I wouldn't take any chances.

[halos]

I think what they want is for the girl to be in a cabin with someone over 25...I don't really think they need a parent's signature...but I can be wrong. You just have the TA switch her room assignment on paper and then after you get on the ship, you go to the purser and have room keys switched so everyone is in the room you'd like them to be in. I honestly can't see how someone the age of 19 even in the US needs permission from a parent to do ANYTHING. The only thing a person is restricted from until the age of 21 is drinking...nothing else.

[lvtotrvl1]

If you are not booked in a group reservation , Halo is correct. If you do have a group, CCL does require the authorization. Check with your TA if you are not sure whether or not you are a group. If not, just change cabins on paper and switch upon boarding if the signature is too big of a problem.

[parrotthead]

If there are only 17 going they may not be booked as a 'group' (unless the TA has block cabins and have booked others along as a 'group')--Carnival requires 8 cabins to book as a 'group'

I too think its the fact that there is no one over 25 booked in the room. Cant imanage that they want a parent's sig to sail over 18, but the 19 adn 23 y/o in a cabin could be the problem.

Good luck.

[RogerandChris]

If Dad will sign it then you sign the form, fax to dad, he signs & faxes to Carnival. I'd carry an original on the cruise.

 

Since they said they'll accept a faxed Sig I see no problem.

[lvtotrvl1]

If there are only 17 going they may not be booked as a 'group' (unless the TA has block cabins and have booked others along as a 'group')--Carnival requires 8 cabins to book as a 'group'

I too think its the fact that there is no one over 25 booked in the room. Cant imanage that they want a parent's sig to sail over 18, but the 19 adn 23 y/o in a cabin could be the problem.

Good luck.

 

 

I understand that...that's why I suggested calling to ask the question.....l

[parrotthead]

I understand that...that's why I suggested calling to ask the question.....l

right...tkere and halos pointed it out too. I was agreeing.

[Dee777]

Thank you all so very much for all of your wonderful suggestions. I would also like to add: She was a last minute add-on to our cruise. Originally, she didn't think she could come, so the 16 of us made our booking, then about 2 weeks later, she found she could come along, and I called the TA who made the arrangements. She is taking a completely different flight than the rest of us, but will meet up with us in Miami the night before the cruise.

 

Someone had said a few posts ago something about her staying in a cabin with someone under 25 years. As I said, my son is 23, but my two daughters, who are 24 years old, each have their own cabin as well, one is sharing with her boyfriend, the other with her 12 year old cousin. Carnival claims that they have no problem with this, apparently, because their dad and I will be on the cruise too. Not that I am complaining, but sheesh, having to be responsible for three twentysomethings...! If they can't behave at their age, I would have thrown them to the sharks loooong ago ;).

 

It almost all became a moot point anyway last night, I got a phone call at midnight from my son, they were leaving a concert and were involved in a car accident... a pickup truck ran a light and T-boned my son's girlfriend's car. Fortunately, they are OK! The car is totalled, but I just have to drive 120 miles this morning to pick them up :rolleyes:.

 

Thank you all again, I found some of the replies to be reassuring, some very educational, and all were very much appreciated!

 

Dee

[Dee777]

I forgot to mention, we ARE booked as a group, we have 8 cabins in total.

 

Dee:)

[BrettH]

They require a signature from a legal guardian 25 or older...Couldn't the GF being of proper age to act as her own guardian go to a notary with the BF's parents and write something up to grant them guardianship for the duration of the cruise?

 

I know if I was over 18 and they wanted my parents to sign something I'd be ticked off. At the age of 18 you are of the majority and can enter legally binding contracts.

[lvtotrvl1]

Since you are in a group, you would be able to sign as her guardian. Your TA can print the form off of BookCCL.com.