Loading Page...

Can I take my child on a cruise without the other parent?

It is true that a parent who has sole custody of their child or children does not need permission from the other parent to travel domestically or abroad. Parents with sole custody will have to provide their court-ordered custody arrangement to get the child's passport.



People Also Ask

When traveling with a minor where one parent or both parents or legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original signed letter from the absent parent(s) or legal guardians authorizing the minor to travel with you.

MORE DETAILS

Current regulations, which are subject to change at any time, are as follows: Parents of minor children (under 18 years old) must carefully document legal custody prior to traveling. If a minor child is traveling with only one parent, the absent parent should provide a notarized letter of consent.

MORE DETAILS

The notarized letter from the child's parent must authorize the traveling adult to take the child on the specific cruise, must authorize guardian to sign legal documentation/waivers for participation in any activities requiring them (i.e. Rock Climbing, Flowrider, Bungee Trampoline, Inline Skating, or Ice Skating) and ...

MORE DETAILS

If you travel or are going to travel with a child, consider taking the following documents: If the child is traveling with only one of their custodial parents, they must have a letter of consent, preferably in English and notarized, from the other parent or signed by both parents.

MORE DETAILS

Cruise fares are per person which includes children and infants. When traveling with two full fare guests, additional guests in the same stateroom pay a discounted cruise fare.

MORE DETAILS

A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 only needs to present either an original or a copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by DOS, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

MORE DETAILS

Typically, you'll need a notarized letter of consent, signed by the other parent (include contact information), saying that you have permission to take your children out of the country on the specific dates and specific cruise and to sign activity waivers and make medical decisions for the child when traveling.

MORE DETAILS

Infants must be at least 6 months of age at the time of embarkation in order to sail. Children must be at least 12 months of age at the time of embarkation to sail on trans-ocean crossings and remote itineraries, where there are more than 2 consecutive sea days. We do not carry baby food or formula on board our ships.

MORE DETAILS

For U.S. citizens: For Round Trip cruises from the U.S. that DO NOT include Panama or Colombia, U.S. citizens 17 and under will be able to present either an original, notarized or certified copy of their birth certificate, or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issues by DOS AND a valid Government Issued ID.

MORE DETAILS

Luxury Ships The intimate ships of high-end lines like Silversea Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, SeaDream Yacht Club and Regent Seven Seas Cruises (or ultra-premium lines, such as Oceania Cruises, Windstar Cruises, Azamara and Viking Ocean Cruises) are refined, dignified and geared to adults.

MORE DETAILS

The documentation is required at embarkation and throughout the cruise and is the responsibility of the guest. Our policy states that any guest traveling without proper documentation will be denied boarding the ship and will be under full penalty, and therefore, will not be offered a refund or a replacement cruise.

MORE DETAILS

Carnival cruises that visit islands in the French West Indies (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin and Saint Barts) require a valid passport regardless of departure port. Children under the age of 16 who are citizens of the U.S. or Canada are exempt from the passport requirement for land and sea border crossings.

MORE DETAILS

Travelers under the age of 18 must travel with an adult over the age of 18. Children under the age of 16 must have a passenger who is 16 or older share their cabin. Minimum age to leave a P&O ship on your own: Guests must be 17 or older to go on a ship-sponsored shore excursion on their own.

MORE DETAILS

On all cruises and cruise journeys, minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied and share a cabin with a parent, legal guardian or other responsible adult over the age of 21. We reserve the right to limit the number of minors under the age of 18 years on board.

MORE DETAILS

First things first, Camp Ocean is a dedicated kid area that's available across the entire Carnival fleet. It offers staff that supervises the kids and tons of things for kids to do from video games to arts and crafts to physical activities to movie nights.

MORE DETAILS

Kids sail free is a limited time promotional offer that allows for guests 12 or younger to receive a free cruise fare. This offer is only available during active dates. To secure a Kids Sail Free promotion on a reservation, all applicable names and dates of birth must be given when making a reservation.

MORE DETAILS

To complete, guests must click on Manage My Booking at www.carnival.com/Onlinecheckin. Under the Guest Selection, there is Youth Registration options to register all children who are sailing. Guests can add in 'travel with' guests into the profile if they are sailing with numerous bookings.

MORE DETAILS

If you are traveling alone with your child, you may be required to present documentation proving you are the parent or legal guardian. You may also need a letter of permission from the other parent for your child to travel.

MORE DETAILS

Guests under the age of 13 Minors can be booked in separate staterooms, only if booked next door or directly across the hall from the Parents/Grandparents stateroom. Note: Minors 13 and under may only be booked in a balcony stateroom with the Parents/Grandparents; this also applies to connecting staterooms.

MORE DETAILS

Yes, many ships offer family-friendly cruise activities. Programming might include parades, deck parties, fireworks displays, water shows and breakfasts or meet-and-greets with favorite characters. Some lines have video game systems and host tournaments, and most have arcades.

MORE DETAILS

While not all cruise lines require passport books, some may ask you to present a valid one. Standard Cruises: These cruises start or end at non-U.S. ports, and travelers must thus have valid passport books. Like with air travel, the passport requirement applies to travelers of all ages.

MORE DETAILS

Children under age 19 can also use birth certificates IF they are traveling by sea and IF they are traveling with a school group, a church group or a social or cultural organization supervised by an adult. Just like adults, children in any age group must have a passport book to travel to the Bahamas by plane.

MORE DETAILS

Carnival offers many Caribbean cruise options including sailings that depart and return to U.S. ports like Baltimore, Norfolk and New Orleans. These don't require a passport as they are closed-loop sailings.

MORE DETAILS