Ahoy there, Jane! Welcome aboard planDisney! Thanks for sailing my way with this super important question!
As you likely already know,
the Authorization for Minor to Travel without a Parent or Legal Guardian form authorizes an adult (age 18 and older) other than the parent or legal guardian to retain care, custody, and control of a child during the span of a Disney cruise vacation. It is required for each child who will be traveling without a parent or legal guardian.
A parent or legal guardian must complete this form, naming each of the children it applies to, and it must be presented by the authorized adult during check-in at the port terminal.
Now, you'll notice that this form has an area for it to be notarized, so for your own peace of mind, I'd suggest you get it notarized regardless of what you may hear from others! For me, this falls squarely into the "better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it" category, much like every other type of
Travel Documentation required or suggested by Disney Cruise Line.
If you haven't used a notary in a while, you can usually find one at your local bank, many post offices, or recently, many states have instituted regulations that allow for "Remote Online Notarization." I'd suggest a simple web search for that term to get a proper heading marked on your map!
Ah, and I just saw that your sailing is at one of the MOST special times of the year! I hope you enjoy the excitement of a
Very Merrytime sailing with your crew! Thank you so much for your question, Jane, and if any others surface as you get ready to give this gift, please drop us another line at planDisney!
Fair winds, following seas, and happy holidays!
Andrew