Need help - pregnant

Hi all,

I have a cruise booked with Royal Caribbean through a travel agency for next month.

When booking I was not pregnant, travel agent never mentioned rules on pregnancy etc. Balance was paid in full at time of booking.

I have since fell pregnant and will be 25 weeks at time of cruise.

Went to pick up the tickets today only

To be told I couldn't cruise.

Will my travel

Insurance cover me for a full refund or do I take it up with travel agent for

Not informing me of cruising rules around pregnancy etc

Help!!!!!!!

I would call the TA and see what your options are as when booking through one they manage your booking, not the cruise line. They will be in the best position to work with RCI with your options. Also contact the insurance provider to discuss coverage with them.

Not trying to be rude, but as to not being told the rules regarding pregnancy by them, as you were not pregnant at the time of the booking, did you inform them that you might be at the time of sailing? Otherwise, how would they know or be able to guess that you might be? That would not be something I would normally think would be discussed by a TA when booking a cruise with a customer.

And with final payment date 90 days prior to sailing, you could have informed the TA regarding your pregnancy before final payment was due and then could have canceled with no penalty.

All policies and regulations - of which there are many - regarding cruising are also on the cruise line website.

I hope you can work things out.

Pregnancy wasn't planned and I am a first time cruiser. Never really gave it any thought and as you can fly up to 36weeks in your pregnancy I didn't think going on a boat would cause any issues.

It was only upon collecting tickets today that I have been made aware of the 24 week rule

I would call the TA and see what your options are as when booking through one they manage your booking, not the cruise line. They will be in the best position to work with RCI with your options. Also contact the insurance provider to discuss coverage with them.

 

Not trying to be rude, but as to not being told the rules regarding pregnancy by them, as you were not pregnant at the time of the booking, did you inform them that you might be at the time of sailing? Otherwise, how would they know or be able to guess that you might be? That would not be something I would normally think would be discussed by a TA when booking a cruise with a customer.

 

And with final payment date 90 days prior to sailing, you could have informed the TA regarding your pregnancy before final payment was due and then could have canceled with no penalty.

 

All policies and regulations - of which there are many - regarding cruising are also on the cruise line website.

 

I hope you can work things out.

Sorry you are just finding out now.

I would assume travel insurance would cover this, but you would need to check your policy.

I'm sorry you didn't know the rule, but it is a generally accepted rule on most cruise lines that you cannot cruise after 24 weeks. The reason is the ships are not equipped to take care of you if something were to happen.

Sorry you are just finding out now.

I would assume travel insurance would cover this, but you would need to check your policy.

I'm sorry you didn't know the rule, but it is a generally accepted rule on most cruise lines that you cannot cruise after 24 weeks. The reason is the ships are not equipped to take care of you if something were to happen.

True, but this is driven primarily by the cruise line's insurer's liability regulations and policies.

Pregnancy wasn't planned and I am a first time cruiser. Never really gave it any thought and as you can fly up to 36weeks in your pregnancy I didn't think going on a boat would cause any issues.

 

It was only upon collecting tickets today that I have been made aware of the 24 week rule

Again, not being rude but just responding to your comments. But I don't see where this is the responsibility of the TA - how could they anticipate your unplanned pregnancy to caution you? You say you never really gave it a thought yet you are aware of restrictions with the airlines and say that you assumed it wouldn't cause any issues on a ship. Sounds like you did give it a thought, and IMO should have contacted the TA to verify.

But it is what it is. In any case, hopefully you can work out a solution to avoid a financial loss and more importantly, have a healthy and happy baby.

Hi all,

I have a cruise booked with Royal Caribbean through a travel agency for next month.

When booking I was not pregnant, travel agent never mentioned rules on pregnancy etc. Balance was paid in full at time of booking.

I have since fell pregnant and will be 25 weeks at time of cruise.

Went to pick up the tickets today only

To be told I couldn't cruise.

 

Will my travel Insurance cover me for a full refund or do I take it up with travel agent fo Not informing me of cruising rules around pregnancy etc

 

Help!!!!!!!

Read your policy coverage and/or call the claims department of the insurance company to confirm if it is, or not, covered based on your actual circumstances.

I agree, this is not the fault of the travel agent. I took a look at my policy, which is a standard one, and it said that to cancel for medical reasons, to notify the insurance company within 72 hours of the "event." However, it did not specifically mention pregnancy. It would not surprise me if it was denied, but only your insurance company can tell you. There is an insurance board on cruisecritic, and that board might be a good place to post as well.

Your ONLY hope is that your insurance has the "Cancel for Any Reason" rider attached.

Pregnancy is not a covered item.

Cancel for Any Reason will give you at least a 75% cruise credit for future use.

Well, another option is to beg for forgiveness. Just maybe.

Another edit. This could be a blessing. You shouldn't be cruising while pregnant without more information regarding the current Zika crisis anyway.

And, if you're truly an Oil Made Billionaire, you're self insured and can absorb a small hit with the cancelled cruise.

Congratulation on the baby

I hate to say it, but my best guess is you are out of luck. I was curious, and did some online research. In general, a normal pregnancy is not a covered reason to cancel a cruise. Some companies have pregnancy riders, but I assume you did not purchase that. And ignorance of rules is generally not acceptable as an excuse. Or course, check with your insurance company, see if Royal Caribbean might allow someone else to take your spot (any friends or family that could go?). Take a look at Royal's cancellation policy as well (http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&faqId=227&faqSubjectId=323). It looks like you may be able to get a 25%-50% refund depending on how many days out your cruise is...better than nothing. Good luck!

On Royal Caribbean's website: (might be worth it to contact the Resolution Agent)

Royal Caribbean International cannot accept guests who will have entered their 24th week of pregnancy by the beginning of, or at any time during the cruise or cruisetour. All guests are required to sign a health questionnaire at check-in to ensure they are aware of our pregnancy policy. If you have already booked a cruise or cruisetour and do not meet this requirement, please contact your Travel Agent or call us at (866) 562-7625 and request a Resolution Agent.

I'm surprised you weren't given a brochure by the TA...unless, it's online...then you don't get much of anything from them. The info is in the brochure AND online on RCI's website.

Hopefully, your insurance will cover this....if it doesn't you may want to see if you can "defer" the cruise to another time...AT LEAST 6 months after the baby is born. Babies have to be 6 mos. old on sail date, or they can't sail...it's 12 mos. on TransAtlantic/Pacific cruises. Just so you know that in advance!!

24 weeks? Really? I find that rather early to restrict travel. I suppose if you hound the insurance company you can book a later cruise.

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From Wikipedia: "20 to 35 percent of babies born at 23 weeks of gestation survive, while 50 to 70 percent of babies born at 24 to 25 weeks, and more than 90 percent born at 26 to 27 weeks, survive."

A baby born at 24 weeks has a chance of survival. On a cruise ship? Probably not. So I understand why the cruise industry will not allow a woman who is 24 weeks pregnant to board.

When I was much younger, I probably would have made the same assumption as the OP. I had a tendency to assume, hope, figure things would work out, etc. As I have progressed in life and wisdom (after having made many mistakes!), I have realized that one really does need to take precautions, double-check, ask questions, research, make sure one has plenty of time for whatever, purchase insurance when necessary, etc. Bad things do happen, even to good people. I feel very bad for the OP (although happy for a new life). I absolutely could have made the same error. Live and learn, and best wishes to her and her new family.

To follow up on the answers above, the reason why the cutoff has now been reduced to 24 weeks (from 28 weeks) is because of advances in neonatal care. If a woman goes into early labor and delivery at 24 weeks or more, it is considered a premature birth and it will be treated as such. Anything before 24 weeks is considered a miscarriage. Because a baby is now considered viable at 24 weeks and cruise ships are not equipped to handle premature births, they will turn away women that are 24 weeks or more along. They have the medical facilities onboard to handle a "miscarriage" at 23 weeks but NOT the complicated medical care that a baby born at 24 weeks would require. Hope I was able to explain clearly enough.

To answer the OP's question: read your policy. My wife traveled when she was pregnant and I made sure that i purchased a policy that covered pregnancy and any complications associated with it. Not all policies are the same so you need to read the fine print to make sure that what you need covered is indeed covered. But even with a good policy that covers pregnancy you may find yourself out of luck if your reason to cancel is because "you didn't know".

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24 weeks? Really? I find that rather early to restrict travel. I suppose if you hound the insurance company you can book a later cruise.

 

 

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Again - the 24 week policy is based on the cruise line insurer's liability policies regarding pregnancies and their guidelines regarding travel risks relative to a ship's standard medical care.

Think about it - if you are at sea with a prenatal emergency, you medical options would be limited. And how comfortable would you feel with prenatal medical care in a foreign port of call in the Caribbean?

And hound all you want.......the 3rd party carriers have their guidelines regarding their coverage for booked passengers as well.

 

Hopefully, your insurance will cover this....if it doesn't you may want to see if you can "defer" the cruise to another time...AT LEAST 6 months after the baby is born. Babies have to be 6 mos. old on sail date, or they can't sail...it's 12 mos. on TransAtlantic/Pacific cruises. Just so you know that in advance!!

It's 12 months old on any cruise that has 2 or more consecutive at sea days - not just trans Atlantic/Pacific cruises. Also insurance carrier policies related.

The only thing I think OP might having working in her favor is she is now being denied the cruise. She's not cancelling. If you show up to cruise and have norovirus symptoms you'll be refused boarding and I've heard of people getting refunds from the cruise line for it.

As far as the 36 weeks for air travel vs 24 weeks for a cruise. Those two things are night and day. When you board a plan you have anywhere from 30 minutes to 16 hours where you are out of contact and would have to deal with a medical emergency. On a cruise ship you are talking about being out of contact for days at a time. It's reasonable that they won't let you board with something like that where they have no facilities to deal with a pre-mature birth/medical emergency.

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First of all, congrats on your new bundle of joy! Second, I would have a chat with your doctor to see if you will be able to safely travel at that time before you make any decisions and follow their advice. Then I would talk to your travel agent to see what your options may be or talk to your cruise line and see what they have to say. Explain to them your situation and that nothing was explained to you about why you were denied your tickets. They may have a legit explanation as to why you were denied: maybe they don't have the medical facilities you would need if you went into premature labor. I don't know, but it's worth at least talking to them and your doctor.

Sorry this happened to you. I would just put it down as one of many sacrifices you will make for your baby. You are not the only one this has happened to:

https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/comment/78803721

Unfortunately, it appears you will not get your money back or any other kind of compensation. About the only option left would be for your husband/SO to sail with a friend or relative instead of you and make lemonade out of lemons.