densol

Thanks to everyone who posted on my earlier thread and your good wishes. We cancelled in the end. I just could not take the risk of my son getting unwell. I knew in my heart it was right to cancel. The psychiatrist made that decision for me today, and it was a relief to have the decision taken away from me. I can just now concentrate on my son.

Calling RCI was hard but actually over very quickly as I got a good agent and the cancelled invoice was almost instant plus all the excursions and OBC has come back as well ( or will )

My insurance co were great too and sent me the forms ( thank god I got decent insurance !) The paychiatrist is writing me a letter.

There will be other cruises. In months/ next year etc when he is well or stable ( depending on the eventual diagnoses ) I'll probs book a last minute cruise.

Thanks again

Denise

I'm glad things are better with your son. This cruise may be just the thing he needs right now. (It may also be what you need too. [emoji846]) If you had to cancel, that may have been more stressful for him if he felt that he was "to blame" for the cancellation. Recent events mean that this cruise may be different for your family than you had expected, but that does not mean it won't be a wonderful trip. I'm sure you will keep an eye on him and worry like a mom does, but you all can have a good time despite concerns you probably never thought you would have to deal with.

I wish you and your family well (in all senses of the word).

Bon voyage.

 

 

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Thank you ever so much - this is so true. Because of the build up of stress - my son fixated on BREXIT and the UK leaving Europe etc and whilst his ideas were actually rational and very well thought out - the mania came as he thought no one was listening to him and thus his thoughts became irrational and grandoise. As he was just grandoise in his ideas - and Not psychotic or violent etc - thats why he is treated at home and has reaponded well. After 48 hours he can see his rational was off kilter

Today he deleted all his ideas from Facebook on how to save the UK from the fallout of Brexit and said if the MPs can have a summer break so is he ! So it was very scary to see it happen but Im so glad with decent sleep and apparently just a low dose of meds he is better. He was indeed worrying that he might not get his holiday.

In an emergency for this type of issue its really just sedate and sleep. Had we been flying to USA etc and our usual road trip then i may have just cancelled but this is a relaxing holiday in Europe and we are of course ( at the mo ) part of EU and have EUCC medical cards ( free emergency treatment )

I dont really care about whether insurance will pay as ( not bragging ) Im not short of a few bob or two and will just pay what ever I needed in the unlikely event the meds suddenly decide to stop working etc and he needed help. We caught it very fast as in my previous ( now retired ) profession I represented mentally ill patients and instantly recognised the signs.

Im rambling .... Thanks again :)

Glad he is recovering well- there is a lot of pressure on them at this age especially if exams (school and uni) are being taken.

 

I am not sure anyone was judging you some of us were just relaying previous experiences. My take of not over supervising comes from my own experience with my daughter after she was diagnosed with diabetes - It is hard to leave them to there own devices - this is natural response to any issues with our children - I was not singling out his issues.

 

However, I raised the point of letting the insurance know as we have come up against issues in past when I took ill between issue and travel also not an annual cover they were strict and did not allow me to travel as any further urgent treatment would have involved airlift Caribbean to the States and a long stay in hospital (I had bean declared fit to travel by medical team although the issue may return at any time) they forced cancellation and paid all costs including excess.

 

Also just to pick up on another point, in case others read on here, I am now disabled and I do have to let airlines and cruises know and they do have the right to veto my travel if they have already booked so many other disabled on (this also applies to the blind as well).

 

Again I hope all works well and you all enjoy your cruise

Ok thank you - I can see that if you are " registered " disabled and require special facilities etc they can only take so many , but on a cruise ship generally - I would hazard a guess a high proportion have some condition or other. I have and my other son has unfortunately

Ive not eaten or slept properly in 72 hours worrying ( my condition lol ) so Im going to try and focus on ironing my clothes and planning our trip etc

We got upgraded from JS to GS for no cost as price for GS had dropped to same price we paid. It wasnt easy though - I emailed 4-5 times and called 3 times until I finally got someone who upgraded me for free. Im used to Carnival terms with early saver where they will reduce the price ( or give OBC ) up to 2 days before sail date.

I'll never book early with RCCL again - I'll wait till days after final payment date and also be flexible with travel dates etc.

So advice = squeaky wheel gets the oil ! Call call call - good luck

The doctors saw my son this morning. He is virtually back to normal and he's ok to travel. Honestly some of the responses on here are like he's a raving lunatic ! He's a young lad where things all got a bit too much - it happens a lot with a lot of people. Insurance will cover -ive checked as he is not travelling against medical advice and the medical team think it will be a good break for him. I bought good cover a while ago for this specific trip ( NOT an annual policy where there is a duty to notify changes as they go )

I dont remember signing a 50 page medical declaration when travelling on a cruise ship certifying Im 100% fit ! Merely a one page declaration about contagious things.

So using the same analogy as some posters here - anyone who is on heart meds should check with the cruise line first? Anyone with high BP? Anyone with anxiety or depression? Emphysema? osteo arthiritis ? Disabled ? CPAP machines? Obese ? Cancer? Etc etc ! .... No of course not !

Thank you - great info :)

Thank you for sharing :)

Thank you for sharing :)

Thank you for sharing :)

Thank you - following :)

They are not needing to " treat " him - he is on meds just like hundreds of other passengers - its just in case of emergency peace of mind - same as anyone else. The insurance fully cover as long as a doctor hasnt said he cant travel - again the same as every other disabled person or person with a health condition that cruises every day.

UPDATE - thank you ever so much for your kind words and helpful advice. Its truly appreciated.

My son has responded very well to the 24 hr induced sleep and meds they have put him on in just 48 hours. If he was say at 100% manic 2 days ago he is now down to about 30% and much calmer, far more rational and taking about normal things again including looking forward to his holiday.

It doesnt involve flights as its a round trip from UK. The worst thing it seems would be to cancel and leave him fretting and stressing at his lost holiday, and to try and keep things normal ( we cruise a lot ) and keep him active appears the best thing. He hasnt been aggressive or threatened to harm himself in any way.

We are talking to the longer term care team on Monday as the crisis team hand him over, and will discuss the issues then.

Ive researched the facilities of the medical centres with the teleaccess to psychiatric services etc. We have full insurance and a big balance credit card to settle on ship should it be necessary. It took 6 hours to see someone here in accident and energency. Being yards away from what would appear to be a state of the art medical centre is probably better care than we would get than here

Im in bits and not thinking straight.

Completely out of the blue last night my 19 yo son had what they say is a "manic " episode. Luckily we got him mental health services help straight away and he is being treated at home by visiting doctors.

It may well be the case we have to cancel unless this was a one off thing brought on by huge stress. We are going to decide after a few days of seeing how he is and after speaking with the doctors

Im pysically not able to actually speak to anyone on the phone- I'll just start crying and having an anxiety attack

If we do have to cancel how to I do it please by not using a phone ? The cruise plus all excursions etc ?

I have full insurance and as this was completely out of the blue, They should pay out - I dont especially need to plead my case for a future cruise etc

Thanks for any help you can offer

No need to tip at all in Southampton. They don't expect it, certainly don't hassle. You'll probably find the porters have grabbed your bags, loaded them onto the trolley and on to the next passenger before you have time to open your purse. Same goes in Barcelona.

Cheers :)

Oh when I meant hassle - I mean rush me :) my 2 door low car means the roof has to come down, I then put the cases on the back seat ( wedged in ), the roof is put back up, protector for roof in trunk pushed up out of the way, cases then put in the trunk - finally packed! Taking them out means it must all be done in the reverse order or I'll break my soft top ! Lol. I dont mind giving a fiver (£5) if someone waits till I complete the puzzle lol :)

I usually give $2 dollars a bag - they move loads of bags per cruise so its a good earner - what a cheek to call you cheap !

Im wondering about my upcoming Southampton trip. Im fitting 4 suitcases and us three in my Merc E class convertable. Its going to be a Monkey Puzzle to get them in and out - I hope they dont hassle me in the car park rushing me as I'll get in a state lol. Im wondering in the UK how much to tip ? Any ideas ? Our money is in coins save for £5 note = $8 or £10 = $ 16 :)

Im going on a 14 night cruise in August. Ive been working on my wardrobe for the last month buying clothes and mixing and matching. If someone sprung a cruise on me on the day - whilst a nice surprise, I just would not be happy as I like to dress up on cruises, tan, teeth, hair etc ( its hard work ! Lol )

So my advice for a 12 night cruise is at least two weeks notice as its still a surprise and part of the enjoyment is the planning and anticipation ! How lovely of you :)

I love the new menus :) I dislike soups, lobster and in fact most seafood, so a more meaty menu is great for me :)

It took me three emails and 4 calls until I found a rep who did what I wanted ( upgrade me for free from JS to GS ) after price drops. RCCL are the most incompetent inconsistent company I have come across in a long time. OP - I would keep calling if I was you or escalate to resolutions as suggested

Yikes, 15 drinks in a day! Something tells me he didn't have a very good cruise. What a waste of a vacation.

Just because you dont drink much - dont assume 15 drinks means a crap vacation! I went on a Carnival 12 day cruise and had between 9-16 drinks a day. I had a lovely relaxed time. Was I rolling about drunk ? - no of course not ! Having drinks over the course of the day - 15 drinks is not a lot. Everyone to their own to enjoy their vacation as they see fit ! I may drink similar when I go away in two weeks time ( hopefully :))

As you have the select package included - you cant upgrade before boarding :( so best to check whats on offer on the day etc and then upgrade accordingly! I cant even tell you what cost it is as its different ship to ship and different itinerary. Im on it in just over two weeks time :)

I watched the prices. Within a couple of days after final payment the prices dropped. Knowing RCCL customer service was rather 'inconsistent' I rang a few times until I got the answer I wanted ..... Upgrade to Grand Suite from a JS for no charge :) I was delighted !

Squeaky wheel gets the oil as my mum would say :)

I believe you call the casino people to get your M-Life benefits:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithGallery.do?pagename=mgm_partnership

Thanks Bob. I only get a blank page from that link with a few pictures. Is there more on there ?

My problem is getting RCCL to recognise my Mlife membership ?

Do RCCL still recognise Mlife membership? I read on here that if I email C & A with my Mlife details, they will make my RCCL C & A status to gold before my first RCCL cruise ?

I sent C & A an email - but they replied denying all knowledge of a partnership with Mlife ?

Omg got email on Friday just checked edocs and we have had a complimentary upgrade with all our promotions still in tact X :eek:

Brilliant news :) we are also on the same cruise - cant wait !

When you put the package into your online cart - at check out it adds on 18% Ive read - so more than initially indicated.

Thanks for feedback - we sail in 3 weeks time ( Navigator ) :)