Oxygen Concentrator

Does anyone bring the oxygen concentrator from home on the ship. My father was put on oxygen yesterday for sleeping. We have a cruise in 2 weeks. Thank for any information.

Does anyone bring the oxygen concentrator from home on the ship. My father was put on oxygen yesterday for sleeping. We have a cruise in 2 weeks. Thank for any information.

Are you referring to a full size concentrator or a portable concentrator ? My sister always travels with a portable concentrator though she uses a full size at home. If flying there are a lot of regulations regarding flying with oxygen as well as a portable concentrator. Therefore you need to check with airlines. Additionally you need to notify the cruise lines Special Needs Dept or Access Department ( name varies depending on cruiseline ) and complete a form.

I always travel with my POC. You will just need to notify the cruise lines ahead of time. If you need a full size O2 concentrator , you need to contact the cruise liner asap. You made need to rent one and have it delivered to the ship

We have carried our full size oxygen concentrator onboard cruises several times. Do not check this because if it is damaged, the cruise line will not take any responsibility and you won't have a replacement for the cruise. Ours rolls, but it was still a pain to carry, so I ended up strapping it on a luggage carrier (You can buy at Walmart for about $20.00) to make it easier to roll onboard instead of bending over and rolling it or carrying it.

When you go through security, if it is too big to fit through the x-ray, then they will bring the dogs over to sniff it or take it to the dogs to sniff it. So be prepared for a potential delay at security.

Thanks for the information.

I cruise with both a full size and portable concentrator. Never had any issues. You many need an extension cord in some cabins, but the cruise lines will provide that for you if you request it from a room steward.

On our most recent cruise this was the first time we traveled with our home concentrator as the portable one my husband uses could not hook up with his cpap on the cruise. We have the inogen home and it fit perfectly into a carry on piece of luggage. We were able to bring it on board the plane and rolled it on the ship with us as well.

Does the oxygen concentrator have to be on the FDA list, i.e. a certain brand -- and do you have to have a copy of a doctor's prescription?

Has anyone travelled and cruised with a small NON-battery operated oxygen concentrator? Sometimes called "Home Oxygen Bar"...

Can get the Rx, no problem, but to rent the only one(s) that HAL has an arrangement with, for a 2-week cruise, costs more than a new non-prescription unit on Amazon! We do have plenty of time to test the small unit before the cruise.

Does the oxygen concentrator have to be on the FDA list, i.e. a certain brand -- and do you have to have a copy of a doctor's prescription?

 

Has anyone travelled and cruised with a small NON-battery operated oxygen concentrator? Sometimes called "Home Oxygen Bar"...

 

Can get the Rx, no problem, but to rent the only one(s) that HAL has an arrangement with, for a 2-week cruise, costs more than a new non-prescription unit on Amazon! We do have plenty of time to test the small unit before the cruise.

The cruise line isn't concerned if it's FDA approved as that means nothing to them as FDA approved means it meets or exceed the medical standards for such an item. However IMO you should be concerned if it's FDA approved to ensure the over all safety and effectiveness of the item being that it's critical to your health. FYI Medicare and insurance will not cover any part of the cost if it's not FDA approved.. For what it's worth I would think that any doctor who knows it's not FDA approved wouldn't write a RX for it.

Do as you please.

For oxygen use, your first stop should be your mother's doctor. I personally would not trust my breathing to a “relaxation” unit. It is not medically approved for purity of O2 ( the one I saw on Amazon was providing 43% purity which is not even close to what a POC provides. Do you want to risk her health in order to save a few bucks? Wow. Pls talk to a medical professional, not Cruise Critic for advise.

Many oxygen providers offer loaner portable concentrator for vacation. You usually have to reserve it and give a return date. I did that for my mothers first cruise last February. My problem on theirs, the battery only lasted a couple of hours even set on 1, with a long recharge time. So check it out ahead of time and give it a test run. We since bought the Inogen One G2, which will last 8 to 11 hours on 2, but is larger than the new G4, which did not meet our needs.

For what it's worth if anyone is following this thread, the important thing was not FDA approval but UL-underwriting. The foreign unit did not have this (and Lincare had no smaller units for rent OR purchase), so we have purchased a POC for this and other trips. Also FWIW, the family doctor was willing to write the Rx based on O2 saturation maintained. So Wow back at you.