Pregnant on a cruise

[TAG2424]

Wife will be 23-24 weeks pregnant on our cruise, Has anyone had problems with the cruiseline giving them a hard time while boarding ?

[TBR]

What is Royal Caribbean's policy on cruising while pregnant?A: 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. A physician's "Fit to Travel" note is required prior to sailing, stating how far along (in weeks) your pregnancy will be at the beginning of the cruise and confirming that you are in good health and not experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. The "Fit to Travel" note should be faxed to the Access Department at 1-954-628-9622. Please contact us at 1-866-592-7225 or at special_needs@rccl.com if you have already booked a cruise or cruisetour and do not meet this requirement

[TAG2424]

What is Royal Caribbean's policy on cruising while pregnant?A: 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. A physician's "Fit to Travel" note is required prior to sailing, stating how far along (in weeks) your pregnancy will be at the beginning of the cruise and confirming that you are in good health and not experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. The "Fit to Travel" note should be faxed to the Access Department at 1-954-628-9622. Please contact us at 1-866-592-7225 or at special_needs@rccl.com if you have already booked a cruise or cruisetour and do not meet this requirement

 

Yes I already know this. Looks like will have to get the OB to fudge a note.

[NorbertsNiece]

Yes I already know this. Looks like will have to get the OB to fudge a note.

 

I'm not much prone to flaming so please understand I come from a place of concern. There's a reason RCCL have a cut off date. Why would you ask a medical professional to fudge a note? I'm not sure what bothers me more.... risking a pregnancy or a medical practitioner who would lie....

[Mrs. Ram]

I went on a cruise when I was 20-21 weeks pregnant and no one could even tell I was pregnant! I didn't gain a lot of weight. I had a very good pregnancy and I am guessing that your wife will more than likely be perfectly fine to cruise if her pregnancy has no complications so far (I am NOT a doctor, however, and don't know your wife or how her pregnancy is going)....BUT you never know what can happen during a pregnancy and I'm sure you wouldn't want to risk your wife or childs life. Remember you will be out in the middle of the ocean :eek:! It is not my job to say whether or not you should have the doctor "fudge" a letter or not but my guess is that if your doctor decides to do that for you, then your wife is probably in perfectly good enough health to cruise. I dont think anyone will give you any problems boarding. I saw another woman on the cruise that I was pregnant on and she was WELL past where I was & I was 20 weeks.

[Mrs. Ram]

Just wanted to say also that maybe the rule changed recently because I could swear that when I went, the deadline was 27 weeks:confused: hmm...

[reallyitsmema]

I would be careful about having your ob?gyn "fudge" a note because if something were to happen and you needed to use your travel insurance, it could be considered insurance fraud.

 

Can you possibly move the cruise to a different date so that you fall within the guidelines?

[TAG2424]

I went on a cruise when I was 20-21 weeks pregnant and no one could even tell I was pregnant! I didn't gain a lot of weight. I had a very good pregnancy and I am guessing that your wife will more than likely be perfectly fine to cruise if her pregnancy has no complications so far (I am NOT a doctor, however, and don't know your wife or how her pregnancy is going)....BUT you never know what can happen during a pregnancy and I'm sure you wouldn't want to risk your wife or childs life. Remember you will be out in the middle of the ocean :eek:! It is not my job to say whether or not you should have the doctor "fudge" a letter or not but my guess is that if your doctor decides to do that for you, then your wife is probably in perfectly good enough health to cruise. I dont think anyone will give you any problems boarding. I saw another woman on the cruise that I was pregnant on and she was WELL past where I was & I was 20 weeks.

 

She is in awesome shape and NO complications. OB has already told us multiple times it's going to be a boring pregnancy. And she isnt showing that much.

 

thanks for your concern.

[TAG2424]

I would be careful about having your ob?gyn "fudge" a note because if something were to happen and you needed to use your travel insurance, it could be considered insurance fraud.

 

Can you possibly move the cruise to a different date so that you fall within the guidelines?

 

No we can't....it's next week and we just found out when we got our cruise docs. We didn't know we thought it was just like flying.

[ntengwall]

I think the reason they use 24 weeks as a cut-off is because a fetus at that gestation is considered a "live birth" instead of a miscarriage since some 24 week old fetuses can survive...BUT with a lot of intervention!

 

I, myself, would probably take that chance if it were me because I have had 3 very healthy, low-risk pregnancies but I guess what you have to ask yourself is how you would feel if she DID go into preterm labor and the baby couldn't be saved because you were on the ship. If you are ok with the answer, then set sail. If you think it would kill you if it happened, then don't do it.

 

I had a birth center birth with my second son and a homebirth with my third son so I had to make peace with all the "what if's". My outlook was that if my baby couldn't survive the 6 minute transfer from my house to the hospital with all the emergency equipment that my midwife carries, then I probably wouldn't want them to live anyway (meaning he would have been very handicapped). It's all about weighing your choices and being ok with whatever choice you make!

[Mrs. Ram]

Honestly, I just didn't want to get flamed for telling you it will probably be fine, because no one really knows. I say if the doc says it is ok and you guys feel comfortable with it, then go! Enjoy your cruise!

[reallyitsmema]

This is a common question on the family board. From reading the posts there, I have seen no consistancy as to who has been asked for their note and who hasn't. I know that some cruiselines ask that the form and note be faxes in prior to the cruise, I think it's Carnival that wants it before.

 

I know my doctor would not change a date on a note since it can make them liable also.

 

TAG, I think you are in a very tough spot. It is unfortunate that you didn't see the information on the website concerning pregnancies. I really don't know what to tell you other than good luck with whatever you decide to do.:)

[TBSCruiser]

She is in awesome shape and NO complications. OB has already told us multiple times it's going to be a boring pregnancy. And she isnt showing that much.

 

thanks for your concern.

 

 

I had a perfectly boring textbook pregnancy too, until my 26th week, then all hell broke loose. my daughter is a healthy 24 year old now but I sure would not have wanted to be at sea when it happened. My hospital with the best of modern equipment and MY doctor was scary enough, I couldn't imagine it at sea.

 

Also if anything were to happen and you had to use your travel insurance they check your medical records and then would see the discrepancy and deny your claim or take action for fraud. If you are willing to live with that go for it.

 

I am not flaming you just realize doctors don't know much about the miracle of birth and can NOT guarantee a boring pregnancy.

[noche_caliente]

Once she hits 24 weeks, she is at the age of viability with an 80-something % chance of survival with appropriate interventions - the ship does not have those capabilities which could result in the death of your baby and your wife in an emergency. That is why they have that cut off. Prior to 24 weeks, there's nothing that can be done. I'm 23 weeks along today and feel fine, but am on bedrest because of my placental placement - even without that, I wouldn't risk it. That said, we did go at 16 weeks, and due to the flight and turbulence, I had contractions for most of the cruise - I'm not sure I would cruise pregnant again given that.

 

Good luck.

[6rugrats]

Yes I already know this. Looks like will have to get the OB to fudge a note.

 

I have worked in the medical field my entire adult life, and can tell you I know of no doctor who would ever "fudge" a note and lie about the patient's medical condition. It opens them up to huge liability, and I guarantee the malpractice premiums for an OBGYN are outrageous as it is. If something were to happen, they would be the first in line to be sued.

 

No one can ever predict how a pregnancy will go. You can seem fine one minute, and then, as posted by someone else in this thread, "all hell" can break loose, and a cruise ship cannot handle a preterm birth. No doctor can predict a pregnancy will be "boring" with any accuracy at all. This is just the beginning of sometimes not getting to do what you want, because you have children. You have to put the safety of your child and wife first, even if it means you miss this trip.

 

If your wife will be in this 24 week period during your cruise, you will be denied boarding. I would advise examining your options now, if you have any, before just showing up for boarding. If this is for your cruise on 03/13/10, you need to start working on this ASAP.

 

Good luck with your baby.

[mamaofami]

Many babies are born at the 24 week mark. Some survive and some do not, and some of those who survive have major life complications if they don't get the very best of neonatal care.

I agree with the above poster that it would open the doctor to lots of liability were he to fudge a note on how far along your wife is and something were to go wrong on the cruise.

[AtlantaAlly]

I personally wouldn't want to risk it if it were me. Perhaps go a few weeks earlier if possible?

[6rugrats]

I personally wouldn't want to risk it if it were me. Perhaps go a few weeks earlier if possible?

Looking at OP's other posts, it appears this is for a cruise leaving March 13, 2010, so he can't leave any earlier.

[BethV114]

As the newish mom of a 6 month old baby girl, I just don't really understand where you and your wife are coming from. True, it stinks to have to cancel a long-awaited for vacation. But the trade-off for that is that you will be home and have advanced medical care easily available to you should something go wrong with your wife or the baby. To me it seems like a no brainer. Even if you OB has said that this will be a "boring" pregnancy, that is certainly no guarantee that nothing can or will go wrong.

I hate to be someone who said I told you so, but why, exactly, did you wait until your wife was so far into her pregnancy to think to check the cruise line's policy on traveling while pregnant? Clearly you've know about the pregnancy for a few months now. A little research would have saved you a lot of stress and disappointment. And just because you can't cruise right now doesn't mean you can't have any fun. DH and I took a long weekend trip to Key West when I was six months pregnant, and we had a great time.

For the sake of your wife and child, I strongly urge you to stick to the cruise line's policy. Contrary to what you may think, it was enacted to protect mothers and their babies!

[PattyG12]

Seems like it's a little late to be worried about it now. Having had 3 children, I wouldn't dream of flying to Puerto Rico and Cruising a week being that far along. I can't imagine going into labor in the middle of nowhere and ending up in a hospital in the caribbean. Not to say their medical care is bad but you understand what I mean. I understood they were requesting documentation from everyone that was showing.

[bunny1954]

Well, let me throw a little more fuel on this fire. A number of years ago DH was in the navy (as was I) and deployed on a carrier. Decided I would like to fly over and meet him in Europe for a week during one of their port visits. Checked with my doc who assured me that I was healthy enough to travel (was about 16 weeks along). Long story short, I went into early labor while in a foreign country. They stabilized me after several days and Uncle Sam sent a medevac plane for me and transported me to a military hospital a couple of hours away. That plane was equipped with all kinds of equipment that they would need if I went into labor again. However, they would only take me as far as Frankfurt, Germany, as there was a huge risk to send me back to the U.S. Unfortunately, we ended up losing the baby, but had I gone full term, I wasn't going home for 5 months. I strongly advise to re-think your decision. As someone else put it, you will be in the middle of the ocean. I, at least, was somewhere that I could be gotten to a hospital pretty quickly.

[dmalcolm]

I had two healthy, easy pregnancies and had smooth sailing into my 3rd one, until all hell broke loose with life threatening preeclampsia. Our local hospital did not have a level III NICU and I had to be airlifted, in the middle of the night, to a major medical center to give birth. Even if you could get an emergency c-section at sea to save your life or your wife's life, there is no way that a baby born at 24 weeks would survive without major intervention, and that type of intervention is simply not available on a cruise ship (in fact, it is not available at most US hospitals). Even if you could get to a decent hospital along your route, chances are that the hospital would be nowhere near your home. My baby spent months in the hospital and was merely 4 lbs, 7 oz at discharge, about half the size of my two other children at birth. The hospital was 4 hours away from my home and I was only able to see my husband and other children on the weekends, since I was at the hospital numerous times each day. After having excellent NICU care, and with years of support from cardiologists, neurologists, physical and occupational therapists, my daughter is doing great today. If I was not able to get to a major medical center in time, my story would have had a very different ending. Chances are, everything will turn out fine if you go on your vacation, but if they don't, then the outcome could have tragic consequences for your family.

[CruiseDreaming]

While I was pregnant with my son I was hospitalized twice, the second time was just to be on the safe side. I was fine, baby was fine, but while I spent the night in the maternity ward they had a baby delivered in it's 24th week. The hospital staff were literally mobilized to take care of this delivery--it was in the middle of the night and the activity was intense and I was just sleeping in a room and I could tell it was serious. The baby and Mom was fine thanks to the staff and the readily available medical facilities. Later in the next weeks I found out that that couple was in my childbirth class and they came and visited us. They had no complications, not at risk, and no idea that they would be delivering so early. Some time in Oct. or Nov. last year there was a thread by a woman who showed up at the dock in her 24th week and she was denied boarding. Good luck with your decision.

 

Kerrie:)

[steponboard]

Pre Eclampsia is more of a risk then an early delivery.

[ehappy]

The infirmary on the ships aren't equipped to handle medical emergencies such as an early birth or pre-eclampsia. They are set up to handle minor medical cases.

 

Since your wife will be entering into the 24th week while on the cruise, and RCI has the policy, you might want to give them a call and explain the situation to see if they would be willing to work with you on postponing. Never hurts to ask.

 

Considering the negative outcomes to 'fudged' notes, or hiding the pregnancy = being stuck on a ship that may not have appropriate medical equipment IN CASE something does go wrong and then having to be heli'd off the ship = expensive $$ that may not necessarily be covered by your med. insurance...I'd not take that chance. But that's just me.

 

By the way, I was 10 weeks on my Constellation cruise, and I am healthy as a horse but when I got on the ship, I was doggedly sick with motion sickness (not a normal thing for me) and they wouldn't give me any dramamine or anything because I was pregnant. I spent two days in my stateroom hugging the toilet. I'm sure your wife wouldn't want that, and neither would you!