wife broke leg,surgery, cancelled trip?

[tazdeb]

Hello, we are due to leave this Saturday on the Oasis of the seas and today my wife broke her leg and will have surgery tomorrow. She still wants to go and the doctor may OK her, but does anyone know if RCCL has any restrictions on her traveling? We have insurance and could cancel but will we then lose the OBC from rccl and visa? Anyone ever cruise with a broken leg in a cast? Does RCCL rent those scooters we see on board? Thanks for your help.

[bethco]

Sorry to about your wife and her accident. About any travel restrictions, I cannot help. But if you will google Scooter rental for cruise you will find a lot of available options for rental of a scooter for your wife. I hope all goes well for her.

[Clarea]

Hello, we are due to leave this Saturday on the Oasis of the seas and today my wife broke her leg and will have surgery tomorrow. She still wants to go and the doctor may OK her, but does anyone know if RCCL has any restrictions on her traveling? We have insurance and could cancel but will we then lose the OBC from rccl and visa? Anyone ever cruise with a broken leg in a cast? Does RCCL rent those scooters we see on board? Thanks for your help.

If you cancel, you will lose the OBC from Visa and Royal. If you had another booking, you could transfer the Visa OBC to the future cruise.

[cruiselvr04]

If the doctor says okay I would go getting a note from him that says it is okay for her to travel. This should be all you need. Be sure you have pain meds too. I would rent a scooter or at least a wheelchair as her arms will get really tired walking around a big ship. Hope you don't have to cancel - of course it could still alter your plans for excursions and activities but I could have fun even from a wheel chair it it was me.

[Jenjer]

I think as long as she has the Docs okay they will let her sail.

 

I had a broken foot (the arch) and went on a cruise with a knee scooter. We rented a wheel chair from special needs at sea. It was in our room when we arrived and we left it when we went home. Easy.

 

I didn't use the chair much because I hated it.

 

I was non weight bearing for 6 months. So I had been used to getting around with my scooter. That's why we didn't cancel we knew it was the best vacation I could take that year. You get to see the good and bad in people. The elevators are the test. One set of people pushed me and I almost fell only to ride 2 floors and get off. Other times people held the doors for me.

 

 

One thing to keep in mind ships have a ton of thresholds. Between different surfaces. Each one of these jarred my foot and hurt. I stayed on ship everywhere but coco cay and relaxed since going ashore was too much of a pain.

 

From what I understand cruise lines do not have any chairs for people to use. The few they have are for medical emergency's that happen on ship.

[mom says]

I hope her MD will permit her to travel. I think the issue may be flying a much as it will be the actual cruise. I'm assuming the fracture is in her lower leg. I would actually recommend a wheelchair (that you would have to push) over a scooter. After a fracture there is significant swelling in that limb for quite some time. It has to be kept elevated as much as possible. That isnt possible with a scooter. You would have to request a wheelchair with an adjustable leg rest- most wheelchairs won't have that feature unless you request it. As a PP noted, you would need to rent the chair from an offsite agency and pick it up on the ship. Or make life really simple and rent one from home to take with you.

 

If you have tender ports it may not be possible for her to leave the ship. Hopefully there will stil be excursions that she can go on, or you can just walk/wheel around the ports it she is up for it.

[poolreader]

I am sorry about your troubles. I hope she is okay. I recently sailed on the Allure, and needed to use my walker so I have some experience on this size ship with a disability. It is a really large ship and getting around even with a scooter will be a challenge. Depending on the type of room and location you could have additional challenges. We had a ocean view balcony and it was a struggle with the walker in the room. The only place to put it was in front of the closet, so we needed to move it to get access to the closet. This would more difficult with a scooter.

 

Besides the impact to your room this is a very physical activity orientated cruise. Zip-line, wall climbing, flow-rider, swimming, dance classes, etc. Although I felt this was a beautiful ship I did not enjoy the cruise as much as I have my 35+ other cruises because I could see so much I was missing out on doing, and getting around to the few more sedate activities was not easy.

 

So if you have a larger room than I had, closer to the middle of the ship (my room was second from the aft), and you were not planning on doing many activities then go. If you were looking forward to the ship as a destination in itself then wait until you both are in good shape.

[njmomof2]

Several years ago, my mom fell down a flight of stairs and broke her femur. She needed surgery, followed by 12 weeks of complete non weight bearing. Because there was surgery, it could not be casted (they cannot cover up the sutures from the surgery). She was in a wheelchair for the entire 12 weeks.

 

If your wife is also having something like this, it's very possible she will not have a cast, it will be bandaged and wrapped and she may be completely non weight bearing as well. If that is the case, I'd think seriously about cancelling. There is no way my mom could have even gotten on the plane, let alone deal with so many people on a cruise ship so soon after surgery.

 

Her injury occurred the weekend before 9/11 and her surgery was same day. We finally were able to bring her home to NJ from California in mid October, and only because one of the staff at the rehab facility she was in was willing to fly with her from CA to NJ, and then accompany her back to her house. We paid for his round trip ticket, as well as gave him some money to enjoy the weekend in NY (he was going to visit friends for a couple of days). She never could have managed alone.

 

I wish her an easy, successful surgery and a quick recovery.

[enginerd314159]

I hope her MD will permit her to travel. I think the issue may be flying a much as it will be the actual cruise.

 

Definitely find out about flying - you need to speak to the special needs department for the airline. She may need a special cast for flying or her cast may need to be modified so that it can allow for the changes in pressure at altitude.

 

Also, if she can't bend her leg at all they will need to put her in a bulkhead seat.

[setsail]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1156509&highlight=can+i+cruise+with+a+broken+leg

[reallyitsmema]

Hello, we are due to leave this Saturday on the Oasis of the seas and today my wife broke her leg and will have surgery tomorrow. She still wants to go and the doctor may OK her, but does anyone know if RCCL has any restrictions on her traveling? We have insurance and could cancel but will we then lose the OBC from rccl and visa? Anyone ever cruise with a broken leg in a cast? Does RCCL rent those scooters we see on board? Thanks for your help.

 

I am sorry about your wife's leg and I hope the surgery goes well tomorrow, but I would seriously think about cancelling your cruise. We were in a similar situation earlier this year when my DH broke his ankle. We were to cruise on the Oasis but chose to cancel. We lost our next cruise booking and its OBC but we got all other money back from the cruise line and then the rest from insurance. It took a lot of phone calls because we cancelled at 50% penalty and the cruise line had major issues figuring out what 50% of our cruise fare equaled.:rolleyes:

 

Consider how your wife is going to be on a flight to the cruise or even a long ride to the port. Getting around the ship is one issue but bathing is another. Are you in a suite with a tub? You can get a shower chair for her to sit on but trying to keep her incision or cast dry is going to be a challenge in a small ship bathroom. My DH didn't like getting overheated in his cast because if made it itchy so going to the Caribbean wasn't going to work.

 

Let the whole situation sink in, get through the surgery, see how she is doing and then make your decision. We were over a month out so were able to take a week before we decided to cancel. I would take a few days and then decide, just make sure you call and cancel before the ship sails or you will have issues with insurance.

[vacation_junkie]

Hello, we are due to leave this Saturday on the Oasis of the seas and today my wife broke her leg and will have surgery tomorrow. She still wants to go and the doctor may OK her, but does anyone know if RCCL has any restrictions on her traveling? We have insurance and could cancel but will we then lose the OBC from rccl and visa? Anyone ever cruise with a broken leg in a cast? Does RCCL rent those scooters we see on board? Thanks for your help.

 

My Darling Son broke a bone 36 hours before one of our cruises He cruised with a temporary cast. Couldn't do a waterproof cast because we were flying.

 

It was a PAIN!! Going through Security at the airport was a real treat. ;)

 

It's do-able. Enjoy the cruise!

[FLACRUISER99]

Hello, we are due to leave this Saturday on the Oasis of the seas and today my wife broke her leg and will have surgery tomorrow. She still wants to go and the doctor may OK her, but does anyone know if RCCL has any restrictions on her traveling? We have insurance and could cancel but will we then lose the OBC from rccl and visa? Anyone ever cruise with a broken leg in a cast? Does RCCL rent those scooters we see on board? Thanks for your help.

I recommend you cancel. Discuss this with RCI and ask to re-book at a later date. I know it's hard to cancel a cruise but there is always another. Good luck.

[Marie51]

I would not want to go on a cruise with a broken leg in a cast. But if you decide to go call the special needs dept at RC and ask about anyway they would be able to help her.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I recommend you cancel. Discuss this with RCI and ask to re-book at a later date. I know it's hard to cancel a cruise but there is always another. Good luck.

 

If she doesn't have RCI insurance and the doctor says she is OK to sail, wouls the insurance pay if you cancel?

 

Bill

[willing292]

Hello, we are due to leave this Saturday on the Oasis of the seas and today my wife broke her leg and will have surgery tomorrow. She still wants to go and the doctor may OK her, but does anyone know if RCCL has any restrictions on her traveling? We have insurance and could cancel but will we then lose the OBC from rccl and visa? Anyone ever cruise with a broken leg in a cast? Does RCCL rent those scooters we see on board? Thanks for your help.

 

 

Please, let us know what you decide to do. I hope your wife has a successful and short recovery.

 

 

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[misty57]

So sorry your wife is injured. Very bad timing not that anytime would be better... If you do end up going I'm sure you realize it won't be the vacation you had planned. There is also the risk of complications far from home as this will be less than a week after surgery. Most likely there will be some lingering fatigue.

Might be better to transfer bookings to a later date. Disappointing yes, but maybe a better idea for your wife. Hope for the best or you both.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

If you decide to go and the Doc approves, RCL might assist you with a handicap cabin. Just a thought.

[dz9yvr]

Personally I would probably cancel and go after the leg heals. RCCL contracts with 2 companies that will rent scooters to you for the week. It will be in your cabin when you arrive. You will need to work out the logistics with the port in Fort Lauderdale to get on on and off the ship without the scooter and to your cabin. If you planned to do express walk-off at the end. you may need to re-evaluate your plan. We rented a scooter for my MIL last Christmas and it was about $250 for the week. However I would not rent a scooter without a handicap accessible room. You will need to park the scooter in the room and the standard rooms on Oasis are very small. At a bare minimum you will need a room with the bed next to the balcony to provide room for scooter. Good Luck with your decision.

[rjrpar]

If you cancel, you will lose the OBC from Visa and Royal. If you had another booking, you could transfer the Visa OBC to the future cruise.

 

In other words, you don't lose the Visa obc. We cancelled 2 years ago within a week of the cruise(with insurance) and got our Visa points back, no problem.

[xxoocruiser]

Hello, we are due to leave this Saturday on the Oasis of the seas and today my wife broke her leg and will have surgery tomorrow. She still wants to go and the doctor may OK her, but does anyone know if RCCL has any restrictions on her traveling? We have insurance and could cancel but will we then lose the OBC from rccl and visa? Anyone ever cruise with a broken leg in a cast? Does RCCL rent those scooters we see on board? Thanks for your help.

 

RCCL's only restriction is that the person must be fit to travel. Also if assistance is required with personal care than the individual has to make certain someone is traveling with them that can attend to their needs.

 

RCCL does NOT rent scooters. Scooters have to be rented through one of RCCL's pre-approved vendors. http://www.CareVacations.com and http://www.Specialneedsatseas.com

 

Even if the Doctor says it OK to for her to cruise she needs to consider the following:

• Will she also require the use of crutches ? If so depending on the type of cabin there may not be enough room for her to safely maneuver about with crutches along with a mobility scooter taking up space.
  
• Standard cabin bathrooms are have a step as well as limited space which could pose a problem getting in/out of the bathroom using crutches.
  
• If the leg is in a full cast it's going to be difficult operating a scooter. It would have to be a cast up to the Knee for her to be able to operate a scooter.
  
• Not having an accessible cabin with an accessible bathroom will pose several challenges for her. For example If you have a cabin with a tub/shower combo such as a junior suite it will be very difficult for your wife to get in/out of the shower/bath if not impossible to do so.
  

 

Did you call RCCL as see if by any chance there was a still an accessible cabin left ? If no accessible cabin is available ( which is probably the case) than would suggest cancelling the trip depending on your travel insurance policy.

[Wilda]

If she is in a cast and you are not traveling in a suite then showering could be a challenge. If you do go, I recommend packing plastic trash bags and masking tape to keep everything dry while showering. A pain...but doable. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Edited July 28, 2014 by Wilda

[preschool teacher]

My prayers are with you for your wife's recovery....I would cancel for sure...she will be in no shape to travel....she's had a trauma to her body! If she tells her doctor she doesn't/can't want to travel, he will write a note for insurance....I don't think it would be much fun for either of you....many blessings and good luck! Please let us know how your wife is?...

[goldgirl2]

I'm sorry to hear of your wife's accident. My son broke his tub and fib. It was a spiral break and required surgery to insert a titanium rod. It was extremely painful for him. Three days after his surgery (Christmas Eve) his leg was so swelled the cast became unbearable tight. He was in extreme pain. The ortho surgeon came to our house and cut the cast off and taped it in him. I could never imagine traveling so early in his healing process. I wouldn't put OBC as a deciding factor over your wife's comfort. There will be cruises when she heals and can really enjoy it!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[tazdeb]

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for your concern. After meeting with the orthopedic surgeon today my wife is having surgery tomorrow. He advised us that due to blood clot issues it would not be wise to travel within a week of surgery. So tomorrow I will be calling travel guard to start the insurance ball rolling. After buying insurance for 10 cruises I finally get my moneys worth. The doctor wrote us a note saying she is not fit for travel. I've never had to collect on the insurance so I hope it isn't too much of a hassle. Thanks again for all the replies and concern.