Pregnant Cruising

[slotterhaus]

I just found out I'm pregnant and we're going on a cruise in Feb that we've been planning since last May. I'll be 14/15 weeks along on the cruise so hopefully I'll be out of the nausea phase and I also shouldn't be too fat by then, lol. Has anyone had any experience crusing while pg and should I consider canceling my trip? I did get the insurance for which I'm glad....

[sas80]

We have a trip scheduled for may and we are actively 'playing with fire' right now.

 

As far as the cruise line is concerned, you have to be less than 6 months along to be able to go.

 

As far as I am concerned, if I am pregnant when we go, it wont be the same experience as it usually is (no booze) but it could be the last vacation we get for awhile so we are going!

 

Hopefully I will be a cute pregnant in my bikini :D if it does happen for us. And I can participate in all the water activities and still enjoy shopping and beaches.

 

And I dont forsee any medical issues that would prevent me from going or preclude me from enjoying myself - however, we too are purchasing trip insurance!

 

Go, have a good time!

[MLAW]

slotterhous, first of all congrats on your exciting news. I cruised when I was about 14/15 weeks pregnant. I would not cancel. It could be your last trip in awhile where it is just you and your husband. Enjoy!! I had a lot of nausea in the first three months but was feeling much better by the time we cruised. I did feel a little more sea sick when the waters got rougher but nothing that ruined the trip in anyway. Plus there is always food around which often helps with pregnancy related nausea. If this is your first child you will hardly be showing at that point, if at all. The only thing I could not do was use the hot tubs but I survived. I went snorkling numerous times on that cruise without any problem. And if you gain weight on the cruise, you can just blame it on the pregnancy. Go and have a great, relaxing time!

[kmtjones803]

We cruised while I was about 14 weeks prego, and had a blast. Of course, I was limited to SOME things, but we went to the beach and had a great time. Just no heavy activity like parasailing, or alchohol.

 

Have a great time, and don't get too hot! Drink lotsa water and virgin foofoo drinks :)

 

Miranda

[Suezieq]

I went cruising when I was about 12/13 weeks prego and had a wonderful time.

 

Such a good time infact , I'll be at the 12 wk mark when I go again in January.No worries...Just alot of R & R and fun in the sun..*grin*

 

Enjoy!!!

[Sun and Fun]

I was about 6 months pregnant for two of our past cruises. It is absolutely the BEST time to cruise. No guilt, eat whatever you want, and have an excuse to be a bit "pudgy" in a swimsuit! :p

 

My friend was also pregnant when we cruised and was about 2 month along at the time. She didn't have any trouble with nausea. I never did throughout the pregnancy, so I didn't expect to on the cruise.

[Rene in TN]

I was 16 weeks pregnant on our last cruise. Still had a great time, missed the drinks though! I wore seabands a few times eventhough my dr said I could take dramamine for seasickness. I was a nut about taking meds while I was pregnant, I didn't like to do it. Seabands worked fine.

 

Remember to drink lots of water and stay hydrated. And eat as much as you want!!!! :D

 

Have fun!

[helenb]

I have been on cruises both times I was pregnant. Once I was about 9 weeks and the other time about 22 weeks (I was just under the 6 month limit when we disembarked).

 

Honestly I had the *best* time cruising while pg. It certainly helps that they have all kinds of food available 24 hours a day, LOL! The major negatives were that I had to be a little careful of foods made with alcohol (for example many of the fruit appetizers have an alcohol poured on them) and it was nearly impossible to find skim milk so I had to drink 2%. Yuck! If you're into spa treatmentsthen some of them may not be available. (they don't have anyone certified in prenatal massage :( )

 

The hot tub thing is a little painful, but if the temperature is under 100F you can stay in for a little while. I brought a thermometer with me and I checked the temperature of every hot tub. I would often find one close to body temperature (heart patients need these low temps too so perhaps it wasn't co-incidence). I found that the Thalasso pool on Celebrity's newer ships was almost always 99F or so which was just fine. If the pool is too hot then you can always just dangle your legs in.

 

Make sure you get a note from your doctor before you leave stating that you are OK to baord a plane and the ship. Just in case... you never know if you might need it.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[Lily's Mom]

My family did a month in Europe with a 12 day Med cruise. When we flew to Europe I was 16 weeks and I was just about 20 weeks when we flew home. I was worried initially because I was sooooo sick. Luckily, the sickness ended 2 days before we left. I felt GREAT on the trip. I'm not a drinker so that didn't matter but I was bummed about the hot tubs. I would sit with my feet in the solarium one (Millenium) and read a book so that worked. The only thing I had an issue with was the heat. At one point we were on a train in Greece (July) and I about fainted from the over 100 degree heat. A nice gentleman gave me his seat and I was fine after that. Just stay hydrated and know when your body needs to rest. I had no problems and loved the trip. I even felt my little peanut kick for the first time while on vacation! Have fun and congrats!

[mruhaak]

I just got off the a 3 day Disney Wonder last week. I was 17 weeks pregnant. I had had alot of nausia earlier in my pregnancy. I had NO problems at all on the ship. I think I was far to busy to notice how I was feeling. However I did tire out faster than normal and had to take naps and go to be early.

[marley]

Hi I was 18 weeks pregnant on our cruise last year and had no problems. Go and have a great time! It probably will be the last trip you take with just your for a little while, enjoy it and do not worry.

 

We are leaving in three weeks with my 6 month old for a week on the Star Princess. I cannot wait and have picked up so many great pointers from everyone on this board about traveling with a baby. Thanks!

 

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

[McCutie]

I was just about 5 months pregnant when I cruised and I suffered from severe morning(noon & night) sickness and was put on Zofran and the benefit was that I had no sea sickness what so ever :) :)

 

It was a great cruise!

 

Congrats and enjoy!

[clasko]

Congrats slotterhaus!

 

Thanks everyone for the comments! I just found out I'm pregnant and we have a cruise in about 6 weeks. You made me feel a lot better! :) I don't drink so I'm not worried about that. The only thing I'm sad about is that we were planning on doing scuba, and that's out of the question now. Oh well, snorkeling will be fun!

[Cruisin' Chick]

I was 4-1/2 months on my third cruise and it went great. It was just a weekend cruise. Even found a long maternity dress to wear on formal night. When I mentioned I was preggers, the table mates were amazed. They couldn't tell.

 

My only problem was that before the trip, I had lost a crown and the replacement crown kept coming off -- that's a common problem with some dental work during pregnancy -- so I had to be careful what and how I ate.

 

I would really serious reconsider going into a hot tub. Even if the cruiseline says it's only at a certain temp, why take the chance.

[MomIn04]

I was pregnant on my last cruise, around 20 weeks along. One thing I would recommend is to stay away from greasy food. They usually made me feel sick to my stomach. I was already over morning sickness by that time, so at first I didn't know what the problem was. Then I soon realized I was getting sick after eating some greasy food from the buffet, mostly breakfast food (sausage, bacon, even eggs etc) I soon just began eating fruit, and cereal and was perfectly fine. So that's my tip, stay away from greasy food LOL

[cruisingbug]

I was 15 weeks pg when we went on our cruise last year (got my little 11 week DD in my lap trying to type with me). I felt better on the cruise than at home, still was tired though. I think cruising is a great way to go when you're pg - lots of pampering, time to rest, etc. Just be sure to pace yourself (I just couldn't stay up late - went to bed before 10), yes, get the virgin foofoo drinks so you don't feel you're missing out, only dangle legs in the hot tub. One great thing is it's easy to satisfy cravings - bartender gave my hubby a whole glass of green olives for me. :) I hated walking past the sushi demo w/o a sample tho.

 

Good idea to get the letter from the dr - cruise lines do need to be notified of your "medical condition" - there's a form on Princess' web site, I'm sure most other lines have the same. I kept a copy for the airline too even though I wasn't showing much yet.

[redbones53]

What sort of documentation from your doctor do the cruise lines require when you're pregnant? Must you have the documentation to board? How strict are they? What should it state? ;)

[PACruisingcouple]

I am also interested in knowing what documentation you need. I will be 13 weeks when we go. I have been told that i shouldn't get that sick since i will be in my 2nd trimester then. I hope that they are right!!!

[mruhaak]

I'm sure it varies with cruise line, but Disney had a form that I needed to fill out and have my doctor sign. Basically it is to prove how far along you are because most of them will only let you cruise until around 5 months (this is just going off of memory... which... after 2 kids isn't what it used to be:p )

 

I'd just contact whatever line you are cruising with and ask them. Lots of people cruise pregnant.

[Luxuriate]

I just could not cruise when I am pregnant. I worried constantly with my first pregnancy. I had bleeding at 6 weeks, 9 weeks, and 12 weeks. I didn't have any problems after that but, horribly so, ended up losing my baby at 37 weeks (yes, full-term). She was stillborn due to a knot in her umbilical cord.

 

My second pregnancy, I again had intermittent bleeding in the first couple of months (perfectly normal, I am told). I was so sick with worry. I did travel to Florida for a vacation at about 16 weeks and stressed almost the entire time.

I ended up delivering a perfectly normal and healthy baby boy at 38 weeks. He is now 2 1/2 years old and we are looking at taking a family cruise in January 2009. Our first cruise since 2005.

 

For me, traveling while pregnant would just not be worth it. I want to be as close to my doctor as possible.

 

Just my opinion,

 

Cheryl

[helenb]

I just had a letter from my doctor that said I was okay to board a cruise ship. But for specifics, you can ask the cruise line directly.

 

Generally, cruise lines let you cruise pregnant through your second trimester.

[Host Jacquelyn]

Cheryl,

 

I just wanted to tell you that I am so sorry for your loss. I could not even imagine what you went through. I thank G-d every day for my children, as I know what a miracle they are.

 

I, too, would never travel pregnant. I did when I was pregnant with my daughter, and I have mentioned my experiences before. I was 24 weeks pregnant when I cruised, and unfortunately I experienced some pregnancy complications while onboard. The onboard doctor did not have the knowledge to deal with the situation, and he certainly did not have the equipment - not even a basic, hand-held fetal heartbeat Doppler. This happened on our last 2 sea days, so I could not go to a hospital in port. When I went to the emergency room back home, they were appalled and horrified by what the doctor onboard did, as it could have had dire and potentially life-threatening consequences - both to me and the baby. Don't want to get into it here as I am sure many people don't need the details, but suffice to say the dr made a serious mistake. Luckily, everything turned out OK.

[Luxuriate]

Maybe I just had really bad luck. My daughter was stillborn due to a knot in her cord that they think happened very early on. As she grew older in the womb it got tighter and tighter as she grew. At around 37 weeks I noticed she wasn't moving as much, or at all. Turns out, she had died. I was induced and delivered at 6 lb 4 oz perfectly normal looking baby girl. This happened 12/14/2001 and I will never forget.

 

I just can't ever see relaxing again with a pregnancy. I got a punch in the stomach with my daughter. I am pretty sure I would never cruise pregnant.

 

Thanks for listening, Cheryl

[Karysa]

My what heartbreaking stories. Sorry for your loss.

I have never felt better in my life then I did during my second trimester with my first born. We spent a glorious week in St. Martin. Speak to your doctor about your pregnancy of course but I will tell you what I was told and keep in mind that this was 1993. That early in the second trimester nausea and tiredness usually subsides, the placenta does not take over until 20 weeks or so therefore bleeding problems are not of big concern regarding loss of your life and if there were severe problems with the baby at 16 weeks there was nothing they could do. My husband and I are oh so very glad that we did that one last vacation alone because after our perfect pregnancy came the twins, at 29 weeks I must add. That is a story for another day. You just never know what lies around the corner.

Karysa

[ElsieToo]

I am very sorry for your losses.

 

I was 22 weeks (I think? right around there...) when we cruised Alaska with Princess. I had a wonderful time and have recommended cruising during the 2nd trimester to several of my friends. Princess did not require any documentation to date the pregnancy, nor did the airline we took to fly to Seattle.

 

I don't think I would have enjoyed cruising in the 1st trimester, though. I just wasn't feeling up to much of anything at that point. But I'd definitely go on a cruise again in my 2nd tri - I would just try to choose a cruise with a predominantly domestic itinerary without several consecutive days at sea (I thought - and still think - Alaska was a great choice).

 

HTH!