You Won't Believe This !!!

[Drew B]

I don't think I have, either, but I don't know that we would necessarily know if we had. I've read things here that suggest that it is NOT an uncommon scenario, and the ships are prepared with special facilities to hold the deceased. Also, all travel insurance has provisos about getting ones remains back to the U.S. I don't think either of those would be in place if it was an incredibly rare happening...

[jt1120]

I am not trying to start an argument, so I hope no one takes any offense to what I say in this post.

 

Why do people bring infants on a cruise? Even young children for that matter (0-3?). It's not like the child is going to enjoy themselves, and there is a good chance that the parents won't have too much fun either. I have never been able to figure that one out.

 

Again, please do not take offense. This is just our personal opinion.

[TRadle]

I personally believe that it is much easier to travel with an infant than it is to travel with a toddler. The only reason we didn't cruise when our kids were younger was because we couldn't afford to!

 

Having raised 3 children I'm not so sure I would have abandon ship either. But that decision would have had nothing to do with enjoying the rest of my vacation....that would have been over the second my child had respiratory distress.

 

The ship has an outstanding medical facility...a known quantity. The child was not being admitted into a hospital so that would have meant getting off the ship with a very sick child, finding accomodations....without a medical facility, getting on an airplane....which IMO would be awful for the ears and even more germs, and traveling. I would not have done it....no way.

 

I do hope the child is doing better.

[02143]

Aside from the other issues involved we can't know about, the prospect of arranging travel home from Aruba with a sick child instead of returning to San Juan (I presume) and using one's pre-paid travel arrangements would be daunting. We're talking a lot of money and only if travel is available and permitted.

 

I hope the child and parents are doing well... what a nightmare for them.

[Nonna and Papa]

I seem to be hearing more reports about illnesses or injuries of cruise ship passengers within the last week or two. Perhaps it's because I'm visiting in Florida and not at home. Or perhaps the coverage here tends to carry more of this type of occurance.

 

About a week or 10 days ago, a bus of cruise ship passengers on an excursion to the Everglades was hit by a car resulting in several serious injuries to the bus passengers and a fatality to the driver of the car.

The other day a young boy was airlifted by Coast Guard helicopter from the Freedom of the Seas to a hospital, because he severed his finger.

And yesterday an adult passenger from the Grandeur of the Seas was also airlifted by the Coast Guard from the ship, because he had broken his leg and had vascular injuries.

 

It seems to me that a life threatening respiratory incident as reportedly happened with this infant, would have also been quickly addressed by airlift from the ship had it been deemed a necessity by the medical staff. A suggestion to leave the ship is a quite different protocol than a medically required intervention. Who can say for sure what exactly happened, unless we were part of the emergency and the management of it.

 

Mary

[Desertbelle]

On nearly every cruise we have taken there have been medical rescues. Twice by helicopter, 2 by boat and several ambulances at the pier. And these are only the ones we notice or hear about....I am sure there were many more we never hear about.

 

Cruise ships are filled with people, and people have accidents, heart attacks, illnesses, etc. You can't stay home your whole life and hope nothing bad ever happens to you.

[amanda blake]

I am not trying to start an argument, so I hope no one takes any offense to what I say in this post.

 

Why do people bring infants on a cruise? Even young children for that matter (0-3?). It's not like the child is going to enjoy themselves, and there is a good chance that the parents won't have too much fun either. I have never been able to figure that one out.

 

Again, please do not take offense. This is just our personal opinion.

 

 

people bring their toddlers and babies because it is free...what they dont realize is that a child that age would have a much better holiday on a land holiday and they could enjoy time together...that was always our experience...we took our son to Florida...but when it came to a cruise it was something to be enjoyed just by the two of us and our son stayed with grandma and grandpa....

[STANCPA44]

I believe that if the baby's illness was anywhere near critical, the ship doctors would not allow the baby to remain on board. This is from my own experience.

Seven years ago, I had a polyp removed from my intestine a few days prior to my cruise. In the middle of the cruise, the scab of the polyp came off and there was some bleeding, well more than some. Since we were docked at Curacao, the ship doctors sent me to the local hospital. By the time I got the hospital the bleeding stop and the doctors there check it out and sent me back to the ship.

 

The bad news is that the doctor on the ship would not allow me back on board unless I had a complete colonoscopy. Thus I was sent back to the hospital and admitted. Two days later I had the colonoscopy, of course the ship sailed. I missed the last four days of the cruise. I was on a food free diet for three days, and the colonoscopy was done without

anesthesia, it was not a pleasant experiences.

It was the only cruise where I lost weight.

[TRadle]

Is it free on a cruise? I know it is free on land, but I think they can't the infant as a person on board. :confused:

[casp]

We have traveled with my son since he has been 18-months...once he can cash in on the Captain's Club he should be a DOUBLE PLATINUM MEMBER...that a side, most of the stuff we have heard on board the ships with regards to incidents has always been over stated...second of all about 2 weeks before we leave we stop by the pediatrician and get a handful of sample medications that in case of an incident/illness we have with us. It's just all about being prepared. I must say he has never contracted anything in his time cruising even in the kids clubs which I must say on board Celebrity are rather clean.

 

I must say we have never thought about leaving him at home...except when he was under 18-months...and what's this about being free...we paid for the 3rd person in the cabin and he is certainly not clearing out a buffet or ordering an extra lobster tail...but he has had a great time swimming and enjoying the kids club he still stays in touch via e-mail with a friend he met on Splendor, I think it's a great experience for your child...although I must also include that my wife and I are very conscience with regards to our dining locations and keeping him in line...we understand that this is every one's vacation and that a disorderly child can ruin it for many cruisers.

 

Steve

 

Steve

[Desertbelle]

people bring their toddlers and babies because it is free...what they dont realize is that a child that age would have a much better holiday on a land holiday and they could enjoy time together...that was always our experience...we took our son to Florida...but when it came to a cruise it was something to be enjoyed just by the two of us and our son stayed with grandma and grandpa....

 

What made you think it's free to take a baby on a cruise??

 

Children have to pay just like anyone else. The child will be charged at the second, third or forth person rate, depending on how many in the cabin. Plus, they are required to pay for tips.

 

Do not assume that because you wouldn't have fun with your children around that others think the same way. Everyone enjoys their own cruise in their own way. Not for us to judge.

[Sky Sweet]

What made you think it's free to take a baby on a cruise??

 

Children have to pay just like anyone else. The child will be charged at the second, third or forth person rate, depending on how many in the cabin. Plus, they are required to pay for tips.

 

Do not assume that because you wouldn't have fun with your children around that others think the same way. Everyone enjoys their own cruise in their own way. Not for us to judge.

 

Hi Desertbelle :)

 

I was about to post the same thing. We paid as much for our infant granddaughter, who did not eat any of the ship's food, as we would have if the third person in our daughter and son in law's cabin was an adult who ate everything in sight.

[DC2OC]

Here's the problem, even with opinions from long time posters, that seem to me to be speculation that fans the flames of so many others.....

 

 

Right you are.Ever play the game where someone whispers a rumor in your ear and you whisper it to the person next to and so on and so on until it goes through twenty people in the room.Usually the last person will hear something 1000% different than what the first person was told

[CatServants]

I wish to echo the same thoughts which have been expressed by the rest of the posters on this thread and is no doubt in the hearts of everyone. I hope the baby is well on the way to a full and happy recovery and that the parents are recovering from, what I can only assume, must have been a terrifying episode.

 

Denise

[hermang]

All I can say is THANK GOODNESS that the baby was revived by the ships doctor and that the ship was still near port, so that the baby could get medical help. I am sure if the physician (or the Captain for that matter) thought that the child were in any further danger, they would have insisted that the family disembark the ship.

 

I do have to wonder what was going on with the baby earlier in the day and did the parents take an ill baby off the ship for shore excursions that day. :rolleyes:

 

Lot of negative press surrounding the onboard physicians - chalk one up for the good guys

[TRadle]

Lot of negative press surrounding the onboard physicians - chalk one up for the good guys

 

We had a very good doctor on Freedom of the Seas.

[dutchess43]

On the Millie in 06(TA) I had along with DH the misfortune to catch norvo, I also had to had my blood tested(PT) twice during the cruise. I must say I was very impressed with the entire medical staff on board & the facilities.

[Sky Sweet]

There are a lot of Americans who think that the best physicians went to medical school in the United States, and consequently underestimate the competency of one on a ship who was trained in another part of the world.

 

In my opinion, they are confusing excellent physicians,who were educated in their own country, with American doctors who went to a foreign medical school because they were rejected from every one they applied to in the United States.

[Fogfog]

A close friend of mine--her older parents were in Hawaii vacationing...they are from the East coast

 

The mom died unexpectedly and the dad did not cut his vacation to Hawaii short..feeling it would be the only time to see it and he wanted to do alot of fishing there.......

 

The mom died weeks ago and they just had the funeral...

 

Strange but True story.

[mmp13]

I for one would not take a young child on a cruise. Fear of infection would not be the reason why. I just feel like a cruise ship is not the ideal spot for a family vacation and that is just my opinion. As for cruises not being safe or for norwalk, here we go again, Our facility had a huge outbreak last week as did several others in our area. It is just as prevalent on land as at sea. there is just no press coverage on land. In order to prevent the spread to children here on land the only way to gaurantee your child would not get it is to keep them isolated at home. No visitors in or out, take siblings out of school because they could bring it home, parents stay home from work because they could be exposed there and bring it home and wipe down the house 24/7 with disinfectant and still a young child could get it. It 's unrealistic to think a child won't get sick once in awhile and for the most part they will recover with little intervention. virus's are everywhere! :eek: Unfortunately there is always the one in a million child that has an extreme event on land or sea. it is also possible the child had an allergy reaction or some other traumatic event. Unfortunately many of these things are not predictable and are not specific to land or sea. Thank goodness for adequate medical coverage. let's face it, Life is dangerous!:;)