Cruising Pregnant

[barriekins]

My husband and I are going on the Mariner on August 3rd. I will be 20 weeks pregnant at that time. I already have a doctors note and have faxed it to Royal Caribbean. Any advice on cruising while pregnant? Thanks!

[sas80]

Just stay away from the foods that you know you should stay away from.

Other than that, have a great trip!

[mcfam5]

My husband and I are going on the Mariner on August 3rd. I will be 20 weeks pregnant at that time. I already have a doctors note and have faxed it to Royal Caribbean. Any advice on cruising while pregnant? Thanks!

 

R~E~L~A~X!!!! Take it easy and know the limitations of your pregnant body. I wouldn't try any too different new foods so as not to cause unwanted heartburn, indigestion, etc.

 

Most importantly, have fun!!!

[n2cruzin1]

Don't wear a bikini. LOL Just kidding, I think pregnant women are beautiful.

[gkrnjlr]

I cruised last year at 19 weeks pregnant. It was a great cruise. The only word of advice is to take a nap each day! It was a great thing.

 

I had never had morning sickness or anything with my previous pregnancies (two boys) but this pregnancy (girl) while cruising I did have morning sickness. I found that at mealtime it was hard to deal with smells sometimes (lobster, in particular). If you can carry something with you that you might be able to sniff "in case of emergency" it would help. For me, I sniffed lemons at the table to avoid getting sick that night.

 

Other than that....nothing about sailing made me sick at all!

 

Congratulations and have a great cruise!

[MandyGirl]

I was 15 weeks pregnant on our last cruise, and recall carrying on Ginger Ale to keep in the cabin. The ginger is a natural motion sickness remedy, and ginger ale is fine in pregnancy. I needed no other seasicknesses help.

 

If you order a virgin drink, be SURE there is no alcohol. We had to send one back because the "virgin" pina coloda was topped with alcohol. Of course that was ordered while I was RELAXING by the pool in the shade. Lots of relaxation and take it easy! :)

[KyleesMom]

Get the sea sick patch and wear comfortable walking shoes. you will have a great time. I loved cruising while pregnant and would do it again!

have a great trip!!

Tif

[crusinmama06]

Get the sea sick patch Tif

 

Oh geez, don't do this! lol :eek: That patch has some bad and lasting side effects. Talk to your doc and see what he/she recommends in case you get sick.

 

I know I could use anti-hitamines like benedryl and Vistaril for nausea. But double check with your OBGYN first :)

 

Have a great time! Is this your first child? If so, sleep, sleep and MORE sleep. :D

[cb at sea]

Lots of "down" time--pregnancy will wear you out! But do enjoy your trip--it'll be a long time before you have this level of "freedom" again!

[rnff2]

I cruised at 11 weeks pregnant and my OB was the best she told me not to worry about anything and enjoy my self. Zofran is what she gave me for the nausea...It is expensive, but well worth it. Only available by prescription...

 

Our waiter and asst waiter were great they even went as far as getting me a plate of potato chip for dinner one night. They were great at getting me anything I felt I could or wanted to eat. And they kept trying to name the baby all week long, every night they had new names for us.:)

 

Have a great cruise.

[Kosmickat]

You'll have a a great time! I agree with the others when they say wear comfortable shoes, relax, and just enjoy the vacation! Remember not to take a dip in the jacuzzi because it can raise your body temp. fast. When I was pregnant and cruising, I just ordered a virgin drink and dangled my legs in the Jacuzzi while my hubby sat in :)

[Julienatul]

I cruised before at 16 weeks, just relax, enjoy, stay hydrated and wear lots of sunscreen dont try and push yourself too much. My doc gave me zofran for the nausea. I never needed it. It was a great cruise, not as wonderful as when you are not pregnant of course but still a great time. I am going again this weekend and I will be 22 weeks. I am sure it will be another great one.

 

Julie

[Topaz114]

I'm also going on a cruise while pregnant (for the first time) in 2 weeks. I'll be at 19 weeks. Thank you for all the tips and it's a relief to read that so many of you have done this and had no issues. I plan on bringing my Sea Bands to help with any sea sickness (my morning sickness has pretty much went away since the 1st trimester). I also would like to get some kind of ginger tablets or some form of ginger to have just in case. My doctor said I shouldn't take Bonine.

[bandtw]

We took a pre-baby cruise when I was at 20 weeks. It was the best week of my whole pregnancy!! I was sick most of the time except when on the cruise. Must have been the total relaxation!

[sunflower girl]

with bandtw, best week of my pregnancy. In fact the only good week of my pregnancy! I also was sick most of the time...actually ALL of the time except the week on the cruise. Zofran is a good suggestion. My insurance covered it for 1 month and my copay was still over $100 - but they are about that much per pill without insurance.

 

Most of the great umbrella drinks come "virgin" - and they are cheaper that way! Great time to go to the spa too. You are not going to get to relax again for a very long time. :)

[new_cruzer]

I'm so glad I found this thread, I was just wondering if we would have to cancel our December Hawaii cruise. I just found out I have a little surprise in the oven and I'm pretty sure I'll be about 20weeks for our December cruise. This is my first pregnancy so I'm a little leary to be so far from my OBGYN.

[Julienatul]

with bandtw, best week of my pregnancy. In fact the only good week of my pregnancy! I also was sick most of the time...actually ALL of the time except the week on the cruise. Zofran is a good suggestion. My insurance covered it for 1 month and my copay was still over $100 - but they are about that much per pill without insurance.

 

Most of the great umbrella drinks come "virgin" - and they are cheaper that way! Great time to go to the spa too. You are not going to get to relax again for a very long time. :)

 

They now make generic zofran so its much much cheaper and covered by insurance $10 copay for me :). I am looking forward to a "virgin" froo froo drink onboard this weekend! Gustav is out there so I am bringing everything I can think of to help with nausea- zofran, seabands, ginger etc. You never know with the storm how much the ship will rock. I was so so sick with morning sickness up until 16 weeks now I feel better at 22 weeks thank goodness. I am hoping this cruise I will continue to be fine.

 

Julie

[Topaz114]

I'm so glad I found this thread, I was just wondering if we would have to cancel our December Hawaii cruise. I just found out I have a little surprise in the oven and I'm pretty sure I'll be about 20weeks for our December cruise. This is my first pregnancy so I'm a little leary to be so far from my OBGYN.

 

Just be sure to find out the Pregnancy Clause for your cruise line to see up to which week you can cruise. For Royal Caribbean you can cruise up to your 23rd week (they won't allow women in their 24th week of pregnancy). And for Royal you have to get & fax them a "Fit to Travel" note from your doctor saying you're "fit" and stating how far along in your pregnancy you will be on the cruise.

[Julienatul]

Just be sure to find out the Pregnancy Clause for your cruise line to see up to which week you can cruise. For Royal Caribbean you can cruise up to your 23rd week (they won't allow women in their 24th week of pregnancy). And for Royal you have to get & fax them a "Fit to Travel" note from your doctor saying you're "fit" and stating how far along in your pregnancy you will be on the cruise.

 

Same for Carnival, you cant have completed your 24th week by the end of the cruise and you must have a note from the OB stating you are fit to travel and weeks of gestation. You dont need to fax it ahead of time, just bring it with you to the port with your documents.

[European_CruiseGirl]

Hi, I wouldn't be worried about any health issues etc. Being 20 weeks pregnant while on a cruise seems ideal at least to me. Most likely no more morning sickness, you are still quite slim etc.

 

The only thing that would worry me would be food... :D DH and I were supposed to cruise when I was pregnant last winter but that didn't work out. The only thing I remember fretting was....not the alcohol (they do have some very lovely virgin drinks) but....food... :D :D :D So many lovely items that I would not have been able to eat. For example:

 

- No soft cheeses or cheeses made from unpasteurized milk (so no feta, mozzarella, parmesan, brie, camembert, blue cheese, mexican type cheeses)

- No deli meats (so no sandwiches for lunch) or hot dogs

- No medium cooked beef only well done

- No swordfish, no graved lax, no sushi etc.

- No uncooked food made with raw egg (so thats no chocolate mousse, no mayo <- as it most likely will be freshly made and not from a jar, no ceasar dressing)

- No pate or foie gras

 

....

[European_CruiseGirl]

Hi, I wouldn't be worried about any health issues etc. Being 20 weeks pregnant while on a cruise seems ideal at least to me. Most likely no more morning sickness, you are still quite slim etc.

 

The only thing that would worry me would be food... :D DH and I were supposed to cruise when I was pregnant last winter but that didn't work out. The only thing I remember fretting was....not the alcohol (they do have some very lovely virgin drinks) but....food... :D :D :D So many lovely items that I would not have been able to eat. For example:

 

- No soft cheeses or cheeses made from unpasteurized milk (so no feta, mozzarella, parmesan, brie, camembert, blue cheese, mexican type cheeses)

- No deli meats (so no sandwiches for lunch) or hot dogs

- No medium cooked beef only well done

- No swordfish, no graved lax, no sushi etc.

- No uncooked food made with raw egg (so thats no chocolate mousse, no mayo <- as it most likely will be freshly made and not from a jar, no ceasar dressing)

- No pate or foie gras

 

Yikes! :D

[ElsieToo]

The only thing that would worry me would be food... :D DH and I were supposed to cruise when I was pregnant last winter but that didn't work out. The only thing I remember fretting was....not the alcohol (they do have some very lovely virgin drinks) but....food... :D :D :D So many lovely items that I would not have been able to eat. For example:

 

- No soft cheeses or cheeses made from unpasteurized milk (so no feta, mozzarella, parmesan, brie, camembert, blue cheese, mexican type cheeses)

- No deli meats (so no sandwiches for lunch) or hot dogs

- No medium cooked beef only well done

- No swordfish, no graved lax, no sushi etc.

- No uncooked food made with raw egg (so thats no chocolate mousse, no mayo <- as it most likely will be freshly made and not from a jar, no ceasar dressing)

- No pate or foie gras

 

Yikes! :D

 

You were much better than I was about your eating while pregnant! I just sort of took a "well, pregnant women in other countries don't abide by these rules, and why shoud I?" approach. That, and a friend's father actually works for the CDC and said that the risk of contracting listeria was really quite low. Of the things you mentioned I ate every single one of them while pregnant and cruising (22 weeks while cruising to Alaska) with the exception of sushi, swordfish (too high mercury content), and pate (as it's just not my thing anyways). I'm not a doctor and I'm not trying to say that my experience was everyone's experience, but I would absolutely treat any future pregnancies the same way. Pregnancy was hard enough without worrying about everything I was putting into my mouth. ;)

[gkrnjlr]

I also ate a lot of those things. I ate hot dogs galore while pregnant with my second child. My horrible craving was a hotdog with chili, ketchup and mustard!

 

As for the deli sandwiches...my OB told me that I could have them BUT that they needed to be zapped in the microwave for about 10 seconds. The reason you have to be careful about deli meat is if it's the type that sits out (like Subway) it could have a risk of listeria. Zapping it in the microwave will kill that.

[European_CruiseGirl]

You were much better than I was about your eating while pregnant!

 

Yes I know I was most likely very very strict (and overly careful) with my eating. Had to do with the fact that we hoped for a child for 6 years with DH and experienced in that timeperiod two early pregnancy misscarriages (weeks 8 and 10) and also a late one (week 22). :(

 

However now we have a lovely 10 week old daughter. :) :) :) And I have started already planning our first family cruise for next year! :D

[gkrnjlr]

Congratulations!!!!