How can I get home quick in case of emergency?

[love2traveltn]

We are planning on taking a 5 night cruise out of New Orleans (stops are Progreso and Cozumel) in June (Fantasy).

 

This is our first trip away from the kids (3 young kids staying with Grandma and Grandpa) and I am a Nervous Nelly. What if one of the kids has an emergency and needs us right away? How am I going to be able to get back to them quickly?

 

I'd imagine if we are in port I can take a flight but what happens if it is a day when we are "at sea"?

 

Also, can anyone tell me, how would calling home to check on the kids work? My cell phone company (Verizon) apparently has lousy service and prices for calling outside the US. What are my options on board the ship? Do cell phone even work while cruising?

[lanoitarus]

We are planning on taking a 5 night cruise out of New Orleans (stops are Progreso and Cozumel) in June (Fantasy).

 

This is our first trip away from the kids (3 young kids staying with Grandma and Grandpa) and I am a Nervous Nelly. What if one of the kids has an emergency and needs us right away? How am I going to be able to get back to them quickly?

 

I'd imagine if we are in port I can take a flight but what happens if it is a day when we are "at sea"?

 

Also, can anyone tell me, how would calling home to check on the kids work? My cell phone company (Verizon) apparently has lousy service and prices for calling outside the US. What are my options on board the ship? Do cell phone even work while cruising?

 

If you're at sea, your only realistic option is to wait until you get to a port. You aren;t technically cleared to stay in port and not return to the ship, but in an extreme emergency for your family i'm sure you could work with customs and the crew. Im sure your parents are perfectly capable of handling any emergency for a day until you make it to port-- after all, you survived their parenting, right?

 

As for cell phones, your verizon phone will work on the ship perfectly fine, but it is EXPENSIVE, on the order of $3 per minute or 50 cents per text.

[Nuttycruisegirl]

Your cell phone should work...Mine did very well but I am AT&T...Someone will come along with Verizon and update you. One thing you DO want to do is call Verizon and get on an international plan. Just for the month you will be gone....It will save you some money. With mine I paid 1.99 a minute as opposed to like 4.99 without the international plan. I used text alot...Texts in and out were only .50 each. If you use the ships phones in your room it is like $7 a minute. I don't know about how you would get off the ship for an emergency...I am thinking unless YOUR life was at risk you would have to wait till you were at port to fly home....I do know that I have heard to evac someone off the ship costs upwards of 30,000 dollars!:eek: Stay tuned....Someone will be by with more info...:) And try to relax...;)

[kelz66]

If you're at sea, your only realistic option is to wait until you get to a port. You aren;t technically cleared to stay in port and not return to the ship, but in an extreme emergency for your family i'm sure you could work with customs and the crew. Im sure your parents are perfectly capable of handling any emergency for a day until you make it to port-- after all, you survived their parenting, right?

 

As for cell phones, your verizon phone will work on the ship perfectly fine, but it is EXPENSIVE, on the order of $3 per minute or 50 cents per text.

 

If you have an emergency at home, all you have to do is inform the pursers desk of the situation and what you have to do and they will help you make arrangements.

 

I experienced such a situation and the cruise lines people made sure I was the first off the ship and had transportation waiting for me at the dock to take me to the nearest airfield to catch my flight home.

 

I was at sea when I received the call. We pulled into port at St. Marten the next day. I flew from there to San Juan, then to Raleigh, then home.

[yst347]

The first thing you will need is a valid passport. If you do not have one, you will not be returning to the USA quickly from anywhere.

 

On your itinerary you will be able to fly to the USA from the international airport in Merida Mexico (Progreso) as well as from Cozumel or Cancun. If you are at sea and have vast gobs of money to toss at the cruise lines, I'm talking in the tens of thousands, you could possibly arrange helicopter transport if the ship is within range of a service. The reality is that at sea you will have to wait until you arrive in a port.

[Cruiser23490578]

I know you didn't ask but thought I'd mention just in case you had not thought of this.....When we travel without our children we do the following:

 

1. Copy both front and back of insurance card and leave with grandparents.

 

2. Have a letter signed by my husband and I authorizing our parents to make medical decisions in case they cannot reach us. Also authorizing hospital to release all information to grandparents.

 

3. Call pediatrician and let them know we will be out of town so they can make a notation in childrens file.

 

4. Make sure grandparents have pediatrician, dentist and pharmacy information. Also preferred hospital.

 

With all of this preperation I am able to leave and actually RELAX knowing that we've done all we could to prepare for any emergency.

[bigredaggiesmom]

We are with verizon also, we never used our phones to make a call but used it to text the kids while gone. We pay for unlimited texts and our texts were only 5 cents each (intn'l roaming text on the bill) on the cruise. Call verizon and make sure about prices and plans they may have.

I am sure that you already know to make copies of you insurance card or leave an insurance card with grandma and grandpa along with a list of all doctors and how to get a hold of you just in case. Have a great time and try not to worry. I am a worry wort but I had a great time on our cruise and was surprised how much I enjoyed myself and how little I worried about the kids.

[caribsun]

My Verizon phone always worked in the Caribbean. To get back home pack extra cash, passport and credit card.

[teachswim]

Did someone mention travel insurance!

 

I remember the first time I left the country, leaving my infant with my mother. It will get easier.

Enjoy your trip. jmm

[Cruiser23490578]

We are planning on taking a 5 night cruise out of New Orleans (stops are Progreso and Cozumel) in June (Fantasy).

 

This is our first trip away from the kids (3 young kids staying with Grandma and Grandpa) and I am a Nervous Nelly. What if one of the kids has an emergency and needs us right away? How am I going to be able to get back to them quickly?

 

I'd imagine if we are in port I can take a flight but what happens if it is a day when we are "at sea"?

 

Also, can anyone tell me, how would calling home to check on the kids work? My cell phone company (Verizon) apparently has lousy service and prices for calling outside the US. What are my options on board the ship? Do cell phone even work while cruising?

 

Oh my gosh, I just noticed, you're from Tennessee. We're in Nashville. With four boys we've had our share of visits to Vanderbilt for stitches!!!! Not that I like to go to the hospital but it's good to know such excellent care is nearby. Have a great cruise!

[MicksMom]

We have Verizon. Have used it on both cruises. You do need to contact them prior to your cruise or your phone may not work out of the country. They updated each of our phones & we were able to use them at sea & in ports. We did not always have service in our cabin, lowest level interior for passengers but had good signal everywhere else. My father is not in good health & our DD taught my mom how to reply to a text with a simple "all ok". I would text her each day just to check in & she knew to either text back "all ok" or call if something wasn't right. Once I heard from her each day, I turned my phone off. We also blocked texting on teen's phone for the week, they did this for free.

 

I am not sure I would have been comfortable leaving DD when she was younger either but they will be fine with grandparents. Enjoy your cruise.

 

MicksMom

[terrielynn]

Thanks to CruiseFanMan! We are also leaving our son with grandparents. Those are some excellent tips! We know that all will be fine, but the momma in you wants to worry. :rolleyes:

[TheVegasMan]

To save yourself a ton of $$ book flights home now with an airline that won't charge you an arm and a leg to cancel your flight. That way when there is no emergency you call the airline when you're in Progreso and then again in Cozumel to cancel your flight.

 

A lot cheaper than trying to book same day international flights.

[gtalum]

First of all, take a deep breath and relax. It's your vacation, you don't want to waste it worrying. :)

 

I'm sure grandma can take care of the kids for a few days just as well as you do. That's why you're letting her watch them.

 

If you're at sea, you will nto be able to return home. There's no way to do it unless you yourself are having a medical emergency and get airlifted off the ship. Take a credit card with $2000 or more of available credit (or a similar amount of cash, though I don't recommend that), and if you are in port and need to get home you can just buy a ticket and go. Some travel insurance policies will even reimburse you for this expense.

 

Your cell phone will work on the ship. It's expensive though, so don't use it except in an emergency. Carnival posts a phone number for people on land to contact you on the ship. They'll need the name of the ship and your cabin number.

 

Also most cell phone companies have an international roaming plan. You can go on it just for the month when you'll be on your cruise, and it should make it inexpensive to call home form your cell (but calling from the ship will still be expensive).

[zqvol]

We are planning on taking a 5 night cruise out of New Orleans (stops are Progreso and Cozumel) in June (Fantasy).

 

This is our first trip away from the kids (3 young kids staying with Grandma and Grandpa) and I am a Nervous Nelly. What if one of the kids has an emergency and needs us right away? How am I going to be able to get back to them quickly?

 

I'd imagine if we are in port I can take a flight but what happens if it is a day when we are "at sea"?

 

Also, can anyone tell me, how would calling home to check on the kids work? My cell phone company (Verizon) apparently has lousy service and prices for calling outside the US. What are my options on board the ship? Do cell phone even work while cruising?

 

In spite of what others are saying the real answer is that you can't get home quickly. Expect in the best case 24 hours minimum from the time you get notice to come home before you can get there.

 

Keep in mind that airline capacity is reduced, that when flying from outside the country there are not anywhere near as many flights in as you would expect.

 

If you do not trust Grandma and Grandpa to handle any situation do not leave the kids. It is really that simple.

 

As far a checking in the best way is with e-mail. Phone service will be OK in both ports but forget about it on the ship.

[Dee777]

I agree with the poster who stated that if you don't trust your parents to be able to care for the children, then don't go. If you spend your entire cruise worried about what COULD happen to the kids, how are you going to enjoy yourself? Have you ever left your children with them before? Just relax. Remember, your parents raised YOU, and you made it to adulthood as a responsible adult who in turn was able to have a family yourself! You will be away for a short period of time, you need this time to yourself to relax and to remember what it's like to have some FUN! Trust them. I say this because I am a mom of three adult children, although I have no grandbabies yet. If I had grandchildren who were entrusted to me while one of my kids were away, you could bet your life they would be watched over 24/7!!! (and I would be somewhat terribly offended if my darlings didn't think I would care for their children the same way they did LOL)

 

Have fun, bring lots of souvenirs home for the kiddies!

[232271]

I agree with the poster who stated that if you don't trust your parents to be able to care for the children, then don't go. If you spend your entire cruise worried about what COULD happen to the kids, how are you going to enjoy yourself? Have you ever left your children with them before? Just relax. Remember, your parents raised YOU, and you made it to adulthood as a responsible adult who in turn was able to have a family yourself! You will be away for a short period of time, you need this time to yourself to relax and to remember what it's like to have some FUN! Trust them. I say this because I am a mom of three adult children, although I have no grandbabies yet. If I had grandchildren who were entrusted to me while one of my kids were away, you could bet your life they would be watched over 24/7!!! (and I would be somewhat terribly offended if my darlings didn't think I would care for their children the same way they did LOL)

 

Have fun, bring lots of souvenirs home for the kiddies!

 

I agree with this, we have to let go and let our kids experience new things as well. They will get such a blessing out of staying with your parents and a new

"bond". That is worth so much!!

[cruisinlarge]

I know you didn't ask but thought I'd mention just in case you had not thought of this.....When we travel without our children we do the following:

 

1. Copy both front and back of insurance card and leave with grandparents.

 

2. Have a letter signed by my husband and I authorizing our parents to make medical decisions in case they cannot reach us. Also authorizing hospital to release all information to grandparents.

 

3. Call pediatrician and let them know we will be out of town so they can make a notation in childrens file.

 

4. Make sure grandparents have pediatrician, dentist and pharmacy information. Also preferred hospital.

 

With all of this preperation I am able to leave and actually RELAX knowing that we've done all we could to prepare for any emergency.

 

Ditto!!!!

[Angelamu7]

We are planning on taking a 5 night cruise out of New Orleans (stops are Progreso and Cozumel) in June (Fantasy).

 

This is our first trip away from the kids (3 young kids staying with Grandma and Grandpa) and I am a Nervous Nelly. What if one of the kids has an emergency and needs us right away? How am I going to be able to get back to them quickly?

 

I'd imagine if we are in port I can take a flight but what happens if it is a day when we are "at sea"?

 

Also, can anyone tell me, how would calling home to check on the kids work? My cell phone company (Verizon) apparently has lousy service and prices for calling outside the US. What are my options on board the ship? Do cell phone even work while cruising?

 

 

The real question is do you trust the grandparents to take care of your kids while you are gone? Make sound choices on your behalf? If you answer yes then relax and don't answer your phone and it will all be there when you get home.

 

The first time or two I left the country on vacation leaving my kids with their grandparents I told myself they would call me if there was an emergancy they couldn't handle...years later I knew that they would not call me it would be there when I returned! There is nothing I can do from where I am and they can handle it!

 

Enjoy your trip!

[Wants2cruise]

 

2. Have a letter signed by my husband and I authorizing our parents to make medical decisions in case they cannot reach us. Also authorizing hospital to release all information to grandparents.

 

I totally agree with CruiseFanMan, but would like to add a bit of info. Get the letter notarized. I get my info notarized by my credit union for free. Many banks have this as a free service.

 

I left my mother in charge of my 5 month old and my 5 year old for a 10 day Hawaii trip. My youngest ended up for a trip to the pediatrician with an minor issue like a ear infection or such. My mom and the doctor took care of the problem just fine.

 

Do you have a good friend that has medical knowledge? She could be a sounding board/backup for Grandma.

 

 

Get your ducks in a row, then go have fun. To be a good mother you need time and adventures without your kids.

[Majesty Fan]

In Oct I had a family die while away and yes I had insurance and just to leave with the insurance from Cozumel to back to Florida or NC where I needed to get was over $950 per person I have the Iphone and made calls from sea, Cozumel, and Roatan and it increased my cell phone bill by $40. I did not make it to the funeral.

Lexi

[aggieastrosfan]

Rather than run up a huge phone bill, use email. Internet service on the ship is cheaper than using the phone. Give your parents the emergency number Carnival has for reaching you on the ship. If there's a dire emergency, have them contact you that way.

 

I know it's hard, but take a deep breath and relax. Your kids will be fine. Just make sure they have insurance cards, permission to make decisions on your behalf, and they'll be okay. Don't overthink this, you won't be able to enjoy your vacation if you do.

[ejchron]

I think the bottom line is this: If you don't feel you can walk away, relax and enjoy your cruise, trusting that the grandparents can handle it, then you should just take the children with you - much cheaper than flying home in an emergency. And the kids will probably have a blast.

[TheVegasMan]

Prices aren't as bas as I thought they would be. On Contineltal you could catch a 12:17 pm flight out of Cozumel and be in Nashville same day at 9:17 pm. fare is $450. Need to go to Memphis instead? $452 and you arrive at 5:39 pm same day.

 

From Cancun the price drops to $226 for the 2:50 pm flight that arrives in Memphis at 10:53 pm, Nashville is is $203 for the 1:27 pm departure that arrives at 10:30 pm.

 

Prices from www.kayak.com

[aggieastrosfan]

Prices aren't as bas as I thought they would be. On Contineltal you could catch a 12:17 pm flight out of Cozumel and be in Nashville same day at 9:17 pm. fare is $450. Need to go to Memphis instead? $452 and you arrive at 5:39 pm same day.

 

From Cancun the price drops to $226 for the 2:50 pm flight that arrives in Memphis at 10:53 pm, Nashville is is $203 for the 1:27 pm departure that arrives at 10:30 pm.

 

Prices from www.kayak.com

 

Those prices will not be available a day or two before. I would expect they'll jump significantly.