How can I get home quick in case of emergency?

[5waldos]

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.

 

That was going to be my suggestion. In fact, bring the grandparents to babysit on board! Still be cheaper than having to fly home. On the other hand, you still have time. Start slow- you and hubby go to a local hotel overnight, leaving the kids. It is rare that things so dire that you would have to go home happen- even a broken arm could wait til the end of the trip! Sounds like it might be good for you to get a bit of separation- you will not be able to be with them always and forever. But if you are going to be miserable the entire trip- do something to change the situation.

[UpstateCruizer]

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

 

Ok I have to ask...do you actually do this for each of your ports? Also are these flights refundable? :rolleyes:I've never seen refundable fares this low on any airline! To me this would only add to the stress of worrying about the kids because now on top of that the OP would have to remember to cancel all of the "pre-arranged in case of an emergency flights" or eat the total cost of them. Even after cancelling all that would be given by the airlines would be credit for future travel and who really wants vouchers they have to worry about using within a year? I'd have to stay home or bring the kids with me if this was my backup plan just to avoid all the stress!

[TheVegasMan]

"then you should just take the children with you - much cheaper than flying home in an emergency" I just proved that this statement is definitely not true. At least from Coz or Cancun to Memphis or Nashville at least. Your mileage may vary.

[5waldos]

"then you should just take the children with you - much cheaper than flying home in an emergency" I just proved that this statement is definitely not true. At least from Coz or Cancun to Memphis or Nashville at least. Your mileage may vary.

 

Ok- you are correct. Assuming those are the prices for flying today (as opposed to flying a month from now). But emotionally if you are sitting on pins and needles worrying- bring the kids.

[TheVegasMan]

Meredith typed "Those prices will not be available a day or two before. I would expect they'll jump significantly. " I see you're from Texas, so I'll type this VERY slowly so that you can hopefully understand.

 

Those are the prices I got on January 20, 2009 (A day that will live in infamy) when I checked for flights leaving that day from Cozumel and Cancun going to Memphis and Nashville.

 

I was surprised to see thay were so reasonable. I imagined they would be in the $1,000 range.

[5waldos]

That was unnecessarily snarky. Even you admit you were surprised at the cost. And that is certainly not what they would cost, for example, when I am traveling- right in the middle of spring vacation.

[love2traveltn]

I actually do feel better now. We have been away overnight when my now 13 yr old was around 7. But we have never been away from the 5 yr old (I don't so much worry about her, she understands where we are going and most importantly that we are coming back - and will be content knowing she'll be getting a souvenier). It's my youngest who will be 21 months old at the time. I am more concerned that he'll not understand what happened to mommy and daddy - one day they just left.

 

The kids stay with my parents alot and they are very comfortable with them. I absolutely trust my parents to know what to do in case of an emergency.

 

Thanks for the tips on documents to leave with them and I will get them notarized (just an added measure for good luck).

 

I called Verizon (for those who want to know) and all calls (whether made or received) while the ship is at sea is $2.49 per minute. While in port in Progreso or Cozumel .99 cents a minute. And text messages are .50 to send and only .05 cents to receive. So, I'll have my 13 year old send me a text or two a day just to let me know things are fine. Then maybe if I call when we are in port I can "talk" to the baby so he knows we still exist.

 

Also, knowing that when we are in port if a dire emergency were to arise and one of us really needed to get back home quickly we'll have our passports and just take the next available plane ride home.

 

Thanks for everyones suggestions! I think I'll take a chill pill now and try to relax and enjoy planning my trip!

[ntodowell]

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).

Can you tell me what the number is for somone to reach you while at sea? I too have little ones that I am leaving behind and was in the middle of making contact list for the grandparents, thought this will be helpful.:)

[DaDivaMom]

Be aware that that is Verizon's fee plan, you will also be charged a fee for using the ship's radio connection to the cell tower. We found out the hard way. We too checked AT&T as we already had an international plan. However when our then 14 year old had a 20 minute conversation with his friend on the ship, our cell phone bill 2 months out had the carnival charges on it. 7.99 a minute! That discussion was not pretty.

 

This was 2 years ago but I don't think the process has changed.

 

As to the topic, I really hope you are able to relax and enjoy your vacation. The 21 month old has not yet fully developed time measuring skills. He/She won't forget you and may not even grasp the amount of time you are gone! The five year old stands a much better chance of having some "when will Mommy be home" moments. It's a great learning experience for them and you. Enjoy.

[yst347]

Can you tell me what the number is for somone to reach you while at sea? I too have little ones that I am leaving behind and was in the middle of making contact list for the grandparents, thought this will be helpful.:)

 

 

Can I receive phone calls onboard? Friends and family may call guests onboard via Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN) Shore-to-Ship telephone service. The rate is $9.50 per minute from the United States; additional long distance charges may apply from outside the United States.

 

 

The caller needs to have available the ship name and the guest's name. The charges will be applied to the caller's credit card: MasterCard - Visa - American Express - The Discover Card - Diner's Club. 1-877 CCLSHIP (1-877-225-7447) from the U.S. 1-732-335-3284 from Canada and outside the U.S.

 

 

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/Shore_to_Ship_Communication.aspx

[L2J]

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.

 

And that's about all you can do.

 

Will travel insurance cover something like the OP?

[bnsilly]

Alot of people keep bringing up the point of..."do you not trust the grandparents to make decisions in an emergency?"

As a parent, it may be that she completely trusts them, but would still want to be at her little ones' side in the event of an emergency...for love and support.

I completely understand. It was hard for me to leave mine too...

[Wants2cruise]

It's my youngest who will be 21 months old at the time. I am more concerned that he'll not understand what happened to mommy and daddy - one day they just left.

 

My grandkids live over an hour away. Since we live in a bigger city my DS and DDIL like to bring the kids down to go to the local zoo and to do some major shopping. So it isn't very often that I see them at their house. I have had them several times all day, but never over night.

 

Last month my DDIL had to have a hysterectomy. So I became a full time grandma as a result of this adventure. My grandson is currently 22 months and my grandaughter is 4. My DS and DDIL explained to the 4 yo that mommy has an owwee (sp) on the inside and the doctors have to fix it. But there was no explaining this to the then 21 mo. He did just fine with Mom and Dad gone.

 

Any port in the storm, as they say. The GS got so attached to me that he didn't want anything to do with his dad when he came home. My DS was shocked at that experience. :eek: Their little lives were a bit different with Grandma in charge, but they survived. Their Mom came home 3 days later. She and I worked as a team since she wasn't allowed to lift them and my DS was at work.

 

 

During this adventure, I was reminded why you are suppose to have your children when you are young. :D

[Cruiser23490578]

My grandkids live over an hour away. Since we live in a bigger city my DS and DDIL like to bring the kids down to go to the local zoo and to do some major shopping. So it isn't very often that I see them at their house. I have had them several times all day, but never over night.

 

Last month my DDIL had to have a hysterectomy. So I became a full time grandma as a result of this adventure. My grandson is currently 22 months and my grandaughter is 4. My DS and DDIL explained to the 4 yo that mommy has an owwee (sp) on the inside and the doctors have to fix it. But there was no explaining this to the then 21 mo. He did just fine with Mom and Dad gone.

 

Any port in the storm, as they say. The GS got so attached to me that he didn't want anything to do with his dad when he came home. My DS was shocked at that experience. :eek: Their little lives were a bit different with Grandma in charge, but they survived. Their Mom came home 3 days later. She and I worked as a team since she wasn't allowed to lift them and my DS was at work.

 

 

During this adventure, I was reminded why you are suppose to have your children when you are young. :D

 

That's really sweet and a great reminder to us mom's not to worry.

[theplaceofh]

We are leaving 5 children (ages 11-23 months) at home with my mom while we are on our cruise. We've left them for long weekends before, but never more than three days. Our kids love their grandparents, they know we will come back, etc., so that's no big deal.

 

Three of our five kiddos are boys, and trips to the ER are at least a once-a-year occurence around here. My mom has their insurance cards, Dr.'s and preferred hospital names, list of allergies, their SS #s, and a letter from both me and dh saying that she can get them medical treatment if necessary. I'm a little nervous about what could happen, but it could just as easily happen with me there, so they'll be ok.

[ntodowell]

[quote name='yst347'][SIZE=4]Can I receive phone calls onboard?[/SIZE] [IMG]http://www.carnival.com/Images/spacer.gif[/IMG] Friends and family may call guests onboard via Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN) Shore-to-Ship telephone service. The rate is $9.50 per minute from the United States; additional long distance charges may apply from outside the United States.


The caller needs to have available the ship name and the guest's name. The charges will be applied to the caller's credit card: MasterCard - Visa - American Express - The Discover Card - Diner's Club. 1-877 CCLSHIP (1-877-225-7447) from the U.S. 1-732-335-3284 from Canada and outside the U.S.


[URL]http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/Shore_to_Ship_Communication.aspx[/URL][/quote]
[I][COLOR=magenta][B]Thanks for the info!!![/B][/COLOR][/I]:D