Pregnant and Cruising

[jammin]

We are booked on a cruise in May and found out we are pregnant! Great news but now we have to decied if we should cruise or not.

 

Here's the question-Should we cruise or not. We will be entering our 27th week while we are sailing. Rccls policy is not to accept women who have entered their 27th week.

 

Should we cancel or will we have to cancel? We were hoping to get in one last vacation before our lives change!!

[PTarbay]

First Congratulations on your news!Why not change the date of your cruise to an earlier sailing?RCL may not allow you to cruise then anyways.

[Riotgrl13]

I had a friend who sailed with Carnival while pregnant in her third tirmester. The cruise line required a letter from her Doc to say it was ok to sail.

[jcanino]

We are booked on a cruise in May and found out we are pregnant! Great news but now we have to decied if we should cruise or not.

 

Here's the question-Should we cruise or not. We will be entering our 27th week while we are sailing. Rccls policy is not to accept women who have entered their 27th week.

 

Should we cancel or will we have to cancel? We were hoping to get in one last vacation before our lives change!!

I hate to tell you, but IMHO you should cancel. The cruise line could deny you boarding. Being visably pregnant, they will ask for a doctor's note stating your condition and how far along you are. If you are entering your 27th week, they could turn you away with no refund.

 

Think about this..........If something happened to you while at sea or in a foreign port, what will happen to the baby. There may be a doctor on board, but is he/she equipped enough to handle your emergency and if not do you want to be flown ashore or taken ashore to a foreign island. Put your health and the health of your baby foremost and reschedule your cruise to an earlier date or after the birth.

[stbmom]

If this is your first - I would definitely cancel or move it to an earlier date, you just never know how the body will react or what surprises may come up. Just had a co-worker travel on a business trip and passed out on the plane - she just happened to be sitting next to a doctor and she passed out before take off (another passenger may have thought she just fell asleep). Had to be rushed to the emergency room, given a blood transfusion, and her dh had to fly to Florida to come and take her home. No early warning, but she had become anemic.

Does you doctor know about your plans? I would discuss it with him or her as well.

But, would really advise against breaking the cruise line rules - they might just obsolve them of all responsibility if something were to happen.

[Host Jacquelyn]

First off, congratulations!!

 

I cruised when I was 24 weeks pregnant, and brought the doctor's note along. They could certainly deny you boarding, especially since this is a written rule of theirs. Also, if heaven forbid you have any sort of pregnancy complications, the onboard doctor may not have the experience or equipment to deal with it. I was having a completely normal pregnancy thus far, and encountered problems while sailing. Not to go into too many details, but the doctor did not treat the issue properly and I am very lucky that everything turned out OK. When I went to the hospital back home, the doctors could not beleive what the onboard MD did. Email me if you want further details, but suffice to say that I would never cruise while pregnant again.

[mandltullis]

Just something for you to think about. We had a friend in a very similiar situation. While she wasn't on a cruise ship she did travel outside of the US during her pregancy. The baby was born prematurely and they were stranded in a foreign country for 2 months with an infant too sick to make the trip back home. This was a huge burden on the family both emotionally and financially. It was difficult to try and communicate with a hospital staff that speaks a different language and the baby was given drugs that aren't approved for use here in the states.

[dougp26364]

Whew, I almost had a heart attack when I first read the title of the thread unti I read it again. I thought it said pregnant FROM cruising.

[jammin]

It could be Doug!!!

 

Anyways, I agree with you all and have brought the issue up with my wife already and needless to say she wants to go. I said we would discuss it with her doctor and then talk about it again then. I am looking for an earlier cruise to go on, but honestly I do not know if I feel comfortable cruising at all right now. It is always disappointing to cancel a cruise but this one is even tougher because we got a world of a deal on a repo cruise. We will never find prices like this again! But certainly we are happy about our news and whats to come! Luckily, we can cancel until the end of Feb with no fee.

 

Thanks for all your advice!

[kdowneymd]

As a pediatrician and mother of four, I don't even think this should be a question. Do not go at that time. To take even a minor chance that your wife could go into labor and she (or a premature infant) may require medical care that is generally not comparable is absurd. Take that vacation 12-18 weeks. Your wife will feel great and you can travel typically without worry. Parenting is a big change, get used to the sacrifices

[dolphincruiser404]

Congrats! If I were you I would try to change the trip to be a bit sooner, as long as the doctor says everything is ok. I too just found out that I am expecting, however we are not cruising until next December on the Mariner. Please give me your opinion on cruising with a baby who will be about 4 months.

[PTarbay]

Whew, I almost had a heart attack when I first read the title of the thread unti I read it again. I thought it said pregnant FROM cruising.

I almost wish it did.We haven't had one like that in a while.

[CGAGE]

Congratulations Jammin on your great news!!! Just like the Johnson & Johnson commercial says..."Having a baby changes everything!" It's really true...but I wouldn't change it for the world. Our daughter is 18 months now and went on two cruises with us this year. Actually if you want to get technical...her first cruise was when I was about 10 weeks pregnant. We went with both of our parents and told them our news on the cruise. Anyway...I personally wouldn't recommend cruising that late into your pregnancy. I had some major problems during mine...one of which we didn't find out about until the 20th week. The issue was resolved at week 29...but YOU JUST NEVER KNOW!

Every pregnancy is different and hopefully your experience will be great for all you, especially your wife, but it's not worth the risk!

 

DOLPHINCRUISER404...I tried to email you with some specifics about cruising with a baby...but your profile doesn't list your address. I'm also curious if you are Jen that I talked to earlier this year when you were thinking about moving to Florida. Is it you? Please post back or email me at cgage61299@aol.com.

Thanks!

[savdoc2]

Congrats on your pregnancy!!

 

I will be cruising at 22-23 weeks with the blessings of my midwife. However, the information that I found on RCCL's website says that you will be denied boarding if you are entering your 27th week during the cruise. It is also necessary to contact the special needs department and fax them a letter from your physician stating your good health, that you are not high risk and that you are not entering your 27th week. This information is on this page: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/purchaseCruiseFaq.do;jsessionid=0000gVAdIIwPrcb3aeSbGP6vXqk:v2mocb1m#9

 

I would recommend changing your cruise to earlier if possible. I cruised at 9 weeks pg with my daughter and am cruising while pg this time too (DD is going with us too). Good luck!!

[Correia_Cruiser]

I originally posted this on the thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=120095

I'm on Carnival, but would love to get more opinions!!

 

This is the exact question I was about to ask! Krista, when are you due? We have our first cruise planned for May on Carnival Pride, and I just found out I was pregnant. I hadn't even thought of the cruise liner allowing women onboard, I was just thinking of whether we wanted to go or not. Anyone have any opinions on cruising while pregnant? If you've done it, would you do it again? I should be about 5 months along (22 weeks), and if we don't do it now it may not be for quite awhile (3 kids already; not sure when my parents will be okay with watching FOUR kids!:eek: ). Also, we're dealing with the expenses of a cruise (about $2500 when it's all said and done), vs. the financial stress of another baby, and if I'll really be able to enjoy myself. I know it's a personal decision, but I really appreciate all the people here on the boards, and their experience in cruising! So, "advice" away! Except for making a mention that four kids is a lot... I agree, but there's not a whole lot I can do at this point! :p

 

Thanks! Laura C.