Cruise if Pregnant - Not Allowed?

anotheruser

We're sort of booked on a cruise later this year, and looking at trying for a baby this month/next month.

However, on a couple of cruise websites, it says something similar to:
"We regret that we cannot carry guests who have entered their 24th week of pregnancy, or beyond, at any point in their cruise."

That makes it sound like if you're past the X number of weeks, they simply won't allow you to go. Isn't that like saying "we don't carry people in wheelchairs" or "no people with abnormally large noses"?

Don't get me wrong, I understand the other risks, but surely they can't physically stop you going?

PeacefulWaters

Are those cruises fly-cruise?

And would your travel insurance cover you if you gave birth or had a pregnancy complication on a cruise ship?

Voyager2002

Well, airlines will physically refuse to transport you if you are pregnant past a certain number of months: while that is discrimination, there are also very good safety reasons for this.

Valli

refusing people in wheelchairs or with large noses would be discrimination; pregnancy has risk factors, some of which could be acute, so, like aircraft, they won't carry pregnant passengers after the second trimester

Bogalot

If you did have difficulties, would you rather be within a reasonable distance of specialist services, or under the care of a non specialist doctor waiting to be airlifted (assuming you're even fit to be so)? If your baby was premature how would you feel knowing you were stuck on the ship until they could safely move the baby?

This should be about your responsibility to yourself and the baby, not whether you're allowed to go on a jolly or not.

peachyprice

No, it's nothing like those two examples and I'm sure people with other medical conditions that can escalate at a moments notice wouldn't be allowed to travel either.

Besides the fact that they don't have the facilities for premature birth in their medical bay and could be hours away from help you'll also have a baby born in international waters with all the wrangling that entails.

PasturesNew

If the ship was wobbling about in a storm and you tripped on some stairs and started bleeding ..... what'd you expect them to do?

In a storm, it's night, ship's going up and down, up and down .....

Can you sit quietly in your cabin, bleeding, for 3-4 days until they can get somebody to see you?

gettingtheresometime

Was recently on a cruise when an announcement was made asking blood donors of a certain blood type to go to the medical centre if they were able to donate.


Didn't think any more of it (wasn't of that blood group and had been drinking a bit anyway) when an hour or two later heard a noise outside our balacony (bearing in mind we were at sea) only to find a helicopter hovering. Twenty minutes or so it left only to return an hour later...hovered again for half an hour and then left.


I don't know what was going on but we did hear that the 1st visit was to drop off a doctor and the 2nd visit was to winch the patient & doctor so that they could take them to a mainland hospital (the ship had to make a diversion so all of this was possible)


Do you really want to have to potentially go through all of that ...bearing in mind the patient's family couldn't accompany them????

martindow

Diverting a boat or organising an emergency helicopter must be hugely expensive for the cruise company. It seems entirely logical for them to limit their exposure by imposing a 24 week limit.

I imagine anyone pregnant might not be too keen on bobbing about on the ocean with the risk and delay in getting help if anything did happen.

leylandsunaddict

anotheruser wrote: »

Don't get me wrong, I understand the other risks, but surely they can't physically stop you going?

Yes they can physically stop you from going. If you think that is wrong them I'm afraid you don't understand the other risks. You could be hundreds of miles from the nearest hospital, let alone one that is fully staffed and equipped to deal with pregnancy complications and prem babies.

I doubt your insurance would cover you if you had broken your contract with the cruise line, which is what would happen if by the slightest chance you managed to get aboard in the first place.

Some cruise lines require a fit to travel certificate from your doctor, which states how many weeks you are and sometimes the expected delivery date as well.

FBaby

Don't get me wrong, I understand the other risks, but surely they can't physically stop you going?

Of course they can! They can turn you around at check in, or even get you out at the next port.

Why are you so surprise at this considering that most cruises will be at least a couple of hours away from the closest emergency hospital at some point, much further away than most flight would be.