RandomKid

Thank you for the detailed response! Planning family travel with disability problems is difficult, but we've managed even a few international trips since COVID, some with foreign travel dialysis arranged, some 3-5 day short trips where treatments were postponed. I proposed this idea so that my Mom could enjoy a nice long cruise and my Dad could still join for some fun, but if this does not work out, a land based vacation would be the alternative.

Hi everyone! I want to book a trip for my parents and myself, on the Prima 11-day from Galveston to Miami, with ports of call being Cozumel, GSC, and the ABC islands. Problem is, my Dad needs regular dialysis treatments on land, so he can't do the full 11-day itinerary. He's really excited about visiting the ABC islands, and I'd still like to make it happen. My plan is to book all 3 of us in one cabin - the first two passengers (my Mom and I) will be onboard the entire time from Galveston to Miami. My Dad as the 3rd passenger, will skip the first 5 days of the cruise, fly into Aruba, join us on the cruise for 3 days, then abandon the rest of the trip and fly out of Curaçao. The flights will of course be at our own expense. As I understand it, since his shorter itinerary does not involve a US port on either end, it's not a violation of the Passenger Vessel Services Act. Also, since he's flying into Aruba and flying out of Curaçao, it should satisfy the islands' entry requirements and visa waiver program for US citizen. I've tried calling NCL about this, but have got conflicting information. First phone rep said this is possible but needed medical documentation, second rep said no deviation would be allowed whatsoever, third rep transferred me over to Accessibility and said it's up to their approval, only to have Accessibility say they don't handle that and transferred me back to Reservations. These calls have not been helpful, and the reps have been less than knowledgeable about the laws or policies involved. Has anyone had personal experiences with joining late or leaving early on an NCL cruise? What's the process for getting this approved ahead of time, or just show up at a port of call with necessary documentation and ID and be able to board? Any feedback is appreciated!