letter stating pregnant ?

[melika091900]

i was reading online , saw somewhere that RCCL requires a letter from Dr stating you are pregnant and not high risk?

 

is this no matter how far you are?

 

I will be 17 weeks when we cruise next month,

should I get one just in case?

 

i have never sailed with RCCL, so im not sure how strict they are with this

[cruisenfever]

i was reading online , saw somewhere that RCCL requires a letter from Dr stating you are pregnant and not high risk?

 

is this no matter how far you are?

 

I will be 17 weeks when we cruise next month,

should I get one just in case?

 

i have never sailed with RCCL, so im not sure how strict they are with this

Q: What is Royal Caribbean's policy on cruising while pregnant?

 

A: Royal Caribbean International cannot accept guests who will have entered their 24th week of pregnancyby the beginning of, or at any time during the cruise or cruisetour. A physician's "Fit to Travel" note is required prior to sailing, stating how far along (in weeks) your pregnancy will be at the beginning of the cruise and confirming that you are in good health and not experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. The "Fit to Travel" note should be faxed to the Access Department at 1-954-628-9622. Please contact us at 1-866-592-7225 or at special_needs@rccl.com if you have already booked a cruise or cruisetour and do not meet this requirement.

[PattyW]

I brought mine along and faxed it ahead of time; the people at the departure port were not interested in it. I did it because I was about three days shy of the deadline and it was my third baby, so I was pretty big already. Some people may not even look pregnant at 24 weeks, but better safe than sorry.

[melika091900]

yeah I changed our cruise to feb so I will only be 17 weeks,

so im thinking just dont get one?

 

i didnt show with my daughter until like 21 weeks,

 

 

 

so i dont see how it can be an issue..

[PattyW]

It's really not that big a deal to get one. Mine was scribbled on a prescription pad. It just said, PattyW will be 23w 3d preganant as of xx/xx/09 -last day of cruise. Hers is not a high risk pregnancy and she is fit to travel.

 

I just got it at one of my regular appointments. We were not flexible with the cruise because it was the older kids' Spring Break, so we were sweating bullets when I found out I was pregnant until we confirmed the due date. It was absolutely on the forefront of our minds when we got that plus sign on the home test and did the math.

[melika091900]

same thing happened to me, i just found out on 1/2.. and then went to the dr right away,

i would be exactly 24 weeks at the start of our cruise, so i panicked and just made it sooner, but now our daughter is missing school over it ,

sicne it was originally booked for spring break,,

 

ill just ask my dr for a little note in case maybe just to have it ..

[Starry Eyes]

same thing happened to me, i just found out on 1/2.. and then went to the dr right away,

i would be exactly 24 weeks at the start of our cruise, so i panicked and just made it sooner, but now our daughter is missing school over it ,

sicne it was originally booked for spring break,,

 

ill just ask my dr for a little note in case maybe just to have it ..

 

Better to have it, even if they do not ask. have a great cruise.

[plazamom]

Melika- Why on earth would you consider not getting the required note? As a nurse in an OB/GYN office we do this for patients all of the time- no big deal. I asume you are receiving prenatal care- just ask your doctor's office and they will be happy to do this for you. The reason I say this is god forbid you need medical care on the cruise and you did not reveal your pregnancy- I could see that causing problems. Even if your medical problem was not pregnacy related, certain medications shouldn't be given in pregnancy, etc. Why take the chance? As long as you fall within the guidelines, the cruiseline will have no problems with you traveling.

[cruisethesea]

I brought mine along and faxed it ahead of time; the people at the departure port were not interested in it. I did it because I was about three days shy of the deadline and it was my third baby, so I was pretty big already. Some people may not even look pregnant at 24 weeks, but better safe than sorry.

 

patty, how did you feel being that pregnant? i will be that far along in 2 months when i sail and am curious!

[ctcruiser1721]

IMHO this is a ridiculous policy. We are all responsible for the choices we make with our bodies while we are pregnant.

 

I cruised twice during the early stages of my last pregnant and was never asked to produce a note. And I would not relish the thought of being a check-in person charged with making the determination of wether or not someone is pregnant, bloated, or just plain overweight. This is simply a CYA policy based on we, The American People, being a sue-happy nation who are un-willing to take responsibility for our choices.

 

As a nurse, I feel the policy could be better written something like this, "While we welcome passengers who are expecting, we feel we implore you to speak with your private physician if you are beyond X number of weeks pregnant as we do not have facilities on board equipped to provide you with the level of service you will require should an unexpected complication arise."

 

In (1/2) jest I say there is no policy which states, "Men over the age of 70 with a BMI of greater than 23 who drink more than 2 oz of alcohol per day and have a cholesterol level of greater 210, and who have ever experience high blood pressure, or have a family history of heart disease may not cruise as there is a fair chance you will have 'the big' one when trolling the decks for the 20-somethings on bikinis."

[PattyW]

patty, how did you feel being that pregnant? i will be that far along in 2 months when i sail and am curious!

 

It was totally fine, but then again I have really easy pregnancies. I was well beyond morning sickness but hadn't hit that 3rd trimester sluggishness, so it was actually a really good time to go. You're not THAT pregnant at 24 weeks; it's only a little more than halfway when you think about it. I definitely called it a night early, but we were with family so I just went to bed at 10:00 after picking the kids up from Adventure Ocean and my husband could go out with his family. But I swam, ice skated and did everything I normally would have done - minus the booze!

 

I was also already completely in maternity clothes so I was comfortable, to boot!

 

The little guy who I was pregnant with in 2009 will be going on his first cruise on FOS in 16 days. It happens to be a Spring Break cruise with exact same group that went in 2009, + 1 of course.

[Familygoboston]

 

In (1/2) jest I say there is no policy which states, "Men over the age of 70 with a BMI of greater than 23 who drink more than 2 oz of alcohol per day and have a cholesterol level of greater 210, and who have ever experience high blood pressure, or have a family history of heart disease may not cruise as there is a fair chance you will have 'the big' one when trolling the decks for the 20-somethings on bikinis."

 

LOL,LOL LOL! So true!

 

I sailed 5 months pregnant, had a great time, didn't drink, but don't usually drink much anyway! Not sure what the weeks were, but the "viability" dates weren't as early wayyyyy back then either:p;)

 

OP, given the average size of cruisers today, they'd have no way to know unless they pull out a speculum before boarding any woman under 50 ( and the way it's going around here lately, I'm not ruling that out;)) But if you see a doc or midwife regularly, it's a small thing and might put your mind at ease!

 

Hey, congrats btw!

[ctcruiser1721]

LOL,LOL LOL! So true!

 

I sailed 5 months pregnant, had a great time, didn't drink, but don't usually drink much anyway! Not sure what the weeks were, but the "viability" dates weren't as early wayyyyy back then either:p;)

 

OP, given the average size of cruisers today, they'd have no way to know unless they pull out a speculum before boarding any woman under 50 ( and the way it's going around here lately, I'm not ruling that out;)) But if you see a doc or midwife regularly, it's a small thing and might put your mind at ease!

 

Hey, congrats btw!

 

$50 bucks says that 80% of men in the aforementioned category I described will have to google the word speculum. ROFLMAO!

[melika091900]

they never asked for the letter,

 

but im glad I didnt sail later,

i was real tired and with all the walking I had alot of ankle swelling which I never had before ....and my pregnancy has been easy,

[opcasey]

I cruised at 20 weeks while pregnant with twins and had a blast! I ate 3 desserts with every meal - one for me and one for each baby :)

 

We pre-tipped the cabin attendant in case I got sick in the cabin (which did happen, but I made it to the bathroom every time.)

[CruisingMachine]

i was reading online , saw somewhere that RCCL requires a letter from Dr stating you are pregnant and not high risk?

 

is this no matter how far you are?

 

I will be 17 weeks when we cruise next month,

should I get one just in case?

 

i have never sailed with RCCL, so im not sure how strict they are with this

 

It's a very simple request. Just do it and then you don't have to worry about it.

[SingingPixie]

$50 bucks says that 80% of men in the aforementioned category I described will have to google the word speculum. ROFLMAO!

 

A male friend of mine had a roommate in grad school who was a med student. One evening they had apparently had a discussion about what happens at an annual gyn appt. It led to a HILARIOUS exchange of texts in which he expressed horror and sympathy. The best part was when he started talking about the "speculator." :eek:

[CruisingMachine]

IMHO this is a ridiculous policy...This is simply a CYA policy based on we, The American People, being a sue-happy nation who are un-willing to take responsibility for our choices.

 

Then it's not such a ridiculous policy after all, is it? Do you think they want to turn away people who want to cruise? Perhaps after years of experience with these things they've determined that's the time-frame needed to avoid "problems". Does this mean they will be able to detect if someone past 24 weeks makes it onboard? Perhaps not, but if someone is deceitful and lies to get onboard and there's a problem, it won't be RC's fault.

[Sequim88]

The reason I say this is god forbid you need medical care on the cruise and you did not reveal your pregnancy- I could see that causing problems.

 

On our Feb 2011 So. Caribbean cruise on the way back to San Juan from Barbados I noted we had changed course and were headed south... FAST! Iasked a couple crew members watching the monitor and they said a pregnant woman had started bleeding and we were heading for Castries on St. Lucia. Not long after we pulled in and they they off loaded her on a stretcher into an ambulance which took off for the hospital.

 

I think if the pregnancy was documented, approved by doctor and within RCI guidelines it could have made a huge difference in terms of cost for the detour.