Dialysis on Carnival cruise ships

[NJEMT29]

my good friend just got put on dialysis and he supposed to be cruising on the Carnival breeze next July. Does any of Carnival's ships have a dialysis unit? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[lorim103]

my good friend just got put on dialysis and he supposed to be cruising on the Carnival breeze next July. Does any of Carnival's ships have a dialysis unit? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

I know this isn't much help as I overhead a conversation while standing at Guest Services but they do offer something. I couldn't help overhearing a conversation of it being scheduled for a passenger. Don't know any details!

[SMSACE6]

my good friend just got put on dialysis and he supposed to be cruising on the Carnival breeze next July. Does any of Carnival's ships have a dialysis unit? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have heard of it being on some cruise ships, but I dont know if Carnival is one of them. Did you check on Carnival's website. There is a search section for FAQ's. Barring that, then a call to Carnival's 1.800 number or contact their special services dept. Or, hopefully someone will post who has specific knowledge.

[Rod in Az]

my good friend just got put on dialysis and he supposed to be cruising on the Carnival breeze next July. Does any of Carnival's ships have a dialysis unit? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

In short, no, they do not. This link:

 

http://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs/diabetes-medicine-storage.aspx

 

Should give you all the information you need. Best of Luck!!!

Edited May 27, 2015 by Rod in Az

[luvmy2kids]

Before my dad passed 8 years ago, I scheduled him to cruise with us. At the time, the Carnival ships did not have dialysis onboard. I had to schedule dialysis at port. Since you are never guaranteed to arrive at a port, I had to schedule the dialysis at two ports even though he only needed one treatment that week. (He was treated before we left and the day we returned. It was a 5 night cruise.) This required sending copies of his medical records ahead of time to both facilities (Nassau and Grand Turk). He ended up having his dialysis done at Grand Turk. Carnival offered him transportation to and from the dialysis facility. The nurses at Grand Turk were wonderful to him and my mom. I then called the facility at Nassau and cancelled his appointment. They were aware it could be cancelled. It has to be scheduled ahead of time to be sure they have a bed for the patient.

 

Please feel free to ask me anything. It was a long time ago, but since I am the one who scheduled it, I remember a lot of it.

[twinbee]

Check out "Dialysis at Sea". They do cruises on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity that offer dialysis. As far as I know Carnival does not. When we took my dad on a cruise to Canada on a Carnival ship we had to make arrangements at one of the Canadian ports for him to have his dialysis done. Carnival did arrange the transportation to and from the hospital. We also had to pay up front the cost of the dialysis and then get reimbursed from the insurance company.

[crewsweeper]

As I understand it, there are 2 types of dialysis, one where you have to go in and use the machine , the other is self treated. If the latter, while your friend will have to use his cabin to treat himself, Carnival will assist in storing or accepting early the meds he needs. But check the information on site.

 

What ports are on the itinerary? Maybe someone on here has knowledge or used a clinic in one of the ports and can share info.

[RuthlessBoss]

As I understand it, there are 2 types of dialysis, one where you have to go in and use the machine , the other is self treated. If the latter, while your friend will have to use his cabin to treat himself, Carnival will assist in storing or accepting early the meds he needs. But check the information on site.

 

What ports are on the itinerary? Maybe someone on here has knowledge or used a clinic in one of the ports and can share info.

 

Yes, self dialysis. There was a recent thread on this and getting supplies on board etc.

 

I just used the search button at the top of this page and there are numerous threads to read.

[bravestwj]

I did a cruise while I was in peritoneal dialysis. It was on NCL but could have been in any ship. I carried my supplies on with me and the ships crew were awesome to me. I did have to meet with the environmental officer for specific instructions to dispose of my fluids.

 

It can be done and can be fun. I don't know about hemodialysis in a cruise though.

[InTheWASide]

Check out "Dialysis at Sea". They do cruises on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity that offer dialysis. As far as I know Carnival does not. When we took my dad on a cruise to Canada on a Carnival ship we had to make arrangements at one of the Canadian ports for him to have his dialysis done. Carnival did arrange the transportation to and from the hospital. We also had to pay up front the cost of the dialysis and then get reimbursed from the insurance company.

 

This would be my recommendation as well. Most cruise lines use them. Specific ships and sailing dates are predetermined though and you have to travel WHEN they'll be there...

 

Additionally, while they are providing a medical service they do effectively work as a travel agency (they are;t a service where you pay for something like special needs at sea... you have to book through them)... so I'm curious if CC even allows them to be mentioned... (not a dig on you twinbee, just wondering out loud as I type this)... interesting...

Edited May 27, 2015 by InTheWASide

[cb at sea]

Dialysis at sea is the only option....the ship does NOT have facilities for that.

[twinbee]

This would be my recommendation as well. Most cruise lines use them. Specific ships and sailing dates are predetermined though and you have to travel WHEN they'll be there...

 

Additionally, while they are providing a medical service they do effectively work as a travel agency (they are;t a service where you pay for something like special needs at sea... you have to book through them)... so I'm curious if CC even allows them to be mentioned... (not a dig on you twinbee, just wondering out loud as I type this)... interesting...

 

 

 

I would hope the admins would not get upset with me mentioning them since this is where I first learned about them. They have been mentioned on the disabled cruise forums too.

[taecruise2]

Dialysis at sea is not offered through Carnival. My sister is on Dialysis and just recently inquired . It can be quite expensive as previously stated you have to book through them and pay everything up front , including your dialysis. All insurance companies do not reimburse ... so it would be a good idea to check to find out if your particular insurance will. The cost is $500.00 plus per dialysis treatment and must be paid in advance.