Cheers! Beverage Package medical exemption?

[Elaine5715]

5 hours ago, DrSea said:

Yea. I get it. It's a business and they have to make money.

 

My issue is targeting pregnant patients. It is morally bankrupt to screw over pregnant pax by making them buy things that they don't want or need or can't use. The average cruising age is already like 197. These policies are designed to squeeze money out of ppl <55 yo, yet cruise lines wonder why they have difficulties drawing a younger crowd. It's not like hoards of pregnant women are boarding CCL. They won't lose that much money by making exceptions for a few pregnant patients here and there. 

I would suggest that people traveling with a pregnant woman have a responsibility not to become intoxicated.   

[Elaine5715]

5 hours ago, DrSea said:

Right. But not everyone in your situation would/could have the freedom made the same decision.

How does one not have the ability to either choose not to purchase CHEERS or to order non alcoholic beverages?

[Elaine5715]

23 minutes ago, DrSea said:

We are drifting off point. If a doctor writes a note where something is contraindicated, the pax should be able to opt out of being forced to buy something. 

Are you aware that Federal laws require landlords to accept a letter signed by anyone with a medical license in order  to get an emotional support animal in an apartment that doesn't allow pets?  The tenant can straight up tell you they bought it on the internet but if the signer has a license, you must accept it.  When "medical marijuana" was legalized in my state, billboards and ads were everywhere that if you have any of these symptoms, "wink, wink" and $35 , you can get a medical marijuana card. Even rudimentary Photoshop skills can get you a letter with medical logo and there is no way  all medical licenses can be verified. So, no. I no longer think a doctor's note has the legitimacy it once enjoyed.   

[DrSea]

2 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

I would suggest that people traveling with a pregnant woman have a responsibility not to become intoxicated.   

 

2 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

How does one not have the ability to either choose not to purchase CHEERS or to order non alcoholic beverages?

 

1 hour ago, Elaine5715 said:

Are you aware that Federal laws require landlords to accept a letter signed by anyone with a medical license in order  to get an emotional support animal in an apartment that doesn't allow pets?  The tenant can straight up tell you they bought it on the internet but if the signer has a license, you must accept it.  When "medical marijuana" was legalized in my state, billboards and ads were everywhere that if you have any of these symptoms, "wink, wink" and $35 , you can get a medical marijuana card. Even rudimentary Photoshop skills can get you a letter with medical logo and there is no way  all medical licenses can be verified. So, no. I no longer think a doctor's note has the legitimacy it once enjoyed.   

For fake letters, the cruise line can always call and verify with the doctor if they really don't believe them. Are there charlatans? Yes. They should be dealt with. But it isn't fair to lump all doctors. We have standards - high standards. We have medical boards who oversee our conduct. I have seen people get ROASTED by the medical board and hopefully I will never have to deal with them beyond just renewing my license. If those standards don't meet your standards, I invite you to apply to medical school and really see how high our standards really are.

 

My stance on pregnant patients in regards to cruising: if a pregnant woman doesn't want a drink package, then she shouldn't have to buy it. High amounts of sugar or any amount of alcohol are toxic to the fetus. Sugar is not benign to a developing fetus. So forcing someone to drink 5-6 drinks to break even isn't fair to the mother or the fetus. 

 

I don't want to say it, but I feel like people aren't understanding what I am trying to hint at. There are a lot of messed up ppl in this world. There are pregnant patients who have partners who force them to drink even during their pregnancy. When I was a med student, I have had teary-eyed patients tell me and my supervising physician (attending) that they had to drink during their pregnancy bc they are afraid that their partner may beat them. Misery loves company. There are extreme cases, but they do exist.

 

So you can imagine a scenario where the partner wants to drink on the cheers package. He then forces her to buy a drink package and (best case scenario) she drinks the minimum 5-6 non-alcoholic drinks to break even at the behest of her partner. With such high serum glucose levels spiking from sugary drinks, it will cross the placenta and harm the fetus. The fetus loses here. Again unethical.

 

Worst case scenario, he forces her to drink alcohol to bc they have to break even. 

 

True, she could have picked a better partner. But at that point, she's stuck as she is already pregnant. We are just victim blaming at point. 

 

There is a lot of messed up ppl out there and a lot of moving parts. Ppl are complicated and live in very complicated situations, which are further complicated by pregnancies as there is another potential life thrown in the mix. The simplest and most ethical solution is to just honor the doctor's note in pregnant patients excluding them from cheers package. CCL and RCL can survive without a measly 200.

[Elaine5715]

12 hours ago, DrSea said:

 

 

For fake letters, the cruise line can always call and verify with the doctor if they really don't believe them. Are there charlatans? Yes. They should be dealt with. But it isn't fair to lump all doctors. We have standards - high standards. We have medical boards who oversee our conduct. I have seen people get ROASTED by the medical board and hopefully I will never have to deal with them beyond just renewing my license. If those standards don't meet your standards, I invite you to apply to medical school and really see how high our standards really are.

 

My stance on pregnant patients in regards to cruising: if a pregnant woman doesn't want a drink package, then she shouldn't have to buy it. High amounts of sugar or any amount of alcohol are toxic to the fetus. Sugar is not benign to a developing fetus. So forcing someone to drink 5-6 drinks to break even isn't fair to the mother or the fetus. 

 

I don't want to say it, but I feel like people aren't understanding what I am trying to hint at. There are a lot of messed up ppl in this world. There are pregnant patients who have partners who force them to drink even during their pregnancy. When I was a med student, I have had teary-eyed patients tell me and my supervising physician (attending) that they had to drink during their pregnancy bc they are afraid that their partner may beat them. Misery loves company. There are extreme cases, but they do exist.

 

So you can imagine a scenario where the partner wants to drink on the cheers package. He then forces her to buy a drink package and (best case scenario) she drinks the minimum 5-6 non-alcoholic drinks to break even at the behest of her partner. With such high serum glucose levels spiking from sugary drinks, it will cross the placenta and harm the fetus. The fetus loses here. Again unethical.

 

Worst case scenario, he forces her to drink alcohol to bc they have to break even. 

 

True, she could have picked a better partner. But at that point, she's stuck as she is already pregnant. We are just victim blaming at point. 

 

There is a lot of messed up ppl out there and a lot of moving parts. Ppl are complicated and live in very complicated situations, which are further complicated by pregnancies as there is another potential life thrown in the mix. The simplest and most ethical solution is to just honor the doctor's note in pregnant patients excluding them from cheers package. CCL and RCL can survive without a measly 200.

I do believe most physicians have and maintain high care standards, here's the big but, the courts equate internet clinics with the neonatal cardiac surgeons (I am using the speciality I think is the top skills) when it comes to certifications.  The example I used about housing was a real case where the woman got a certificate of medical need online for a diabetic alert dog because her late daughter had a dog she wanted in a no pet unit. No exam, no test, no actual diabetes which is why her local physician would not sign it.   

I did get the inference about the domestic violence.  It just isn't the responsibility of any business  to resolve social issues or to be responsible for personal choices.  The cruise lines do not refuse alcohol to a woman who is pregnant (obnoxious behavior yes, not large midsection), they don't refuse ice cream to those who are obese, they don't require use of sun screen,  and they don't monitor carb intake for those with diabetes. Cruise lines sell a product, we as adults choose how to use the product.      

[angelhelly]

I did not realized asking this question would start such a debate!

 

I need to stay away from any level of uncooked alcohol. Like aged balsamic vinegar level of alcohol. I usually get paranoid drunk for 5 min (enough for my husband to spot it and bring me somewhere safe), then I pass out and wake up with an major hangover the next day. This is highly unusual, my doctor can not figure out why this is happening, and his only answer is "just don't drink".

 

It is actually a big issue for me on cruises and AI as they put booze in a lot of things and half the time, the serving crew (or even the kitchen staff, as some things like soups and desserts are made offsite) do not know. I had several evenings ruined in vacation due to that. 

 

I was just asking if it was possible as I want my husband not to be limited because of my condition. But, it is obviously not possible, so thank you to all that answered my initial question!

 

 

[Elaine5715]

5 minutes ago, angelhelly said:

I did not realized asking this question would start such a debate!

 

I need to stay away from any level of uncooked alcohol. Like aged balsamic vinegar level of alcohol. I usually get paranoid drunk for 5 min (enough for my husband to spot it and bring me somewhere safe), then I pass out and wake up with an major hangover the next day. This is highly unusual, my doctor can not figure out why this is happening, and his only answer is "just don't drink".

 

It is actually a big issue for me on cruises and AI as they put booze in a lot of things and half the time, the serving crew (or even the kitchen staff, as some things like soups and desserts are made offsite) do not know. I had several evenings ruined in vacation due to that. 

 

I was just asking if it was possible as I want my husband not to be limited because of my condition. But, it is obviously not possible, so thank you to all that answered my initial question!

 

 

Put an allergy alert on your cruise manager and inform your wait team.