ACK! Just found out I am pregnant!

[emirelli]

We are booked on the Dawn over Thanksgiving with our entire extended family. This is a huge trip and I just found out I am pregnant. I will be two weeks over NCL's maximum of 24 weeks. Anyone els cruise while pregnant? Do you know how they check? The website says you can't be further along than 24 weeks and that you must send in a doctor's note. Anyone else do this? Do you think they would actually prevent me from boarding the ship if my doctor says I am fine to travel? What if we don't say anything at all? Do you think they would even ask?

[PhilBiker]

Regardless of whether this means you can't cruise... CONGRATULATIONS! :)

[Jenninhawaii]

We are booked on the Dawn over Thanksgiving with our entire extended family. This is a huge trip and I just found out I am pregnant. I will be two weeks over NCL's maximum of 24 weeks. Anyone els cruise while pregnant? Do you know how they check? The website says you can't be further along than 24 weeks and that you must send in a doctor's note. Anyone else do this? Do you think they would actually prevent me from boarding the ship if my doctor says I am fine to travel? What if we don't say anything at all? Do you think they would even ask?

 

If this is your first baby, you might not even be showing very much yet. I wouldn't say anything but I would ask the doctor/midwife for a note (maybe they can fib your due date a little, after all they aren't really that accurate anyway.) If they won't fib for you just go and enjoy your cruise any way. Jen

[davidvc04]

I'd want to know why they have that policy. If there are credible health concerns, I wouldn't go. Ships sometimes experience bouts of illness, and I certainly woudn't want to expose myself were I pregnant (okay, expose my wife in my case) to that risk, even if it usually quite slight on most ships.

 

Worse case scenario: something does go wrong, ship learns you violated policy, ship washes hands of any and all responsibility, you are left in miserable circumstances.

 

Not trying to be alarmist. Like I said, I'd want to know why they have that policy, but then you might give yourself away in trying to find out.

[grangermom]

I cruised w/NCL when I was pregnant. I can't remember how many weeks along, but it had to be close to, or past, 24. Anyway, nobody ever asked me how far along I was or asked for a doctor's note. Now that was in 1989, so things may have changed. My only problem was feeling nauseous from the movement and not being able to use Dramamine. (They didn't seem to know about using ginger back then, or at least I didn't know). We had rough seas one day and couldn't go into port, so we spent the whole day at sea:o When I look back at those pictures, I can see the pained/nauseous look on my face. Anyway, you are safe to use ginger while you're pregnant, and it really helps.

 

I hope you're able to cruise. However, if you can't, I can tell you that the joys of motherhood FAR outweigh any vacation. That may sound cliche, but I'm very sincere when I say that.

 

And by the way, CONGRATS!!!

[seahorse]

The cruise lines are very strict about this, and yes you will need a note and no you cannot be past the due date.

 

If your Dr. "fudges" the due date.......he is liable, so I don`t think he/she would do it.

 

No travel insurance is going to cover you now.

[faithwins]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=364554

[Host CMLA]

I cruised NCL when I was pregnant last year (22 weeks) and they definitely made me show my doctor's note and the doctor onboard came to see me once they annotated that I was pregnant. He just came by one time to make sure everything was alright. He wasn't worried; I think it was just a courtesy. Maybe I was showing more than other people? Or maybe I had the pregnancy waddle down already. ;) Either way, they were strict about it with me and I don't know if I'd chance getting caught. You have no idea how you'll show 4 months from now or how you're gonna feel.

 

All that aside...CONGRATULATIONS!!! My son just turned 8 months and I remember pregnancy like it was yesterday. I use him as my avatar picture and I change it every few weeks. Good luck!

[newmexicoNita]

If this is your first baby, you might not even be showing very much yet. I wouldn't say anything but I would ask the doctor/midwife for a note (maybe they can fib your due date a little, after all they aren't really that accurate anyway.) If they won't fib for you just go and enjoy your cruise any way. Jen

First of all, 26 weeks pregnant she probably will be showing and secondly no doctor would take a chance like that, or I can't imagine one. I do think there is a way to get a doctors approval, but even that I won't swear to; This may be a big family trip and it is sad someone has to miss it, but the birth of a child is one of the most important things in life. NMNita

[newmexicoNita]

I cruised NCL when I was pregnant last year (22 weeks) and they definitely made me show my doctor's note and the doctor onboard came to see me once they annotated that I was pregnant. He just came by one time to make sure everything was alright. He wasn't worried; I think it was just a courtesy. Maybe I was showing more than other people? Or maybe I had the pregnancy waddle down already. ;) Either way, they were strict about it with me and I don't know if I'd chance getting caught. You have no idea how you'll show 4 months from now or how you're gonna feel.

 

All that aside...CONGRATULATIONS!!! My son just turned 8 months and I remember pregnancy like it was yesterday. I use him as my avatar picture and I change it every few weeks. Good luck!

And I bet you would gladly have given up a cruise in exchange for him. Well, I look back to those last few weeks of your pregnacy; maybe at that time you didn't really feel that way. Remember???? LOL

 

NMNita

[Host CMLA]

And I bet you would gladly have given up a cruise in exchange for him. Well, I look back to those last few weeks of your pregnacy; maybe at that time you didn't really feel that way. Remember???? LOL

During those last few weeks I'd have traded him for a good night's sleep!!! LOL

[NCLcruisefan]

Well I cruised in my 8th month once. Against a doctors order not to. One reason was that with my 3rd I had lots of preterm labor; so they didn't know if I would again and especially being my 4th and LAST pregnancy. But it was January so I wore a big sweater and jacket and no one even dared ask. It just made me look really fat and no one would dare ask a woman if she were pregnant if she might be fat. The difference is that hubby booked it as a surprise for our anniversary. Some men! How is that a good surprise to go on a cruise when you are 8 months prego?? Not to me!! And so once on board for a while I started wearing normal clothes. But still no one asked. That was RCCL; we originally were booked on an NCL ship but when hubby surprised me and I mentioned that I can't go when I am this far along; he called NCL and they said no way! So he said we wouldn't tell them. I was like; OK you just called NCL; so now they know. So he cancelled and booked with RCCL. That was an issue since he booked only about 2 weeks ahead and cancelled less than 2 weeks out. But since it was through Orbitz they said that they think they could do it since we just booked and as long as we still booked another. Now I told my hubby; OK don't you think RCCL will say no too. And of course; he was like; oh I forgot about the reason we needed to cancel, your pregnant and too far along!:rolleyes: Oh my gosh; men!!! So we were stuck at that point. I even had to hide to get on the airplane to fly to Miami! So point being; it isn't worth it if it puts your baby at risk. It was a very rough cruise; waves coming over the top deck and no one was allowed out doors. I couldn't even stand up the ship rocked so much; I could have easily been injured; which is the worst part. But also then if I needed to be lifeflighted out insurance may not cover it since i lied about my pregnancy. Not a good idea. But NCL allows you to cruise when you are prego after whenever it was; but RCCL was a little later. But still I was too far along.

[emirelli]

Thanks for all your input. I am not sure why the cruise lines have this policy, but each line is different. Some don't have any restrictions and some don't restrict until 27 weeks. I will be just 26 weeks. I didn't mean to sound shallow about the cruise, it just happens to be the only family reunion our family has ever had and I would be seeing family I haven't seen in 17 years. I am just frustrated that I would miss it because we chose a cruise line that has this restriction. And it is tarnishing an otherwise happy time.

[cruizinwithkids]

I think it's probably my "Irish Catholic" conscience speaking, but ask yourself what IF something happened. Could you live with the guilt.

 

I have a fabulous well behaved 15 year old son with ADD. I ask myself regularly would he be this way if I had breasfed? Labor was induced after I went 16 days past my due date. He was born two days later. Would he have ADD if he wasn't so late or if we had waited and not been induced. The intelligent part of me says we made the right decision, but I always wonder.

 

Only you can decide if you can live with yourself if something were to happen and the outcome was made worse because you chose a vacation. The odds of something happening are minute, but would you want to live with "what if?"

 

I wouldn't trade my son for anything in the world, but what if?

[unclepaulie]

Personally I think they have this clause posted due to travel insurance. Even if you acquired travel insurance through an alternate carrier, you should still check over the policy.

 

For heaven's sake, there was a woman who fell and broke her hip on one of their ships, but NCL wasn't held responsible. How could they be liable for a pregnant woman who chose to travel anyways?

 

Have a friend call NCL and ask about the policy; see what they have to say.

 

Barb

[DrivesLikeMario]

The insurance policy is not the reason. It's a liability for the cruise line to carry passengers that may deliver pre-mature babies.

 

Is there a premie trauma center at sea? I don't think so.

Do they have the equipment to deal with a premie baby born at sea? I don't think so.

In the rare case that you go into premature labor, what if the baby dies while the ship is at sea or in some foreign port? The cruise line would be sued so fast, they wouldn't know what hit them.

 

I would hate for you to miss the cruise and yes, you could probably 'get away with it', but if you're caught and you have to leave the ship, it's at YOUR expense AND you've also lost the money you paid for the cruise in the first place.

 

So, all you have to ask yourself is, "Is it worth it?"

[mousecrazy]

The cutoff is 24 weeks because if the baby is born prematurely, there is a chance that s/he will survive with proper advanced medical care. Obviously, this care is not available on a cruise ship or in most ports. I cruised last month at 22 weeks. My records noted my pregnancy. I was not questioned at any point during the cruise. I noticed another VERY pregnant individual who had VERY obviously fudged on her dates, and obviously she wasn't questioned either.

 

In the end, you must determine what is right for your situation. Please consider that by 26 weeks, you might not even want to cruise. And, of course, what would happen if you began pre-term labor on the cruise...yikes. And if this is your first pregnancy, you really don't know how your body is going to adjust. There's just so many reasons to not take a chance...

 

I wish you the best in your pregnancy and cruise decision. Congratulations.

[seahorse]

Personally I think they have this clause posted due to travel insurance. Even if you acquired travel insurance through an alternate carrier, you should still check over the policy.

 

For heaven's sake, there was a woman who fell and broke her hip on one of their ships, but NCL wasn't held responsible. How could they be liable for a pregnant woman who chose to travel anyways?

 

Have a friend call NCL and ask about the policy; see what they have to say.

 

Barb

 

No travel insurance covers pregnancy. It is considered "Your fault" and your decision, not an illness.

 

How could they be liable?? In this litigious society, how could you even ask that question:confused:

 

For that woman who broke her hip? I am sure that they could find a cause to sue NCL.:rolleyes:

[sweetpea-2]

:) congratulations..I think they have this rule due to premature labor & complications etc....I never went on a cruise when I was pregnant but you never know what is going to happen during a pregnancy...something to consider ..........

[Ginamarie]

DH and I were scheduled to be on the Dawn 1-05, but I found out I was pregnant in Sept 2004. I would have been just passed the 24 week marker, so we cancelled. Unfortunetly, I had a miscarriage.

The good thing was that we were able to use our cruising money to go on the NCL Sea in July AND on the NCL Spirit in November. Nine months after our July cruise my baby daughter was borm :)

I was about 19 weeks pregnant for our Spirit cruise and had no problems, but at 24 weeks I had some premature labor and was put on bedrest. I couldn't go to work full time, let alone on a vacation. I cant even imagine what could havee happened if I had premature labor on the ship. I needed special medication and sonograms, etc, that they would not have onboard.

 

That being said, I had a doctors note ready for my November cruise, but noone ever asked to see it. That time of year it's cold in NY, so everyone is wearing bulky sweaters that hide your size. So you probably could get away with going onboard at 26 weeks, but personally I'd think twice about it.

[freakymickey]

I cruised April 30 this year pregnant. I did not hide my pregnancy and as a former travel agent I understood the policy of NCL. NCL's actual policy states that at the conclusion you cannot be in your 26 week of pregnancy. I cruised at then beginning of my 26th week. The reason why they do not want to have you on the cruise that late in pregnancy is because they are not equipped to handle a premature baby. Their medical facilities are capable of taking care of mom but not baby. Now I spoke with my doctor and he okayed my going, I did not take a letter and at no point was I questioned about the gestational age. I even mentioned to the ship's doctor how far along I was when he was treating my husband for a back injury and it didn't seem to phase him. I do have to say that I did not have to fly and if I did I am not sure that I would of went at that point. Take all of this into consideration and make your decision.

[gsc500]

Everyone is different and every pregnancy seems to be different also.

 

I have an aunt who is a traveling diva with a DH who can apparently support her traveling addiction. Lol!

 

She goes on a major trip about every 3-4 months and that doesn't include weekend or short trips to NYC, etc.

 

The kicker is that she had 8 kids in 10 years! :eek: So, she was basically pregnant for most of that time and that didn't stop her from flying and cruising.

 

I have NO IDEA how she got away with traveling when she was in her 8th month, but she did. The only time she wouldn't fly would be in the baby was too young (less than 6 weeks?) unless she left the infant home with a nanny. :rolleyes: She practically gets on a plane to somewhere every 2 months!

 

The youngest one is now 7 years old. She homeschools too! When the younger kids were younger, she had a live-in nanny to help her with the younger ones will the older ones had lessons but I think that the older ones help with the younger ones now.

 

When she would teach them about art and music, there would be trips to Paris and NYC. When they were reading Shakespeare, it would be off to London to see plays. She's taken the older kids to Alaska via a cruise and a grand tour of China, etc.

 

And she carried BIG when she was pregnant. Meaning she looked pregnant even when she wasn't and looked 6 months pregnant during the first month of pregnancy. Of course, 7 years after her last pregnany, she looks GREAT now! All the pre-post-during pregnancy weight is gone now! If only I can say the same about me! ;)

 

As I said, I'm not sure how she did it, because she always had a trip planned and always seemed to be pregnant too. :confused:

[Host CMLA]

The kicker is that she had 8 kids in 10 years!

I think she needs a new hobby. LOL :eek:

 

I flew through my 34th week of pregnancy. I went to Las Vegas 8 months pregnant. I was due 10/15/05. My doctor and the airlines said I could fly through 9/15/05 and I did! And I looked every inch 8 months pregnant.

 

I'm not sure I'd cruise past when they say it's OK. I'm not saying the OP should listen to me. I'm just saying how I would do it. Since not every pregnancy is the same and anything can happen at any time, I don't know if I'd put myself on a ship in the middle of the water without a hospital close by. But again, that's just me. Since it's so far away, I'd probably be on the side of caution and see if there was some other way to be a part of the reunion. But in June you can't tell what kind of pregnancy you're going to have in November. You could be on bed rest for all you know. Good luck with your decision. I know it's a tough one for you.

[kmacht]

Can someone clarify the insurance thing for me? We just found out that my wife is pregnant. We were planning on taking the NCL dream out of Houston at the beginning of October. She will be well under the 24 week rule. I was planning on purchasing cruise insurance but now it sounds like I may not be able to. I am not worried about the cost of the cruse but I am worried about the cost of a medical evac or if for some reason she would need emergency medical care. Are there any companies out there that will cover this type of situation or am I stuck because this is a "pre-exisiting" medical conditon.

 

Keith

[seahorse]

Can someone clarify the insurance thing for me? We just found out that my wife is pregnant. We were planning on taking the NCL dream out of Houston at the beginning of October. She will be well under the 24 week rule. I was planning on purchasing cruise insurance but now it sounds like I may not be able to. I am not worried about the cost of the cruse but I am worried about the cost of a medical evac or if for some reason she would need emergency medical care. Are there any companies out there that will cover this type of situation or am I stuck because this is a "pre-exisiting" medical conditon.

 

Keith

 

Go to insuremytrip.com and read all of the policies. As far as I know no one will insure pregnancy. It is not a pre-existing condition. It is a condition that you brough on yourselves:D Other conditions will be covered though.