[Travelandtourism] Cruising While Pregnant

[Reese]

Bryan and Fola Nelson were excited about their upcoming five-night Bahamas 
cruise on the Carnival Fascination. It was to be their last vacation before 
the birth of their first child.

Then, not long before their scheduled departure, Carnival delivered some bad 
news: Not only would Fola Nelson be denied boarding, but the cruise line 
would also pocket her entire fare, minus port taxes.

Why? Because like many other cruise lines, Carnival bans passengers who are 
25 weeks or more pregnant.

"My wife will be 10 days over that," says Bryan Nelson, a teacher in 
Minneapolis. "And despite her doctor's OK, the cruise line is sticking to 
its policy."

Cruise lines' rules on pregnancy are a common source of complaint from 
travelers. But like so many other cruise industry policies, this one wasn't 
always a hard-and-fast rule. Had Nelson become pregnant a decade ago, the 
company probably would have let her reschedule her trip at a minimal cost.

Not today. And the change is something that her cruise line seems happy to 
let the world know about.

Carnival's policy allows pregnant women to sail only through the 24th week 
of pregnancy. Every passenger who is expecting must show a physician's 
letter verifying that mother and baby are in good health and fit to travel. 
The letter must also include the estimated date of delivery. "Carnival's 
pregnancy guidelines are put in place as a precaution to protect the unborn 
baby and the mother," says Aly Bello, a spokeswoman for the cruise line.

That makes sense. Cruise ships offer reasonable emergency medical facilities 
for guests and crew members. But prenatal and early infant care can require 
specialized diagnostic facilities or treatment that might not be available 
on a ship or in the nearest port of call.

Even with the rules in place, complications can arise. This month, a 
31-year-old passenger was airlifted from the Disney Magic, 180 miles off the 
Texas coast, because of medical problems related to her pregnancy.

Other companies have virtually identical policies. Norwegian Cruise Lines 
refuses to admit passengers past the 24-week mark. So does Royal Caribbean 
Cruise Lines. "This decision is made because of the unique nature of a 
cruise ship being at sea for extended periods of time and the possibility of 
a guest's medical condition becoming critical during those times at sea," 
says Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez.

But not every pregnancy is planned, and cruises are often booked months in 
advance. You'd expect cruise lines to help passengers who get pregnant in 
the months between the booking and sailing dates, particularly if the 
company can re-sell the cabin to another customer.

But Carnival turned down requests from both the Nelsons and their travel 
agent to waive its rules. Bello noted that the Nelsons should have bought 
the travel insurance that Carnival offered. If they had, they would have 
received a 75 percent future cruise credit.

That's becoming an increasingly common response. Cruise lines appear eager 
to make a public example of customers who didn't buy travel insurance. The 
reason? Travel protection now accounts for a significant portion of their 
profits, and bending a rule would effectively undermine the business model.

"I don't think it's unreasonable for the cruise lines to adopt pregnancy 
policies, particularly given the limited nature of the medical facilities on 
cruise ships and the absence of doctors who are experienced in obstetrics 
and gynecology," says James Walker, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., attorney 
specializing in maritime law. "The problem arises when there is a good-faith 
misunderstanding by the pregnant passenger, and the cruise line takes a 
rigid attitude and pockets the consumer's money."

The Nelsons say that they're troubled by the way their situation was 
handled. Neither their travel agency nor Carnival bothered to disclose the 
pregnancy restrictions in a clear way before they booked, they say. "We 
reviewed cruise tickets from our travel agency and found nothing about 
pregnancy," says Bryan Nelson.

I asked that agency, Orlando-based Cruise Vacation Outlet, what it tells its 
customers. Todd Elliott, the president, said that the agency directs all 
clients to complete an online check-in to review any terms and conditions. 
The agency's welcome letter to new customers also directs them to the terms 
and conditions, which contain information about a cruise line's pregnancy 
restrictions.

In an email to the Nelsons, their travel agent, Jay Garcia, bottomlined it: 
"We are not responsible for unforeseen circumstances that are beyond our 
control."

Nelson is not entirely satisfied with that response. He says that the 
welcome letter refers only to visa and passport requirements and that he was 
never told to review the terms and conditions on the cruise line's website. 
His wife's pregnancy was flagged a few weeks before the cruise, when they 
tried to check in online.

Even if they'd booked their cruise using Carnival's website, they would have 
had to wade through four screens of information before reaching the details 
about cruising and pregnancy. It's something they could have easily missed.

As someone who once had to postpone a family cruise because of the 24-week 
rule, I'm sympathetic to Nelson's problem. I don't think it's right for him 
to lose his entire cruise. No one is arguing that the cruise line policy on 
pregnancy is wrong. But waiving a rule for a borderline case such as the 
Nelsons' wouldn't affect Carnival's stock price, and it would go a long way 
toward creating loyal repeat customers.

At any rate, making an example of the Nelsons seems insensitive and 
opportunistic -- even if Carnival's contract allows it.

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Maurice Shackelford
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