[Travelandtourism] Cruising While Pregnant

Fri Nov 23 23:00:02 UTC 2012

Thank you for posting Maurice.
When you can please call me Monday after 1pm
Thank you.

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Thank you.

> From: atlanticstar1 at gmail.com
> To: travelandtourism at nfbnet.org
> Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2012 16:46:47 -0500
> Subject: [Travelandtourism] Cruising While Pregnant
> 
> 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.
> 
> Home of the low price guaranty
> 
> Maurice Shackelford
> http://www.peachtreetravel.net
> (phone)770-280-5029
> (fax)404-921-9674
> reservations at peachtreetravel.net
> 
> 
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