Can You Go On a Cruise Pregnant?

Whether you’re planning a cruise or had a cruise booked and are now pregnant. The big question is, can you go on a cruise pregnant?

Being pregnant on a cruise can be both a fantastic reprieve from the real world but also comes with a whole host of extra things to think about. I get it. I found out I was pregnant when working on a cruise ship and already having a cruise vacation planned.

Some parts of it were great – like room service! While other parts of it were hard when all I could get down was plain noodles and butter and had really bad morning sickness – or was it sea sickness?

Can you go on a cruise pregnant?

There are some basic restrictions and lots to think about for those thinking of going on a cruise pregnant. While I personally cruised into my 23rd week of pregnancy, that might not be the right choice for you or your pregnancy.

Of all the things to consider, the biggest is your health and the health of your baby. Make sure to talk with your health care provider to make the best decision for you.

How pregnant can you be on a cruise?

All major cruise lines have in essence the same policy, although they each word it somewhat different. The gist of it is that you cannot go on a cruise if you are in your 24th week of pregnancy or even if during the cruise you will be in your 24th week of pregnancy.

That means that say you will be 24 weeks along on August 20th but the cruise you are looking at goes from August 14th – August 21st. On every single major cruise line you will be denied boarding because you will enter your 24th week of pregnancy during the cruise.

Pregnancy policies by cruise line

Every major cruise line in essence has the same policy – you can’t have started or enter your 24th week of pregnancy during your cruise. I’ve gone ahead and found the links for all of the major cruise lines for you. Many of them also specify that the doctor needs to confirm you are not considered high risk.

Some cruise lines do require you to have a letter from your doctor. Refer to the specific policy from your cruise line to help provide guidance for what your doctor needs in the letter. Here are the links:

• Carnival Cruise Line
• Celebrity Cruises
• Cunard
• Disney Cruise Line
• Holland America Line
• MSC Cruises
• Norwegian Cruise Line
• P&O Cruises
• Princess Cruises
• Royal Caribbean
• Seabourn
• Silversea
• Regent Seven Seas

What happens if I get pregnant after already having a cruise booked?

If you book a cruise in advance and then find out you are pregnant and do not meet the requirements to sail you should contact either the cruise line or your travel agent.

Most cruise lines will either offer a refund or at minimum a future cruise credit. Not every cruise line spells this out on their website, but some, such as P&O explain that you can cancel your cruise:

“Yes, providing you were not aware that you were pregnant prior to booking and that you will be entering your 24th week (or more) by the final date of your cruise. This would only apply to guests booked under the pregnant guest’s booking reference and does not apply to any linked bookings, or other parties who may be travelling with you.”

This does mean if you book a family cruise with multiple rooms the other rooms are not eligible for the same cancellation privileges.

They go on to say that you need to send written confirmation to their medical team.

Whichever cruise line you sail with you will likely need to provide similar.

⭐ If you get a future cruise credit and plan to take your new little bundle of joy with you, realize most cruise lines require babies to be at least 6 months old to cruise and 12 months for some itineraries. Much like cruising while pregnant there is a lot to think about when cruising with a baby. ⭐

What if something goes wrong?

This is the part of going on a cruise pregnant that you don’t want to think about but really you should. This isn’t to get yourself all worked up and nervous but just to have a realistic understanding of what would happen if something went wrong.

There is an onboard medical team on every ship. That’s going to be the first part. Whatever is going on you’ll work with the onboard medical team and they will figure out what the next steps are for you and your baby.

It may be decided that you’ll be disembarked in the next port. In an emergency you don’t get to decide “I don’t want to disembark in Mexico!”. Nope, you are going ashore to get to a hospital.

If they decide it’s more urgent they might decide to medevac you by helicopter. (This is also part of why it’s so important to have travel insurance.)

Why can’t you go on a cruise after 24 weeks pregnant?

While there are medical facilities on all passenger ships with more than 100 guests, these are limited medical facilities not equipped to deliver a baby or deal with the additional complications that can come with a pre-term birth.

Additionally, cruises often sail to remote destinations or are at sea between ports. Disembarking a guest to get them safely to a hospital equipped to deal with the pregnancy complication or delivery is not usually a quick process. Depending on the location it could even include being helicopter evacuated.

Cruise lines do not want to take this risk and as such women that have entered their 24th week of pregnancy cannot sail.

Do I have to tell the cruise line I’m pregnant?

If you are early along in your pregnancy it would be pretty easy to hide it. However, many cruise lines explicitly say in their pregnancy policy that you need to tell them.

There are good reasons for the cruise line wanting to know about your pregnancy. It ensures the cruise line that you’ve been seen by your obstetricians office and they have deemed it safe for you to be onboard. Also, if something were to happen the more information on your pregnancy the better the onboard medical team will be able to treat you.

While it does not explicitly call for a doctors note in several cruise lines pregnancy policies, they all say you are not allowed to cruise past 24 weeks – and for your safety and that of your baby you should not try to skirt around this rule.

Is it safe to go on a cruise while pregnant?

This is dependent on each pregnancy and should really be discussed with your medical team.

The cruise itself is not inherently dangerous for a pregnancy. The limited access to advanced emergency medical care an be dangerous.

While I spent most of the first 6 months of my pregnancy onboard a cruise ship, either working on a cruise ship while pregnant or going on our babymoon. Each step of the way as a discussion with my medical team to make sure that as much as they were able to foresee, going on a cruise would be safe for me to do.

Should you have travel insurance?

Yes! You should always cruise with travel insurance and even more so if you are pregnant. You’ll want a plan that will cover at minimum emergency evacuation from the ship.

What destinations should you avoid?

When you’re pregnant there are a million things to think about and consider. That extends beyond weird pregnancy cravings and needing to avoid deli meat, you should also consider where you shouldn’t cruise.

According to the CDC website, pregnant women should avoid travel to regions with malaria and Zika virus. This includes much of the Caribbean, as well as parts of Central and South America as well as Africa and parts of Asia.

Before making your cruise plans you should discuss with your healthcare provider where you are wanting to go on your cruise and talk through any risks that might exist.

There are some popular cruise destinations with no history of Zika virus or risk of malaria, such as Alaska, Northern Europe, and much of the Mediterranean.

What foods to avoid

The CDC has a long list of which foods to avoid while pregnant. This includes things like undercooked poultry or meat, unheated deli meats and cold cuts, premade deli salads, unpasteurized juices and milk, as well as some soft cheeses, raw or undercooked eggs, sprouts, fish, shellfish; fish containing high levels of mercury.

Onboard avoiding these foods is pretty easy to do. Yes, it means when you order your steak you have to say “well-done” and you’ve got to opt for a different dressing on your salad and skip the sprouts. There is so much food available onboard you’ll absolutely be able to find some delicious food that you can enjoy.

Activities and facilities

Whether you are onboard to lounge or get those healthy steps in a cruise ship has the activities and facilities that you need. From an onboard spa and fitness center, to plenty of places to enjoy that fresh sea air.

You’ll have to skip the hot tubs and mai-tais, but you can enjoy mock-tails and pools.

Packing Essentials

Pregnancy Pillow – while you might love your giant pregnancy pillow bringing that onboard isn’t practical. Grab one of these smaller pillows to support your growing belly while traveling.

Prenatal Vitamins – Make sure to bring these along.

Tums/Pregnancy Related Medication – by part way through my second trimester I was taking tums like it was going out of style. You’ll want to make sure you’ve got any medications you need with you, too.

Compression Socks – whether you have to fly to the ship or not, compression socks will help keep the blood flowing

Snacks – this might seem odd to bring on a cruise. You’ve already paid for all of the food! If there is something you have been absolutely craving, bring some of them onboard.

Comfortable Shoes – There is a lot of walking on cruises. Whether you are making your way around the ship or heading ashore, starting from a place of comfort is so important when you’re pregnant!

What are medical facilities are available onboard?

Each ship has an onboard medical facility. This will typically include a couple of doctors, a team of nurses, and possibly some EMT’s.

These medical facilities are largely meant to stabilize a patient, not necessarily cure them or do surgery on them.

FAQ’s

Is morning sickness worse on a cruise?

It can be. Morning sickness can be rough and anyone that has been through it, or loved someone that’s been through it knows it is far more than just in the morning. On a cruise all of those morning sickness feelings of nausea can be exacerbated by the motion of the ocean.

If you’re going through morning sickness talk to your OB team before going to find out if there is any medication you can take to help deal with the possibly increased nausea of being at sea. There are a couple that are okayed for pregnancy.

Ginger candies could be a helpful option or ginger ale. You could also try acupressure bands. Green apples are also said to help.

I personally have only suffered from sea sickness two times over thousands of days at sea – but in my first trimester I had a rough combination of sea sickness and morning sickness.

Conclusion: Can you go on a cruise pregnant?

As long as you have not entered and will not enter your 24th week of pregnancy during your cruise, you aren’t high risk and you’ve got the clear from your doctor, then yes, you can go on a cruise pregnant!

A cruise can be a great way to relax before your little one comes along. There are a lot of things to consider when thinking of taking a cruise while pregnant though, and paramount among those is discussing your risks with your doctor.