Oxygen on a Cruise

Looking for advice on bringing Oxygen on board. My cousin has had a hard year and I would love to treat her to a cruise. She is on Oxygen and a little worried about this. Please help me to help her. Thank you , PDXJAS

I would go ahead and contact the Carnival Disabilities and Special Needs department and see what information they can give you. They may have some better suggestions than I can think of and will be more than happy to help with any requests.

Per the Carnival website:

Guest using Oxygen or other breathing apparatus are responsible for traveling with their own supply of Oxygen and medications. Guests need to bring enough Oxygen to last the duration of the cruise; oxygen supply onboard the vessels are for emergency use only.

If you choose to hand carry your oxygen, packing oxygen cylinders and/or tanks in your luggage is strictly prohibited, as is putting them through security x-ray machines. Please hand-carry your oxygen machines (BiPAP, CPAP, Concentrator, Nebulizer, etc.) and not place them in your checked luggage.

The Medical Center is equipped with oxygen for emergency use ONLY. If you will require the use of oxygen during your cruise, you must arrange for an adequate supply to be delivered to the ship on your sailing date. (Likewise, all guests undergoing CAPD (Peritoneal Dialysis) must arrange for the delivery of solutions and supplies.) Please contact Guest Services once onboard for proper storage of your oxygen. All guests are responsible for the pickup and delivery of their oxygen. Please have your medical supply company contact us, otherwise port clearance may not be granted.

Thank you, HollandAvery. Great suggestion.

There is a whole packet of paperwork to fill out. They accidentally sent us the oxygen forms when we called about my husband's CPAP. Called back, they had miscoded us. Make sure to contact them, and also to give yourself enough time to read everything and fill it out. :)

Jilly~ Thank you. We are looking at the Inspiration. Sounds like you know what you are talking about :)

There are several companies out there that will provide the oxygen right to the ship. Carevacations, Special Needs at Sea, are a couple. Carnival may have a preferred partner, so check with them.

I am a sales rep for a company that sells home oxygen. Ask the company that services your cousin if they have a portable concentrator to borrow, if he/she doesn't have one already. We give them to patients who are traveling because they don't contain any gas, they just turn the room air into concentrated oxygen. They run off of rechargeable batteries. These are a few examples.

http://activoxpoc.com/

http://simplygo.respironics.com/

I use a little oxygen at night as well as CPAP. Fortunately my supplier has travel consentrators that are available to borrow. I have already signed up and reserved mine for our cruise. no tanks bottles etc. runs on batteries so it's easily carried thru the ship if you're on it constantly. I just keep mine plugged in all the time and like I said only use it at night with CPAP but you can use it all day if need be. very convienient as I have done this before when traveling. it's fairly light and mine actually has wheels and handle like luggage so it can easily be towed around.

Looking for advice on bringing Oxygen on board. My cousin has had a hard year and I would love to treat her to a cruise. She is on Oxygen and a little worried about this. Please help me to help her. Thank you , PDXJAS

There are portable oxygen concentrators that many patients can use to supply their oxygen needs. This would need to be supplied by an oxygen company and ordered by your doctor. If your friend is on oxygen continuously or even just at night it would be unrealistic to try to bring enough oxygen tanks on board to last an entire week. They make portable concentrators that weigh as little as a portable tank. I'm not sure how this would work as far as insurance coverage and probably varies in its coverage under the various insurance plans but this would definitely be the way to go for a person on continuous oxygen.

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Concentrators are the way to go in this scenario, especially if you are flying to meet the ship. The airlines won't touch medical O2 bottles on board unless they are FAA certified, and even then...:eek:

If bottles are for some reason a must-have, and you are flying in, you will need to rent them and have them available after your arrival at port. If you are driving in, then just consult the cruise line.

O2 is nasty stuff. Yeah, sure, it certainly keeps me alive while I am flying at 18,000', and most certainly has beneficial medical purposes, but if it ignites, it is a disaster. That is why the airlines won't allow medical O2 on board aircraft.

I just returned from NCL Epic not to long ago. I found http://www.specialneedsatsea.com through the forum on disabilities. I only use O2 at night so I got the plug in the wall sit in the corner type. They do have portable concentrators as well.

I asked my local supplier, but if you're leaving the US, they couldn't supply it. They sent me a one page form to fill out and I needed the doctor to send me prescription, and credit card, that's it. It was in out stateroom when we arrived. Easy peasy.

Concentrators are the way to go in this scenario, especially if you are flying to meet the ship. The airlines won't touch medical O2 bottles on board unless they are FAA certified, and even then...:eek:

 

If bottles are for some reason a must-have, and you are flying in, you will need to rent them and have them available after your arrival at port. If you are driving in, then just consult the cruise line.

 

O2 is nasty stuff. Yeah, sure, it certainly keeps me alive while I am flying at 18,000', and most certainly has beneficial medical purposes, but if it ignites, it is a disaster. That is why the airlines won't allow medical O2 on board aircraft.

And onboard, there will be the IMDG placard for combustible compressed gas placed on the cabin door, and the ship's security and fire teams are made aware of the locations of O2 units. I do know that some cannot use a concentrator, since this does not produce 100% oxygen, so I have seen guests bring both types of systems onboard.

And onboard, there will be the IMDG placard for combustible compressed gas placed on the cabin door, and the ship's security and fire teams are made aware of the locations of O2 units. I do know that some cannot use a concentrator, since this does not produce 100% oxygen, so I have seen guests bring both types of systems onboard.

It's almost impossible to deliver 100% oxygen into the lungs unless you have an endotracheal tube in place. Even 100 percent by non rebreather mask does not deliver 100% 02 into the lungs and indeed if a person's health was such that they require 100 percent 02 they would be unlikely to go on a cruise. So for most people the portable concentrator is the way to go. Tanks empty very quickly when used continuously. That is why most people on portable 02 have a flow regulator that allows for intermittent pulsing triggered by their respirations. That method is ineffective when you have someone with a very poor inspiratory ability so the advantage of a portable concentrator is that that person would not have to be able to pull air forcefully enough to trigger a pulse flow regulator.

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It's almost impossible to deliver 100% oxygen into the lungs unless you have an endotracheal tube in place. Even 100 percent by non rebreather mask does not deliver 100% 02 into the lungs and indeed if a person's health was such that they require 100 percent 02 they would be unlikely to go on a cruise. So for most people the portable concentrator is the way to go. Tanks empty very quickly when used continuously. That is why most people on portable 02 have a flow regulator that allows for intermittent pulsing triggered by their respirations. That method is ineffective when you have someone with a very poor inspiratory ability so the advantage of a portable concentrator is that that person would not have to be able to pull air forcefully enough to trigger a pulse flow regulator.

 

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I realize that the O2 to the lungs is not 100%, since you are using cannulas or masks, which introduce air into the mixture. Not being a medical professional, I can't say why someone would need O2 cylinders over a concentrator, but from personal experience onboard, I have dealt with both.

I realize that the O2 to the lungs is not 100%, since you are using cannulas or masks, which introduce air into the mixture. Not being a medical professional, I can't say why someone would need O2 cylinders over a concentrator, but from personal experience onboard, I have dealt with both.

I'm a physician and the only conditions I can think of that would require a higher flow rate than what can be administered with a portable oxygen concentrator would be conditions that would make travel unwise. That being said patients who are completely 02 dependent would need to take at least 1 tank with them in addition to the O2 concentrator because in the event the power went out or the machine malfunctioned they would need a temporary alternate source of oxygen.

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She uses a large concentrator at home and tanks when she is out. I have been told she has tried 2 portable concentrators with no luck. She is going to talk to her "guy". and see if she can get a hook up. She was very excited to hear that it will be a non problem. She's working her end. We are not flying in.

Looking for advice on bringing Oxygen on board. My cousin has had a hard year and I would love to treat her to a cruise. She is on Oxygen and a little worried about this. Please help me to help her. Thank you , PDXJAS

Just returned from our 28th cruise, all with oxygen! I purchased a POC after renting them (insurance didn't cover that cost :( ) I went with the EverGo which provides ONLY pluse flow at first and because it can operate from both battery and household electrical as well as car electrical system it became my primary O2 source even at home (no 50' of cannula hose to drag around). After five years if almost constant use it was time to replace it so I switched to the SimplyGo model which can provide BOTH pulse and continuous flow. Same power supply options and a tad lighter in weight.

We like to cruise from west coast ports to eliminate the flight hassle but Southwest is great about my POC when we do need to fly. We have never had a problem with any of the cruise lines, other than the limited number of electrical outlets and often awkward locations in relation to bed for nighttime use...we started bringing along a small power surge strip which solved the cabin outlet problem.

One thing you might want to consider is cabin location. While I enjoy walking at a slow pace it is easy to put in up to 5 miles or more a day just going to the various activities offered on the ship. Booking a cabin midship might add extra $$ to the fare but can be a big help if your cousin has mobility issues from the O2 requirements (mine is COPD)...

I hope you can find a solution as it sounds like you are a great person to want to do this for your cousin. Good luck.

The company who supplies oxygen to me at home no longer offers travel concentrators so I have to rent one. The least expensive company so far is going to charge me 450 bucks for 10 days. This really sucks because until Dec, I didn't even need oxygen! I got a Pulmonary Embolism and now I need oxygen. The cost of this POC is going to take the place of some nice excursions.:(

And now, after reading the posts here, I am questioning if I should add an oxygen tank in case of power failure. :confused:

The company who supplies oxygen to me at home no longer offers travel concentrators so I have to rent one. The least expensive company so far is going to charge me 450 bucks for 10 days. This really sucks because until Dec, I didn't even need oxygen! I got a Pulmonary Embolism and now I need oxygen. The cost of this POC is going to take the place of some nice excursions.:(

And now, after reading the posts here, I am questioning if I should add an oxygen tank in case of power failure. :confused:

Janet, I see we are neighbors almost. Any chance we can make a connection? I might have an option you could consider...

dabbey at cabbey dot net

Dian

I learned something this week. I learned that some pharmacies rent equipment too. I found that the one in my dinky little town rents POC and only charges 100 bucks a week and that includes 3 batteries. Yes, It is the one that weighs about 20 lbs and needs to be drug around instead of carried around but that is a lot better than 450 bucks! So if you need to rent one, try your local pharmacy and give it a shot.

Janet, I see we are neighbors almost. Any chance we can make a connection? I might have an option you could consider...

dabbey at cabbey dot net

Dian

HI. I tried to email you but I guess I do not know what the address really is because it wouldn't deliver:confused:. Mine is sammons 554 at the Y service. Maybe you could get one to me?? I would love to hear your idea.

:)

HI. I tried to email you but I guess I do not know what the address really is because it wouldn't deliver:confused:. Mine is sammons 554 at the Y service. Maybe you could get one to me?? I would love to hear your idea.

:)

Hate to post it here, but trust it will be sorta safe...dabbey@cabbey.net

Will check my junk and spam boxes in case that's where my server sends it. I tried yours several ways and it kept saying error (won't start on the local phone service we have our internet through...:eek:)

OK, I just emailed you again. I hope it works this time. :)

She uses a large concentrator at home and tanks when she is out. I have been told she has tried 2 portable concentrators with no luck. She is going to talk to her "guy". and see if she can get a hook up. She was very excited to hear that it will be a non problem. She's working her end. We are not flying in.

This sounds similar to what I have that is provided by the VA. Does she happen to be a veteran? If so, all she has to do is have her VA doctor initiate a loaner. Even if she is not a veteran, her doctor should be able to initiate a loaner from a local service. The factor with the doctor initiating the loaner is that the doctor also provides the prescription, thus the source has to provide what meets her needs.

Have a wonderful cruise!

Betty

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O2 is nasty stuff. Yeah, sure, it certainly keeps me alive while I am flying at 18,000', and most certainly has beneficial medical purposes, but if it ignites, it is a disaster. That is why the airlines won't allow medical O2 on board aircraft.

Oxygen does not ignite or burn. It is an oxidizing agent meaning that it it is required to support a fire, and can make fire burn hotter and stronger when in higher concentrations than just as part of 'air'. Once the oxygen is gone, the fire goes out.