Oxygen Tanks

I have a friend that wants to cruise but has to have a tank at all times. He called RCCL and was told he could not have a tank in his stateroom as it can explode...does any cruiseline allow this as he needs one 24 hours a day and needs to have a tank in his room...

My husband is on oxygen 24/7 and we have cruised many times. We rent an oxygen concentrator to use in the cabin from Care Vacations (a cruise ship approved supplier).

We also rent a portable oxygen concentrator to use when moving about the ship and in port, along with the batteries for it from them or another supplier (google portable oxygen concentrators for rent). The portable concentrator is usually shipped to your home which will allow you use it on the airplane or in the car if driving. Also be sure to get a battery charger so that you will always have a charged battery. We usually get three batteries and a charger, if flying you may need additional batteris ( check airline quidelines). We always drive so am not sure of airline requirements

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions or concerns just ask.

Carol

DH is on oxygen at night, when he flies and on exertion. It is true that the cruise ship will not allow tanks of compressed oxygen on board. However, an oxygen concentrator will concentrate the oxygen from the room air and deliver that in virtually the same concentration as you would get from a tank, and it never runs out as long as it has power.

DH now has an oxygen supplier who provides a portable Portable Oxygen Concentrator (POC). Prior to this we rented from Oxygen to Go. They will ship it to you so you have it while you travel to and from the ship, then you put it back in the box and ship it back to them.

The POC plugs into the wall and works as a stationary concentrator. This works well for DH while in the cabin and/or sleeping. It also runs on batteries that last 2-4 hours, depending on use, so he rolls it with him whenever he leaves the cabin, gets on a plane, etc. The ones we have used have also had a car charger that plugs into your cigarette lighter in the car. If you take the POC on a plane it needs to be one that has been approved by the FAA. Here is a link to a list of the approved POC's: DH is on oxygen at night, when he flies and on exertion. It is true that the cruise ship will not allow tanks of compressed oxygen on board. However, an oxygen concentrator will concentrate the oxygen from the room air and deliver that in virtually the same concentration as you would get from a tank, and it never runs out as long as it has power.

DH now has an oxygen supplier who provides a portable Portable Oxygen Concentrator (POC). Prior to this we rented from Oxygen to Go. They will ship it to you so you have it while you travel to and from the ship, then you put it back in the box and ship it back to them.

The POC plugs into the wall and works as a stationary concentrator. This works well for DH while in the cabin and/or sleeping. It also runs on batteries that last 2-4 hours, depending on use, so he rolls it with him whenever he leaves the cabin, gets on a plane, etc. The ones we have used have also had a car charger that plugs into your cigarette lighter in the car. If you take the POC on a plane it needs to be one that has been approved by the FAA. Here is a link to a list of the approved POC's: http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/cabin_safety/portable_oxygen/

I hope this helps. If you have any questions please ask away.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions please ask away.

Tracy, as of my last cruise in December 2010 Princess allowed liquid oxygen in the cabin - we rented a large (100#?) canister of liquid oxygen along with the refillable portable unit you carry with you around the ship. Along with that we rented an electric oxygen concentrator for night time use.

My husband has his own portable oxygen concentrator, but we wanted to make sure we had a backup system in place in case something went wrong with it during 10 days at sea.

We rented all this from Care Vacations and sailed from Ft. Lauderdale.

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Right now I am planning a trip on RCCL out of New Orleans and it seems that it might not be possible to do this (according to Care Vacations) but I'm not sure yet if it's RCCL's rule or simply that Care doesn't provide liquid oxygen from the port of New Orleans. Haven't quite figured that part out yet and we have never sailed RCCL before. So if anyone knows a supplier of liquid from New Orleans, and if Royal Caribbean permits it, please advise me.

From the RCCL website: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/accessibleseas/otherNeeds.do

Oxygen

All types of oxygen are permitted onboard. Please notify us as to quantity, type and delivery schedule. Each vessel has a different storage policy; however, you will be able to keep some or all of your cylinders in the stateroom.

For more information call our Access Department at (866) 592-7225 (voice), fax (954) 628-9622, send an e-mail to special_needs@rccl.com, or have your local travel agent or International Representative contact us

Two other providers are specialneedsatsea.com and oxygentogo.com, just FYI.

We cruise a lot and mostly on Royal Caribbean. In fact, we are booked on Allure this December. Since we had a large concentrator break on one trip, we carry the large concentrator, the portable and emergency canisters. Royal Caribbean has always been more than gracious and lets us keep the oxygen with us in the room. We put the canisters (except one on the back of the wheelchair) in the closet. We rent a portable concentrator for ship and shore exploring and a large concentrator for nights. It is best to take what you need with you since the ship has very limited supplies of oxygen for emergency use only and buying canisters in port is very expensive - better safe than sorry! ENJOY your cruise.