Dialysis Cruising

[rugbypopsie]

I an enquiring for a friend...what line would would you recommend for reasonably priced dialysis cruise..friends daughter had to pay 250% over the cost of a single cabin on a recent cruise on Brilliance of the Seas. They love cruising but this is too much..she needs dialysis every second day so the ship needs to be set up for that level of care.

[uppitycats]

I an enquiring for a friend...what line would would you recommend for reasonably priced dialysis cruise..friends daughter had to pay 250% over the cost of a single cabin on a recent cruise on Brilliance of the Seas. They love cruising but this is too much..she needs dialysis every second day so the ship needs to be set up for that level of care.

 

None of the mainline cruise ships are set up for this. Folks needing dialysis generally do exactly what your friend did -- go to some site like DialysisAtSea and book a cruise through them. The extra cost is for their services, not the cruise line.

[klauer]

I think that dialysisatsea is the only way to get treatments on the ship. The alternative would be to set up appointments in ports, but that is expensive also (I don't think insurance would pay if not U.S. ports), and you risk missing a port because of weather.

 

You friend should ask the social worker at her dialysis center if there are other options than the ones I've mentioned.

[uppitycats]

I think that dialysisatsea is the only way to get treatments on the ship. The alternative would be to set up appointments in ports, but that is expensive also (I don't think insurance would pay if not U.S. ports), and you risk missing a port because of weather.

 

You friend should ask the social worker at her dialysis center if there are other options than the ones I've mentioned.

 

Well, the original poster is not in the US, so your advice about the insurance won't help much.

[klauer]

Sorry, I missed that. So my advice would be the same taking out the U.S. comment. My husband has been on dialysis for two years due to cancer, so I do know something about the subject.

[VTSAIL]

Consider doing your own Dyalysis. I do home dyalysis and am taking my machine on a Cruise on the Dream next year. It weighs 70 lbs and is highly portable. The company I use will also ship your supplies directly to the ship so you don't have to transport them.

This will be my first cruise since I started dyalysis but I have taken this machine all over the country including two week long trips to WDW.:cool:

[tiggis]

If the OP is thinking about a cruise in Europe, then there are alternatives to Dialysis at Sea. We have used a German dialysis practice (English-speaking) on three voyages and have been very pleased with them. Do a search for 'Rittich dialysis cruises' and you'll find them and the ships that they use. We have always booked through a (UK) TA who specialises in dialysis travel - and would strongly recommend you to do likewise as it removes a lot of the strains and stresses such as liaison with the home renal unit. In the UK some, but not all, renal units, will pay for the cost of dialysis when abroad (up to a limit of, typically, 6 per year). Of course, arrangements in Australia may be very different.

John

[rugbypopsie]

Thanks for your replies, the actual cost of the dialysis is covered by her insurance but the cabin cost was astronomic!

[RuthlessBoss]

I read the posts over and over, why is the cost of the room 250%?

As posted, why not do dialysis with a portable and be independant using time convenient to you?

Ships are not portable hospitals. Asking for dialysis treatment on board is like someone expecting a radiation or chemo treatment. They are all in a specialty in medicine. Any medical emergencies are evacuated from a ship.

[room010]

With the best will in the world cruise ships do not have the medical facilities or staff to cater for passengers with serious, ongoing conditions that require high levels of specialist care, equipment and/or treatment. And if they do it has to be paid for. You may find that some of the 250% "surcharge" is some kind of liability insurance cover for the cruise company but it does seem a lot if it's over and above the single person supplement.

[uppitycats]

I read the posts over and over, why is the cost of the room 250%? I don't know why the room cost was so high. Usually it's way extra because on the cruises extra staff is hired (or contracted for) to do the dialysis. Sometimes the actual cost of the fluids being administered is covered by insurance, but not the extra staffing. Perhaps that is where the extra costs come in?

As posted, why not do dialysis with a portable and be independant using time convenient to you?Because not everyone who needs dialysis is able to do it on their own, sometimes for medical reasons, sometimes because they're not physically able (have some other disabling condition that won't allow them to do this). And all the people I know who are in diaysis can't alter the time signficantly..there is a certain "window" of time that has to be consistent, within a half-hour or so. So it's not a matter of "convenience" but of medical necessity.

Ships are not portable hospitals. Asking for dialysis treatment on board is like someone expecting a radiation or chemo treatment. They are all in a specialty in medicine. Any medical emergencies are evacuated from a ship.

 

I believe you are right about the ship not being a hospital. I think of the ships infirmary more like a high-quallity "urgent care clinic". They can treat most minor injuries, and common ailments, and can stablize someone in medical crisis, but really aren't equipped to do this sort of treatment on a regular basis.

[Janet524]

DH is on dialysis and we recently took a "dialysis cruise" and have another booked. I questioned the TA about the upcharge and what she told me made sense.

 

The cruise line charges the dialysis company for "renting" space in the infirmary. There are costs associated with the medical personnel they bring onboard to perform the service - including the cost of their cruise fare and a small "salary." There are costs associated with the equipment and dialysis supplies, and as another poster noted, there is a cost incurred for liability insurance. These costs are "divided" among the dialysis patients, and unfortunately are steep.

 

Your daughter is fortunate that her insurance covers the dialysis itself. In the US, this is generally not the case. While a dialysis cruise is expensive, we have loved cruising for over 25 years and accept the price as the cost to continue doing what we love.

[househunt51]

Try dialysiscruises.co.uk (these are the people John recommends in his post)