Pregnant and cruising??

[Cruisin'Jenny]

Hi, I'm new to cruising. Well actually I went on a cruise with my mom when I was in highschool but this will be the first cruise for my husband and I.

 

Is there anyone out there who has cruised while pregnant? What should I be looking out for? Food? Excursions?

 

I'm not pregnant yet, but hope to be by the time we set sail. Thanks, in advance, for all the help.

[the4ofusandallourfriends]

think about if you get seasick...(carsickness is a good indicator)

 

I was 9 weeks pregnant on my first cruise. I tried to do without seasickness meds...but after the first day I couldn't hack it....so, I had to take drammamine...by the way it didn't affect my baby.

 

The food....well, if it's too saucy or unappealling..just order off the kids menu.

 

My sister was over 6 months pregnant on one of our cruises. (You could barely tell.....so no one noticed..... many cruiselines don't let you cruise after 24 weeks.)

 

You just have to be selective about what shore excursions to do.

[marion10]

I found out I was pregnant about a month before our cruise to the Bahamas 16 years ago! It worked out very well for me. The hard thing was not being able to drink all those fun tropical alcoholic drinks. I had terrible morning sickness anyway, so I don't know if I was seasick or not. Shore excursions were not elaborate back then. I did got snorkeling and just walked about Nassau. I was very tired first trimester and it was easy to go back to our cabin and lie down to take a nap. It was a very special time for us.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Supposedly the best time for a pregnant woman to travel is during the second trisemester. By that time, you're over the morning sickness (now don't hate me, but I didn't get morning sickness) and past the danger of miscarriage (a problem for me). Also, your bladder isn't hassling you so much. The third trisemester is not recommended, just in case you go into labor early.

 

I went on a 3-day cruise while 5 month preggers. It wasn't my first cruise so I knew I wouldn't be sick. The only problem I had was with a temporary crown on a back molar...the way the gums are during pregnancy makes it hard to keep the temp on for the two weeks. Mine kept popping off no matter how soft the food.

 

As there was only one port, Ensenada, we went on just one excursion that included two free drinks. The first drink stop had a choice of coke or beer or margarita. It was a small coke (about 3 oz) so I had it (believe it or not my only caffeine since a week before conception). The second stop had bottled water so that was an easy choice.

 

Found a long dress at JC Penneys (in rayon) that I wore for the formal night. I really strongly recommend you stay away from polyester. Anything except natural fibers will feel too warm. Unfortunately many manufacturers of maternity clothes use a lot of polyester.

 

There were at least five other pregnant women on board.

[Cruisin'Jenny]

Thanks for the responses so far. This is exactly the type of info I am looking for. Any other ladies (or men?) have any advice???

[amarberry]

We went on a cruise when I was about 17-18 weeks pregnant. We planned the trip so we would be going a few weeks into the second trimester. If you like to drink alcohol, being pregnant on a cruise can be a bit of a bummer, but the good news is that there are so many tasty frozen drinks that (in my opinion) are much better without the alcohol.

 

What I loved about cruising pregnant was that there was so much good food and such a relaxing environment. I pretty much just ate, read, and napped the entire week. We took our 9 month old daughter on her first cruise in April and it was a VERY different experience!!! Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can.

 

The only other thing that I would recommend is travel insurance. In case you need to cancel last minute or, god forbid, something bad happens while you are on your trip, it is well worth the additional cost.

[Cruisin'Jenny]

Good point- I'm not a drinker and haven't had a drink in almost a year- so I don't think that will be a problem.

 

Thanks for all the help. Any other suggestions?

[shellie100]

I agree with the poster that suggested second trimester (though I would be open to cruising probably up to about 7 months). Even if you don't get morning sickness in the first trimester, you may be tired during that time and also the food may become very unappealing! Also I second the vote for cruise insurance. You just never know. Get it immediately when you book so that it covers pre-existing conditions.

[caxxandra]

Hello and thank you for asking this!

 

I logged on CC this morning to ask just this!

 

Booked the cruise in November and started planning babies three weeks ago.

Really dont want to push the cruise since it's supposed to be the honeymoon, and dont want to get preganant much later since it will not work out to good with maternityleave...

 

So this means I'll bee in the beginning of the second trimester, if it works out the way I want.

But you never know, nature could be pulling my leg and make me wait longer.

 

Have a nice planning!

 

/sandra

[JCSM-Mom]

I cruised to Mexico in January of 2004 when I was about 15 weeks pregnant. It went ok for me. I was a bit tired. It was also my first cruise with a baby (my son was 14 months old). We still had a great time. I found I was picky about the food, didn't seem to like anything...LOL...but that was me, not the food on the cruise. Fortunately, there is so much food I was always able to find something.

 

Can't drink the alcohol, but I LOVED the smoothies. They make really yummy drinks. Matter of fact, I still prefer those!

 

Have a fantastic time. Just don't book any excursions that require a lot of walking, hiking etc. We kept it low key. This was my 7th cruise and the first time I ever ordered room service....I liked that. We had a 'picnic' one day in our room for lunch and then naps....now that I have two toddlers, I'd love to do that again! =)

[PattyW]

I've cruised twice while pregnant - once in the first trimester, once in the second.

 

I had no problems with seasickness on the cruise in the 2nd trimester, but did get pretty nauseaus on the one when I was in my first trimester (but lots of people on the ship were sick, so who knows).

 

I had no problems with any of the excursions we chose, I was tired during my first trimester, but that was fine. At that point we had a two year old with us and she went to bed at 8:00, so I did, too. We were traveling with friends, so my husband had other people to go out with in the evening.

 

Not drinking can be a bummer, but it sure keeps your room tab down!

 

All in all a very positive experience.

[caxxandra]

Hi again!

 

I think you will get answers from both sides.

Just as I get when I tell my friends I'll hopefully be pregnant when we go on our cruise.

Half says Good , nice and make sure our in second trimester so that the morning sickness and dangers are less obvious.

The other half tries to burn me for being a bad mother to be, a nasty person for just thinking of going two feet away from the hospital for the entire pregnancy.

 

Just do what you feel is good for you and you baby will be safe.

And just look at the lovely ladies wrote. Just go, but remeber to bring health documents from you doctor stating how far along you are and that it's safe for you to travel .

 

/Sandra

[Cruisin' Chick]

caxxandra,

 

my ob-gyn had no problem with me going on a cruise, even though I was in my 40s (turns out that isn't considered a problem pregnancy) and had at least two miscarriages. In fact at my first pre-natal appointment, the doctor pointed to the brochure given to me (explains what is going on month by month, suggested meals and exercises) and said, "Just follow that and don't worry." He even let me use hair dye (Natural Instincts) the second trisemester as long as I had good ventilation in the bathroom. So if your friends, co-workers pooh-pooh or criticize, just tell them, "I'll ask my doctor about that, thank you."

[caxxandra]

to Cruisin' Chick

 

Thank you!

ALways feels good to have a line ready when people get "evil" on me.

Never ever even thought about the hair dye!!

I learn something new every day.

 

Have a nice day!

 

/Sandra

[wrp96]

If you are pregnant, just remember to make sure that your cruise line will let you cruise and what their requirements are, RCCI's I think is 26 weeks and requires a doctors note confirming that you are only 26 weeks. As to drinks, RCCI will make all of the frou-frou drinks virgin.

[Greengirl]

On my first cruise, I was 4 months pregnant. I was a little tired (could be from the mass amounts of food I consumed!). I had a great time!! I did however have a hard time with temperature control. One minute I was in shorts and a tank top, then going to the cabin to change because I was cold. Dress in layers if you think that might be a problem.

 

As for the drinking - well, I'm not much of a drinker anyway, but they make a lot of non-alcoholic froo-froo drinks that are so yummy!!

 

The smoking didn't even bother me! No seasickness either. The slight rocking of the ship actually helped me sleep :) Only one thing happened that bothered me. My husband discovered Senor Frog's. I went back to the ship because hanging out in a bar didn't appeal to me. Well, he fell in love with tequila shooters. When he finally came back to the cabin, the smell of tequila overwhelmed me and I, um, threw up (for lack of a prettier description!). Anyway, I was so sick that I just couldn't bring myself to go to dinner, which is one of the best cruising experiences to me. I had a little pity party for myself (Can't drink - he gets drunk - I end up getting sick from it - missed dinner. He didn't even have a hangover the next morning!!! )

 

Anyway - Go, you will have a great time! I wish I had known about this forum before our first cruise. It has neverending sources of information :)

[ljmandelbaum]

Make sure that you stay away from food made with raw eggs, like the ceasar salad.

[jakesmommy]

On our last cruise I was 5 (almost 6) months pregnant. I had morning sickness (24 hours a day) through my whole first trimester, but was fine on the cruise. We actually had a blast, went snorkeling and whale watching on small boats with no problems. The only problem I had was in South America when it was extremely hot...needed a cool place and lots of water.

Be sure to copy your records from your doctor and take them with you just in case they are needed.

I also got really good deals for clothes at the end of summer online from stores (we cruised in November).

It was a nice relaxing vacation with lots of food!!!

Have fun!

[helenb]

I cruised while pg with both kids: 22-24 weeks pg with my first and 9-11 weeks pg with my second.

 

I didn't have morning sickness or seasickness, but some other pg women onboard told me that the seasickness bands (non-medicated) helped a lot with the morning sickness too.

 

I don't drink alcohol so I didn't miss it but there are very few non-alcohol, non-caffeinated drinks, so be prepared to drink lots of water, milk and lemonade. What I did miss was the hot tubs! Since you can't raise your body temperature while pg I had to dunk my feet only.

 

Make sure you have a note from your doctor saying that you are medically fit to board a plane and a cruise ship.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[McCutie]

I was 5 months pregnant when I went on a cruise last year..It was planned before I got pregnant and and ob/gyn said "Great! Go! It will be your last vaca alone for a long time!" :)

 

We went and had a great relaxing trip!

 

Never got seasick but I was on Zofran for severe m/s my entire pregnancy so it probably helped :)

 

 

Go and have a ball!

[kevinsmom]

I am glad i found this thread, i was actually wondering about this as well. i have been trying for two months now and am hoping that i will be preg by the time we go on our cruise in aug. keeping my fingers crossed :) i have a 2 1/2 yr old son, and i am going w/my family so hopefully if i am preg and tired i will have some help. believe it or not i had morning sickness my whole SECOND trimester..it was terrible. thanks for all the insight ladies :)

Gina