Any experience with having to depart a cruise early?

[pbb322]

We are scheduled to depart on the Wonder in TWO days. Sadly, we now have a terminally ill close family member taking a turn for the worse. After much debating, since we have said our goodbyes already and she is well cared for by many other family members, we have decided to go ahead and go on the cruise. However, if she was to pass in the first few days we are on the boat we would have to find a way to get home for the funeral by the end of the week (after that the funeral would be after we are back). We are really hopeful based on discussions with the doctors that won't be the case, but.... you never know. Any chance anyone has had a similar experience and had to leave mid-cruise? How does that work? Just trying to get an idea of what I need to be thinking of if that were to happen.

 

[gotomu212]

I have not personally left but have been on cruises with others who had to leave. If you receive news contact guest services right away and they'll send an officer to speak with you. They will help you arrange air travel at the next port (this is most likely going to be VERY expensive since you're booking with little notice and the week before Christmas). Make sure you have passports for everyone or you won't be able to fly back from a foreign port. Then it's as simple as packing up, settling your account, and going to the airport once you dock. I believe our friends were also given some paperwork to explain the departure/arrival conflict.

I'll be on the cruise in 2 days too-sending positive thoughts that receive good news.

 

[bumbershoot]

There is a thread about leaning early on the cruisecritic royal Caribbean message boards that gets into the intricacies of when you cannot cannot leave. Might be worth a peek.

With it being a close family member is it possible that they could delay a potential funeral even if it happened earlier in the cruise?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are scheduled to depart on the Wonder in TWO days. Sadly, we now have a terminally ill close family member taking a turn for the worse. After much debating, since we have said our goodbyes already and she is well cared for by many other family members, we have decided to go ahead and go on the cruise. However, if she was to pass in the first few days we are on the boat we would have to find a way to get home for the funeral by the end of the week (after that the funeral would be after we are back). We are really hopeful based on discussions with the doctors that won't be the case, but.... you never know. Any chance anyone has had a similar experience and had to leave mid-cruise? How does that work? Just trying to get an idea of what I need to be thinking of if that were to happen.

As noted, it's difficult to leave a cruise mid-cruise. Time was it wasn't difficult, as long as the debarkation port wasn't a different US port than the embarkation port. But, in the past couple of years cruise lines aren't allowing it as much.

It has to do with the fact that a closed loop cruise departing and returning to the same US port requires a certain paperwork process. And a cruise that departs from a US port and ends in a foreign port requires a different (more involved) paperwork process. If even one passenger on a closed loop cruise gets off in a foreign port, it changes the status of the cruise from a "closed loop" to a "foreign" cruise. Meaning everyone onboard must now be processed as if they all got off in the foreign port (even if they aren't).

Most cruise lines no longer want to handle the headache of the process.

That being said, it can happen, but it must be arranged through the cruise line (usually beforehand).

 

[pbb322]

Thank you all for your comments and thoughts.

There is a thread about leaning early on the cruisecritic royal Caribbean message boards that gets into the intricacies of when you cannot cannot leave. Might be worth a peek.

With it being a close family member is it possible that they could delay a potential funeral even if it happened earlier in the cruise?

Thanks @bumbershoot - it is my grandmother. We talked it over, and given our large family, after talking we all decided that if it happens before Tuesday it is better for the many others that we have the service before Christmas Eve, I am the only one that is really going to have an issue. After that point though, a service before Christmas Eve is not possible even though it will mean a significant amount of travel and expense on at least five other families to travel back home for Christmas from where we have now all gathered and then come back again.

 

[wombat_5606]

Thank you all for your comments and thoughts.



Thanks @bumbershoot - it is my grandmother. We talked it over, and given our large family, after talking we all decided that if it happens before Tuesday it is better for the many others that we have the service before Christmas Eve, I am the only one that is really going to have an issue. After that point though, a service before Christmas Eve is not possible even though it will mean a significant amount of travel and expense on at least five other families to travel back home for Christmas from where we have now all gathered and then come back again.

I'm so sorry you are dealing with this and it's never easy to have to think of practical things at the same time. I would like to tell you my scenario, which is obviously quite a bit different, but may help in some way.

My stepfather had cancer and was given a terminal diagnosis. My husband, my 2 young daughters and myself had been planning an overseas trip for 2 years, where we would be gone for a month. We knew that the chance of his passing was pretty good in the month we would be out of the country. He desperately wanted us to continue our plans and he in fact, died about 2 weeks into the trip. We did not return for the service because we had said our goodbyes over several days before we left. He didn't want to be the reason we didn't get to finish our long-awaited trip and he didn't want to be remembered by his grand-children as the cause of the cancellation or interruption. So with his blessing our trip went as planned. We spent the day we heard of his passing, celebrating his life, albeit differently than if we had been home with the family.

So, not knowing if this is "just a vacation" or whether this is a very special one for your family, I wanted you to know that your grandmother can be honored by you, even on vacation.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm so sorry you are dealing with this and it's never easy to have to think of practical things at the same time. I would like to tell you my scenario, which is obviously quite a bit different, but may help in some way.

My stepfather had cancer and was given a terminal diagnosis. My husband, my 2 young daughters and myself had been planning an overseas trip for 2 years, where we would be gone for a month. We knew that the chance of his passing was pretty good in the month we would be out of the country. He desperately wanted us to continue our plans and he in fact, died about 2 weeks into the trip. We did not return for the service because we had said our goodbyes over several days before we left. He didn't want to be the reason we didn't get to finish our long-awaited trip and he didn't want to be remembered by his grand-children as the cause of the cancellation or interruption. So with his blessing our trip went as planned. We spent the day we heard of his passing, celebrating his life, albeit differently than if we had been home with the family.

So, not knowing if this is "just a vacation" or whether this is a very special one for your family, I wanted you to know that your grandmother can be honored by you, even on vacation.

This was exactly my experience with my mother. We plan several cruises/trips at a time, and my mother was getting very frail (well, she was over 90). I had a talk with her about 6-9 months before she died on just this subject. And she very firmly said "take your trip". I was only able to visit her about once a month at that time and each time we both were aware it was quite likely that it might be the last time. Thankfully, I was able to be around when she did die, but it was nice to have the conversation about "what if" beforehand.

 

[pbb322]

Thank you all for your kind words. We lost my grandmother today and cancelled and rebooked for Dec. 30. Thankful for trip insurance that let us do so without financial concern as the price was almost the same as what we paid. We make a Disney trip at least once a year and this year twice, so being with family is much more important. My son will miss a few days of school with the new dates, but oh well!

 

[Sytrace]

Thank you all for your kind words. We lost my grandmother today and cancelled and rebooked for Dec. 30. Thankful for trip insurance that let us do so without financial concern as the price was almost the same as what we paid. We make a Disney trip at least once a year and this year twice, so being with family is much more important. My son will miss a few days of school with the new dates, but oh well!

I am sorry for your loss. Sending prayers for comfort and peace for you and yours.

 

[Laundress]

So sorry for your loss. Wishing you happy memories of your grandmother and a peaceful New Year.

 

[xlxo]

The Wonder has great wifi.... Skype made a huge difference when my mom was ill.

5 or 10 minutes of daily Skype with a loved one may give some comfort.

 

[DesertSky612]

I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[Anna Chassereau]

Thank you all for your kind words. We lost my grandmother today and cancelled and rebooked for Dec. 30. Thankful for trip insurance that let us do so without financial concern as the price was almost the same as what we paid. We make a Disney trip at least once a year and this year twice, so being with family is much more important. My son will miss a few days of school with the new dates, but oh well!

So sorry for your loss!!

 

[bumbershoot]

i am so sorry for your loss.

 

[wombat_5606]

Thank you all for your kind words. We lost my grandmother today and cancelled and rebooked for Dec. 30. Thankful for trip insurance that let us do so without financial concern as the price was almost the same as what we paid. We make a Disney trip at least once a year and this year twice, so being with family is much more important. My son will miss a few days of school with the new dates, but oh well!

So sorry for the loss of your grandmother. I'm glad you will be able to be with your family.

I'm a little weepy today reading your post. I didn't even think about it when I made my first post, but today is the anniversary of my step-father's passing in 1999.

 

[cruisehopeful]

We lost my grandmother today and cancelled and rebooked for Dec. 30.

I'm very sorry for your loss. I hope you have a great cruise over NYE.

 

[kiford]

So sorry to hear of your loss. It's particularly difficult at this time of year. My mother-in-law passed away on the 18th of December a number of years ago and the funeral was held on the 24th. We made sure to fully celebrate the season that year with extended family who came from as far away as Germany. We especially wanted the younger members of the family not to remember Christmas as a sad time of year in the future and given that we had the extended family together which is rare, we tried to make it special so that that is what we remember, not the sadness.

In 2010 we were planning a Med cruise and my mother took a turn for the worse a couple of months beforehand. So bad, in fact, that we had to move her to a long-term care facility as she could no longer stand on her own and my father wasn't capable of taking care of her at home. We suggested cancelling our trip and my parents were adamant that we not do so; in fact my mother was quite upset that we would think about doing so because of her. They said that there was nothing to be done and being at home wouldn't change anything. They were also very firm about us not coming home if she passed away while we were on vacation. I often wonder if my father would have even told us. I've asked him since and he always changes the subject so I suspect he would have been torn and was just glad he didn't have to make the decision. Since we (including my mother) had decided not to do a funeral but rather a memorial dinner that celebrated her life rather than mourning her passing, timing wasn't an issue. So during our vacation, we sent pictures and e-mails every day that my father shared with her. In the end, she passed away two weeks after we returned and the memorial dinner was held a month later. It was hard to go away with her condition being what it was but I know that she would have felt bad about us cancelling. It's always a very hard decision to make - whether to go or stay. Fortunately, all of my extended family holds a similar philosophy about such things.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

In the end, she passed away two weeks after we returned and the memorial dinner was held a month later. It was hard to go away with her condition being what it was but I know that she would have felt bad about us cancelling. It's always a very hard decision to make - whether to go or stay. Fortunately, all of my extended family holds a similar philosophy about such things.

I'm very sorry for your loss. I am glad you were able to work out your travel arrangements and not have to try to get home from a foreign port, mid-trip.

I know that my experience doesn't apply to your situation, but I wanted to share it to second what the previous poster said.

My grandmother died 2 years ago at the age of 96. She was in good health and quite independent until the last 6 months. Then she broke her hip and never fully recovered. She knew what was coming and was adamant about the arrangements. We didn't have any trips planned, but she told us NOT to have a funeral service directly after her passing. She requested to be cremated and for us to have a Memorial service at a future date. When she passed in the winter, we scheduled the service for early spring. Not only did it avoid people traveling all across the country in the middle of winter (she had a large extended family), it gave various family members TIME to really prepare for the occasion. People brought pictures, and converted home movies to video, and wrote stories of remembrances, all of which were shared at the service and at the lunch afterwards. It was a really great way to remember her, and it really changed my thoughts on how to conduct services after someone passes. My mother and several of my Aunts and Uncles have changed their intentions due to this experience.

Of course, in your situation, I think your plans are perfect, but I just wanted to put this out there to others as something to think about.

 

[mevelandry]

So sorry for your loss...

Glad you could rebook. Having an insurance is always helpful!

 

[RedSox68]

So sorry for your loss.