Concerned about sickness & denied boarding

[NokOnHarts]

Our cruise is in 6 months now and I am becoming more concerened about the idea of someone in our party becoming ill and being denied boarding. We have two children (6 & 2) and our last trip to Disney, our 6 year old got sick early in the trip and we had all caught it by the end (fever, cough, etc). We are planning a 5 day trip to WDW before our cruise in October and I am becoming seriously nervous about this happening again and being told we can't board. We will for sure have insurance but having to go find a doctor and then change the flights to come home early sounds like a huge pain!

Is this pretty rare (or common) for people to be turned away? Has anyone had this personally happen to them?

 

[Bear3412]

Well, if you can answer yes to two of these questions on the "Health Questionnaire", then yes, you may be denied boarding.
Yet, it sounds like you feel you may have purchased insurance that may help if you are in fact denied boarding and whatnot.
Are you sure. Unfortunately the case is NOT. Well IMO.
I thought we we covered too. Yet .......

I'm glad you brought this up, as I'll bet few realize some pax may not board due to health reasons.
Did you buy insurance yesterday? Did you buy CFR (cancel for any reason) insurance when you booked? Etc., etc. etc.
I have concerns/questions about your insurance. It's OK. I have questions about my insurance bought years ago, for a current sailing. lol.
So, .. don't feel bad.....

Of course if the answers are yes to the two questions, a family must decide whether to proceed and potentially infect thousands, or stand down and not board. I'll guess 0.01% stay ashore. You wonder why Noro is prevalent aboard. lol.
Oops, I lied. If you answer yes to two questions you will be evaluated, and potentially refused boarding.
Did I mention the value of insurance in this thread? lol.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=49696376&postcount=6

HTH and TIA

 

[fnrsgrl]

Our cruise is in 6 months now and I am becoming more concerened about the idea of someone in our party becoming ill and being denied boarding. We have two children (6 & 2) and our last trip to Disney, our 6 year old got sick early in the trip and we had all caught it by the end (fever, cough, etc). We are planning a 5 day trip to WDW before our cruise in October and I am becoming seriously nervous about this happening again and being told we can't board. We will for sure have insurance but having to go find a doctor and then change the flights to come home early sounds like a huge pain!

Is this pretty rare (or common) for people to be turned away? Has anyone had this personally happen to them?

When it comes to illness, you shouldn't wait to be denied boarding. If anyone in your party is sick, and there is any chance that it's contagious, you shouldn't go. Germs spread like wildfire in the confines of a cruise ship, and it would be irresponsible and selfish to board the ship knowing you are carrying something that could be spread to others. I hope this doesn't sound unkind. I promise I'm not trying to be; I'm just concerned about the well-being of everyone on the ship.

Editing to clarify--A minor cough/cold is probably fine. I'm assuming you're referring to gastrointestinal symptoms, fevers, etc.

 

[DahliaRW]

Prime your immune systems. Vitamin C, elderberry, vitamin d, etc. for everyone, every day, leading up to and during your trip. We all stayed healthy on a 2 1/2 week trip to FL in January including our cruise, wdw, universal, legoland, etc by taking supplements like these, washing our hands like crazy, and making sure we get enough rest.

 

[DahliaRW]

When it comes to illness, you shouldn't wait to be denied boarding. If anyone in your party is sick, and there is any chance that it's contagious, you shouldn't go. Germs spread like wildfire in the confines of a cruise ship, and it would be irresponsible and selfish to board the ship knowing you are carrying something that could be spread to others. I hope this doesn't sound unkind. I promise I'm not trying to be; I'm just concerned about the well-being of everyone on the ship.

Editing to clarify--A minor cough/cold is probably fine. I'm assuming you're referring to gastrointestinal symptoms, fevers, etc.

The problem is, if you purchased insurance, if you are denied boarding by going there, they may not reimburse.

Also, after evaluation, sometimes they will let you on but quarrantine you to your stateroom for 24 hours.

Of course you don't want to spread germs, but if you know you are sick but still might be allowed on or need the denial for insurance purposes, go, stay away from others, try to wear a mask, etc. You can minimize. It's too bad you can't be evaluated before entering the port but it's not set up like that.

 

[bumbershoot]

The problem is, if you purchased insurance, if you are denied boarding by going there, they may not reimburse.

I don't understand. You buy insurance that covers being too sick for taking the cruise, you're denied, and you're saying that you might not be covered?

If anyone in your party is sick, and there is any chance that it's contagious, you shouldn't go.

Then none of us should ever go anywhere. Remember, most illnesses are spread BEFORE we know we're sick. Sometimes we never even "get sick", but we are having some sort of reaction and we're spreading the germs and getting other people ill. My friend and husband are like that; I call them Typhoid Marys, because they so rarely have symptoms. I've started asking them what illnesses they are seeing around them at work, so I know what's coming down the pike.



I can't remember the questionnaire from DCL last year, but the one for RCCL involved fever AND something else (can't remember). That "and" is what got us on the ship, along with the exact timeframe they were asking us about. Why? Because 2 days after we got to WDW I got sick with that virus that "everyone" got in January. A few days later DS got it too. The rest of our THREE WEEKS in Florida was spent trying desperately to get over it, to get enough rest, to get enough vitamins, to get enough probiotics, to get adjusted so our nervous systems could help our immune systems work more perfectly, to get enough elderberry....just to get us well enough to get on that ship.

And then we got on that ship, and "everyone" on the ship already had it. Some had it earlier on than we were (we had been dealing with it for nearly THREE weeks by that point. 3!). Some were in the dregs like us. So there were a lot of people on that ship who were saved by the timeframe and the "and" on that questionnaire...


I hope you don't get sick. I have realized, while writing my trip reports for January, that we get sick a LOT at Disney. So now we are working hard on our immune systems, doing all sorts of things to help out. It's no surprise that I get sick; I've been getting sick routinely since I was 4 and a variety of things happened. But I am surprised by my son, because he's had a far healthier life than I had as a kid. Guess genetics plays a role.

Best of luck to you! Definitely REST REST REST! Don't burn the candle at both ends during your time at WDW!


And in the future I think I'll do the cruise at the beginning of a longer trip.

 

[MAJPLO]

Prime your immune systems. Vitamin C, elderberry, vitamin d, etc. for everyone, every day, leading up to and during your trip. We all stayed healthy on a 2 1/2 week trip to FL in January including our cruise, wdw, universal, legoland, etc by taking supplements like these, washing our hands like crazy, and making sure we get enough rest.

^^^ agree!!!

 

[Gigi22]

Flu shots. Make sure everyone in your family who can have a flu shot has one. DH and I have noticed we seem to have fewer illnesses if we take our shots and practise good hygiene, washing hands frequently. Also, if you take public transportation of any kind, wash your hands after getting off--it's crazy how germy public transportation can be.

 

[MickeyChix]

I would add one more thing since you are flying. A week before your trip, I would have a check up at your doctors office for everyone. This may sound extreme but I do have my reasons. Most people walk around with fluid in their inner ear. During the fall if you suffer from allergies, this can cause more build up then usual. Then when you fly out the fluid balloons out and can cause ear infections, headaches, etc. Have your doctor check everyone's ears.......if there is fluid build up let him know you will be flying shortly and he may prescribe an antibiotic to help dry it out. If you are or anyone in your family are allergy sufferers your immune system can easily be compromised because it is working so hard to ward off allergies. This happened to me a couple of years ago. Luckily WDW has a protocol for getting prescriptions if you need them.

 

[ahain]

I don't understand. You buy insurance that covers being too sick for taking the cruise, you're denied, and you're saying that you might not be covered?QUOTE]

My travel insurance policy states this:
Important: You need to contact your travel suppliers within 72 hours of canceling or interrupting your trip to qualify for the largest reimbursement possible. If you notify your suppliers later and get a smaller refund, we will not cover the difference. If you’re seriously ill or injured, contact your travel suppliers as soon as you can.

Trip cancellation and Trip interruption coverageWhen it applies: Your trip is canceled before you get started, or interrupted after you’ve
left, for one of the following covered reasons:
Health
Injury, illness or medical condition
You or a traveling companion is seriously ill or injured.
Specific requirements:•The injury, illness or medical condition must be disabling enough
to make a reasonable person delay, cancel or interrupt their trip.
•A doctor must examine you or a traveling companion and advise
you or a traveling companion to cancel or interrupt your trip
before you cancel or interrupt it. If that isn’t possible, a doctor must
examine you within 72 hours of your cancellation or interruption.

 

[NokOnHarts]

When it comes to illness, you shouldn't wait to be denied boarding. If anyone in your party is sick, and there is any chance that it's contagious, you shouldn't go. Germs spread like wildfire in the confines of a cruise ship, and it would be irresponsible and selfish to board the ship knowing you are carrying something that could be spread to others. I hope this doesn't sound unkind. I promise I'm not trying to be; I'm just concerned about the well-being of everyone on the ship.

Editing to clarify--A minor cough/cold is probably fine. I'm assuming you're referring to gastrointestinal symptoms, fevers, etc.

To clarify, I was referring to being "denied boarding" in the general sense of just not being able to go and having to cancel due to sickness. I have no intention of bringing a very sick person on board and infecting the "entire ship." But with children it often is not that simple. Kids can have a fever and be perfectly fine the following day or two. My concern is that it seems hard to keep everyone perfectly healthy in order to board. An airplane or WDW wouldn't "deny entrance" because someone is coughing or has a low fever. People can argue about if it's morally right to go any public place with a mild illness but I am just wondering if a cruise is worth the worry! Just curious if I am the only one who is concerned about this when booking a cruise. We take all the precautions to stay healthy but that doesn't always work and I'd hate to cut short the whole trip because someone isn't feeling well.

 

[DahliaRW]

I don't understand. You buy insurance that covers being too sick for taking the cruise, you're denied, and you're saying that you might not be covered?

You have to have proof you are too ill to travel. There was a case on these boards where a couple of years ago where a girl got really sick so they didn't go to the port and DCL was denying coverage. If You are evaluated by the ship's doctor and denied you have proof.

 

[fnrsgrl]

The problem is, if you purchased insurance, if you are denied boarding by going there, they may not reimburse.

Also, after evaluation, sometimes they will let you on but quarrantine you to your stateroom for 24 hours.

Of course you don't want to spread germs, but if you know you are sick but still might be allowed on or need the denial for insurance purposes, go, stay away from others, try to wear a mask, etc. You can minimize. It's too bad you can't be evaluated before entering the port but it's not set up like that.

Obviously, you should read the requirements of your particular insurance company and abide by those. We purchased "cancel for any reason", and it was very reasonably priced.

To clarify, I was referring to being "denied boarding" in the general sense of just not being able to go and having to cancel due to sickness. I have no intention of bringing a very sick person on board and infecting the "entire ship." But with children it often is not that simple. Kids can have a fever and be perfectly fine the following day or two. My concern is that it seems hard to keep everyone perfectly healthy in order to board. An airplane or WDW wouldn't "deny entrance" because someone is coughing or has a low fever. People can argue about if it's morally right to go any public place with a mild illness but I am just wondering if a cruise is worth the worry! Just curious if I am the only one who is concerned about this when booking a cruise. We take all the precautions to stay healthy but that doesn't always work and I'd hate to cut short the whole trip because someone isn't feeling well.

They are really only worried about fairly serious illnesses. DCL is not going to deny boarding just because of a little fever or a cough, nor would anyone feel like you shouldn't go for that reason unless the child will be miserable. I was assuming you meant that you were going to try to sneak a sick child past the radar(which I have seen and heard of people doing, and which is just plain wrong). I'm sorry if I offended you.

 

[NokOnHarts]

They are really only worried about fairly serious illnesses. DCL is not going to deny boarding just because of a little fever or a cough, nor would anyone feel like you shouldn't go for that reason unless the child will be miserable. I was assuming you meant that you were going to try to sneak a sick child past the radar(which I have seen and heard of people doing, and which is just plain wrong). I'm sorry if I offended you.

You didn't offend me. But that is my question I guess, since the form actually does ask if you have a fever & cough. It seems really strict. I would never hide a traveling memeber who was obviously very ill, but something like a fever and cough doesn't seem like a reason to cancel a trip as long as the person is functioning normally. I get that they are trying to prevent the spread of influenza flu, but there are many other reasons to have a fever and cough or headache, especially in children.

 

[dawnball]

The form doesn't mean that if you have a fever and a cough you'll automatically be denied boarding though. It just means that you'll have to be interviewed by someone from DCL's medical group.

 

[fnrsgrl]

You didn't offend me. But that is my question I guess, since the form actually does ask if you have a fever & cough. It seems really strict. I would never hide a traveling memeber who was obviously very ill, but something like a fever and cough doesn't seem like a reason to cancel a trip as long as the person is functioning normally. I get that they are trying to prevent the spread of influenza flu, but there are many other reasons to have a fever and cough or headache, especially in children.

I think the issue is that fever and cough, sore throat, etc.(as opposed to one of those symptoms alone) could potentially be the very beginnings of something significant, such as strep throat or the actual flu, which are very contagious and potentially deadly to certain groups of people, so they just want a doctor to check and make sure it's not something like that before they let you on. The headache part is kind of weird to me, as I get headaches at the drop of a hat, but I guess there must be something specific, when combined with a fever, that they're keeping an eye out for.