Kidney Dialysis on DCL

[ChrizJen]

I was wondering if anyone here had/has experience with cruising DCL with a hemodialysis patient. Most of the random stuff I've read upon searching suggests that DCL is not capable of accommodating this. It seems as though the only option is to take one of the "Dialysis At Sea" cruises with "the other" cruise lines. BOO!

The only reason it's a huge issue for us is that we're planning a DCL cruise to celebrate an upcoming adoption (after our gruelling 3.5 year struggle to make her ours!! ). So of course we want as many family members as possible to come with us to help us celebrate! We have someone who REALLY wants to go, but she gets hemodialysis 3 times a week (She's also legally blind, but I know that won't be an issue). I'd LOVE to find a way to get her on that ship!!

Sure, we could just take a cruise with another line that caters to dialysis patients, but ultimately this celebration is about our DD. So I want it to be Disney!

Any help or advice on who to call would be appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[Bete]

doing it on shore as you go to port. This might not be doable at every port, but it may work depending on your dates; since, it's 3X/week. I'm not sure what would happen if you needed a weekend time on shore in a foreign location.

You would have to get her transported to the clinic location for dialysis and back to the boat in time for leaving. I'm not sure I would trust a foreign place to do this on a timely basis either even if you could arrange for treatment.

The only other idea I can think of is to do a part land vacation at Disney World if you are out of Port Canaveral and she could join in the fun there and not do the boat part.

 

[dclfun]

DCL does not provide services for hemodialysis patients. If someone is on PD they can bring their supplies and do it in their stateroom. I would not take the chance of doing dialysis in a foreign port. If your itinerary is altered due to weather, etc. then someone dependent on dialysis could become severely ill or die and as Bete mentioned, there is a time factor involved in getting to a facility and spending enough time on the machine, then getting back to the ship on time. My son is now on PD and is looking forward to going on another Disney cruise but the past 5 years on hemo he was not able even to consider it.

 

[ChrizJen]

Thank you so much for your replies. That's what I was afraid of...

She was able to switch to the at-home dialysis for about 6 months, but it wasn't doing the trick, and she got very sick. So she had to go back to the hemo.
The poor thing...she's had to deal with a lot. She was diagnosed 4 years ago with the kidney failure due to a rare genetic defect, and lost her eyesight just last year from an entirely different issue. She's 29, and had to move back in with her parents because she was unable to work for a while. And she still has such a positive outlook! She's really an inspiring person!

Anyway, back to the subject...we are planning on doing a week at the parks before the cruise, so having her join us for that portion might be a good compromise.

Thanks again for your input!

 

[dclfun]

She can certainly join you in the parks! Most people on hemo get their dialysis at the DaVita center in Celebration. It's a little tricky to find, but they assist lots of people who are in central Florida on vacation. If she is set up with DaVita in her home town then they will be able to make arrangements for her dialysis while at Disney. You might want to rent a wheelchair for her in the parks so she can maintain her stamina. There's a lot of walking and if you're going in the summer it is so hot (not sure when you're going). I hope she gets to come on the trip, and congratulations on your adoption!

 

[natfrac]

Dialysis at Sea does rotate their crusie lines, but as other have mentioned dialysis in port might be the only option for a Disney cruise.
More to think about...Money wise, it's expensive to have dialysis on a cruise. We had to pay up front, and since it's not a Medicare approved facility, Medicare did not cover the costs. I have insurance, which only covered a small portion of the costs since it was out of network, etc.