What happens if someone gets sick before cruise?

[NokOnHarts]

Planning a land / sea for 2014 and concerned what happens if a member of the party becomes sick before boarding the cruise? We would be doing 4 days in the parks and then boarding a 4 night cruise. We've traveled to DW in May and January and everyone was completely healthy the whole week. Our trip last November, we didn't have the same luck. DD got cold symptoms a few days in and by the time we flew home a week later, we were dealing with fevers and we all felt awful.

If a member in our party starts to show signs of sickness during the "land" portion, what happens to the cruise part that follows? Do they allow you to board if it's just mild cold symptoms? What if you're dealing with a fever, etc?

We would have travel insurance (through Costco) but have no idea what to expect in this situation.

 

[SuperDry]

The symptoms that will potentially keep you from boarding are a fever AND either vomiting or diarrhea. Anything else and you're good to board as far as the ship is concerned. Whether you want to cancel because you have some other illness (such as a bad cold) is up to you. Cancellation in any event due to sickness would be covered by your trip insurance. If you have none, then you effectively self-insure for illness (that is, you eat the cost yourself).

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

When you check in at the port, they give a written questionnaire about recent illness or symptoms. Basically it asks about fever, vomiting, diarrhea.
For a typical cold I don't think that counts as grounds for denied boarding.

When ds13 was 8 he had a sore throat & fever just 3 days before our 7-night Thanksgiving cruise. We were due to fly down the day before sailing. The day before our flight, dh took him to the ped & it was strep throat. They put him on an antibiotic and said to wait 24 hours to be around anyone which worked out fine.
I guess it's a good thing it started while we were still at home with easy access to our ped.

Be extra vigilant in the parks with good hand washing, especially at meal time! Our kids are really good about washing hands at home before eating but in the parks we're out of our routine & I have to really try to remember to stop & have everyone wash before we eat.

 

[kapoof]

We just got back from wdw and a cruise and I was worried a tad about that also. Like the other posted stated be very good about washing hands and not touching railing...things like that. We also ate more fruit and veggies for an extra boost

 

[PrincessShmoo]

When you check in at the port, they give a written questionnaire about recent illness or symptoms. Basically it asks about fever, vomiting, diarrhea.
For a typical cold I don't think that counts as grounds for denied boarding.

When ds13 was 8 he had a sore throat & fever just 3 days before our 7-night Thanksgiving cruise. We were due to fly down the day before sailing. The day before our flight, dh took him to the ped & it was strep throat. They put him on an antibiotic and said to wait 24 hours to be around anyone which worked out fine.
I guess it's a good thing it started while we were still at home with easy access to our ped.

Be extra vigilant in the parks with good hand washing, especially at meal time! Our kids are really good about washing hands at home before eating but in the parks we're out of our routine & I have to really try to remember to stop & have everyone wash before we eat.

Courtesy of Scott Sanders:

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Courtesy of Scott Sanders:

I answered the form honestly. Why is this directed at me? #1 doesn't ask if you had it 3 days ago.
Also we had a diagnosis from our pediatrician who said he would no longer be contagious after 24 hrs on the abx so he would not have infected the other passengers on the plane either.

 

[dbrn]

I answered the form honestly. Why is this directed at me? #1 doesn't ask if you had it 3 days ago.
Also we had a diagnosis from our pediatrician who said he would no longer be contagious after 24 hrs on the abx so he would not have infected the other passengers on the plane either.

I don't think it was directed at you, just supplementing your post. You mentioned a written form to be filled out, and the poster had a copy of the form to illustrate what you mentioned. I don't think the poster was implying anything, just trying to help.

 

[NokOnHarts]

Thanks for the replies - so what does happen if you have to answer "yes" on this form? Like in the case of our trip last year, my DD ended up with a fever / cough / cold. If they turn you away does your insurance apply in this situation, is it considered a cancellation due to sickness or does having them "turn you away" have some affect on the outcome?

If you end up sick at WDW, you aren't turned away, you just hang in the hotel room until things are better. Seems like the cruise is pretty risky in this case as you've already expired your hotel reservation so it's not like you have somewhere to go back to if this happens.

I'd be very curious to hear if anyone has had this happen what they ended up doing.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I answered the form honestly. Why is this directed at me? #1 doesn't ask if you had it 3 days ago.
Also we had a diagnosis from our pediatrician who said he would no longer be contagious after 24 hrs on the abx so he would not have infected the other passengers on the plane either.

I don't think it was directed at you, just supplementing your post. You mentioned a written form to be filled out, and the poster had a copy of the form to illustrate what you mentioned. I don't think the poster was implying anything, just trying to help.

Yes, I was just showing the form. Sorry if it seemed like I was making any sort of negative comment.

Thanks for the replies - so what does happen if you have to answer "yes" on this form? Like in the case of our trip last year, my DD ended up with a fever / cough / cold. If they turn you away does your insurance apply in this situation, is it considered a cancellation due to sickness or does having them "turn you away" have some affect on the outcome?

If you end up sick at WDW, you aren't turned away, you just hang in the hotel room until things are better. Seems like the cruise is pretty risky in this case as you've already expired your hotel reservation so it's not like you have somewhere to go back to if this happens.

I'd be very curious to hear if anyone has had this happen what they ended up doing.

If you answer "yes" you will probably need to be evaluated by the medical staff before being cleared to board. I don't know how the insurance would handle it, but my best guess is, read your insurance and see what they cover and how it's worded. Maybe even give them a call and ask for clarification.

If you are sick onboard the ship, the fact that you are in an enclosed environment causes many more problems then being sick at WDW, where there are many more places that others can go (and further away). You aren't as likely to come in direct contact with 2,000 other people as easily on land. And there are more health care options on land than sea (hospitals, urgent care, etc). I read a report about someone who's daughter got really sick while they were at WDW, and they were able to move to a different resort when they could not go on the ship. WDW has a lot of rooms, the chances of all of them being full at the same time are pretty low, I would think.

 

[lbgraves]

I remember that case and I don't believe the insurance had anything to do with her getting a room at another resort. That was all her own work. I also remember there being issues with the insurance not covering the cancelled cruise. They never went to the port, however, so had no documentation from the ship's medical personnel that they were denied boarding.

 

[NokOnHarts]

I remember that case and I don't believe the insurance had anything to do with her getting a room at another resort. That was all her own work. I also remember there being issues with the insurance not covering the cancelled cruise. They never went to the port, however, so had no documentation from the ship's medical personnel that they were denied boarding.

I agree to clarify with insurance, but would the best thing be to do (if you have a sick member of the party) to go to port if possible and have them evaluate you? Obviously going all the way there if it won't help the insurance situation would not be ideal with a sick kid.

 

[lanejudy]

Thanks for the replies - so what does happen if you have to answer "yes" on this form? Like in the case of our trip last year, my DD ended up with a fever / cough / cold. ...

As to fever/cough/cold -- you don't have to answer "yes" unless vomiting and/or diarrhea accompany the fever. A cold is not a particular concern. The ships are trying to prevent widespread, fast-moving gastrointestinal illnesses (i.e. Norovirus).

However, if you answer "yes" on the questionnaire, you (or the "ill" passenger in your party) would likely be referred to the ship's medical staff for evaluation prior to being allowed to board.

Insurance coverage will vary - read your own policy for specifics of your coverage. Illness for 1 member of your party may or may not constitute cancellation for your whole party, unless the party consists of 1 adult and multiple minor-aged children.

 

[lanejudy]

I agree to clarify with insurance, but would the best thing be to do (if you have a sick member of the party) to go to port if possible and have them evaluate you? Obviously going all the way there if it won't help the insurance situation would not be ideal with a sick kid.

In all honesty, find out what YOUR coverage requires for documentation and know that before you end up hundreds of miles away from home at a hotel room in FL trying to figure out what to do. I recall reading about that particular case, but not sure of specifics. I think there had been no medical visit, no doctor's orders, they did not go to the port at all -- insurance will require more than your word for coverage to kick-in. "Mr. Insurance Man, my kid was sick and I stayed at the hotel. No we didn't visit a doctor. My kid was throwing up so I didn't want to take him out." While it sounds logical, that doesn't even pass muster for some schools or employers, if multiple days are involved an official doctor's note is required. I can't see insurance paying out for anything less. Likely proof from an ER or clinic within appropriate date range would suffice rather than the ship's medical staff, but again check your policy.

 

[NokOnHarts]

In all honesty, find out what YOUR coverage requires for documentation and know that before you end up hundreds of miles away from home at a hotel room in FL trying to figure out what to do. I recall reading about that particular case, but not sure of specifics. I think there had been no medical visit, no doctor's orders, they did not go to the port at all -- insurance will require more than your word for coverage to kick-in. "Mr. Insurance Man, my kid was sick and I stayed at the hotel. No we didn't visit a doctor. My kid was throwing up so I didn't want to take him out." While it sounds logical, that doesn't even pass muster for some schools or employers, if multiple days are involved an official doctor's note is required. I can't see insurance paying out for anything less. Likely proof from an ER or clinic within appropriate date range would suffice rather than the ship's medical staff, but again check your policy.

Agreed, thanks for your input!