Anyone take one of those dialysis cruises?

[paddbear0000]

Has anyone ever taken one of those dialysis cruises? The posts here in this section that are about people's cruises are all PD patients on regular cruises. I was looking at their website and even looked over their pdf booklet, but they don't tell you anything but where they might go and when. i'm curious about prices and the ships themselves. Does anybody know anything about these cruises?

http://www.dialysisatsea.com/home.aspx

[rookiegirl]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with this site.  I only went on a regular Carnival Cruise this past December.

[paddbear0000]

Yeah, I read your post. The problem is, i'm on Hemo, so a regular cruise would be out of the question. We can't afford to go, but I'm just really curious.

[peleroja]

I've done my PD on cruises, but never specifically went on a PD cruise.  A quick search revealed the following re hemo cruises:

http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-ultimatedisable25-2009jan25

Don't know if that helps.

[Bill Peckham]

I've done a Dialysis at Sea Cruise. I took a cruise from Dover England to Copenhagen in 1998. I've also been on the phone more recently (2004, 2006) talking to Dialysis at Sea about a sometimes touted December cruise to Antarctica - starting in Rio and ending near Santiago. The cost was $425 in 1998 and I was told that the cost today is $425 based on dialyzing every other day - if it is a 11 day cruise/5 treatments; for a 12 day cruise 6 treatments. Medicare will not pay for dialysis no matter where the boat cruises (there are Mississippi River and Alaska cruises) because it is not a Medicare certified facility. My insurance through work will reimbursed me for the dialsyis but that is not always the case.

The movement of the ship was not an issue on my cruise. You dialyze in the ships infirmary. On my cruise we were one staff person short and we started the cruise with the wrong blood lines (I think they had H machines and K blood lines). I have not heard of this happening on any other cruises, mostly I've heard positive reports from people and staff that have gone. The staff get a free cruise in return for their labor so if problems arise they may find themselves working more than they had planned to work on their "vacation". They also may find themselves working with individuals that have different ways of doing things - which can be another source of friction. In units at least staff are use to working with each other.

Unlike dialysis on land there is not any person or government responsible for the oversight of treatments onboard a cruise ship. The cruise line will work to accommodate problems but Dialysis at Sea is an independent contractor so the cruise line has no responsibility in regard to your treatments. This is why for destinations like Europe and the Caribbean I chose to dialyze on land but if you want to visit Southeast Alaska or Antarctica you really do not have many options. At least you didn't until now.

Right now I am setting up a cruise for people using NxStage. We're using the group buying power to discount everyone's cost. The plan is to leave Miami on January 3, 2010. I'll have more information soon.

[paddbear0000]

Thanks Bill! Right now, and possibly permanently, I am using private insurance. I wonder how they cover something like this? I'll have to look in to that. Do you know what the total costs of the cruises generally run (the Dialysis at Sea cruises)? Are the ships just like most cruise ships, with tons of activities on the ships?

[Bill Peckham]

Thanks Bill! Right now, and possibly permanently, I am using private insurance. I wonder how they cover something like this? I'll have to look in to that. Do you know what the total costs of the cruises generally run (the Dialysis at Sea cruises)? Are the ships just like most cruise ships, with tons of activities on the ships?

Oh yeah it's the full blown cruise ship experience if you want it. Shows in a theater at night. Casino. I had to wear a tux to diner at least once - maybe twice. The personality of the ships and cruise lines are different - my Mom and I were on the Rotterdam VI on Holland American Line - it was mostly retired couples. I expect a Caribbean cruise with Carnival would be a totally different feel.  Dialysis at Sea does not discount the rates hardly at all but you do end up getting upgraded usually. You end up paying about full price for the level of cabin one below what you end up in - does that make sense? And then as with any cruise the food and entertainment is free but everything else - spa, booze, casino, shore excursions - costs money. It can add up but there are a lot of people that love cruise vacations - I'm not there yet but maybe with NxStage I'll like it more.

[paddbear0000]

I understood what you were saying. From the sounds of it, are these just regular cruises with extra accommodations (meaning dialysis machines, etc.) for a select number of people on dialysis? My one worry would be exactly what you mentioned--that there would be hardly anyone on board in our age range.

[2_DallasCowboys]

PBear,

Les and I have not done a dialysis cruise but we
have been on 4 cruises in the past.  The ages of
the passengers I think depend on the line you
choose, and also the destinations

We have b een on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity,
and both were awesome  All our trips have been to
the Caribbean.  I think R C ships are much livelier.
Both of these lines offer D. cruises thru Dialysis at Sea,
you can ck out their website at dialysisatsea.com

These are regular cruises, with say 98% of the passengers
being just ordinary folks ona cruise.  Who knows, the ones
we were on in the past may have had D. patients, you would
never have known.

I bet carnival lines has some also.

Anne and Les

[nursewratchet]

Hemo pts. can cruise.  Same price as the cruise, extra for the treatments.  Ask the social worker at your clinic.  We have info ALL the time, and have had several pts. go on them.  ALL age groups.  We have been on three, going on the fuorth in 1 month.  It's cheap vacationing.