Vegan, salt-free, and cancer on DCL?

[fredandkell]

Let me preface this by saying I know I’m probably going to have to cancel my May 2024 Fantasy Eastern cruise, or at least rebook it for later. I was diagnosed with cancer a couple months ago and I am currently eating a mostly raw vegan diet with no added salt or sugar. I have not yet started treatment, but I’m sure I will be soon. Just curious if anyone has cruised with those kinds of dietary restrictions and/or how cancer might have impacted your experience on the ships. Thanks.

 

[European]

Not salt-free or raw, but it’s a start:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo5QkR6i_eVN5BRGJ2XJHgZRGe04W-YhO&si=cGqiGuFNZ_AMVgDU

 

[fredandkell]

Not salt-free or raw, but it’s a start:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo5QkR6i_eVN5BRGJ2XJHgZRGe04W-YhO&si=cGqiGuFNZ_AMVgDU

Thank you, that was incredibly helpful. It seems that this family was offered mostly processed meat substitutes and lots of grains onboard which would be a big no-no for me. I figured that might be the case but a girl can dream right!?

 

[brentm77]

Let me preface this by saying I know I’m probably going to have to cancel my May 2024 Fantasy Eastern cruise, or at least rebook it for later. I was diagnosed with cancer a couple months ago and I am currently eating a mostly raw vegan diet with no added salt or sugar. I have not yet started treatment, but I’m sure I will be soon. Just curious if anyone has cruised with those kinds of dietary restrictions and/or how cancer might have impacted your experience on the ships. Thanks.

If any cruise line can cater to unique dietary restrictions, DCL is at the top of the list. They did very well for different dietary restrictions for a family member.

I would call their support line to discuss it with them. They are really good about talking about disabilities ahead of time. You have probably seen this, but you can submit your dietary restrictions related to a disability at this page: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/

As for your cancer diagnosis, I am so sorry. My 21 year old daughter has been fighting for her life since April, and appears to be beating very low odds. She can't wait to travel again. I truly hope for the best for you and that you have the best recovery possible and many great cruises with calm seas ahead of you.

 

[fredandkell]

If any cruise line can cater to unique dietary restrictions, DCL is at the top of the list. They did very well for different dietary restrictions for a family member.

I would call their support line to discuss it with them. They are really good about talking about disabilities ahead of time. You have probably seen this, but you can submit your dietary restrictions related to a disability at this page: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/

As for your cancer diagnosis, I am so sorry. My 21 year old daughter has been fighting for her life since April, and appears to be beating very low odds. She can't wait to travel again. I truly hope for the best for you and that you have the best recovery possible and many great cruises with calm seas ahead of you.

Thanks for the advice and kind words. I just sent up a prayer for your daughter. One of the books I’ve read that has been very helpful/hopeful for me is called “Chris Beat Cancer” if your daughter might be interested in reading it.

 

[European]

You might like Dr. Michael Greger as well. He wrote books like ‘How not to die’ and has a website: https://nutritionfacts.org/

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I'm so sorry for your diagnosis, that freaking sucks. When I got mine in November of '22, I had it in my head that maybe we could keep our Spring Break vacation on the books. After talking with my oncologist, it was cancelled.

There were just too many potential problems: the infection risk (my chemo protocol made my white counts extremely low), the likelihood that I would be too tired to enjoy it, and the fact that treatment schedules can shift such that what should have been a "good" week suddenly becomes a chemo week.

After a rough first half of this year, I'm in remission and cruising next week. And, I'm glad that I can do that with full energy and without worrying that I'm going to land myself in the hospital with an infection and disrupt my treatment schedule.

Wishing you all the best with your upcoming treatment!

 

[CM Dad]

Sorry to hear about your cancer. My wife was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 and had undergone surgery and was undergoing chemo. We had two DCL cruises booked in the fall with about one week between them (on a Bermuda cruise out of NY, and the other a Caribbean cruise out of Port Canaveral). Her oncologist told her it was OK for her to do the cruises and would schedule chemo treatments around them, Unfortunately at the times of the cruises she was not feeling up to traveling, so we cancelled at the last minute. We had not purchased any trip insurance, so ended up forfeiting the entire cost of both cruises.

I have not booked any cruises since then without buying trip insurance.

 

[brentm77]

Sorry to hear about your cancer. My wife was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 and had undergone surgery and was undergoing chemo. We had two DCL cruises booked in the fall with about one week between them (on a Bermuda cruise out of NY, and the other a Caribbean cruise out of Port Canaveral). Her oncologist told her it was OK for her to do the cruises and would schedule chemo treatments around them, Unfortunately at the times of the cruises she was not feeling up to traveling, so we cancelled at the last minute. We had not purchased any trip insurance, so ended up forfeiting the entire cost of both cruises.

I have not booked any cruises since then without buying trip insurance.

Cancer hits a family in every way possible. There are so many small things that vanish in a blink of an eye, like being able to take a vacation. We had three vacations we had to cancel this year, including my bucket list cruise to Alaska. Most of it was still refundable, but man it hurt on top of the deep pain of dealing with a loved one battling cancer. We are in the process of canceling a February cruise now, and will lose that non-refundable deposit with Celebrity (can't get them to respond to a request to make an exception and move the deposit to one of our other two bookings). Our fingers are crossed we can go to Europe next June as planned, since I have a ridiculous amount of airlines credits I used for the airfare after canceling everything this year, which will be lost for good if we don't go.

I hope your wife is doing better now. In the end, that's all that really matters.

 

[Mle8308]

Sending positive thoughts to all of you who are battling an illness or supporting someone who is.

 

[European]

Sorry to hear about your cancer. My wife was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 and had undergone surgery and was undergoing chemo. We had two DCL cruises booked in the fall with about one week between them (on a Bermuda cruise out of NY, and the other a Caribbean cruise out of Port Canaveral). Her oncologist told her it was OK for her to do the cruises and would schedule chemo treatments around them, Unfortunately at the times of the cruises she was not feeling up to traveling, so we cancelled at the last minute. We had not purchased any trip insurance, so ended up forfeiting the entire cost of both cruises.

I have not booked any cruises since then without buying trip insurance.

Does trip insurance cover existing illnesses though? I don’t know if some do, but I am sure not all do.

 

[CM Dad]

Does trip insurance cover existing illnesses though? I don’t know if some do, but I am sure not all do.

If we had had trip insurance for the cruises we had to cancel, they would have covered it, since the cancer was not preexisting at the time we booked.

I'm also concerned about medical and evacuation coverage on cruises. We had another cruise to Bermuda that one of our daughters and her family joined us. I got a call from our son-in-law late the first night asking me to come to their stateroom to watch the grandkids while he took our daughter to the medical center. The ship arrived earlier than scheduled in Bermuda, and they had an ambulance waiting to take my daughter to a Bermuda hospital. Our son-in-law spent the entire time at the hospital with his wife, and my wife and I got to watch the grandkids. Since my wife has mobility issues (a side affect of her cancer treatment) we did not feel comfortable taking the kids off the ship. They got treated very well by the kids club staff.

We weren't sure my daughter would be released before the ship had to leave Bermuda, so they had started packing, and contacted the other grandparent, who were preparing to fly to Bermuda to help out while my daughter was still in the hospital there. Fortunately, they release her, and they mad it back to the ship with about an hour to spare.

They had purchased trip insurance, which fortunately covered the medical expenses, and cost for a cancelled private boat excursion.

This is also a good reason to travel with passport books, instead of birth certificates and drivers license. If they had to remain in Bermuda and fly back home, having passports would have made things much easier

 

[fredandkell]

Wow, some very kind and thought-provoking responses here. Thank you all.

 

[lanejudy]

Does trip insurance cover existing illnesses though? I don’t know if some do, but I am sure not all do.

For the purposes of travel insurance, "pre-existing" means before the policy was bought not just before the cruise. If the diagnosis has already been given at some point before booking, it is pre-existing. If a person is otherwise healthy at the time you book the cruise, there are no pre-existing conditions. Insurance uses a "look-back" period (maybe 60 days but varies by policy) to determine if a diagnosis is pre-existing. This is why it can be very important to contact the insurance and ask specific questions about what is or is not covered -- there is nothing worse than thinking you have insurance only to find out it won't cover what you need.

Some policies offer a pre-existing waiver for free if buying travel insurance within X days of making the initial deposit on the trip. (Often 14 days but it can vary.) Coverage can then be adjusted as different parts of the trip come together -- such as airfare, pre- or post-cruise plans, etc. A PEC Waiver can also be purchased later (closer to cruise date) but it will be much more expensive.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

I would definitely discuss the dietary restriction of mostly raw with DCL before booking. As someone who just generally enjoys a lot of raw options in their diet as a preference, I will say it's the most challenging thing to get on board. There are always salads, broccoli (but almost always steamed), watermelon, honeydew melon, and cantaloupe to be found. You can sniff out celery and sometimes carrots at the late night bar food mini-buffet sometimes, and can always grab an orange or banana at the gym or a fresh fruit bowl from room service. Past that it's really hit or miss in my experience, and you need to make special requests. It would be doable without talking to DCL if you are ok with those options and whatever else happens to be put out at a meal.

They do have berries onboard which end up in the desserts, but as a guest you can't just access them. Same with many other vegetables. They have it onboard and cook with it, but there is not just a raw fruit and veggie station. Even the salads are mostly pre-made.

 

[tee11]

Let me preface this by saying I know I’m probably going to have to cancel my May 2024 Fantasy Eastern cruise, or at least rebook it for later. I was diagnosed with cancer a couple months ago and I am currently eating a mostly raw vegan diet with no added salt or sugar. I have not yet started treatment, but I’m sure I will be soon. Just curious if anyone has cruised with those kinds of dietary restrictions and/or how cancer might have impacted your experience on the ships. Thanks.

I'm so sorry and wishing you strength for recovery! Don't give up yet, I think there are two distinct aspects here (dining and general wellbeing on an ocean voyage) and I would DEFINTITELY discuss with DCL first, and then not make an immediate decision, but think over it, after also discussing with your oncologist/physicians.

I don't know anyone who is as amazing and flexible with dietary restrictions as DCL. They truly go out of their way, and I think they would have something prepared for you every dinner (we needed to do this once, and had a talk with the head waiter upon getting onboard who then gave us all the menus in advance and asked for choices that would then be prepared without the problematic ingredient.)

For lunch and breakfast I'm thinking you could absolutely go vegan - the Fantasy has the "fast food" area by the pool which has raw fruits (and veggies, or salads, you can request without dressing). Plus you have the buffets, which usually have salad bars, and in the morning there is an "oatmeal" bar and plenty of fruit.

Now the second aspect might be more difficult to sort out; how you will feel, especially in regards to ship movement/nausea, general well-being, or if you are high risk for complications that would need immediate attention going beyond what can be taken care of onboard. Definitely do a separate medical insurance with evacuation to hospital of choice. Also, choose a forward/midship stateroom with a balcony for fresh air. The fantasy has the vibration issues that are more pronounced in the aft section. Finally, if you will be heavily immunosuppressed, it might also be an issue, because any viruses/illnesses transmit more easily on ships. Making sure you have plenty of space and fresh air may help (skip crowded venues and elevators).

I really hope you can do the cruise, because mental well-being is important to heal as well!