Woman banned from Disney cruise because she was 25 weeks pregnant calls out armed guard, customer service
A pregnant woman is lashing out at Disney Cruise Line after staff refused to let her on board, ABC Miami affiliate Local 10 News reports.
Although Emily Jackson’s doctor approved her plans to take a Disney Magic cruise with her family 25 weeks into her pregnancy, she was unaware that many cruise lines have a cutoff of 24 weeks.
This policy, in deference to “safety concerns,” is listed on the cruise line’s website.
“Neither a doctor’s medical statement nor a waiver of liability will be accepted,” the company states. “In addition, Disney Cruise Line cannot be held responsible or liable for any complications relating to pregnancy at any stage.”
Jackson, who had traveled from her St. Louis home to Miami with her family, was thus denied entry. She began crying when staff informed her of the policy.
“I felt so bad because I felt like it was my fault that everybody couldn’t go,” she told Local 10 News.
Jackson said that though her group accepted the decision, the situation grew tense when they found out that the family’s luggage had been stowed on the cruise ship. Jackson’s father made a heated remark, prompting an armed Miami-Dade police officer to step in. Jackson also claims that staff laughed at her situation.
“They had the guy with the gun following us,” claimed Jackson, who also has two young children. “They had the K-9 unit. So we then had to take both babies outside, wait almost two hours for our luggage, outside in the heat, and both babies are red-faced.”
Jackson later posted a video documenting her “terrible Disney experience” on her family vlog, the Jackson Hive. She added that Disney Cruise Line has refunded her family the cost of the cruise, but other travel costs were not covered.
Jackson addressed questions and negative comments about her ordeal in a follow-up video, clarifying that she was more upset with the treatment she received than by the policy itself. She added that she was unaware of the policy because she had not booked the trip and had not experienced any complications with her pregnancy.
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