Taking a cruise with the NxStage System One has an element of risk because should the machine break during the cruise you would be on your own to get dialysis - the company’s tech support swap out strategy is for the contiguous United States, you’d have to get the broken cycler to somewhere in the US where it could then be swapped out and then the new one would be sent back for you to use. That might work if you were on land in Hawaii or somewhere abroad but it would be tough to do from a cruise ship.
There have been reports of people successfully cruising with the NxStage and the machines rarely break down so many dialyzors feel like it is worth the risk. However, if several dialyzors cruised together we could act as each others backup and thus an idea was born - the Freedom Cruise - Taking Dialysis to Sea. As a group we can plan activities and events we’re interested in, and we can take advantage of group discounts.
The 2010 Freedom Cruise will be from Miami with Carnival Lines on their ship the Valor, January 3 -10 with four stops in the Western Caribbean:
[ul]
[li]Grand Cayman[/li][li]Isla Rotan[/li][li]Belize[/li][li]Cozumel[/li][/ul]
This is an independently organized group not affiliated with NxStage or any other company. It’ll be organized through Google documents, Groups and the blog. The travel agent organizing the booking is a caregiver to her NxStage using spouse. It should be fun, warm and informative. A great way to network with your fellow dialyzors and to enjoy a tropical vacation, well dialyzed, with your friends and family.
Am sure it will go all well, if planned well yes… but watch out fo those pirates!![/B]
[quote=Bill Peckham;17251]Taking a cruise with the NxStage System One has an element of risk because should the machine break during the cruise you would be on your own to get dialysis - the company’s tech support swap out strategy is for the contiguous United States, you’d have to get the broken cycler to somewhere in the US where it could then be swapped out and then the new one would be sent back for you to use. That might work if you were on land in Hawaii or somewhere abroad but it would be tough to do from a cruise ship.
There have been reports of people successfully cruising with the NxStage and the machines rarely break down so many dialyzors feel like it is worth the risk. However, if several dialyzors cruised together we could act as each others backup and thus an idea was born - the Freedom Cruise - Taking Dialysis to Sea. As a group we can plan activities and events we’re interested in, and we can take advantage of group discounts.
The 2010 Freedom Cruise will be from Miami with Carnival Lines on their ship the Valor, January 3 -10 with four stops in the Western Caribbean:
[ul]
[li]Grand Cayman[/li][li]Isla Rotan[/li][li]Belize[/li][li]Cozumel[/li][/ul]
This is an independently organized group not affiliated with NxStage or any other company. It’ll be organized through Google documents, Groups and the blog. The travel agent organizing the booking is a caregiver to her NxStage using spouse. It should be fun, warm and informative. A great way to network with your fellow dialyzors and to enjoy a tropical vacation, well dialyzed, with your friends and family.[/quote]
Cabins are beginning to fill up and prices for Oceanview and Balcony have been reduced. In addition, there’s a two category upgrade, if available (book early) and $75 onboard credit. We’re going for the Guinness Record for home dialyzors aboard a cruise ship. What am I talking about? This has never been done before – of course we’ll set the record!
Only two days left for our "final"deadline for putting in a deposit before we have to give up some of our reserved cabins. We know people are waiting towrd when it’s closer, but if you don’t reserve one of our cabins and our allotment is gone, you’ll have to pay the cruiseline’s fare and not get the extras we negotiated.
We got another extension until September 4th. Although this probably means that Carniva; isn’t selling as quickly as they would like, it seems the closer we get to the cruise the more people will sign up. That means we can lose our allotment after Sperember 4th. I’m not saying that’s what will happen, but it could. So please contact me or Pat Colongione if you’re interested in talking about the cruise. You can reach me at rjberkowitz@nxstageusers.comor Pat at PatColongione@nxstageusers.com.
The “We’re Taking Home Dialysis to Sea Cruise” is facing another deadline this Tuesday. We’re not sure if we’ll lose any cabins… So if you’re sitting on the fence now’s the time to act. For more info, please go to NxStageUsers.
OK, this is it guys. We have a few ocean view and balconies left and Carnival has informed us the next deadline is the absolute final one. So if you’re sitting on the fence it’s time to decide. Once our rooms are gone, one will have to book directly with Carnival. That means NO DISCOUNT, NO CATEGORY UPGRADE, NO ONBOARD CREDIT, and NO CREDIT FOR A FREE 16th FARE FOR EVERY 15 PEOPLE. This is it! There’s no more after this. Come join us on the cruise as “We’re Taking Home Dialysis to Sea”.
Wow, Bill what a great idea. If anyone can plan a great dialysis event, it’s you.
It’s Michelle Bullock (formally Rice) by the way, Remember ASKYS??
I wish I had gotten this information before the final deadline so I could have told my current patients about it.
Put me on your mailing list: michelle.bullock@davita.com
Michelle, it’s not too late. Yes, our final deadline has passsed, but as long as the cruise hasn’t sold out, we can get cabons at our negotiated prices and perks. You can contact me at rjberkowitz@nxstageusers.com for more information.
Have an AMAZING time! If we used NxStage in Canada, I would be all over this opportunity. Kudos to you for all of the time/energy/committment in planning this!
[QUOTE=Rich Berkowitz;19087]After nearly a year in planning, the 2010 Freedom Cruise is embarking from Miami this Sunday, 1/3/10. There will be 10 NxStagers dialyzing on board.
You can follow us daily at NxStageUsers. Bill will be blogging at DSEN. NxStage will also be uploading pictures and blogging at the NxStage website.[/QUOTE]
Another post- 2010 Freedom Cruise article. This time about me. Just been added to a couple of others. Also, more pictures are being added to the site on a daily basis. Come back frequently to see more.
