When it comes to traveling during pregnancy, whether it's by airplane or via a cruise ship, there are policies in place to help prevent emergencies when medical care isn't easily accessible. However, the unexpected can (and does) still happen. Expectant moms deliver babies on airplanes and medical issues arise on cruise ships, and crew members are forced to assess the situation and make smart calls.
This is exactly what happened to a 35-year-old pregnant woman on a Disney cruise ship. An expectant mom was recently airlifted while onboard Disney Fantasy, and the harrowing rescue was captured on video.
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Video footage shows the pregnant woman being airlifted from the Disney cruise ship.
The US Coast Guard shared video footage via X of a rescuer being lowered onto the Disney Fantasy on Monday, April 15. A pregnant woman on a stretcher was then airlifted from the cruise ship onto a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk chopper, per a news release. The rescue happened in the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 180 miles northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
The Coast Guard offered further details of the rescue.
“Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a communication from the Disney Fantasy Monday morning requesting medevac assistance as the cruise ship was transiting 260 nautical miles northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico,” the news release detailed. Additionally, the Coast Guard deployed an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from Air Station Miami to "rendezvous with the cruise ship."
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Ultimately, the woman was transported to a hospital.
After successfully airlifting the pregnant patient, the Coast Guard aircrew transported her to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was then transported by local EMS to a hospital.
“Our crew was able to quickly, safely, and efficiently execute a long-range MEDEVAC for the patient to receive the higher level of care she required,” Lt. Cmdr. Todd Stephens said in a statement in the news release. “This case demonstrates the value of good crew resource management and the capabilities of our Jayhawk helicopter.”
The Coast Guard Sector San Juan operations unit leader also praised those who made the rescue a success.
Ensign Michael Riccio, the Coast Guard Sector San Juan operations unit leader, praised the combined efforts of the agency and the Disney cruise crew. Riccio said his team was “glad everything came together to help this passenger."
“The competency displayed by the Disney Fantasy crew and the Coast Guard personnel and units involved made all the difference,” he added.
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What is Disney Cruise Lines' pregnancy policy?
It's unclear if the woman's medical emergency was pregnancy-related. However, per Disney Cruise Lines' FAQ, women must be no further along than 23 weeks in order to sail. Additionally, women cannot enter week 24 during the cruise, or else they will "be refused passage due to safety concerns."
