Imagine planning a joyful getaway, only to have your world shattered days before departure.
That’s what happened to Monique McChristian, a 25-year-old from Roseville, California, who was preparing for an Alaskan cruise with her family.
But tragedy struck when she suffered a miscarriage just days before the trip — and now she’s caught in a heartbreaking battle with the cruise line over a refund.
Booking a Dream Vacation While Hoping for a Baby
Last year, Monique and her husband Alfonso, along with her parents, booked a 10-day Carnival cruise to Alaska scheduled for May 2025.
They paid around $4,400 for two staterooms and hoped the trip would help ease the stress they felt while trying to start a family.
Then came the good news.
In February 2025, three months before the cruise, Monique found out she was pregnant.
“We were over the moon,” she shared.
“I took about 15 pregnancy tests, no joke — every single one was positive.”
Feeling optimistic, they decided to keep their vacation plans, figuring it would be safe since Monique would be about 14 weeks pregnant when they sailed.
Carnival’s guidelines say you shouldn’t travel past 24 weeks, so they thought they were in the clear.
In fact, to celebrate, they even upgraded their rooms to have private balconies.
A Devastating Diagnosis Days Before Departure
But just three days before leaving, Monique went in for one last ultrasound to make sure everything was okay.
The news was crushing.
The technician immediately told her to see a doctor urgently.
“The baby had no visible heartbeat and was measuring behind at about 11 to 12 weeks,” Monique recalled. After hours in the ER, she learned she had lost the baby at 11 weeks and 4 days.
Because she hadn’t miscarried naturally yet, doctors warned her of risks like hemorrhaging and recommended a procedure to remove the fetus.
However, the procedure couldn’t be scheduled before the cruise, and the doctor strongly advised against traveling,
Share on Facebook «||» Share on Twitter «||» Share on Reddit «||»
Share on LinkedIn