A woman, who tragically experienced a miscarriage just days before a planned cruise, claims the cruise company is denying her request for a refund. This unfortunate situation has left her in financial strain, as she mourns the profound loss of her child.
In the previous year, 25-year-old Monique McChristian from Roseville, California, arranged a 10-day Alaskan cruise with Carnival for May 2025. She booked this trip for herself, her husband Alfonso, and her parents, paying $4,400 for two staterooms.
At that time, she and her husband were attempting to start a family but encountered difficulties with conception. They hoped that taking a vacation would alleviate some of their stress.
In February 2025, three months before they were set to embark on the cruise, they received the exciting news that they were expecting.
‘We were through the roof with excitement and to be honest I couldn’t believe it,’ she gushed during a recent chat with DailyMail.com.
‘I took about 15 at home pregnancy tests (not kidding) and each one had a screaming positive result.’
They still intended to go on the vacation, as they figured out that she would be roughly 14 weeks along when it departed, and Carnival’s guidelines only advise against traveling if you’re more than 24 weeks into your pregnancy.
In fact, they were even more excited than ever, and decided to upgrade their rooms to celebrate, spending another few hundred dollars each to ensure they had their own private balconies.
A woman who suffered from a tragic miscarriage just days before she was set to embark on a cruise has claimed that the cruise line is now refusing to give her a refund
Last year, Monique McChristian, 25, from Roseville, California, booked a 10-day Alaskan cruise with Carnival for herself, her husband, Alfonso, and her parents for $4,400 (stock image)
Three days before they were set to depart, Monique decided to get one final ultrasound just to ‘make sure their baby was doing well’ before leaving for the trip… but they received heartbreaking news that would completely shatter their worlds.
‘Within one minute of the scan the tech immediately looked at me and said, “I want you to go to the hospital and talk to your doctor as soon as possible,”‘ she recalled.
‘At the time of this scan I was 13 weeks [but] she said our baby does not have a visible heartbeat and was only measuring 11 to 12 weeks.
‘We went to the ER straight away. After being there for hours, it was confirmed I lost my baby at 11 weeks and four days.’
Monique explained that because she hadn’t ‘passed her baby naturally’ there was a chance she could ‘hemorrhage or suffer from other complications’ so it was recommended that she undergo a dilation and curettage procedure to remove the fetus.
But they couldn’t get one scheduled before their cruise was set to embark, so the doctor told them it would not be safe to go.
Monique said the medical professional explained that it was a risk because if she started to suffer from ‘excessive bleeding’ on board the ship, ‘medical staff on the cruise are not equipped for this.’
Heartbroken and mourning the loss of their baby, Monique said she called the cruise line and explained the situation in the hopes of canceling their reservation.
Three days before embarking on the cruise, Monique tragically found out that her baby had no heartbeat during an ultrasound. She’s seen with her husband
But then she was hit with more bad news: she would not be allowed to get a refund.
‘[The agent said that] since I did not get vacation protection there is nothing I can do and that I would lose about $2,800 per room,’ she shared.
‘I explained again everything that happened with the baby and she still gave me the same answer.
‘She said I can try to reach out via email and plead my case and maybe they would do something.
‘I sent that email explaining everything and attached a doctor’s letter as well. I had high hopes that the cruise line [would refund me] and would understand our situation.
‘It is a very serious medical emergency that simply no one could ever plan for. Also, Carnival is supposed to be about fun times but what is fun about having a miscarriage on a boat and having to pass my baby in the middle of the ocean?’
DailyMail.com has reached out to Carnival Cruise Line for comment.
Monique said she was even open to changing the dates of the cruise rather than canceling, since she still wanted to go on the trip once she was healthy again.
Heartbroken and mourning the loss of their baby, Monique said she called the cruise line and explained the situation in the hopes of canceling their reservation (stock image)
But then she was hit with more bad news: she would not be allowed to get a refund. Screenshots of her email conversation with Carnival is seen above
‘I was convinced that they would have enough heart to at least grant me that,’ she added.
When they hadn’t heard back from the cruise line come Monday morning, Monique said her parents made the ‘hard decision’ to go without her and her husband as they too didn’t want to lose thousands of dollars.
‘After a long weekend of hard decisions, heartbreak and crying, we dropped my parents off at the port for their cruise and still awaited an email from the cruise line,’ she continued.
On Wednesday morning, Monique claimed that she received a cold response from the cruise line.
‘It stated that they reviewed my case and they are unable to honor any type of compensation because they are a business and I did not use vacation protection,’ she alleged.
‘It’s a complete gut punch. When talking on the phone for the third time now I got the same answer that what that email said is final.
‘After the call he then offered me a cruise deal? The most inconsiderate and insensitive time to ask.
‘So now I am here without my baby, no vacation and almost three thousand dollars lost.’
Since publication, Monique told DailyMail.com in an update that she received a phone call from a Carnival representative on Thursday who told her that they had ‘read the entire case’ and would ‘gladly give her cruise credits’ to use within the next year for a new cruise.
‘She firstly apologized for everything and especially the original person who emailed me,’ Monique said of the call.
‘[She said] they should have never said that and it wasn’t taken into consideration enough.
‘She then said that she will gladly give me cruise credits for my husband and I to book within the next year that could be a cruise for a later date.
‘This was such a weight lifted off my shoulders. She endlessly thanked me for answering her call and continued to apologize.
‘So in the end it turned out to be a happy(ish) story? At least a resolved one. Now I can properly mourn and not have to worry about money lost and can still take the vacation I wanted to so dearly.’
