Disney Cruise Lines forbids women more than 25 weeks pregnant from boarding its ships.
A Missouri mother of two was recently barred from boarding a dream Disney cruise ship because she was too pregnant.
Emily Jackson, 22, was 25 weeks pregnant with her third child and cleared by her doctor to set sail out of PortMiami, Fla. last week for the vacation, but was restricted from boarding the ship because of a company rule that restricts anyone more than 25 weeks pregnant from setting sail.
She missed the cut off by one week and all 10 members of her family left the ship in solidarity
Jackson admits she read the fine print, and it didn't cross her mind to look at it because "we booked it so last minute."
She says she was upset about the way she was treated and videotaped what happened for her YouTube channel, where it caught national attention.
Miami-Dade Police, armed with an AR-15, escorted her away.
"I was shocked," she told Inside Edition. "When they brought armed guards out, I was crying."
Travel expert Pauline Frommer says there's a lesson to be learned here and all pregnant passengers should be aware of potential travel restrictions.
“I think a lot of people are surprised that there are restrictions on pregnant women flying or taking cruises, but this is these companies being responsible,” she said. “They know that way out to sea they aren’t going to have the facilities to take care of you.”
"While we understand the guests’ disappointment with not being able to board the ship, for health and safety reasons, our policy does not allow women who have reached the 24th week of pregnancy to travel, which is consistent with other cruise lines and is noted on our website and in travel documents our guests receive before sailing. The Miami-Dade Police Department is responsible for security at the port and handled the situation as they felt appropriate given the guest’s actions," a spokesperson for Disney Cruise Line told Inside Edition in a statement.
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