Cruises on dialysis
A cruise is possible on dialysis, but cruise ships don't provide dialysis themselves. There are three ways to do it, and which one suits you decides how you book.
1. Sail with a dialysis team on board
For haemodialysis patients, this is the easiest option. Specialist companies set up a dialysis unit on selected sailings and staff it with a nephrologist and nurses. You have your sessions on board while the ship is at sea. Places are limited, so book early.
You have to book these sailings through the specialist. The same ship booked on a general cruise site comes without a dialysis chair.
Dialysis at Sea
Based in the US
Runs onboard haemodialysis on selected Royal Caribbean and Celebrity sailings, with a nephrologist and dialysis nurses on each one. Itineraries include the Caribbean, Alaska, Europe, Canada and New England, and Central America.
Visit Dialysis at Sea →Cruise Dialysis
Based in the UK
Runs onboard haemodialysis on selected Ambassador Cruise Line sailings from Tilbury, Liverpool and Belfast, Oceania sailings from Southampton, and some Celebrity and Royal Caribbean cruises. It books the cruise and dialysis together and can add flights.
Visit Cruise Dialysis →These companies are independent of Dialysis Go and we aren't paid for listing them. Ask each one for the dialysis cost per sailing in writing, since it's charged on top of the cruise fare. UK patients should also ask whether their NHS unit will fund some of it.
2. Treat yourself on any cruise line
If you do peritoneal dialysis (PD) or home haemodialysis, you aren't limited to the specialist sailings. You can treat yourself in your cabin on most cruise lines, as long as the line approves it in advance.
- Tell the cruise line about your dialysis when you book, not at check-in. Most have an access or special-needs team that has to approve it.
- Expect to show you've been stable on self-treatment for a while. Holland America, for example, asks for 12 months on self-administered dialysis.
- Ship doctors can't run dialysis for you. If you use home haemodialysis, you or a trained carer must do every session.
- Your supplier delivers PD fluid and supplies to the ship before you sail. The cruise line has to clear the delivery at the port, so give them the supplier's details early.
- Ask about power and storage in your cabin. Some ships have no battery backup for home haemodialysis machines.
- Take enough supplies for the whole trip plus a few days' spare, in case a port call is cancelled or you're delayed getting home.
3. Have dialysis in port
You can also book sessions at dialysis clinics in the ports your ship calls at. This works best on itineraries with overnight stops or long days in port. It's the riskiest of the three, because a missed port means a missed session.
- Pick itineraries with long port stays or overnight calls. A four-hour stop isn't enough time to get to a clinic, have a session and get back.
- Plan sessions in the embarkation and disembarkation cities. A pre-cruise night and a post-cruise night give you two guaranteed slots on land.
- Ports can change or be cancelled at short notice because of weather, so plan for missing a session. Talk to your nephrologist about how long you can safely go between treatments.
- Keep the clinic's address and the ship's all-aboard time written down, and book a taxi or transfer both ways rather than relying on a shuttle.
Use our center finder to see which ports on your itinerary have a dialysis clinic nearby.
Search and book a cruise
For PD and home-haemodialysis patients, people having dialysis in port, and anyone travelling with you. These sites don't arrange dialysis on board. Bookings, changes and refunds are handled by the provider under its own terms.
CruiseDirect
Coming soonCompares sailings across the major cruise lines in one search. Suits peritoneal or home-haemodialysis patients who treat themselves, and anyone travelling with you — it won't arrange dialysis on board.
Princess Cruises
Coming soonBook direct with the cruise line. Ask its access team about delivering your dialysis supplies to the ship before you pay a deposit.
Medical evacuation from a ship is expensive. Before you sail, get travel insurance that accepts your declared dialysis and covers cruises.
Dialysis cruises: common questions
Can you go on a cruise if you're on dialysis?
Yes. You can book a sailing with a dialysis team on board, treat yourself during the cruise if you do peritoneal or home haemodialysis, or have dialysis at clinics in the ports the ship visits. Check with your nephrologist first. Your treatment needs to be stable, and the cruise line has to approve your plan.
Which cruise lines offer dialysis on board?
Cruise lines don't run dialysis themselves. Specialist companies bring a dialysis team on board for selected sailings. Dialysis at Sea does this on some Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruises. Cruise Dialysis covers some Ambassador, Oceania, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean sailings. On any other sailing, you'd have to treat yourself or have dialysis in port.
Can I book a dialysis cruise on a normal cruise booking site?
Not if you need haemodialysis on board. Those sailings only include dialysis when you book through the specialist company running it, so a booking made elsewhere won't get you a chair. General booking sites are fine if you do peritoneal or home haemodialysis yourself, or for people travelling with you.
Can I do peritoneal dialysis on a cruise?
Usually yes, if the cruise line approves it in advance. Your supplier delivers PD fluid and supplies to the ship before departure, and you do your exchanges in your cabin. Each line has its own rules, so contact its access team before you pay.
Does travel insurance cover a cruise on dialysis?
Only if you declare your kidney failure and dialysis, and the policy accepts it. Medical evacuation from a ship can be very expensive, so check the policy covers cruises and evacuation as well as treatment.
Need dialysis in port?
Our booking service is coming soon. Join the waitlist and we'll contact clinics near your embarkation city and ports of call, then confirm chairs around your sailing dates once we launch.