Kreuzfahrten have long been popular with a certain demographic of the population. Older travellers and those with long-term health conditions seize the chance to get the best of both worlds as they explore the world: a fixed base from which they can daily visit new countries and regions. However, for some years (since Covid), OxygenWorldwide has not been able to offer our services from one of the UK’s most popular cruise departure point: Southampton, which has been a disappointment to some of our loyal customers.

Good news! Our Southampton oxygen therapy support is back in place for cruises departing from Southampton, so get in touch and let us help you get your cruise off to a seamless start.

Why Cruises are Different for Oxygen Users

While regular travellers can just bring along their clothes and either squeeze them into the cabin’s wardrobe or live out of their suitcase, it’s a bit different for oxygen users, who need to have near-constant access to their medical oxygen and the equipment that delivers it to them. With space on ships being a premium, oxygen users may have to deal with limited storage options, cramped cabins which aren’t really designed with the need for bulky oxygen cylinders in mind, and long itineraries without easy access to a pharmacy or doctor’s office.

In the hours before departure, all suppliers must arrange for goods and services to be delivered to the ship in a timely manner and to the precise berth where the cruise ship is waiting. Southampton is one of the busiest cruise ports in Europe, so getting oxygen delivery right is especially significant. This can be a source of worry to oxygen users who must have their medical supplies in the right quantities and in good condition in order to be comfortable, let alone enjoy their cruise.

What Has Changed Since 2020

Before 2020, OxygenWorldwide offered a comprehensive service of oxygen equipment for cruise passengers, including to Southampton docks. But with the advent of Covid-19 restrictions on travel as well as the sudden spike in demand for oxygen in hospitals to look after Covid patients, especially those on ventilators, it was firstly unnecessary (no cruises were taking place) and then unfeasible once restrictions started easing and life began to return to some kind of normal. Oxygen supplies were low and more tightly regulated to make sure that those with the highest needs were taken care of.

But – fortunately – that is all in the past: all Covid restrictions have been lifted, oxygen supplies are back to their usual levels, and more and more people, especially those who spent most of the Covid years sheltering in place to avoid infection. Bookings for Southampton departures are now open, so if you’ve been longing to book a cruise but not wanting to deal with the logistics of your oxygen supply for the duration, contact OxygenWorldwide and let us take the stress out of the process for you.

How the Service Works

  • Firstly, get in touch with us and let us know what you need and when and where you will need it. You will need an up-to-date valid prescription for your medical oxygen.
  • Once you’ve signed up with us, we will make contact with the cruise line and with port staff, letting them know what you need and asking how we can best make sure everything is in place.
  • Directly before you board the ship, we will ensure that the oxygen and oxygen equipment is delivered directly to the ship.
  • While you are travelling with oxygen on a cruise, we are available to offer support and advice should any issues arise, with our twenty-four-hour phone line.

OxygenWorldwide is fully au fait with both cruise line requirements and with international safety regulations, so you can rest assured that your Southampton cruise oxygen support will not only be ready and waiting for you, but that the oxygen and equipment will be fully legally compliant too.

Destinations Covered from Southampton

Cruises from Southampton cover the Mediterranean region, much of Northern Europe, the Canaries (off the coast of the north-west of Africa) and even some transatlantic routes. If you are heading to one (or more) of these destinations by cruise liner, you can book with peace of mind, knowing that your oxygen is managed from the point of embarkation – freeing up your mind space to make new friends, see wonderful sights and generally enjoy the cruise

What OxygenWorldwide Provides

OxygenWorldwide provides peace of mind by offering access to a good range of oxygen concentrators (stationary and portable) and, – where possible – oxygen cylinders of varying sizes and liquid oxygen.

These are briefly:

  • Portable oxygen concentrators: devices that filter out the nitrogen from the atmosphere, leaving you with nearly pure oxygen to breathe. They are small and relatively portable, ideal for day trips and can occasionally be used in planes.
  • Oxygen cylinders: the ‘classic’ image people have of oxygen containers, these can range in size from relatively small (about the length of an arm) to quite substantial (five foot tall or thereabouts and bulky). These are most often kept at home, and used while sitting quietly, or even while sleeping.
  • Liquid oxygen: this is oxygen so tightly compacted it has become liquid, a bright blue fluid that boils off into vast amounts of oxygen. Ideal for high flow-rate users and also ideal for use in cramped conditions where a bulky cylinder would take up too much space.

OyxgenWorldwide can provide the necessary equipment, and also offers multilingual support for international travellers to ensure that there is no confusion or detail lost in translation. We also offer support for emergencies, such as if your equipment was to malfunction suddenly during your cruise.

Practical Tips for Cruise Travellers Using Oxygen

  • Book early. This means your cruise as well as your oxygen supply. While free spirits might be able to leap on a boat or a plane on a whim, oxygen users must, of a necessity, be a little more measured about these things. Googling something like oxygen delivery to cruise ship UK will quickly bring up lists of regulations and warnings, rather than blithe invitations to come on down and get aboard – but perhaps that is all to the good! A spontaneous trip is all very well, but running out of oxygen because hastily made plans have gone awry is not a good way to make a wonderful memory!
  • Speaking of which, double-check with your cruise line about medical clearance procedures. What will they need from you, by when will they need it, and will they give you written confirmation that everything is in place long before embarkation day?
  • In the interests of being prepared, try to always have a backup plan, and that includes have spare nasal cannulas, extra tubing and copies of your prescription, both hard copy and digital.
  • Let the cabin staff know about your medical condition. They can often help with the logistics and will be able to ensure your oxygen and equipment is delivered to the right cabin, whereas if they don’t know, they might dismiss your concerns as unwonted fussiness and be a little less rigorous than they otherwise would be.

Reassurance and Human Touch

Fred Parkin always used to enjoy a cruise – not every year, but every other year or thereabouts. He is a user of oxygen due to the emphysema he suffers from, caused by his long years on the textile factory floor many years ago, before health and safety concerns came into law. Fred has avoided going on cruises for the last five years, at first due to concerns over Covid-19 – with his respiratory issues he would have been at a much higher risk from the virus – but latterly because he is not confident in his own ability to organise his oxygen supply for the duration of the cruise. We got in touch with Fred to let him know that the service he had previously used was back in place and he was overjoyed! ‘That’s fantastic,’ Fred said. ‘I will book a cruise right away!’ And he was as good as his word, getting in touch with us the following week with all his cruise and medical information. In six weeks or so, Fred will be enjoying the sights of the Spanish coast as he tours the Iberian peninsula!

Cruises really can offer a wealth of freedom and independence to people with long-term medical issues, especially when their health and oxygen needs are properly supported.

If you’re planning a cruise from Southampton and need oxygen support, get in touch with OxygenWorldwide today. We’ll coordinate the details so you can focus on the journey, not the logistics.