to get home and they're part-way across the Atlantic?! I imagine you would have to wait until the next port of call. I have pondered this question myself whenever we have gone away. Both sets of parents are well into their 80's so the inevitable is going to happen one day, I only hope it's not when we are away, but I would like to know even if I couldn't get home straight away. That's a difficult one, my FIL was taken ill a couple of days after we left on a Xmas cruise ( he was fine when we left ) sadly he died the following day, the family decided there was nothing we could do so chose not to tell us until we returned, whether that was the right decision who knows all I do know is that we were mid Atlantic and even if we had flown home when we reached NY we wouldn't have made it in time. I may sound heartless ............. but I wouldnt. My son went down ill whilst my wife and I were in France for a weekend, and neither he or his wife let us know until we were actually back in the UK (1.5 days later). To drive back under that sort of pressure would not be safe, and they took the decision to hold back a little. For much the same reasons I would not ask that my family was informed should i take a turn for the worse.