Armed guard bars woman from Disney Cruise Line ship because she's a week over their pregnancy limit

'I was crying. I felt so bad because I felt like it was my fault that everybody couldn't go,' says Emily Jackson

A pregnant woman was blocked from boarding a Disney Cruise Line ship by an armed guard with an assault rifle.

Although she is 25 weeks into her term, Emily Jackson had a doctor’s note permitting her to travel. So she she flew from her home in St Louis, Missouri, to Miami, Florida with 10 members of her family to join the Disney Magic Cruise.

But while they were allowed aboard, the 22-year-old mother of two was told she was not allowed to travel due to safety concerns.

Like a number of other cruise lines, the company does not permit women over 24 weeks pregnant to board the ship.

"I was crying,” Ms Jackson told the WPLG news channel. "I felt so bad because I felt like it was my fault that everybody couldn't go."

Ms Jackson, who filmed the incident, said that an armed guard arrived after her father raised his voiced to cruise employees and the family were forced to wait outside for more than two hours for their luggage.

As they tried to resolved the issue, she said armed police and an officer with a police dog arrived, so they had leave.

She said bother her children were left "red faced" in heat. "It was terrible."

The family said they were reimbursed for the cost of the cruise but will not be covered for their other holiday costs. The group travelled back to a hotel and bought flights back to St Louis for the next day.

Addressing their treatment in a follow-up video, Ms Jackson said: "Forget the policy. That is not my issue. Forget the fact that they did not let us on the ship. We were past that. We just wanted to get our luggage and leave. What our problem was, was how they treated us after that point.

"I’m mad because of how they treated me and my children. I’m mad because they made my two babies under two wait outside with no water and in the heat, and get red faced. I’m mad about all of those things."

The Disney Cruise website explicitly states a doctor’s medical statement or a waiver of liability does not permit women who are over 24 weeks pregnant to board the ship.

“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,” a spokesperson for the company said.

“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.”

Ms Jackson has a YouTube channel called “The Jackson Hive” which has nearly 9,000 subscribers. The channel focuses on family life and endeavours to inspire other young parents.

“We are a young family of four! Kyle, Emily, Ellerie, And baby Eli! We are posting daily vlogs documenting our everyday lives to remember all these special moments and inspire other young parents!” reads the description. “I also post mommy videos and cleaning videos to help motivate you guys! Keep up with our new adventure every single day! Come back every day for the daily buzz!”