QM2 Medical Facilities

[Banshee2009]

Has anyone had any experience with the medical care onboard the QM2? My husband has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he is set to begin radiation and chemotherapy. I had been toying with the idea of a TA next year, but now I definitely would like to set one up to give him something to anticipate. Needless to say, the future is pretty murky, and I have no idea if he’ll be up for the trip then, but If he is, and should we need the medical facilities on board, how trustworthy are they?

[capnpugwash]

Has anyone had any experience with the medical care onboard the QM2? My husband has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he is set to begin radiation and chemotherapy. I had been toying with the idea of a TA next year, but now I definitely would like to set one up to give him something to anticipate. Needless to say, the future is pretty murky, and I have no idea if he’ll be up for the trip then, but If he is, and should we need the medical facilities on board, how trustworthy are they?

 

Unfortunately I have had occasion to use them twice during different voyages and they are excellent, very well equipped and staffed with caring professionals. Not cheap but they are there when and where you need them. Sorry to hear about your husband. You may need to advise Cunard of his diagnosis when you book so that they are aware on board.

[Paul S]

Banshee,

 

Sorry to hear of your husband's diagnosis. I am sure that a TA will be a most welcome pleasure to look forward to through his treatment, but you will need to make sure that you let the right people know of your husband's condition.

 

In addition to liaising with Cunard, you will need to tell your travel/health insurer . When we have booked cruises it has been necessary to confirm that we have sufficient travel insurance cover. This will be not only to cover the cost of any required medical treatment whilst on board, but also the cost of medical treatment ashore (which can be very expensive) and any special arrangements such as an air ambulance which might be required to bring you back home.

 

My father-in-law was taken ill whilst on a cruise, and off-loaded at Vigo into a hospital as a private patient. Minimal English was spoken at the hospital, and my mother-in-law was by and large left to fend for herself. For complicated reasons he wasn't covered by travel insurance. Whilst the cost of the actual treatment and hospital stay was paid for by his private health insurance it didn't cover my mother-in-law's hotel and other expenses, nor the cost of bringing him home. Fortunately after a week or so he was just about well enough to travel, and we had to make arrangements for this from the UK, which he was left to pay for out of his own pocket. Although language differences shouldn't be a problem on a TA, the other considerations could arise.

 

Whilst my late wife was in remission we travelled, but had to find specialist insurers, who charged her a very substantial premium over the normal rate. I'm not sure where you live, but here in the UK we found the cancer care organisations very helpful in advising on travel arrangements and insurance.

 

Paul S

[William Dean]

Cunard make much of the fact that they are not equipped for treatment of chronic conditions. You can see why - so I don't think we can really criticise.

 

However, and depending on your treatment then they may well be able to assist with treatment - they can certainly do IV infusions. But this is something that needs careful planning.

 

The good news is that the medical department of Cunard is excellent - at least on the UK side - so telephone them early, discuss with the consultant early and it may well be feasible.

 

Of course the real problem is that you are out of reach of land for several days, which is a clear risk factor for you. Only you and your husband can determine whether that is "worth it".

 

Best of luck with everything.

 

WD

[3rdGenCunarder]

Has anyone had any experience with the medical care onboard the QM2? My husband has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he is set to begin radiation and chemotherapy. I had been toying with the idea of a TA next year, but now I definitely would like to set one up to give him something to anticipate. Needless to say, the future is pretty murky, and I have no idea if he’ll be up for the trip then, but If he is, and should we need the medical facilities on board, how trustworthy are they?

 

I think that's a lovely idea.

 

When a good friend was on chemo, I was her first lunch date (other than her husband) after she started wearing a wig. She knew that if she started to get upset, she could count on me to pay the bill quickly and bustle her out of the restaurant. We had a lovely lunch, and talked about things to anticipate beyond the chemo and recovery. One idea was to plan a cruise. While she was driving home, I called her husband to tell him we had talked about cruises. He called our TA asap and booked one. The Panama Canal cruise the four of us took stands out as one of my best because it represented a dear friend's return to normal life (and throwing away the hated wig).

 

I hope your husband's treatment will be equally successful and that you can celebrate on Cunard.

[jax]

I used the medical facilites onboard last June. Save all receipts you receive in order to be reimbursed by your medical and /or your travel insurance. All charges for medical service are charged to your onboard account. They do not accept insurance but I found the charge very reasonable more so than back in the States.

[Banshee2009]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. I will call and talk to my TA this week. We would like to travel in Autumn 2012, but of course, we may need to adjust the schedule as his health allows. He has always dreamed of going to England, but he always told me that he would go with me "next time." Now we are faced with a very uncertain future, but I am going to do my best to see that he's able to get there.

[Salacia]

Hi Banshee. Have you considered booking a short "New" England voyage for you and your husand while he recouperates? If the July QM2 fits his treatment schedule, may I suggest it is worth considering, or pehaps the September cruise to Canada?

With best wishes,

Salacia

 

P.S. We found that voyage we booked closer to sail date worked better than voyages booked well in advance - but that is only my personal experience .