Carnival ships' infirmaries/medical care

[Trin1103]

I would like to know anybody's experiences with medical care while on a cruise with Carnival. We sail the Elation in January, and have purchased travel insurance for the trip.

 

I'm just getting a little bit nervous about being so far removed from land for the "Fun Days at Sea". I don't like being removed from civilization and would like to know that - in the event of an emergency or something - *someone* would be able to get me back on land ASAP. Does anybody have any experiences with emergencies on their cruises, or having to re-route to get passangers back to land?

 

Thanks guys,

 

..Trin..

[bptex]

They have doctors and nurses on every cruise ship but if something serious happens the ships can offload passengers at any port. We stopped in Cozumel on the way to Belize to offload a passenger on my last cruise.

[vermonter16]

I know of a couple of experiences and I'll give you the extreme one. A friend's DH was having a heart attack on board, he was taken to the infirmary, and the ship was able to have the coast guard come and take him off within a couple of hours. I'm not quite sure what he required medically but it was pretty bad. He wound up in the hospital (DW went on helicopter with him) for over a month. My friend said that everything was super professional and top notch. I knew her after all of this happened.

 

The less extreme case was a friend's MIL who got really sick (not sure what) and the doctor quarantined her to her room (she could get room service and they even arranged special meals from the DR for her) not that she cared much at that point. The doctor would then visit her to make sure she was ok, take temp, check for dehydration, etc.

 

So - I guess they are pretty good.

[nbsjcruiser]

I was on the Destiny last November and was enjoying a day in Nassau on Cabbage Beach. I was hit by a wave and broke my collarbone, bruised up some ribs and tore my right MCL. I knew as soon as I landed on the beach I was in trouble so DW and I jumped a cab and headed back to the ship. I told security I was injured and needed to see a Doctor. I was taken in immediately and given xrays and a shot for pain then a Doctor came to see me. She told me I had to go to a hospital to have a surgeon look at things. This was around 3PM - the ship was due to leave at 5PM. They called an ambulance and I insisted they take me to the private hospital because I knew I had limited time. I was seen by 2 Doctors and a surgeon, had more xrays and blood work plus other tests but because it was a private hospital I was in an out in about 90 mins or so - I was told a sling was all I needed for about 6-8 weeks. BTW - I did have medical insurance but Nassau hospitals do not accept foreign insurance so it cost me $1500 - I got it back when I arrived home.

 

Anyway, once I was told I was safe to travel, the hospital contacted the Carnival agent and told them I would be returning. I paid my bill, grabbed a cab and am quite proud to say I was walking on the ship at 4:59PM. They literally pulled the gangplank up behind me. As soon as I was back on board the Doctor had to confirm I was given the OK to travel and I was given the green light to continue on with my cruise. The cost of care on Carnival was around $300 as I recall.

 

I was impressed with the level of care - its not trauma center type care but they have professional doctors and nurses and they did a good job stabilizing my arm and shipping me off.

 

Lessons learned:

Don't assume your insurance will cover you when you are away. Make sure you have sufficient funds to cover you short term as I did.

 

When you get injured on the ship or on an excursion, they will attempt to get you to pack up your room before you go to a hospital. They asked DW to pack up the room but to her credit she told them no - she'd worry about that later. As it turned out we made it back to the ship so we didn't need to do that.

 

Not sure if that answers your questions but that was my experience.

[firefly333]

My friends FIL had a heart attack and died on a Carnival ship in Europe and their Carnival insurance, they took care of all the arrangements, embalmed the body and flew it home and did everything for the widow.

 

Someone on one cruise had a heart attack and we stopped in the Caymans and a coast guard boat came and got him from the ship and we went on to Jamaica. They told us the hospital was better in the Caymans is why we stopped there.

[*Mach*]

I would like to know anybody's experiences with medical care while on a cruise with Carnival. We sail the Elation in January, and have purchased travel insurance for the trip.

 

I'm just getting a little bit nervous about being so far removed from land for the "Fun Days at Sea". I don't like being removed from civilization and would like to know that - in the event of an emergency or something - *someone* would be able to get me back on land ASAP. Does anybody have any experiences with emergencies on their cruises, or having to re-route to get passangers back to land?

 

Thanks guys,

 

..Trin..

 

 

A very good friend of mine had some heart related problems on one of our recent cruises. We were on the Conquest when he became ill. They took excellent care of him for the remainder of the voyage.

They considered taking him off the ship when we made our call at Cozumel but reconsidered and kept him on board until we returned to Galveston.

He was very pleased with the care he received and I can tell you that the medical staff was there 'round the clock to make sure that he was OK...

:)

[Trin1103]

I know of a couple of experiences and I'll give you the extreme one. A friend's DH was having a heart attack on board, he was taken to the infirmary, and the ship was able to have the coast guard come and take him off within a couple of hours. I'm not quite sure what he required medically but it was pretty bad. He wound up in the hospital (DW went on helicopter with him) for over a month. My friend said that everything was super professional and top notch. I knew her after all of this happened.

 

The less extreme case was a friend's MIL who got really sick (not sure what) and the doctor quarantined her to her room (she could get room service and they even arranged special meals from the DR for her) not that she cared much at that point. The doctor would then visit her to make sure she was ok, take temp, check for dehydration, etc.

 

So - I guess they are pretty good.

 

Thanks for the reply - yes, that does tend to put me a bit more at ease. I'm not the happy-go-lucky, footloose type.........I'm a worrier and I am anxious. It's not how I'd like to be - but it's how I am. Knowing and finding out things like this before a trip certainly gives me a bit more peace of mind.

 

It's fantastic to think that the coast guard can come and evacuate you off the ship at any time within a few hours........testament to modern technology, I guess! That's the kind of info that really puts my mind at rest a bit more.

 

Thanks also to the others who have posted........sorry for such a morbid topic!

 

..Trin..

[PatrickZJD]

My DW had to check in every few days on the Miracle in November 2009 during our honeymoon because literally the week of our wedding, she was hospitalized with a bloodclot in her leg and was placed on warfarin therapy. The only way her physician would let us go is if we were able to get her PT/INR checked and call him with the results to know how to adjust her medication intake. Well, in a nutshell, the nursing staff was not only extremely competent but fantastic to deal with. Overall, we were very impressed with the infirmary setup on board, and while of course we hope never to have to use it again, we are pretty confident that should we have to, we'll get the best sub-trauma center care available! So no, OP, no apologies necessary for the question...just hope these responses put your mind at ease.

[Kevin_Mac]

I went into anaphalactic shock on the Glory last winter. Im allergic to salmon and I know I'm allergic to salmon. So...I hit the sushi bar after a day in port and specifically asked what fish they were using and was told mahi mahi. I was promised no salmon came close to the prep station that day.

 

Well...long story short. I made it back to my room and my throat started to swell. I gave myself an epipen injection and called a freind (who's a doctor) I was traveling with. He ran from his room (other end of the ship) to mine and by the time the steward opened the door I was unconcious, purple, not breathing and bleeding from my elbows and knees. It appears I bounced off the table and hit the floor when I passed out as there was blood on the phone.

 

He injected me again and got me semi-concious while they brought the crash cart. I was dazed to say the least but was told by my buddy that they were there fast and he agreed with all of the steps they took once they had possesion of me. So if nothing else, be assured they are professional, well trained and have amply supplies/technology on board to deal with emergencies.

[MamaParrotHead]

My son (allergic to eggs and peanuts), though his needs were well met in the MDR and we were careful of what he ATE in the buffet, had an incident. The fabric benches in the lido buffet area were apparently not wiped real well and he must have sat in the remnants of someone's egg breakfast. Anyway, he had a massive hive breakout, and when our benadryl didn't work out, I rushed him to the infirmary (he wasn't having any trouble breathing, so I didn't want to use his epipen unless it was life or death). They were great, we hung out in there for a few minutes so they could monitor him. After a little bit, the nurse said if something MAJOR were going to happen, it would have happened by that point. She OK'd us to go into port. And atleast once or twice a day for the remainder of the cruise, they called to check on him.

[Trin1103]

Good grief! Heart attacks, broken bones, anaphylactic shock and blood clots!! You folks have been through the wars!

 

Awesome replies and I actually don't remember seeing a thread on this subject *recently* (i.e. since I joined CC) - so it's really a great source for information too for those who may be afraid like me - or who may actually have medical conditions but also want to go on a cruise.

 

Again - great stuff to know. Thank you very much to all for replying.

 

One last question - regarding the medical staff - are they from the US? Fluent in English, I'm assuming? I wonder where they are licensed......

 

..Trin..

[MamaParrotHead]

Good grief! Heart attacks, broken bones, anaphylactic shock and blood clots!! You folks have been through the wars!

 

Awesome replies and I actually don't remember seeing a thread on this subject *recently* (i.e. since I joined CC) - so it's really a great source for information too for those who may be afraid like me - or who may actually have medical conditions but also want to go on a cruise.

 

Again - great stuff to know. Thank you very much to all for replying.

 

One last question - regarding the medical staff - are they from the US? Fluent in English, I'm assuming? I wonder where they are licensed......

 

..Trin..

 

The nurse we dealt with was Aussie. As far as where they're licensed...this is a touchy subject for some. The medical staff are "contracted" through Carnival...so as to limit liability and such. I'm sure someone else will chime in with further details.

[PatrickZJD]

On the Miracle the ship's doctors were British and South African, and the nurses were British, Irish, Australian, and Portuguese (but with excellent command of English). My brother was trained as a physician in Ireland according to strict British academic standards, so I can say that if foreign training is a concern, let me tell you it shouldn't be. :D

[txchelle]

Really glad to see this as a current post. I just booked a cruise (we are experienced cruisers) and my greatest fear is they could not help my husband who has prior heart issues. It was so nice to read the stories of the heart attack patients...not that I wish heart attacks on anyone. We have been through several now (and we are NOT old...first one at 37) He also has been known to go into A Fib. He normally converts back into normal by himself but can be scary at times. Luckily he is knows his body pretty well and knows what is happening plus he is an RN himself.

 

Hopefully we do will not use the medical on board but so nice to hear they are there :-)

And so glad we can buy travel insurance for the just incases

[PROCRUISE]

I have toured several of the infirmaries on CCL and HAL since I am a Trauma/ER RN at a level one trauma center. I was very impressed with what I saw with the understanding that major illnesses and injuries must be removed from the vessels for advanced care. The primary season one doesn't see many American RN's onboard is the pay, in comparison to U.S. hospital pay for the same skill level in emergency medicine

[pe4all]

We had wonderful care last Christmas on Dream when dd was suffering from what the infirmary doctor (and us!) thought was an acute appendicitis attack. They made all the arrangements to get her off the ship asap and on the first tender to Belize, where we were docking that a.m. After 3 days in Belize Medical Associates Private Hospital, it was found that she had an infection in the lining of her abdomen that mimicked appendicitis. I have nothing but nice things to say about Dream's medical staff ( a South African Dr. and Nurse). And yes, we had travel insurance, and yes, every penny was re-imbursed. (it took 3 months, but we got it all back)

[CWcruisers]

Another heart attack story. Girlfriend of mine had a heart attack and we were in the middle of nowhere. We had left port and had two sea days to our first stop and this happened the evening of sea day one.

 

The Coast Guard airlifted her by helicopter to San Juan. Unfortunately, there is not enough room in the helicopter so her husband had to stay on board, but Carnival was very helpful in making arrangements for him to fly from St Maartan to San Juan and gave him all the free phone calls he needed to be in touch with his wife and his family.

 

Since the heart attack happened around midnight, they had to wait for daylight for the airlift, and it was the excellent care by the Carnival Doc and Nurses that still has her with us today.:)

[B and C Blake]

http://johnhealdsblog.com/2011/05/17/doctor-judith-jeans-and-laundry/

 

Here is an Interview John Heald had with the Senior Ships Physician aboard Carnival Magic.

[tattoos]

Compared to some of the emergency situations stated, mine seems minor. A few days before my cruise, I went to the dentist and had my teeth cleaned. Once on board, I developed a huge, painfull, abcess in my mouth (which I can only surmise was a result of my cleaning). It was so painful and inflamed that I went to the Infirmary. The nurse and doctor were wonderful. The doctor gave me some antibiotics and my abcess cleared up very quickly. If I remember correctly, it cost me $75.

 

On another cruise, my grandson developed a severe rash on his neck and face after a snorkel trip in Belize (we were anchored off an island where they sold trinkets and he purchased a necklace which I believe had little critters in which bit him and caused a severe reaction). We took him to the Infirmary and he was given an antihistamine and antibiotics, I believe.

 

Both of our situations were treated quickly and efficiently by very competent individuals.

[vacruizer]

Good grief! Heart attacks, broken bones, anaphylactic shock and blood clots!! You folks have been through the wars!

 

Awesome replies and I actually don't remember seeing a thread on this subject *recently* (i.e. since I joined CC) - so it's really a great source for information too for those who may be afraid like me - or who may actually have medical conditions but also want to go on a cruise.

 

Again - great stuff to know. Thank you very much to all for replying.

 

One last question - regarding the medical staff - are they from the US? Fluent in English, I'm assuming? I wonder where they are licensed......

 

..Trin..

 

Very few are from the U.S., but seems like if I remember correctly, there are only certain countries Carnival will accept a medical license from for their doctors - United Kingdom, Australia, certain European countries, South Africa. Basically places who have a certain standard when it comes to medical education.

[vacruizer]

NBSJ & Pe4all,

 

I remember both of your stories. I worry every time I see folks posting on the boards here about being on a tight budget with no credit cards available I wonder what they would do in an emergency where they needed to pay for hospital or medical bills.

 

I think a lot of people assume that hospitals have to treat you in an emergency which isn't always the case outside the U.S. Always a good idea to have a source of funds available when traveling outside the U.S.

[pe4all]

NBSJ & Pe4all,

 

I remember both of your stories. I worry every time I see folks posting on the boards here about being on a tight budget with no credit cards available I wonder what they would do in an emergency where they needed to pay for hospital or medical bills.

 

I think a lot of people assume that hospitals have to treat you in an emergency which isn't always the case outside the U.S. Always a good idea to have a source of funds available when traveling outside the U.S.

You are right about that. If we hadn't cleared a credit card for use outside the U.S., we would have been in deep you know what. The hospital wouldn't even look at dd until we paid $500, then another $1500 when she was admitted. $5,000 total (airfare back to U.S., etc) had to be put on our credit card by the time we flew back to NY. NY ( Empire Plan under United Healthcare) is one of a handful of states that make you lay out your medical expenses first, then get re-imbursed later- even with our travel insurance (Travelguard gold assist - the best). I have heard of people who had to have money wired to them to cover med expenses when vacationing on a cruise out of the U.S.!

[SadieN]

The supplies from the infirmary are relatively inexpensive.

An ace bandage is only $4.

[DocF]

The supplies from the infirmary are relatively inexpensive.

An ace bandage is only $4.

 

You will pay $6.00 for a Tylenol in most U. S. hospitals.

 

I have had opportunities to chat with two head physicians onboard cruise ships. Both were British, both were retired and bored, so they took the shipboard job. Both were very dedicated doctors. I was much reassured.

 

Doc

[Donray]

Thanks for the reply - yes, that does tend to put me a bit more at ease. I'm not the happy-go-lucky, footloose type.........I'm a worrier and I am anxious. It's not how I'd like to be - but it's how I am. Knowing and finding out things like this before a trip certainly gives me a bit more peace of mind.

 

It's fantastic to think that the coast guard can come and evacuate you off the ship at any time within a few hours........testament to modern technology, I guess! That's the kind of info that really puts my mind at rest a bit more.

 

Thanks also to the others who have posted........sorry for such a morbid topic!

 

..Trin..

 

The coast guard will not come and evacuate you at any time within a few hours.

Depends on where the ship is at the time. The coast guard will not do anything if the ship is in the middle of the southern Caribbean.

You will be more likely put off the ship at some island if you are in bad condition.

Like others said, you need to pay cash or credit card and than get reimbursed from insurance once you get home.