No love on the Love Boat

[cruisdog]

My wife and I were on the Star Princess, April 13, 2012, from San Francisco to Hawaii and back. It was a vacation of a lifetime and we were really looking forward to it. We were also traveling with a group of 14 friends.

On the day that we made land-fall, on April 18th, I had a medical emergency and had to be taken off the ship. Up until then, we were very pleased with everything aboard the ship. My wife called the medical people and she was told to get me down to the medical immediately, no offer of a wheel chair, even though I was very dizzy. When I got down there, I was placed on a gurney and various test were preformed on me. It was then decided that I would be taken off the ship and taken by ambulance to a hospital.

My wife and then I were asked to provide proof of medical coverage. My wife gave them our medical insurance card and I presented my CSAA card that had my travel insurance. The person at the Medical Center tossed the CSAA card back at my wife and asked what did I give that to them for? The Princess Representative that eventually did our wellness check later told us that Princess does not accept insurance and did not know why we were asked to furnish the proof of insurance. The medical center also rushed to complete the forms by the crew so that quite a few mistakes were made i.e. incorrect birth date, incorrect contact phone number and others. Our home phone was placed as our primary contact and the Princess Representative, Carol, was not able to reach us for a wellness check on our cell phones until a day after we got off, because no one was home.

From that point on, my poor wife, who had broken her leg before the cruise, was rushed by the crew and told that she had only five minutes to pack and take her luggage with her. She went back to our cabin and packed a few items of clothing in a small bag and she meet some of the people from our travel group, whom she asked to help her finish packing and to help us take our luggage off at San Francisco. All she managed to grab was an extra pair of pants and a sweater for me, and one extra pair of pants and a jacket for herself. She left behind some of her medicine, all of our toiletry, all of our clothing, and most everything else.

The Princess Representative was very nice to give us a daily wellness check while I was in the hospital. When my wife told one representative that we had to buy replacement items, we were told to keep our receipts and that Princess would reimburse us, but another representative told us that this was not an option. We were in Kauai for eight days and had to buy all our necessities. Our friends on board were not given any optional way to reach us to see if we were OK, the friends of the other people at the hospital were allowed to make toll free calls on the ship’s phone to check on their friend’s well being.

With the average age of the passengers on the ship at 75, one wonders why Princess cannot be a little more sensitive and caring towards the passengers. The crew rushed us everywhere and my wife felt that if she had tried to pack everything, they would have dumped me and kept her on the ship.

Another couple also had a medical emergency and had to get off, and no option was given them other than to take their luggage with them. They were both in their 80s. Another 80 year old lady broke her hip and was tossed off with her luggage also, but how she was expected to handle all the luggage with her broken hip was no concern of Princess. Luckily she had her daughter and granddaughter come to help her home.

This was our fifth trip on Princess and we were looking forward to being Platinum, but I guess this is not to be.

They even gave our cabin away before I got off the ship, our friends that were packing our luggage were told to hurry up, someone else has been given our cabin and they were on their way up.

My wife and I did not feel any love from Princess, and felt that Princess was more concern with the ship sailing on time than on how I was.

Since Princess got all my money for the trip that I only take a part of, why do you not offer even a small token compensation for me and my wife not being able to complete the cruise and our cabin was given away even before we reached the hospital, so it was not wasted and Princess made use of it.

I feel that being rushed off the ship and being made to feel not welcomed, should never be the be the first priority of the ship, but that the passenger's safety and comfort should be the foremost concern of the ship.

Robert

[L38]

That is so sad; I hope you are better

[paul929207]

Sorry you and your wife had to go thru this.

[Grammyluvs]

Wow! So sorry...that was insensitivity at its highest. Hope all is well now.

[WeBeGone]

I'm sorry to read this but it is in stark contrast to our previous experiences as well as other people we have known.

[Pam in CA]

Sorry you had this experience. It's the exact opposite of what my sister and I experienced on the Coral Princess a couple of years ago when my brother-in-law got sick suddenly. He was disembarked in Ft. Lauderdale and spent a month in the ICU there while my sister and I were in a nearby hotel. The Princess rep assisted us off the ship in FLL and made the hotel reservations for us at a special price. Even though everything had to be paid directly by us, insurance covered almost all of the onboard medical and our living expenses. We had very few expenses that weren't reimbursed. We didn't expect any compensation from Princess... that's what we had the insurance for, including being able to fly Jim back to CA from FL in a private jet with a nurse and medical equipment.

[bjboothman]

What a horrible experience and I'm so disappointed to read this. Whether this is the norm on Princess ships or not, it happened to you and that's shameful. I can't believe they couldn't send a wheelchair for someone who was ill enough to feel that he needed one and I think it's rather sad that they could not provide someone to help your wife pack. I mean, it's not like this is something that every passenger is going to need, it's a rare circumstance and I'm sure they could spare someone to help an older woman --- I'm so glad you knew people on the ship who could help. I am disgusted that your friends were told that they needed to hurry up and get out, didn't you pay for the entire cruise? Why is Princess entitled to give your room to someone else - if they did, they should have refunded you the cost of the rooms that they gave to someone else. I mean, I know they won't, but it would seem reasonable.

 

Honestly, if I were treated that way, I'd never sail Princess again.

 

I hope you and your wife are both healthy again and have many more cruises together.

[bjboothman]

Even though everything had to be paid directly by us, insurance covered almost all of the onboard medical and our living expenses. We had very few expenses that weren't reimbursed. We didn't expect any compensation from Princess... that's what we had the insurance for, including being able to fly Jim back to CA from FL in a private jet with a nurse and medical equipment.

 

Pam, just curious ---- was that Princess insurance that covered it? Or if it was something else, would you share the name of the company?

[tserface]

:o( Unfortunately, these kinds of stories make it more and more scary to sail. If you can trust the medical facilities on the ship that you may potentially need then you can't really take the chance of being away from good help should the need arise. You would think they would be especially comforting in these situations so as to take that fear away from people since they depend on an older group for a good part of their income.

 

I'm surprised they could give away your room before some resolution was made as well. How did they know you didn't want to let someone else (or your wife) continue to use it. Or, you could have recovered before leaving and been OK to get it back even if at another port. That was pretty cold. You paid for the room so the room should be yours for the whole cruise. They should also count the cruise on your Captain's Club number since you were on it and paid for the whole thing. Kind of chintzy really.

 

Tom

 

My wife and I were on the Star Princess, April 13, 2012, from San Francisco to Hawaii and back. It was a vacation of a lifetime and we were really looking forward to it. We were also traveling with a group of 14 friends.

On the day that we made land-fall, on April 18th, I had a medical emergency and had to be taken off the ship. Up until then, we were very pleased with everything aboard the ship. My wife called the medical people and she was told to get me down to the medical immediately, no offer of a wheel chair, even though I was very dizzy. When I got down there, I was placed on a gurney and various test were preformed on me. It was then decided that I would be taken off the ship and taken by ambulance to a hospital.

My wife and then I were asked to provide proof of medical coverage. My wife gave them our medical insurance card and I presented my CSAA card that had my travel insurance. The person at the Medical Center tossed the CSAA card back at my wife and asked what did I give that to them for? The Princess Representative that eventually did our wellness check later told us that Princess does not accept insurance and did not know why we were asked to furnish the proof of insurance. The medical center also rushed to complete the forms by the crew so that quite a few mistakes were made i.e. incorrect birth date, incorrect contact phone number and others. Our home phone was placed as our primary contact and the Princess Representative, Carol, was not able to reach us for a wellness check on our cell phones until a day after we got off, because no one was home.

From that point on, my poor wife, who had broken her leg before the cruise, was rushed by the crew and told that she had only five minutes to pack and take her luggage with her. She went back to our cabin and packed a few items of clothing in a small bag and she meet some of the people from our travel group, whom she asked to help her finish packing and to help us take our luggage off at San Francisco. All she managed to grab was an extra pair of pants and a sweater for me, and one extra pair of pants and a jacket for herself. She left behind some of her medicine, all of our toiletry, all of our clothing, and most everything else.

The Princess Representative was very nice to give us a daily wellness check while I was in the hospital. When my wife told one representative that we had to buy replacement items, we were told to keep our receipts and that Princess would reimburse us, but another representative told us that this was not an option. We were in Kauai for eight days and had to buy all our necessities. Our friends on board were not given any optional way to reach us to see if we were OK, the friends of the other people at the hospital were allowed to make toll free calls on the ship’s phone to check on their friend’s well being.

With the average age of the passengers on the ship at 75, one wonders why Princess cannot be a little more sensitive and caring towards the passengers. The crew rushed us everywhere and my wife felt that if she had tried to pack everything, they would have dumped me and kept her on the ship.

Another couple also had a medical emergency and had to get off, and no option was given them other than to take their luggage with them. They were both in their 80s. Another 80 year old lady broke her hip and was tossed off with her luggage also, but how she was expected to handle all the luggage with her broken hip was no concern of Princess. Luckily she had her daughter and granddaughter come to help her home.

This was our fifth trip on Princess and we were looking forward to being Platinum, but I guess this is not to be.

They even gave our cabin away before I got off the ship, our friends that were packing our luggage were told to hurry up, someone else has been given our cabin and they were on their way up.

My wife and I did not feel any love from Princess, and felt that Princess was more concern with the ship sailing on time than on how I was.

Since Princess got all my money for the trip that I only take a part of, why do you not offer even a small token compensation for me and my wife not being able to complete the cruise and our cabin was given away even before we reached the hospital, so it was not wasted and Princess made use of it.

I feel that being rushed off the ship and being made to feel not welcomed, should never be the be the first priority of the ship, but that the passenger's safety and comfort should be the foremost concern of the ship.

Robert

[rayandshirl]

I don't understand how your cabin was already being used by someone else when you paid for the entire cruise prior to boarding?

 

And if the first landfall was Hilo, like it was for us on the 4/28 sailing, why the extreme rush when the ship would be in port for several hours?

[Pam in CA]

Pam, just curious ---- was that Princess insurance that covered it? Or if it was something else, would you share the name of the company?

$6,000 of the onboard medical was covered by Anthem Blue Cross (supplemental to Medicare which does not cover anything outside the US), the remaining $2,000 of the onboard medical was covered by Princess insurance. Our living expenses were covered by Princess insurance up to the amount paid for the cruise. If you don't complete the cruise, the coverage amount is pro-rated to the number of days sailed. We completed the cruise so we got the full amount. Jim's medical flight back home was covered by MedJet Assist. All my sister had to do was call and they set up everything, including transportation to/from the hospitals within four hours. We already had our flights on AA back to CA and because I called to cancel our flight for medical reasons, there was no change fee. As a matter of fact, we each got a credit because the flight back home was cheaper than when originally booked.

 

It was a horrible time for us and Jim passed away a few days after arriving in CA but except for one glitch, Princess helped tremendously every step of the way.

 

I'd be very, very surprised if Princess immediately moved anyone into their cabin and certainly not before they'd moved out. If you need help with packing, the steward will help. Just call him/her. We really don't know that the cabin was being reassigned for sure because it's possible there was a miscommunication. It wasn't said to the OP directly.

[cruisdog]

Thanks for your kind thoughts, I am feeling better now. I must admit that the treatment at the hospital in Kauai was exceptional and took a lot of stress away from our ship experience. CSAA was our travel insurance and our medical was cover by our medical insurance.

Our room was given as an upgrade to another passenger.

Our first stop was Kauai.

[ONT-CA]

To those who find disbelief in all Princess' inappropriate handling of this medical situation because of having experienced just the opposite situation "years ago", the same can be said for many things in cruising that have changed, and not for the better, some drastically from those we knew of a few years ago.

[bjboothman]

Pam, I'm sorry to hear about your BIL, that's very sad.

 

Do you all typically buy a specific policy from MedJet Assist for every cruise or is that part of some other personal coverage you normally carry?

 

So many questions because I travel with a husband with serious medical issues and always try to prepare for what-ifs.

[Pam in CA]

Do you all typically buy a specific policy from MedJet Assist for every cruise or is that part of some other personal coverage you normally carry?

 

So many questions because I travel with a husband with serious medical issues and always try to prepare for what-ifs.

I have an annual policy because I travel several times a year, whether on a cruise or visiting friends. It's relatively inexpensive: for a family, it's $395 for the year. You can purchase it short-term as well. You're covered as long as you are 150 miles from home, anywhere in the US or internationally. http://medjetassist.com/membership/regulardetails.aspx

[cruisdog]

I almost forgot, we were rushed off so quickly that my wife didn't even get a chance to redeem her casino winnings. Princess promised to sent us a check, but as of today, two months later, we have not received anything. Putting the winnings on your room card is good, but being able to cash out a paper voucher is better since you can do it daily.

Travel insurance is the way to go, but now I cannot have the same thing happen to me, because it is now a pre-existing condition and will not be covered.

Pam, when did you turn from Aunt Bee to Pam?

[Sea&Me]

MedJet also gives a very nice discount to AARP members.

[caribill]

I Putting the winnings on your room card is good, but being able to cash out a paper voucher is better since you can do it daily.

 

Travel insurance is the way to go, but now I cannot have the same thing happen to me, because it is now a pre-existing condition and will not be covered.

 

The winnings on your room card can also be cashed out daily or even more often, anytime the casino cashier is open.

 

Policies that will cover you with pre-existing (stable) conditions do exist and are not hard to find. You will usually need to purchase that insurance at time of booking or soon after.

[cruisdog]

Do you have a name of the company that offers the insurance that covers pre-existing conditions, my wife is worried that if we go, we will not be covered.

We did not cash out because we still had 10 days to go on our cruise and were not expecting the cruise to be over so soon.

I really loved to cruise and this was our 15th cruise, hopefully we will go again next year.

[77Network]

My wife and I were on the Star Princess, April 13, 2012, from San Francisco to Hawaii and back. It was a vacation of a lifetime and we were really looking forward to it. We were also traveling with a group of 14 friends.

 

On the day that we made land-fall, on April 18th, I had a medical emergency and had to be taken off the ship. Up until then, we were very pleased with everything aboard the ship. My wife called the medical people and she was told to get me down to the medical immediately, no offer of a wheel chair, even though I was very dizzy. When I got down there, I was placed on a gurney and various test were preformed on me. It was then decided that I would be taken off the ship and taken by ambulance to a hospital.

My wife and then I were asked to provide proof of medical coverage. My wife gave them our medical insurance card and I presented my CSAA card that had my travel insurance. The person at the Medical Center tossed the CSAA card back at my wife and asked what did I give that to them for? The Princess Representative that eventually did our wellness check later told us that Princess does not accept insurance and did not know why we were asked to furnish the proof of insurance. The medical center also rushed to complete the forms by the crew so that quite a few mistakes were made i.e. incorrect birth date, incorrect contact phone number and others. Our home phone was placed as our primary contact and the Princess Representative, Carol, was not able to reach us for a wellness check on our cell phones until a day after we got off, because no one was home.

From that point on, my poor wife, who had broken her leg before the cruise, was rushed by the crew and told that she had only five minutes to pack and take her luggage with her. She went back to our cabin and packed a few items of clothing in a small bag and she meet some of the people from our travel group, whom she asked to help her finish packing and to help us take our luggage off at San Francisco. All she managed to grab was an extra pair of pants and a sweater for me, and one extra pair of pants and a jacket for herself. She left behind some of her medicine, all of our toiletry, all of our clothing, and most everything else.

The Princess Representative was very nice to give us a daily wellness check while I was in the hospital. When my wife told one representative that we had to buy replacement items, we were told to keep our receipts and that Princess would reimburse us, but another representative told us that this was not an option. We were in Kauai for eight days and had to buy all our necessities. Our friends on board were not given any optional way to reach us to see if we were OK, the friends of the other people at the hospital were allowed to make toll free calls on the ship’s phone to check on their friend’s well being.

With the average age of the passengers on the ship at 75, one wonders why Princess cannot be a little more sensitive and caring towards the passengers. The crew rushed us everywhere and my wife felt that if she had tried to pack everything, they would have dumped me and kept her on the ship.

Another couple also had a medical emergency and had to get off, and no option was given them other than to take their luggage with them. They were both in their 80s. Another 80 year old lady broke her hip and was tossed off with her luggage also, but how she was expected to handle all the luggage with her broken hip was no concern of Princess. Luckily she had her daughter and granddaughter come to help her home.

This was our fifth trip on Princess and we were looking forward to being Platinum, but I guess this is not to be.

They even gave our cabin away before I got off the ship, our friends that were packing our luggage were told to hurry up, someone else has been given our cabin and they were on their way up.

My wife and I did not feel any love from Princess, and felt that Princess was more concern with the ship sailing on time than on how I was.

Since Princess got all my money for the trip that I only take a part of, why do you not offer even a small token compensation for me and my wife not being able to complete the cruise and our cabin was given away even before we reached the hospital, so it was not wasted and Princess made use of it.

I feel that being rushed off the ship and being made to feel not welcomed, should never be the be the first priority of the ship, but that the passenger's safety and comfort should be the foremost concern of the ship.

Robert

 

 

My guess is that it is probably due to all these medical problems you had going on. The last time I was on a princess cruise we were both healthy and able bodied and there was plenty of love occurring on the boat.

[Pam in CA]

Policies that will cover you with pre-existing (stable) conditions do exist and are not hard to find. You will usually need to purchase that insurance at time of booking or soon after.

I agree. When checking insurance, make sure they cover both pre-existing conditions and cancel for any reason. Plus check the coverage for anyone accompanying you. Some policies have pretty low caps or only a few days are covered. As my sister said, "There's no way I'm going to leave Jim 3,000 miles away." This is not something you think about when considering insurance coverage; you're thinking of yourself or what would happen if you or your partner gets sick and whether that's covered.

 

Have no idea who "Aunt Bee" is. :)

[paddingtonbear]

I agree. When checking insurance, make sure they cover both pre-existing conditions and cancel for any reason. Plus check the coverage for anyone accompanying you. Some policies have pretty low caps or only a few days are covered. As my sister said, "There's no way I'm going to leave Jim 3,000 miles away." This is not something you think about when considering insurance coverage; you're thinking of yourself or what would happen if you or your partner gets sick and whether that's covered.

 

Have no idea who "Aunt Bee" is. :)

 

One policy I was looking at had cancel for any reason BUT only up to 48 hours before departure so check the fine print.

[cruisdog]

No disrespect Pam, I always thought that your picture looked like Aunt Bee on the Andy Griffin show. I never looked that closely, but just a quick glance and I thought that was your avatar.

Robert

[Nomsayin]

Have no idea who "Aunt Bee" is. :)

 

She was famous for her pickles.:)

[Pam in CA]

No disrespect Pam, I always thought that your picture looked like Aunt Bee on the Andy Griffin show. I never looked that closely, but just a quick glance and I thought that was your avatar.

Robert

No problem. :)

 

She was famous for her pickles.:)

Ahhh... no wonder. I don't eat pickles. :)