Reassure Me: Health Care on Celebrity

[AlexDouglass]

So we're looking at booking a getaway for the end of the year - it would be our second Celebrity trip, after a lovely time on Reflection last year. The only complication is that I've recently had open-heart surgery and, while I'm well on the road to recovery and should have (knock wood) no issues by then, I'm more concerned than I previously would have been about what the response might be if something came up.

 

Last December my husband had a (blessedly very minor) health issue while on a Queen Mary 2 TA, and we were extremely impressed by both the medical staff and facilities (not to mention grateful that we'd taken out excellent travel insurance).

 

I'd love to hear from travelers who've encountered health issues while on board and what your thoughts on the line's capabilities (and, alas, limitations, if they arose) might be.

[cb at sea]

First, you should make VERY sure that your doctor has cleared you for travel and expects NO complications. Should a heart issue arise, you will likely be taken off the ship for treatment...they can't TREAT on the ship. They can stabilize you...that's about it.

 

The infirmary is really for tummy issues, cuts, bruises, sprains...that sort of non-life threatening sort of thing.

 

Make sure you have evacuation coverage in your travel insurance...just in case!

Edited March 27, 2015 by cb at sea

[Hapytocruise]

As cb recommend to check with your insurance provider about evacuation coverage AND if you are covered for pre-existing conditions. If not, the travel insurance you have will decline any costs related to your heart.

[FunCruiser56]

I would check with your dr before the cruise, with that being said- while we were on the Solstice in the middle of the Pacific I had a scary medical issue. As soon as we got to the med center I was treated very well given a complete run down and a EKG and thankfully nothing life threatening was found. My husband and I were very impressed with the compentence of the staff and what seemed available for them to handle. After our return I visited my own dr and he also was impressed and said he would have handled it just the same way. I would feel comfortable using the med center in alot of situations and feel the staff will handle it in a manner necessary for me.

[ozark74]

So we're looking at booking a getaway for the end of the year - it would be our second Celebrity trip, after a lovely time on Reflection last year. The only complication is that I've recently had open-heart surgery and, while I'm well on the road to recovery and should have (knock wood) no issues by then, I'm more concerned than I previously would have been about what the response might be if something came up.

 

Last December my husband had a (blessedly very minor) health issue while on a Queen Mary 2 TA, and we were extremely impressed by both the medical staff and facilities (not to mention grateful that we'd taken out excellent travel insurance).

 

I'd love to hear from travelers who've encountered health issues while on board and what your thoughts on the line's capabilities (and, alas, limitations, if they arose) might be.

 

As others have said you need to make sure with your doctor that it is safe to travel.

The facilities onboard are not for continuing care.

That said I had to use the medical facilities once on the Summit in Bermuda. Had an accident onshore and it was close to the ship so I went there. There really did a good job of taking care of me. They took great care in cleaning my leg and dressing it. Went back everyday to have my leg cleaned and redressed. Their care was as good as any hospital I have been to.

[Ships R Great]

Don't fret. I had a heart issue (Afib) on board and the care was excellent. Spent everyday in the med facility. They did let me sleep in my own bed. My cardiologist said the treatment was excellent. On another cruise I had a low (very low) BP problem. Same good care. Get cleared by your own doctors at home and then sail. Bon Voyage!

[LuAnn]

several years ago my husband fainted between Seattle and San Francisco. The female doctor ran all sorts of tests and insisted that she make an appointment for him to go to a medical center when we arrived in SF. Which we did...and the next AM he had a pacemaker placement! The ship staff were very helpful in helping me disembark unexpectedly and even helped me to find a hotel room in the city...as there was an Oracle convention in town and "no room at the inn"! I really credit her with saving his life as the physicians at the medical center said he was "a walking time bomb"!! So yes..we do have great confidence in the care given on board! LuAnn

[az_tchr]

Watched a gentleman go down with a heart attack. His wife was in the adjacent cabin. his treatment was first rate and the ship actually turned around to where the US Coast Guard could do a helicopter evacuation at sunrise the next morning. The ship missed a port call but life is more important. Only comment here other than what other have said is I would not be doing a TA cruise as you might be 2 or 3 days from a higher level of care. Celebrity has care similar to a neighborhood hospital - they handle significant treatment, but they are not a trauma center. Care would be similar to the QMary.

[Ceeborne]

A few years ago, I went on a cruse following an operation for breast cancer. My doctor had no problem with me going on a cruise. However, after a few days on the cruise my incision became filled with fluid. The doctor on board took excellent care of me. He drained the wound and made me comfortable!

[streetpm]

I am going to preface this with I am a paramedic instructor and my wife is both a nurse and a paramedic. My wife broke her ankle during a port visit in Aruba a couple years ago while cruising on the Summit. I was able to splint the leg enough to drive her back to the ship. Once back on board The ship doctor not only took X-rays to confirm the ankle was broken but he was able to set the ankle and cast it up. The doctor thought my wife may need surgery to permanently repair the break but said we could continue on with our cruise without further damage to my wife's ankle. The medical facility was as good as any small hospital I have been in.

After leaving the medical office on crutches the captain saw my wife struggling with trying to use them while under way. He asked why we did not have a wheelchair for her. After we told him that the ship was out of wheelchairs, he said that would not due and said he would fix that. The next port stop we made the cabin attendant dropped off a brand new wheelchair that the captain had purchased for my wife.

Upon returning home went and saw our orthopedic doctor who said the ankle was set so well she would heal without further intervention or treatment.

The only funny thing was the doctor asked my for my fire department t-shirt and for some refresher training on a portable stretcher I used to carry my wife back on board the ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[AlexDouglass]

Thanks, all, for the very useful information. I have been extremely lucky to have excellent care (and first-rate health insurance), and wouldn't dream of traveling without full clearance from my docs.

 

Off topic, but an aside to all you travelers out there: do watch out for those long flight - the only complication I faced (besides the whole heart disease business, of course!) was a pulmonary embolism as a result of deep-vein thrombosis the night after the surgery. The cause was very likely being sandwiched into coach on looooong flights from Bangkok to the U.S. east coast the week prior to what proved to be (thankfully) a very minor heart attack. Get up and move as much as you can!

[alcpa1]

We all wish you a wonderful recovery and return to even better health.

Perhaps as you confirm your cruise plans you also select an insurance coverage. Travel insurance that includes health care and evacuation provisions must be booked within two weeks, generally, after you book your cruise. If you need more information about the available policies consult insuremytrip.com.

[phoenix_dream]

I cannot personally speak to the care - only that I have read good things about the care on these boards over the years.

 

I would suggest considering the itinerary. If there is a serious medical issue, you will be disembarked at the closest port - perhaps via helicopter or perhaps when the ships gets to (or in some cases returns to) the port. I would consider what those ports might be. Are they areas where there is good medical care? Or are we talking third world country with questionable care? I would consider that as much as the doctor on board. You probably already are thinking of that, but I wanted to suggest it.

[jsf]

I would say that medical services on board are spartan at best. No real hospital type of care. My BIL was on a panama canal cruise when he suffered chest pains and the dr. told him to take it very easy on the cruise and to see his dr. upon return to home. After retuning home he went to hospital and took a stress test and was not allowed out of hospital until he received some stents.

J.

[DancerOT]

Many years ago, I tore part of my ear drum while on a ship sponsored scuba excursion. While I am certified, I had difficulty clearing my ears on that particular dive. The doctors in the medical center treated me very competently and when I followed up with an ENT at home, he said it was healing perfectly and no need to worry.

[lobster129]

Medical Travel Insurance coverage of pre-existing conditions is essential. Without that, they do not have to pay for your care or Medical Evacuation. We carry travel insurance and an additional Medical Evac Insurance (Med-Jet Assist) that will transfer you from the hospital that the ship is able to get you to...to one of your choice!

 

We have used medical services on the ship for things like an eye infection, bronchitis and to monitor lab results required for a medication that required it for doing adjustments. No major issues there....more like an urgent care clinic. Their medical guidelines are less stringent than in the US (I am an RN) and did not require them to ask about current meds, medical history and not even allergies (Exception...did ask about allergy before administering an antibiotic)

 

Be pro-active as the patient (or family of the patient) in knowing medical history, dates, diagnosis etc (Recommend carrying a one page typed "mini-medical history" at all times...or having a smart phone app with this info)

 

Be aware that the Medical Center on the ship is a leased service. Employees (including Drs, RNs etc) are hired and managed by the service....and not the cruise line. (similar to the way the spa and hair/nail saloons are)

 

They do have basic lab, simple X-ray, EKG, breathing treatments & oxygen available. They cannot perform more extensive cardiac testing, CAT scan or ultrasound and other services available in a basic hospital emergency room.

 

Best of luck with your travels. Being aware helps you make wise and safe decisions. Prepare for Plan B & C...not negative, just smart.

[mom23guys]

One thing to make sure you have is your latest Ekg and blood test results with you plus a note from your cardiologist. My husband had had a bypass surgery. We went to the medical facility on board for an issue not related to his heart and he was feeling fine. They did an EKG onboard and after his surgery he has an unusual EKG. They decided that there was something wrong with his EKG and put us off the ship in St Thomas. They were wonderful helping us but the doctors would not hear husbands protests that this was normal for him. When we got to the ER the doctor there looked at the EKG and said this was a chronic condition and not an acute condition but too late the ship was gone. The hospital told us to always travel with recent medical records. They are very cautious on board and they have the final say.

[lobster129]

One thing to make sure you have is your latest Ekg and blood test results with you plus a note from your cardiologist. My husband had had a bypass surgery. We went to the medical facility on board for an issue not related to his heart and he was feeling fine. They did an EKG onboard and after his surgery he has an unusual EKG. They decided that there was something wrong with his EKG and put us off the ship in St Thomas. They were wonderful helping us but the doctors would not hear husbands protests that this was normal for him. When we got to the ER the doctor there looked at the EKG and said this was a chronic condition and not an acute condition but too late the ship was gone. The hospital told us to always travel with recent medical records. They are very cautious on board and they have the final say.

 

We Do carry all previous medical test results on an App in my iPhone. The app is called "My Medical" and I enter lab test results in there as well as reports from EKG, Echocardiogram, Cardiac Cath, MRI, CT, etc (EXACT quotation of reading Drs interpretation of test).

 

Exact medical info is so much stronger than "his wife thinks..."! :eek: The app info is downloaded into the iPhone, so WIFI or satellite NOT required to access it. Plus always have our phones on us!;)

[mom23guys]

Just a FYI, the ONLY cardiologist in the Caribbean is in St Thomas.

[HokiePoq]

So we're looking at booking a getaway for the end of the year - it would be our second Celebrity trip, after a lovely time on Reflection last year. The only complication is that I've recently had open-heart surgery and, while I'm well on the road to recovery and should have (knock wood) no issues by then, I'm more concerned than I previously would have been about what the response might be if something came up.

 

Last December my husband had a (blessedly very minor) health issue while on a Queen Mary 2 TA, and we were extremely impressed by both the medical staff and facilities (not to mention grateful that we'd taken out excellent travel insurance).

 

I'd love to hear from travelers who've encountered health issues while on board and what your thoughts on the line's capabilities (and, alas, limitations, if they arose) might be.

 

As others have said and I'm sure you already knew, your doctor's opinion is more valuable than ours. However, I would like to say I was most impressed with the care that folks I knew got on our recent Infinity cruise. We knew two who had IVs daily for serious infections (not from the ship) and our friend who broke her wrist was diagnosed and treated correctly. I would consider the itinerary you choose carefully in the case you should need more care than the ship can provide. In case of serious illness, the passenger is taken to the nearest hospital and it might not be one you would choose for treatment at home.

[Got2Cruise]

As others have said and I'm sure you already knew, your doctor's opinion is more valuable than ours. However, I would like to say I was most impressed with the care that folks I knew got on our recent Infinity cruise. We knew two who had IVs daily for serious infections (not from the ship) and our friend who broke her wrist was diagnosed and treated correctly. I would consider the itinerary you choose carefully in the case you should need more care than the ship can provide. In case of serious illness, the passenger is taken to the nearest hospital and it might not be one you would choose for treatment at home.

 

I agree the itinerary is very important if you have any health issues. The infirmary can just do so much. If you are in a third world country (most Caribbean islands) and have a major health emergency, you will not get the same level of care as you would in the United States. It is just not available. Broken bones the infirmary can handle. A major heart attack? I'm not sure what they can do.

[TLCOhio]

Medical Travel Insurance coverage of pre-existing conditions is essential. Without that, they do not have to pay for your care or Medical Evacuation. We carry travel insurance and an additional Medical Evac Insurance (Med-Jet Assist) that will transfer you from the hospital that the ship is able to get you to...to one of your choice!

 

Many excellent comments and insights on this helpful thread. As noted above and earlier, making sure that you have the "right insurance" is key for having proper coverage/protection for any "pre-existing conditions".

 

Does our original poster or any others needed added background and tips for that little "technical" insurance issue? It can be confusing, but if you do not set up your insurance coverage with proper timing, you could be in for a sad surprise. Be prepared and plan ahead accordingly!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 104,470 views for this posting.