Medical Evacuations Aboard Ships .......

[sail7seas]

We, once again, were sad to witness a fellow passenger being disembarked for medical reasons. We heard rumors he/she had a heart attack but who knows for sure.

 

My reason in posting this is that, once again, we were incredibly impressed with all HAL does to give the best care to someone who becomes seriously ill while aboard.

 

The Captain changed coarse and we diverted to Turks/Caicos. He lowered a tender and the patient and (husband/wife) were removed from the ship, we think we saw a nurse board with them and know we saw the Hotel Manager in the doorway of the tender. We also noticed it was not one of the Indonesian fellows who normally drive the tenders but a two stripe navigation officer.

 

It took only about 30 minutes for that tender to get ashore, complete whatever paperwork was necessary, to load the patient onto a medical airplane which was waiting and for the tender to return to the ship.

 

Speculation only as there were various rumors aboard, but we were told they were flown to Miami and that the medical plane they were put on was equipped to handle almost anything that could happen en route.

 

While we all are fearful of anything resembling this happening to us or our loved ones, it sure is comforting to know how much help is available/accomplished.

 

We weren't delayed in any way. Back on our way and arrived at HMC on time.

[DCBCcruiser]

That poor person I hope they will be fine! Good job to HAL for doing such a great job!

[babyher]

Sail,

 

You are so right, although that is sad and you hate to see that happen to anyone, it is pretty amazing to see how swiftly and precisely something like that is handled. We had a person lifted off the ship by Medi-Vac helicopter one time, and it was an amzing thing to see how well and how fast it was all executed.

 

Like you said, you pray that it never has to happen to anyone, but if it does, it gives you a little piece of mind knowing you will be well taken care of.

[yiddishkopf]

Until very recently, I worked for a funeral service. We had a funeral during the summer for a man who died on a cruise ship. I never found out the name of the ship or their itinerary, but I know the ship was taken to Naples and that is where he died. I looked up the death certificate but it is all in Italian . I happened to meet the man's sister and she said he knew how serious his illness was but he wanted to make the one last trip and if he loved travel so much, I hope he died happy.

 

He wasn't very old -- In fact I think he was slightly under or slightly over sixty.

[Druke I]

Yes, generally the cruise lines do an excellent job in the medical evacuations.

 

We've seen two helicopter evacuations at sea, once by USMC choppers, from American Hawaii's Constitution, off Hawaii, way back in Dec 84, and second time from HAL's Westerdam (old), off Nova Scotia, by Canadian Coast Guard, 9-97.

 

Saddest evacuation we saw was the Captain of the Royal Princess being medically evacuated in Aruba, Mar 90, after suffering a heart attack at sea. He later died.

 

Not all unusual to see several ambulances and a hearse or two on the pier when cruise ships are docking.

[Me & Him]

The quality of care and measures to ensure that the passengers receive the best and most efficient care needed by cruise lines is amazing! I can speak from first hand knowledge, as I had a major heart attack while at sea in April 2003 and if it was not for the medical staff and the actions of the captain, I would not be alive today. The ship had to diverted to meet a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to get me to medical facilities in Florida. This all occurred between 2 AM and 9 AM. Because of their actions I am able to respond to this thread today. The well being of the passengers is foremost and I can attest to this.

[Me & Him]

The quality of care and measures to ensure that the passengers receive the best and most efficient care needed by cruise lines is amazing! I can speak from first hand knowledge, as I had a major heart attack while at sea in April 2003 and if it was not for the medical staff and the actions of the captain, I would not be alive today. The ship had to diverted to meet a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to get me to medical facilities in Florida. This all occurred between 2 AM and 9 AM. Because of their actions I am able to respond to this thread today. The well being of the passengers is foremost and I can attest to this.

[jbailey]

Just make sure you purchase travel insurance that covers medical insurance that covers medical care and evacuation from places outside of your country of residence. If you are evacuated from the ship, you will likely need something to pay the extremely high costs of repatriating you or your remains to wherever you live.

[JimVrhovac]

That is what you call service with a capital S.

 

Have seen them do this several times.

 

If you want check with the front desk and you can get a tour of the infirmary by one of the nursing staff.

 

Ruth and I are both registered nurses and we have received several such tours and the facilities are impressive....

 

Jim & Ruth

[sail7seas]

The quality of care and measures to ensure that the passengers receive the best and most efficient care needed by cruise lines is amazing! I can speak from first hand knowledge, as I had a major heart attack while at sea in April 2003 and if it was not for the medical staff and the actions of the captain, I would not be alive today. The ship had to diverted to meet a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to get me to medical facilities in Florida. This all occurred between 2 AM and 9 AM. Because of their actions I am able to respond to this thread today. The well being of the passengers is foremost and I can attest to this.

 

Thank you for sharing this with us.

While it was very hard for me to watch this evacuation, I knew the Captain and Hotel Manager and ship's doctor were doing all in their power to get the best help possible for this person.

 

 

 

Because of their actions I am able to respond to this thread today. The well being of the passengers is foremost and I can attest to this.

 

 

I think it safe to say we ALL are VERY happy you got such excellent care and made a good recovery. I pray that the person I saw evacuated makes as good a recovery as yours.

 

 

I've seen the helicopter lifts from the ships and that's enough to give a person a heart attack!! I'd be 'scared to death' to be put onto that stretcher and lifted from a moving ship to a moving helicopter.

[Tricia724]

We have some good photos of a Coast Guard helicopter hovering right above our balcony during a medical evacuation. It was a really tricky landing due to windy conditions, and it took three passes around and some ship maneuvering to get the copter onboard. We sat with the ship's doctor at a cocktail party later in the week and mentioned that we had witnessed the evacuation. She said this is not an uncommon event and that the passenger was doing well in a hospital in Tampa after surgery for a strangulated hernia. Funny thing is that it happened about 1:30 a.m. and the next day, no one we talked to even knew it had happened. Those helicopters are not quiet, but apparently HAL passengers are sound sleepers. So....probably a lot more of this goes on than we even realize.

 

That's the main reason I take insurance on cruises....especially ones that are out of the country. I could probably handle losing out on some cancellation fees, but I'd hate to face charges for a medical evacuation.

[sail7seas]

The quality of care and measures to ensure that the passengers receive the best and most efficient care needed by cruise lines is amazing! I can speak from first hand knowledge, as I had a major heart attack while at sea in April 2003 and if it was not for the medical staff and the actions of the captain, I would not be alive today. The ship had to diverted to meet a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to get me to medical facilities in Florida. This all occurred between 2 AM and 9 AM. Because of their actions I am able to respond to this thread today. The well being of the passengers is foremost and I can attest to this.

 

 

Please disregard this question if you do not care to respond, but I think it would be so very helpful if you would share with us what travel insurance covered in your emergency situation. IF Coast Guard sent a bill for their services.

 

It might reinforce for people who are undecided, that merely the costs of cancelling a cruise are not the only thing to consider when deciding whether to purchase travel insurance.

 

In such a medical emergency, no one wants to also have to worry about how to pay for it.

[wrp96]

Those helicopters are not quiet, but apparently HAL passengers are sound sleepers. So....probably a lot more of this goes on than we even realize.

 

 

I just think some people don't pay attention. On my cruise in January on RCI's Voyager, at about 4 in the afternoon the medivac helicopter circled the ship 3 times and landed on the helicopter pad at the bow to evacuate somebody. I was one of the few people to notice.

[babyher]

The medical airlift I witnessed occured in the middle of teh afternoon on a sea day

 

We were all on the aft deck, when a ships officer asked us all to leave and head to the front of the ship because this area was needed for a medical emergency airlift. That is all he would tell us ( I guess just to assure all the pax that the ship wasn't in trouble or being attacked so no one would panic) Of course by the time all the pax went from the aft deck all the way forward, obviously telling people along the way what was going on, there was a pretty large crowd out there watching that helicopter approach the ship.

 

We never did hear exactly what happened to the person or how they made out ( although there were 100 rumors )

 

But although very unfortunate , it was amazing to watch the precision these professionals used

[jhannah]

Thanks for posting this, Sail. It is reassuring to all of us to know that HAL will provide every accommodation it can to care for us if (heaven forbid) we become seriously ill at sea.

[TriGirl]

We were on the Veendam, sailing out of Tampa. I had a horrible sinus infection so I decided after the Life Boat drill I was going to the doctor, I didn't want to spend the whole trip miserable. Anyway, I put my life jacket away and went to the infirmary. There was an older man who'd suffered a heart attack during the drill. Unfortunately the infirmary isn't that large so I could hear what was going on while I waited. They were treating him, had called 911 and they had the hostess and cabin steward pack up all his & his wife's belongings. I overheard the doctor say that Tampa has a great cardiac hospital and they felt he would do well. I was impressed at how quickly everything came together. The wife was distraught and told the nurse she had unpacked everything before the drill. When she saw the luggage all repacked she started crying. I really felt for them, what an awful way to start off a trip. However, it was good it happened before we sailed.

[Bill S]

We were on the Ryndam in April 2004 on the last day of a Mexican Riviera cruise. A passenger had to airlifted off the ship by a US Coast Guard chopper. We happened to be up in the Crow's Nest at the time. The chopper crew hovered over the bow of the ship, which was doing about 15 knots, for a good 15-20 minutes while a Coast Guard crewmember was lowered to the deck and the the passenger was wheeled out on a gurney and then put in a litter basket and hoisted up to the chopper. Everyone in the Crow's Nest applauded the chopper crew and medical staff when the chopper headed away. It was an impressively smooth and professional operation.

It was a good thing it we docked in San Diego the next morning, as I came down with appendicitis that morning and was in the OR the next afternoon for an appendectomy! We always have travel insurance, however.

[damtraveler]

Here are photos of the medical evacuation of the Volendam passenger to a waiting ambulance on Grand Turk Island on November 3, 2005:

 

 

[Bill S]

We were on the Ryndam in April 2004 on the last day of a Mexican Riviera cruise. A passenger had to airlifted off the ship by a US Coast Guard chopper. We happened to be up in the Crow's Nest at the time. The chopper crew hovered over the bow of the ship, which was doing about 15 knots, for a good 15-20 minutes while a Coast Guard crewmember was lowered to the deck and the the passenger was wheeled out on a gurney and then put in a litter basket and hoisted up to the chopper. Everyone in the Crow's Nest applauded the chopper crew and medical staff when the chopper headed away. It was an impressively smooth and professional operation.

It was a good thing it we docked in San Diego the next morning, as I came down with appendicitis that morning and was in the OR the next afternoon for an appendectomy! We always have travel insurance, however.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for the photos, Damtraveler.

 

I'm so curious as to how did you got them?

 

[sail7seas]

That was a close call for you, BillS. That's cutting a little toooo close for comfort. Happy it worked out fine for you.

 

[damtraveler]

sail7seas:

 

I shot the photos...I was on the 10/26/05 Volendam cruise.

[sail7seas]

sail7seas:

 

I shot the photos...I was on the 10/26/05 Volendam cruise.

 

Wish we had met aboard.

 

We had a great time. It was a wonderful cruise/great music.

[localady]

My goodness BillS, although we love to crise with you and Virginia, you have had some unusual luck with your cruises from onboard fires to near medical evacuations. :eek:

Lucky, the only thing the 2 of you came home with last time was a bad cold!:)

Tell Virginia hello from the Jones!:cool:

[localady]

My goodness BillS, although we love to cruise with you and Virginia, you have had some unusual luck with your HAL cruises from onboard fires to near medical evacuations. :eek:

Lucky, the only thing the 2 of you came home with last time was a bad cold!:)

Tell Virginia hello from the Jones!:cool: