kitty9 Posted January 12, 2008 #1 Share Posted January 12, 2008 I'm on Celebrity Constellation right now and last night we had to stay near Aruba because of a medical emergency. Parents with a 6 month old infant decided not to cancel their cruise even though their baby was sick when the cruise started, and unfortunately became sicker on the ship---the child stopped breathing. The doctor on board revived the baby, but is not trained in pediatrics so they had to bring on a specialist for the child. Even though they advised the parents to terminate their cruise and return home, they refused, so they are still on board. Fortunately the child is doing better, but I personally I cannot believe they didn't want to interrupt their vacation and take the child home, for her own good and safety. So be aware parents, ship's doctors are not trained to handle infant emergencies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanlyon Posted January 12, 2008 #2 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Unbelievable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHP Posted January 12, 2008 #3 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Proof positive once again that just because two people "can" reproduce....does not mean they "should". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soozles Posted January 12, 2008 #4 Share Posted January 12, 2008 I just can't believe the parents stayed on the ship! And I wouldn't go so far as to say that the ship doctors can't handle infant emergencies, the doc was able to revive the baby. We don't know what kind of condition the baby had, but children, and infants especially, are completely different than adults. There are some diseases that an infant can get incredibly sick from, but an adult wouldn't, so it only makes sense that a specialist be in charge of his care. The doctors can't be specialists in everything, that's not the way residencies work, and it would be impossible to know absolutely everything. I say it's a good thing the cruise doctor had enough sense to realize the care of the child was outside his expertise and called in someone with more knowledge on pediatrics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAO Posted January 12, 2008 #5 Share Posted January 12, 2008 I'm so glad those parents have their priorities straight.:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karysa Posted January 12, 2008 #6 Share Posted January 12, 2008 My prayers are going out to the baby, it is a long way back! Karysa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catnip Posted January 12, 2008 #7 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Proof positive once again that just because two people "can" reproduce....does not mean they "should". I agree..........that is totally insane and the cruise line should have MADE them get off. Because you can bet your bottom dollar, if something else happens to that baby and it gets sicker or even worse, dies.......who will they hold responsible..........the cruise line!!! And they'll be in court suing the cruise line in the wink of an eye! :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie1008 Posted January 13, 2008 #8 Share Posted January 13, 2008 I agree..........that is totally insane and the cruise line should have MADE them get off. Because you can bet your bottom dollar, if something else happens to that baby and it gets sicker or even worse, dies.......who will they hold responsible..........the cruise line!!! And they'll be in court suing the cruise line in the wink of an eye! :cool: Sorry to interupt your thread, but I had to say HI!!! Long time since I posted. Patti and I have been doing land vacations in '06 and '07. We just booked a 7 nt Eastern Mediterranean with a 2 nt pre-cruise in Barcelona in Oct.'08. Hope all is well with you, let me know how you are doing! Ciao! Debbie :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homosassa Posted January 13, 2008 #9 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Another one saying hi to Denise. I miss chatting with you. Mary Jo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertbelle Posted January 13, 2008 #10 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Not only shouldn't you believe everything you hear, you should be careful about passing it on as the truth. How easy it is for people to believe the worse of someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catnip Posted January 13, 2008 #11 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Sorry to interupt your thread, but I had to say HI!!! Long time since I posted. Patti and I have been doing land vacations in '06 and '07. We just booked a 7 nt Eastern Mediterranean with a 2 nt pre-cruise in Barcelona in Oct.'08. Hope all is well with you, let me know how you are doing! Ciao! Debbie :D OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Debbie & Mary Jo!!!!!!!!! Good to see you girlie's again!!! I was thinking about you this past summer, Debbie, and wondered if you ever made it down to the Outer Banks for your vacation. Wasn't that supposed to be a couple of years ago? Do you still have my e-mail addy? It's the same as it was back then!! Please e-mail me---I'd love to touch base with you! I still have yours---is it the same as it was on CFC? Mary Jo!!! Good to "see" you again! What's up with you? I would love to chat with you and see what you've been doing! I don't want to give out my e-mail addy here, but you know where to find me! ;) I'm sure all the others would love for you to stop by and see us!!!! Please drop by! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazingm42 Posted January 13, 2008 #12 Share Posted January 13, 2008 I am surprise the cruise line allowed them to stay. I shock they they did not make them fly home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty9 Posted January 13, 2008 Author #13 Share Posted January 13, 2008 This situation has been the talk of the ship. Since the story has been the same from everyone I've heard talking about it, and believe me, everyone is talking about it, I would say that the story is basically true. I was told the story by a crew member, so I don't doubt the basic veracity of the situation. Someone pointed out an interesting point. Perhaps the parents and the infant don't have passports, and therefore couldn't leave the ship without a lot of hassle. But, the child is doing much better as we saw her this evening in the dance lounge after dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmalino Posted January 13, 2008 #14 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Ok, that doesn't happen much--2 Mary Jo's. I read it going, "That's not my post!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailinglisa Posted January 13, 2008 #15 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Why do some posters totally disbelieve what is posted by an experienced CC poster? You are not there. You do not hear what is being said and what was witnessed. So, until YOU have more salient facts, then just stop disparging those posting live from cruises. I find it totally reprehensible and unbelievable that these parents would not leave the ship when their child's life was in the balanace. Brings the meaning of self absorbed to a totally new height. And while the doctor on board was able to revive the child, it does not mean that the ship is equipped to handle every pediatric emergency on board. That he called in a specialist from the closest island is more than commendable. If it were MY child, I would have exited the ship at the first possible moment where there was excellent child care available........certainly Aruba is more than capable of handling this type of situation. One does NOT have to be in the United States to have excellent health care. Passports or not, my child's welfare takes precendent. I hope in the future these parents are blackballed by this cruise line. The cruise SHOULD have KICKED these parents and their child off, for the sake of the child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty9 Posted January 13, 2008 Author #16 Share Posted January 13, 2008 My real reason for pointing this issue out is to show those who are bringing infants on board that they need to be vigilant with the health care on board ships. In all my 52 cruises, I've never seen a ship's doctor that was fully versed on pediatrics, so therefore if you have a baby with you, you need to be fully prepared for any and all happenings with regards to the ship's medical facility. Fortunately, we were in a location that had a pediatrician nearby, so this child's health wasn't compromised. What would have been sorry was if we were in a port that had minimal services. And I applaud Celebrity for taking action quickly with this child. And thank God we were still near to Aruba and could bring the doctor on board on the pilot boat. Another reason to point this out is for parents to take a good hard look when their cruise is within a day or two and their baby should become sick. Alledgedly, these parents decided to still embark on this cruise despite the fact that their baby was ill when they boarded the ship in FLL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie1008 Posted January 13, 2008 #17 Share Posted January 13, 2008 OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Debbie & Mary Jo!!!!!!!!! Good to see you girlie's again!!! I was thinking about you this past summer, Debbie, and wondered if you ever made it down to the Outer Banks for your vacation. Wasn't that supposed to be a couple of years ago? Do you still have my e-mail addy? It's the same as it was back then!! Please e-mail me---I'd love to touch base with you! I still have yours---is it the same as it was on CFC? Yes! My email address is stiil the same, drop me a line so we can catch up! Hugs! Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catnip Posted January 13, 2008 #18 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Will do, Deb!!!!!!!!! :) I see you are still talking in Italian!!! That always reminds me of you-know-who!!!!!! **snicker, snicker** :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderingfool Posted January 13, 2008 #19 Share Posted January 13, 2008 My real reason for pointing this issue out is to show those who are bringing infants on board that they need to be vigilant with the health care on board ships. In all my 52 cruises, I've never seen a ship's doctor that was fully versed on pediatrics, so therefore if you have a baby with you, you need to be fully prepared for any and all happenings with regards to the ship's medical facility. Fortunately, we were in a location that had a pediatrician nearby, so this child's health wasn't compromised. What would have been sorry was if we were in a port that had minimal services. And I applaud Celebrity for taking action quickly with this child. And thank God we were still near to Aruba and could bring the doctor on board on the pilot boat. Another reason to point this out is for parents to take a good hard look when their cruise is within a day or two and their baby should become sick. Alledgedly, these parents decided to still embark on this cruise despite the fact that their baby was ill when they boarded the ship in FLL. I must point out that not everyone who lives in North America is privy to a full-on hospital in their town. I live in a remote Northern town, and while we have a "hospital", there is absolutely NO pediatrics department or specialists on staff. Many towns around here don't even have a family doctor or clinic, let alone a hospital. Our hospital probably has less equipment than some clinics in larger cities! It's sad to say but our hospital is staffed mainly by whomever we can get - no specialist in their right mind would give up a huge practice in a large city to come to a remote northern community where they would rarely get to practice their specialty. Specialists fly in every few months for a few days and if you have something wrong with you outside the norm, you have to wait to see them then. Therefore if an infant suddenly becomes seriously ill (beyond a basic fever or flu), they must travel via air ambulance to the nearest city, 500 miles away, to be treated. In the case of my family, having any physician available to see my child on a ship is going to be the same care that I would receive at home. Mind you, if my baby was sick before getting on board a cruise, we wouldn't go... which is why we also purchase travel insurance. I'm glad that things worked out in the favor of this little one and really hope that his/her parents learned a lesson from the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebeccalouise Posted January 13, 2008 #20 Share Posted January 13, 2008 traveling with kids and adults of all ages is never 100%. As a parent- I have to say that knowing a doctor is a few footsteps away is alot better than being in a strange place and having to go to a hospital in the event of an emergency or worse not knowing the language and trying to find a doctor. I was in Italy one year with my fourteen year old and he had a sinus infection. I didn't know where to turn and called my pediatrician at home and got the meds that I needed in a pharmacia (amoxicillina- no prescription needed in Italy). I was in Ocean City Maryland with a two year old who had a febrile seizure and it too the paramedics at least 10-15 minutes- seemed like an eternity. The nearest hospital was 30 minutes away. So quite frankly- I feel safer on a cruise than on land. I hope the baby is doing well. Since we don't know what happened- and rumors run rampant... let's give the parents the benefit of the doubt. They may have felt more comfortable being on the ship with a floating doctor than on a Caribbean island, airplane etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebeccalouise Posted January 13, 2008 #21 Share Posted January 13, 2008 also- the parents have really racked up a bill. This will be thousands of dollars for this kind of care- all out of pocket (they can submit the bills to their insurance company but ships do not accept insurance and medical expenses are very steep as a rule). Constellation is a lovely ship with a good medical center. On Millenium in 2005 a Czech couple was doing a TA back to Europe with their little boy because they have free health care and better schools there for their child. That's why they were going back. I was friends with them on the ship. The mother fainted one night and he husband took her to the ships doctor- where they did tests,etc. It was $ 2000 for the nights stay in the medical center and they had no idea how they were going to pay for it. They had spent all their money on the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted January 14, 2008 #22 Share Posted January 14, 2008 This one just hits too close to home. The same happened to my daughter when she was 8 months old. But my daughter caught the virus ON the ship and she stopped breathing/seized the next to the last day of the cruise. We were on DIsney so maybe they are better trained to deal with babies. But we received excellent care. We actually received better care on the ship, then when we returned to the states. My heart goes out to the family because this is something so terrifying that you just couldn't possibly understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebeccalouise Posted January 14, 2008 #23 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I can see why you aren't a Disney fan! My son got ill on the last day of our 6-night cruise on Radiance. He was throwing up and had a high fever. We didn't leave the cabin- report it to anyone because we were disembarking the next day. I had rented a car and had it parked in the lot in port canaveral. I spent the day with a sick child- and finally paid $ 300 to return home 1.5 hours earlier. Just wanted to be home. Don't blame RCL but this clouded my trip. So my memories of RCL aren't the greatest. What I am saying is that when you have a near-death or perceived near death experience while on vacation- you never want to go back to that place. My parents own a condo in O.C Md. and that's where my son suffered a seizure- so I hate that place and probably always will. We now go to my friends home in O.C and have a ball. My parents offer me the use of their place all the time but I have no desire to go back. All is well with my son but the day he seized- I was helpless and thought he was a goner. It haunts me to this day and it was the worst thing that I have ever experienced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leighuf Posted January 17, 2008 #24 Share Posted January 17, 2008 My real reason for pointing this issue out is to show those who are bringing infants on board that they need to be vigilant with the health care on board ships. In all my 52 cruises, I've never seen a ship's doctor that was fully versed on pediatrics, so therefore if you have a baby with you, you need to be fully prepared for any and all happenings with regards to the ship's medical facility. I can't help myself.... Lets not forget about the cruisers on the other end of the age spectrum. I doubt the cruise ship doctor is fully versed in geriatrics either! :D Yet, I don't see them staying home either... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted January 18, 2008 #25 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I can see why you aren't a Disney fan! . LOL! I am a Disney fan, just not a Disney cruise fan ;) And you know you're right. We've never had anything happen in OC-MD so we love that place. But she also had a seizure on the way to Hershey, so I still get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when we go there. I still love the place, but it's tough to get over it. And I still can't watch the program on the Disney cruise ship on the Travel channel because it all comes rushing back. And seriously I can't listen to the horn of the Disney ship...can't even think about it. One day we *may* go back to the Magic just so I get past it. I doubt I could get my husband back on that ship though because he was worse than me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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