Sick Child-Familythrown off ship (merged)

[Merion_Mom]

All I can say is while I personally have loved every cruise I've taken with RCL, just knowing this happened to one passenger is enough for me to never cruise with them again.

 

This is inarguably, INarguably, the behavior of a company that does not value its passengers nor care about them beyond the boarding gates.

 

It's not just how insulting the ship's behavior was, which was insanely cruel, but not even taking the courtesy to reimburse them for the charges they accrued as a result of trying to get home I find, well, frighteningly indifferent on a human rights level.

 

Sorry to sound so dramatic, but this really struck a cord with me, because I was on a cruise with 30+ family for a reunion, and my close cousin had a 9 month old with her, and it could have easily happened to her.

 

This should never be tollerated, esp. in cruising circles.:mad:

 

http://www.wftv.com/news/15998021/detail.html

 

So, you followed that link, read the story, watched the video, and still believe that they were "thrown off the ship" when there was "nothing wrong with their baby"?

 

Fascinating. :rolleyes:

[glgolfer]

All I can say is while I personally have loved every cruise I've taken with RCL, just knowing this happened to one passenger is enough for me to never cruise with them again.

 

This is inarguably, INarguably, the behavior of a company that does not value its passengers nor care about them beyond the boarding gates.

 

It's not just how insulting the ship's behavior was, which was insanely cruel, but not even taking the courtesy to reimburse them for the charges they accrued as a result of trying to get home I find, well, frighteningly indifferent on a human rights level.

 

Sorry to sound so dramatic, but this really struck a cord with me, because I was on a cruise with 30+ family for a reunion, and my close cousin had a 9 month old with her, and it could have easily happened to her.

 

This should never be tollerated, esp. in cruising circles.:mad:

 

http://www.wftv.com/news/15998021/detail.html

 

Just curious, but are you somehow related?

[leoandhugh]

Boy, this is really a case of over reacting to a story that, even until now, nobody has all the facts. Just what someone said on a video and publication. To use the OP's words, she has "inarguably" been taken in and believed just one side of the story - so I don' t think that the cruise line will miss her business. :o

[driftingaway2017]

All I can say is while I personally have loved every cruise I've taken with RCL, just knowing this happened to one passenger is enough for me to never cruise with them again.

 

This is inarguably, INarguably, the behavior of a company that does not value its passengers nor care about them beyond the boarding gates.

 

It's not just how insulting the ship's behavior was, which was insanely cruel, but not even taking the courtesy to reimburse them for the charges they accrued as a result of trying to get home I find, well, frighteningly indifferent on a human rights level.

 

Sorry to sound so dramatic, but this really struck a cord with me, because I was on a cruise with 30+ family for a reunion, and my close cousin had a 9 month old with her, and it could have easily happened to her.

 

This should never be tollerated, esp. in cruising circles.:mad:

 

http://www.wftv.com/news/15998021/detail.html

 

 

There are a lot of things not being disclosed in this story.

 

 

 

The reporter does not mention that:

 

The child could have been at risk of death had she stayed on the ship.

 

Even though the child may not have been dehydrated at the time of the evaluation by the ER MD, it is possible that the child would have become dehydrated if she had stayed on the ship.

 

Physicians have to consider what may happen if a condition is left untreated.

 

If vomiting and diarrhea are left untreated in an infant, it can possibly lead to death.

 

Ship facilities likely do not have the capabilities to treat a dehydrated infant.

 

 

 

The reporter forgot to also mention that:

 

It clearly states in bold letters on RC's website that a valid passport is required for air travel to/from Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, and Bermuda.

 

If something happens (you miss the ship, have to go the hospital etc) and have to fly out from one of these countries, then you will need a passport.

 

It also states that it is the sole responsibility of the guest to have these documents available, that RC strongly recommends that guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise, and that no refunds will be given for guests who fail to bring such items.

[jaxon41]

There are a lot of things not being disclosed in this story.

 

 

 

The reporter does not mention that:

 

The child could have been at risk of death had she stayed on the ship.

 

Even though the child may not have been dehydrated at the time of the evaluation by the ER MD, it is possible that the child would have become dehydrated if she had stayed on the ship.

 

Physicians have to consider what may happen if a condition is left untreated.

 

If vomiting and diarrhea are left untreated in an infant, it can possibly lead to death.

 

Ship facilities likely do not have the capabilities to treat a dehydrated infant.

 

 

 

The reporter forgot to also mention that:

 

It clearly states in bold letters on RC's website that a valid passport is required for air travel to/from Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, and Bermuda.

 

If something happens (you miss the ship, have to go the hospital etc) and have to fly out from one of these countries, then you will need a passport.

 

It also states that it is the sole responsibility of the guest to have these documents available, that RC strongly recommends that guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise, and that no refunds will be given for guests who fail to bring such items.

 

Have to agree. Even though the feds have changed, and changed, and changed the passport requirements when traveling by sea, I told all my family on our 2007 family cruise that they all had to have a passport in case something happened to them and they had to be evacuated by air. This is the same thing, although they had to self evacuate. I do have some sympathy however because I believe the vast majority never do their homework, or don't have a TA to explain, and just think that since they are a sea traveler, they needn't get those passports.

[abridalmaven]

All I can say is while I personally have loved every cruise I've taken with RCL, just knowing this happened to one passenger is enough for me to never cruise with them again.

 

This is inarguably, INarguably, the behavior of a company that does not value its passengers nor care about them beyond the boarding gates.

 

It's not just how insulting the ship's behavior was, which was insanely cruel, but not even taking the courtesy to reimburse them for the charges they accrued as a result of trying to get home I find, well, frighteningly indifferent on a human rights level.

 

Sorry to sound so dramatic, but this really struck a cord with me, because I was on a cruise with 30+ family for a reunion, and my close cousin had a 9 month old with her, and it could have easily happened to her.

 

This should never be tollerated, esp. in cruising circles.:mad:

 

http://www.wftv.com/news/15998021/detail.html

And you believe the crap on tv? How foolish. When I was a teen I was sort of hurt on a train, but not really. There were teens getting on a crowded train ( on our way home from HS) there was some pushing and shoving and a some poeple got mildy hurt. I had a small bruise on my face, form banging into a pole. Well the press turned it into a race war. It was so blown out of proportion we did not answer our phone for days. The media exaggerates everything. Otherwise there is no news:eek: .

 

And as I said in the other thread I believe the parents were negligent in not noticig the baby's symptoms. When my children were small I coud tell days before they came down with something that they were getting sick, they should never have brought the child on the ship and without insurance, come on.:rolleyes:

[sailinglisa]

There are a lot of things not being disclosed in this story.

 

 

 

The reporter does not mention that:

 

The child could have been at risk of death had she stayed on the ship.

 

Even though the child may not have been dehydrated at the time of the evaluation by the ER MD, it is possible that the child would have become dehydrated if she had stayed on the ship.

 

Physicians have to consider what may happen if a condition is left untreated.

 

If vomiting and diarrhea are left untreated in an infant, it can possibly lead to death.

 

Ship facilities likely do not have the capabilities to treat a dehydrated infant.

 

 

 

The reporter forgot to also mention that:

 

It clearly states in bold letters on RC's website that a valid passport is required for air travel to/from Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, and Bermuda.

 

If something happens (you miss the ship, have to go the hospital etc) and have to fly out from one of these countries, then you will need a passport.

 

It also states that it is the sole responsibility of the guest to have these documents available, that RC strongly recommends that guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise, and that no refunds will be given for guests who fail to bring such items.

 

AMEN!!!!! And, also, this family did NOT purchase travel insurance which would have reimbursed them for all their out of pocket expenses (except for maybe the passports.....not sure on that one.)

[critterchick]

All I can say is while I personally have loved every cruise I've taken with RCL, just knowing this happened to one passenger is enough for me to never cruise with them again.

 

This is inarguably, INarguably, the behavior of a company that does not value its passengers nor care about them beyond the boarding gates.

 

It's not just how insulting the ship's behavior was, which was insanely cruel, but not even taking the courtesy to reimburse them for the charges they accrued as a result of trying to get home I find, well, frighteningly indifferent on a human rights level.

 

Sorry to sound so dramatic, but this really struck a cord with me, because I was on a cruise with 30+ family for a reunion, and my close cousin had a 9 month old with her, and it could have easily happened to her.

 

This should never be tollerated, esp. in cruising circles.:mad:

 

http://www.wftv.com/news/15998021/detail.html

 

Sorry, I can't agree with you on this one. I believe that the ship's personnel did exactly the right thing in disembarking the baby to make sure that she received proper medical care. A ship's infirmary is no place for a sick infant IMHO.

 

Also, even though Congress may not require a passport for cruise travel, it's not that much of a reach to imagine that you might miss the ship and need to fly home. If you don't have a passport, then perhaps travel insurance would have been another prudent thing to purchase (we don't buy it, but we have medical coverage internationally and we have passports as well). So this family gambled that nothing went wrong and lost. Expecting RCI to step in and reimburse them is unreasonable IMHO.

[Travelitis]

And that bit about giving the wife time to get out of her PJ's? Puhlease!

Like RCI gave them a whole 10 min. warning to vacate the ship! Let's see. I'm sure it went like this. The baby had been vomiting and having the runs for hours, and the family went to the infirmary. The doctor decided the baby needed better medical care, but it was more important to the parents to stay on the cruise. They were willing to risk it, but had things gone wrong, they would've slapped RCI with a monstrous lawsuit. So, it turns out it was a cold, but when a doctor says your baby needs better care, you should listen. Dehydration can be life-threatening. Her life should be more important than the next port. If you're cruising with a baby, then maybe you better take the insurance. I don't take insurnace, but I don't take a baby.

[SomeBeach]

"This is inarguably, INarguably, the behavior of a company that does not value its passengers nor care about them beyond the boarding gates."

 

This is *arguably* the behavior of parents that did not get needed/available information where their child was concerned prior to taking the baby on a ship. A ship does not have a fully equiped hospital, they can only do so much.

 

 

 

"It's not just how insulting the ship's behavior was, which was insanely cruel, but not even taking the courtesy to reimburse them for the charges they accrued as a result of trying to get home I find, well, frighteningly indifferent on a human rights level."

 

 

 

And here we go again. Do you realize how many times people take a chance and book a cruise but not bother with insurance. When something goes wrong, the cruise line is expected to "reimburse" them for their own stupidity/risk in not having it. I buy insurance to protect myself and my trip. With the way some people feel, especially reporters, maybe nobody should buy it and just have RCI or any cruise line pay any expenses we incur for illness or death while on a ship!

Hhmmm, would that be a surcharge or a fee? ;)

Passports, another one. It is clearly stated in the documents and/or on web pages for travel what is expected when traveling. For cruises, it clearly states that if for some reason you need to return by plane, you need a passport. If you choose to travel on a ship without a passport, YOU are taking a risk.

I am very glad the baby was not seriously ill but the doctor could not predict what may have happened had they set out to sea. Isn't it better to error on the side of caution.

Morena, wonderful post! :)

[Moeve]

You know folks I am not sure if all removals from ships these days are really all valid!! I had this happen to one of my passenger in early 2006 and basically all the ships dr wanted was this passenger off his ship no matter what! Our pax had developed thombosis and was to be left on the Dominican. I saw that hospital and believe me it is a third world hospital - the ships hospital was so much better than that. Due to the thrombosis we would not even have beeen able to medivac this passenger to the next island which was not third world. The thing was that after the passenger got his blood thininng meds he was fine and got to enjoy the rest of his cruise but had the Dr. had his way and had I not had a word or 2 with the Capt. while showing him the photos I took of the hospital my pax would have been left there.

 

Just a few things - the room in which he saw the dr had a moaning patient lying in one corner and another being rolled in who promptly threw up at the feet of my passenger. He had to waited for his doppler scan in a room where the ceiling was half hanging down and as we left the room the rest of the ceiling came crashing down. To top it at the scan the person adminersterin the scan B**ed bacause I insisted the goooey scanner head be disinfected before being used on my pax. The next and last thing was the pax who weighs about 100 Kg at over 1,80m height was tould to roll over and had I not been there holding his hand he would have cracked his head on a counter when the bed he was on colapsed under him...... You bet he was not going to be staying in this hospital one mintue longer!!!

 

Bascially all ships Dr. want you off their ship no matter what these days since they are the one liable and nothing else. They will however tell you they want you in specialist care!

[cruiser2101]

I've lived long enough to know you can't believe everything you read. The real truth is out there somewhere. The press usually exaggerates a story for a better read. So to the OP, you won't be going on anymore RCCL cruises? I guess instead of 4,000 people on the ship people there will be 3,999.

[cruisecrasy]

You know folks I am not sure if all removals from ships these days are really all valid!! I had this happen to one of my passenger in early 2006 and basically all the ships dr wanted was this passenger off his ship no matter what! Our pax had developed thombosis and was to be left on the Dominican. I saw that hospital and believe me it is a third world hospital - the ships hospital was so much better than that. Due to the thrombosis we would not even have beeen able to medivac this passenger to the next island which was not third world. The thing was that after the passenger got his blood thininng meds he was fine and got to enjoy the rest of his cruise but had the Dr. had his way and had I not had a word or 2 with the Capt. while showing him the photos I took of the hospital my pax would have been left there.

 

Just a few things - the room in which he saw the dr had a moaning patient lying in one corner and another being rolled in who promptly threw up at the feet of my passenger. He had to waited for his doppler scan in a room where the ceiling was half hanging down and as we left the room the rest of the ceiling came crashing down. To top it at the scan the person adminersterin the scan B**ed bacause I insisted the goooey scanner head be disinfected before being used on my pax. The next and last thing was the pax who weighs about 100 Kg at over 1,80m height was tould to roll over and had I not been there holding his hand he would have cracked his head on a counter when the bed he was on colapsed under him...... You bet he was not going to be staying in this hospital one mintue longer!!!

 

Bascially all ships Dr. want you off their ship no matter what these days since they are the one liable and nothing else. They will however tell you they want you in specialist care!

 

Travel with your passport & insurance..& have safer & stress-free cruisin' no matter what happens! :)

[spirite]

We were in line to disembark in Aruba as a lady in a stretcher was escorted to a waiting ambulance apparently to be taken to hospital. The Ship's doctor was on hand with other ship personnel. They seemed very professional and I'd be very surprised if this wasn't always the case.

[Candleonwater]

Once again, I ask, where is the personal responsibility in this case? The family chose to travel without their passports, the family chose to travel without travel insurance... Yes, I feel bad for them, but they made a couple of mistakes on this one.

[Trainman-2]

There is no excuse for not having a Passport when you leave your Country!

[beachchick]

It's not the DIAGNOSIS that is important. What is important are the SYMPTOMS. Who cares what it's called. If a baby is vomiting and has diarrhea, that baby could dehydrate quickly and die. At that point, would it matter whether he or she had a cold or a gastrointestinal upset? Obviously, the symptoms presented to the parents who thought it was important to have the ship's doctor see the baby as an emergency. The doctor agreed that this was, indeed, an emergency situation. Who cares whether it's a cold or a tummy ache?

 

These parents are using the media to make a case for them where no case exists. Again, they thought the baby was sick. It wasn't like a doctor walked by, looked their way and said, "That baby is sick. Get off the ship." So their trip was cut short. Ship happens. As others have said, it would be much worse if the doctor had done nothing and the baby had died.

 

The ship's doctor did absolutely the right thing. The Cortes family deserves no compensation. It's unfortunate the whole thing happened, but no one can predict when any one of us is going to be sick. Thus the need for trip insurance.

 

Exactly what I've been thinking! The symptoms as presented in the story tell me that the baby was in danger of complications, regardless of the actual cause. And how are these symptoms and the resulting health concerns the fault of the cruise line?

 

beachchick

[Goldryder]

There is no excuse for not having a Passport when you leave your Country!

 

...and don't forget to get sufficient travel insurance too...

[H82seaUgo]

All I can say is while I personally have loved every cruise I've taken with RCL, just knowing this happened to one passenger is enough for me to never cruise with them again.

 

This is inarguably, INarguably, the behavior of a company that does not value its passengers nor care about them beyond the boarding gates.

 

It's not just how insulting the ship's behavior was, which was insanely cruel, but not even taking the courtesy to reimburse them for the charges they accrued as a result of trying to get home I find, well, frighteningly indifferent on a human rights level.

 

Sorry to sound so dramatic, but this really struck a cord with me, because I was on a cruise with 30+ family for a reunion, and my close cousin had a 9 month old with her, and it could have easily happened to her.

 

This should never be tollerated, esp. in cruising circles.:mad:

 

http://www.wftv.com/news/15998021/detail.html

 

You condone a family that puts their vacation over the life of a child?

 

Your close cousin wouldn't be so close if her child died due to dehydration, all while you were insisting the child should stay on board, all so your reunion could continue.

 

Your "chord" would be cut.

[ilovecruises1972]

All I can say is while I personally have loved every cruise I've taken with RCL, just knowing this happened to one passenger is enough for me to never cruise with them again.

 

This is inarguably, INarguably, the behavior of a company that does not value its passengers nor care about them beyond the boarding gates.

 

It's not just how insulting the ship's behavior was, which was insanely cruel, but not even taking the courtesy to reimburse them for the charges they accrued as a result of trying to get home I find, well, frighteningly indifferent on a human rights level.

 

Sorry to sound so dramatic, but this really struck a cord with me, because I was on a cruise with 30+ family for a reunion, and my close cousin had a 9 month old with her, and it could have easily happened to her.

 

This should never be tollerated, esp. in cruising circles.:mad:

 

http://www.wftv.com/news/15998021/detail.html

i can not understand that you would stop taking RCCL, do you think that other ships would never do anything like that,:eek:.like everybody has said on the board its a one sided story, i really highly doubt a doctor would put a baby off the boat.an speaking of tolerate, the behavior of the parents is bad,unless they were DRs and new for sure what it was. RCCLs DR could of said its a cold and called it a day ,what if they stayed and it would of been a respiratory infection or a slight pneumonia. the air left would of been more then what they paid to get back home. and who do u think they would be blaming then the ship dr of course for not diagnosing the problem correct. am sorry for sounding really mean, but if that was my baby and the baby was sick like that anyway i wouldnt mind going home early, **** happens and my baby would of came first instead of complaining i would be happy thats all it was.buts thats me. RCCL will always be there, the health of ur child is more important then breathing.but like i said thats me.

This has been beaten to death already.

 

Im glad that it was just a cold for the baby and everything turned out fine.

[FrancescaH]

My son's first cruise was when he was 11 months old when the first passport deadline was set. I made darn sure we all had passports and we got travel insurance as we always do. If my son was sick enough that I felt the need to take him to the infirmary, I sure as heck wouldn't complain if the doctor showed enough concern to say the child needed a land-based hospital. This family chose to take a few risks in not having a passport and not getting insurance which I personally think is the bigger sin as children do get sick and a baby's immune system isn't as strong as an older child's or adult's. I feel for them in having their vacation ruined but had they paid out a bit more money up front for insurance and passports, their experience would have been much cheaper and less stressful.

[cruisinfanatic]

There is no excuse for not having a Passport when you leave your Country!

The excuse is you don't need one.

[Mark]

Well let me start by saying that I have cruised many times with RCCL and have even purchase some shares of stock...I have never heard of or experienced any such insenstivity or carelessness by crew, staff or officers. That said however, if the news story is accurate, I do feel that RCCL could have done a little more to help get those folks off the ship and to the hospital and not jsut leave them standing on the pier with their suitcases...that is probably the only issue I see that should be improved with RCCL.

 

As far as the family....well I have to be honest about two issues...issue one is that adults, children and infants all board cruise ships with diseases, ailments and infections that they should have stayed at home with and not put fellow passengers at risk...they do this because they are selfish and do not want to miss the vacation they planned for and paid for and probably do not have insuracne on. The second issue is why do people travle on cruises with such young infants...the cruise cannot be any fun for the parents who have to card for the child and the child is too young to enjoy any facitlities on the ship. It is no different than a child being too young to go to and enjoy Disney World...wait for him or her to get a little older and then both parents and child can have a fun and relaxing vacation.

 

I cannot explain how those folks got on that cruise ship without passports...that would be their onw fault as well as the RCCL staff person who allowed them to reister and get onboard.

[Moeve]

Ok as far as passports go that is something the US lawmakers need to be forced to rewrite because it is a mistake to say it is ok to sail on a BC and DL but if something happens you are on your own and then you need a passport. Do it properly and simply make it madatory to leave the country - end of story!

 

As far as leaving the ship with a sick baby- well that would be ok for me (let the rest of the family cruise on) I would however only accept this if I were certain that the medical fasilities on the island were not worse than those onboard. Now THIS little technicallity is certainly not a given fact on many Islands in the carribbean.

[Goldryder]

The excuse is you don't need one.

 

erm I think you'll find that if you leave the US without a passport on a cruise ship, and you are unable to continue the cruise for any reason and you need to fly home to the US....you will most definately need a passport.

 

Not sure why some people in the US are so against a passport. I have had one since knee high to a grasshopper and when my current one runs out, in 2011, it will be renewed cos even if I don't use it for travel, it is an invaluable document should anything happen to me and the authorities need to identify me.

 

A passport gives you the world to explore and once the cruise sector has to comply in the US (which is June 2009 I believe) you will have to get one like it or not, so why wait and dig your heels in now when you know you'll have to get one eventually anyway.