Curious about injuries on board

[shelby]

While we were on Navigator. One our last day at sea (a.m.) a girl (maybe 15? ) slipped on the pool deck, hit her head hard, got a large gash down her head and face and subsequently had a seizure(s). When I saw her she was alert and the medical staff were wheeling her off somewhere. I was wondering what they would do with her. There is a Helipad would they send her off the ship or just monitor her in the infirmary? I mean on land that's probably all they would do unless she had swelling of the brain right? I was just curious.

[RichC]

Unless her injury was life threatening or they couldn't handle the situation on the ship I doubt if they would call for a emergency transport. In all my years of cruising I've never see an emergency evacuation by helicopter.(once by a local boat in Mexico for a crew member)

[shelby]

Oh, I was hoping thats what they would do. I've seen injuries like that before and they usually end up ok with observation. I'm glad if anything it happened on the ending of the trip.

[roywptroy]

yes, but i think that it is important that everyone know: royal does not accept insurance. therefore, it's sad, but the girl's family will be responsible for medical costs. believe it or not, personal experience during a cruise-sponsored game of twister.

[shelby]

So will they charge them like out the wazoo for the dr and the bed space and meds etc?Like an emergency room?

[RichC]

Originally posted by roywptroy:
yes, but i think that it is important that everyone know: royal does not accept insurance. therefore, it's sad, but the girl's family will be responsible for medical costs. believe it or not, personal experience during a cruise-sponsored game of twister.

That's not to say that you wouldn't be reimbursed from you insurance company (or travel policy)

[Berick1234]

One reason I always get cruise insurance...our last RCL cruise a helicopter did have to come and transport a woman that was run over by a waverunner....back injury and they had to take her to Puerto Rico....don't know how she came our, nor how much it did cost them....always have to be careful when you aren't in your home country.....Happy Cruising:-)


Bob E

[Dave]

Recently Consumer Reports ran a much-touted article claiming travel insurance was a waste. I subscribe to CR, but I think their article was short-sighted. To me, paying $200-300 for insurance that covers medical - and more importantly medical evacuation - is worth it. I guess I am speaking as someone who has "been there" as far as paying the price, and that was for an accident 4 miles from my front door. A 10 minute ride in a medical helicopter for my wife cost me $10,000. Many health insurers either don't cover it or only pay a small part. Let me tell you...the medevac people don't settle for less than the full price. I can't imagine what it would cost to fly someone in an air ambulance from a foreign port to the U.S. I'd say start at 100k and go up from there.

Also, the hassles one would encounter trying to get your "regular" health insurer to reimburse you are surely worth the price of travel insurance. Sometimes you have to ask yourself if a couple hundred bucks is an easier thing to swallow than the stress of dealing with insurers and credit card companies.

[candi]

When we were on our cruise, a kid got appendicitis and it was too windy to bring in the chopper- we had to reroute and go to the Bahamas to drop him off- we were over 5 hours late for our first port- it was a bummer. We also talked to people who rented scooters in Cozumel. Him and his girlfriend crashed it and had to go see the onboard doc- don't know what that ran! Another guy had burned himself and went to the doc and got charged 50 bucks for some ointment!

[electech]

It probably has already been discussed but an article on the cruise lines insurance versus other policies might be helpful. I am wondering what if anything the Cruise Care through RCL would pay in these situations.