dtwtraveler

7 hours ago, oceansandseas said:

 

 

This happened a few months ago. At the time I did nothing, but keep wondering what I maybe should have done, or who I should have talked to about this, and that is why I am asking the people on Cruise Critic. I did not want to complain too much in case they kicked me off the ship. I would like to know what others would have done if it had happened to them. Who would they have talked to. This will be long as I want to explain everything in detail.

 

However the "Coles Notes" is -

Double crossing from NY to SOU on Queen Mary 2 and then Caribbean

Got a bad cough 2 or 3 days out

Went to medical center and told Doctor that I thought I had bronchitis and needed an antibiotic

He said he could not treat me for a cough until I had it for 19 days

Coughed through the cruise but did not want to go back to him

By the time I flew home I was very weak

Went to my own Doctor and he said I had bronchitis and maybe even pneumonia, but to diagnose pneumonia I would have to get an x-ray. We could wait awhile and see if my health improved with the antibiotic.

I was sick and very weak for the month of December. 

My husband does not want to take me on another cruise in case I get sick again. 

 

Detailed of what happened. DH and I boarded Queen Mary 2 in Brooklyn on November 11, 2018 to cross to Southampton and then back to New York. We were also staying on for the 13 day Caribbean cruise which ended in New York on December 8, 2018. We are Diamond with Cunard and have just as many days aboard other cruise ships.

 

Two or three days out I started coughing.   The cough really got bad. On Saturday, November 17. 2018, I thought maybe I should see the Doctor.  Went to the Medical Center and talked to the nurse.  I told her I was taking Robitussin. I had the day and the night type which I had brought with me. She asked if it was helping.  I said that I did not know as I was still coughing a lot all day and all night. Some of the coughing spells were bad. She said that the only thing she could do for me was give me a cough medicine like the Robitussin that I was taking.

 

So the next week passed and I was still coughing.  Sometimes I would vomit a bit because of the coughing spells I was having. On 2 occasions I had to excuse myself from the dinner table. Robitussin all gone.  Not sure if it was helping or not. I therefore went to the Medical Center on the afternoon of November 24, 2018.  Walked to the counter.  A man was sitting at the desk, a man was standing behind and the nurse I had talked to a week ago was sitting at the far desk. I said that I would like to see the doctor. The man standing asked what was it about.  I mentioned that I had been there last week and talked with the nurse.  She remembered me.  He asked me how long I had the cough and I said "a few days after we left New York, so that was about November 13th or 14th". He was the Doctor. He said that he could not treat a cough until I had it for 19 days.   I then told him that I thought I had bronchitis. I do not remember his exact words, but he said to come back when I had the cough for 19 days.

 

(I have had bronchitis on a cruise ship or just after getting off, and antibiotics cures it in a week or so. Actually I have some form of cold or cough, it seems on every cruise we take.) I will not mention the one where I had Noro.

 

I told him that I was sick and he repeated that I should come back when I had the cough for 19 days. I explained that I was on the next cruise and by 19 days it would be nearly time to come home.

 

I should maybe explain that I a 74 year old female with white hair who is Canadian. Not slim, not thin, not fat and not chubby, just average.   I am short at 5 foot, 1 inch.

 

We continued our cruise.  I coughed all of the time.  When the 19 days came around, I decided not to go to the doctor. I would wait until we were home. I had low energy during the cruise.

 

We reached New York on December 8th and flew home that day. Short flight.  After we collected our luggage, I hardly had the energy to roll it. (Very unusual) I made it through the immigration hall but after that DH had to leap frog his and my luggage.  Shortly after we were at daughter's home.  I just sat on the chesterfield the rest of the day, going in and out of sleep. We were going to stay at our daughter's home for a week to do Christmas shopping, however the way I felt, we drove home on Sunday, December 9th. 

 

I was able to see my doctor on Monday, December 10th.  He listened to me breath and said it was Bronchitis. Possible that I had pneumonia. To  diagnose it as pneumonia, I would have to have x-rays taken. He gave me antibiotics and I was to check with him if I got worse or in 10 days to see how I was improving. After 10 days I was feeling a bit better so doctor just said to rest as much as I could and call him if I was not improving.

 

Therefore I was sick all of December. Was not able to decorate or do some of the things I usually do at Christmas. Many of the days were spent napping in my favourite chair.  I was able to make the family turkey dinner on Christmas Day, but then spent a lot of January with low energy.

 

So that is what happened.  My husband does not want me to suffer being sick again. I do love to cruise, but might not take anymore cruises. We have nothing booked and every time I think of booking something, remember the last one, and husband reminds me how sick I was after. What should I have done?

I too usually get ill in the winter when we travel.  I call it “hotelitis”. When we went on a QM2 Caribbean cruise from NYC, I got a sore throat the day before in NYC.  We bought a cheap humidifier that I put next to the bed so I could breathe in the moist air.  I was fine in the morning and carried the humidifier on board.  My doctor said to always get a balcony so that we can get fresh air.  So I didn’t need the humidifier on the ship.  I always carry a 10-day supply of an antibiotic in the winter.  It must be from the dry heat.  I too became ill in an inside stateroom on a QEII transatlantic crossing, so I took my meds.  A friend told me that docs will sprinkle water on the carpet, and put filled glasses of water around in the room, so I have also done that.  And running the shower with the door open will put moisture into the air.  I would suggest carrying antibiotics with you and take a compact humidifier!

You mentioned maybe getting a x-ray.  Have you had a CT scan? Since you have had bouts of bronchitis, you might have developed COPD which causes chronic coughing.  Just a thought.

Buy the complete outfit at JC Penney! After tailoring, you'll receive compliments. Our executive-looking friend fools them every time!;););)

You are right about it being M941b and as we both like to spend time on the balcony and enjoy the sun on it we are still unsure. Oh well thanks for all the feedback we really appreciate it. Got to make a decision soon as the cruise seems to be selling out quite quickly and we have to book by June to get our past cruisers 5% discount, which will nicely cover the gratuities!

 

Peter and Jenny

I’ve done a TA and a Caribbean cruise. I would have a regular balcony. It’s wonderful to wake up every day in a new Caribbean port, sipping coffee as you sit on your balcony and relax with a glass of wine at night. And it is romantic for two! I also enjoyed sitting up in bed looking at the Statue of Liberty as we arrived in NYC!

We did our first [and second] crossings this past September - and enjoyed both crossings and both port days. As you can see from the sig, we have another round trip planned for our next cruise. We did not plan on having the National Symphony for the last cruise - but enjoyed it enough to make the Symphony a tier breaker when selecting the next round trip pair.

We too will be on the M929B crossing! Not going through Heathrow, stopping twice in Southampton, once in Hamburg and Lehavre (no driving, trains, time and hotels to see them!) and the National Symphony are the appeal for us! We enjoyed the QE2 one-way crossing and a Carribean cruise on the QM2. See you onboard!

I noticed that Cunard is showing a lot of Roundtrip crossings on the QM2. I wonder why someone would book that? Now we are real cruisers and that might appeal to us.

We're going on the M929B 9/15/19 to 10/4/19. It's two separate crossings with two separate days in Southampton, one day in Hamburg, and one day in Le havre (you can visit Normandy, Paris, etc.) and the National Symphony will play two performances! We can avoid flying overseas and will explore three cities/areas for the first time. I really enjoyed the NY to Southampton crossing on the QE2.

I loved the intro to opera on the Divina but admit that it's not for everyone and probably not for most younger kids. I think MSC is taking a chance with this show and will probably replace it with a different show if the reviews aren't good. Bob

I think the programs are great! We've been on The QE2 and the QM2, and I was now resigned to only mainstream entertainment on Seaside as there was on Holland America, so this will be lovely. Our cruise is 12/22/18, so I hope they still have programs of this caliber! Do they have classical music - violinists, etc. on MSC ships?

I'm sure there will be solitary women who would love to dance with you if you are good dancers! Quite a few men wear dark suits. A tux is so retro and looks so wonderful in a formal photo in a QM2-labeled photo frame! Also, you can have your photo taken with the backdrop of the famous Titanic grand staircase. I don't know why they do this on ships, but it's a tradition with many passengers. Where else can you obtain this, eh?

I envy you your first time in Germany and on the QM2! I have so many fond memories!

Hi:

Where do you live in Canada? I live in The Detroit area And my mother's family live in Canada. We did a transatlantic on the QE2 and a Caribbean cruise on the QM2.

Hopefully you are a dancer or will take dance lessons. The QM2 has the largest dance floor on the seas. Nothing is as elegant from the past as dancing on the QM2! We watched the dancing every evening - boring for some but not for me! My husband sprained his ankle the first day, so I sometimes danced with a "gentleman host". Yes, this is one of the few remaining ships to have them. They dance with ladies traveling without an escort and ladies with a partner with two left feet (or sprained ankle)! Imagine the dancing on Cunard many years ago! You need to dine at the first seating, so that you can dance and attend a show and/or recital.

Afternoon tea is special and properly executed on Cunard. I was disappointed in it on a different cruise line. There wasn't the presentation or tasty items as on the Queens. They spoiled me for the other imposters!

You can probably use the $450+ for the White Star luggage service on other expenses. Since you are young and hopefully healthy, you should be able to handle a larger piece of luggage with room for your QM2 dress-up clothing. We placed them in clear-zipped plastic Samsonite packing bags that kept them separate from our clothing and tidy as we stayed multiple nights in hotels before we boarded the ship. If you have your tuxedo shirt laundered, remember to remove the buttons. My husband forgot and they were ruined. The laundry lady loaned him plastic ones! My husband wished he would have just rented a tux on the ships!

Join the Cruise Critic upcoming roll call for your sailing. You can share and learn information from each other. It's fun to have a gathering on the ship with people you have met on Cruise Critic. Also, the people we met at the gathering on the ship were younger passengers. It's nice to run into a few people you know while you're on the ship.

I highly recommend asking for a round table of six on the main floor of the Britannia restaurant. They are placed better than the rectangular tables for six. You can meet interesting tablemates. We had great tablemates. Check the seating chart, and you will see that there are few tables for two and they seem to be away from the main areas. We sat in the front of the mural next to the Captain's table, and it was wonderful! It's nice to see passengers descending on the staircase dressed in their finery and the evening the chefs parade down the steps! Don't be shy about using your "we're on our honeymoon and have never sailed on a ship before" card with the phone staff and on these boards. Be sure and mention how you have dreamed of and longed to go on a transatlantic crossing since you were young. Cunard staff do read these boards. One couple we met was upgraded twice ending up with a Queen Grill's suite. And they were a young couple just celebrating an anniversary! Someone on the boards suggested immediately after boarding the ship and going to your stateroom, taking your table assignment to the dining room, see where it is and asking for a table in a better location if you don't like your assigned table.

I'm curious about your three days in Germany. Have you visited Germany? We have visited it extensively over the years, and will answer any questions that you would like to ask us. We've driven and traveled on the trains. We really like the trains in Germany! They're very stable unlike the Amtrak trains!

Wow that is good news! Perhaps Queen Anne (1702-1714).

I agree! There were no other queens. Unless it's decided to alternate names with male kings as they have done naming hurricanes?

Many passengers plan on the promised two days in Boston! And don't forget the hours spent in immigration upon the arrival into Boston from Canada!

The QM2 is in Boston only 2 hours on the second-scheduled Boston day on the Independence Day cruise July 1-6, 2017. On July 5 the ship leaves Boston at 2 AM! It is then at sea until it arrives in NY in the early hours of July 6. Why?:confused: Boston should be listed as only one day, July 4!

It's been my impression that all veranda rooms are the same size, regardless of location, but I could be wrong.

 

We usually don't care much about location on Oceania ships, and the same is true after one cruise on Viking Star. People tend to worry about noise here and there (across from laundry room, near two-story atrium, above theater, etc.) but I haven't read that too many people have been bothered by noise. Of course, the doors on cruise ships are built to close automatically (fire suppression feature perhaps?) so you might hear some slamming of doors - wherever you are.

 

We like to be mid-ship, just because that means there are no long walks from one end of the ship to the other - where, for starters, a ship's restaurants tend to be located. Mid-ship is usually also a good place to be if you have any fears about seasickness, though most people don't ever experience that. Some people like to be up top, which is perhaps one reason many cruise ships put their most expensive rooms up there. However, I've never been up top on a cruise ship, so couldn't tell you if there's any advantage to being up there. Even if I want to be up top, I figure a walk or elevator ride is just a minute or two away!

If you have the opportunity to sail into the NY harbor on a high deck, you might be able to sir up in bed and see the statue of liberty as you pass her as I did on the 11th deck of the QM2 in 2005!

Hi Katie,

It's hard to say why exactly you should try Viking Ocean as we don't know what things are most important for you.

I can tell you how we compare these cruise line products (overall) as we have cruised on all of them.

Viking Star 4.5* (currently on the ship)

Oceania Riviera 4.0* (Smaller ships 3.0*)

Celebrity Solstice class 3.5*

Celebrity Reflection subclass 3.0*

 

For the "luxury" or "near luxury" category, this ship is a breakthrough as it is for the first time since Crystal Serenity that a small (or relatively small) ship is designed as a real cruise ship, not as an expensive nursing facility packed into a small floating sink.

 

The ship has a couple of unfortunate misses in design but it does not prevent it from being well above Oceania and Celebrity overall.

 

The food quality (overall) will be just slightly below Oceania and above Celebrity.

The entertainment - similar to Oceania (almost non-existent by cruise industry standards).

 

Celebrity is just a floating hotel.

 

Viking is a real cruise ship.

 

I will post a short review on this board and the full review in my cruise blog.

I just reread your post, and I'm compelled to respond. I disagree and think it's wonderful that there are cruises that can accommodate the elderly with walkers, etc. There are few accessible places that they can stay in and visit. Some of these people also appreciate and enjoy good entertainment such as classical music and the lack of casinos and mainstream entertainment. Remember that you too might have their health conditions someday!

yes all products and laundry detergent were pretty much innocuous...but we are not allergic ....just do NOT like added fragrance. I no longer use any perfume and try to find sent free lotions. We did NOT use laundry services only the self serve laundry and our clothes were fresh, sent free. We have included laundry on our next cruise and will report. But in ALL honesty if someone is doing my laundry and returning it sooooo NICELY folded there will be NO complaints :)!!!

MY friend and I were recently on a HAL Eurodam Alaskan cruise and there was a lovely package on her bed after dinner. We thought our steward was giving us a gift, but the contents within the carefully folded tissue and seal were men's undershorts and pajamas! He was located one deck below us. I left a voicemail and thought better of it and had room service deliver it. He stopped by the next day because he returned to his stateroom the night before after they were delivered and wondered how there could be more undershorts!

That's what we do, washing those unmentionables in the shower each morning rather than the sink. Works very well for us, especial since we bring only 5 shirts each and I'm not spending my whole vacation doing laundry.

My husband suggests that it might be even more efficient if you wear them in the shower to wash them when you wash your hair!