Ship Infirmary Visit

[Elationismyship]

While in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico last week on a cruise, we visited and an open air restaurant on the beach and had a bite to eat. My husband was walking out of the bathroom and the steps were a bit weird. He hit the side of the step and rolled his ankle. His ankle immediately had a goose egg form, it was really gross and we were convinced it was broken.

 

We got him some ice but I knew it was not good. He keep saying that it was fine but I could tell it was a very bad sprain or maybe even broken. The restaurant was very helpful and sent a golf cart back to transport him to the cab area.

 

The infirmary was closed but we were able to call and the talk to the nurse. She was so super nice and told us to come down right away. They have x-ray equipment on the ship and they took x-rays then she called the doctor come down to take a look.

 

I was thinking, oh no, how much is this going to cost as you always hear these horror stories. The doctor was so nice and made us feel at ease. He was very through and gave us the news that it wasn't broke (thank God) but it was a sever sprain. The "rented" us crutches and pain med and sent us on our way. I was so afraid to get the bill because I had no idea how much it would be . . . . I was pleasantly surprised that it was only $180. The rental for the crutches was $50.00 and as long as we returned them by 7 pm the last night of the cruise they would refund the $50.00. As a side note, if we needed them longer or to take home, the cost was only $50.00.

 

Wow, I would have paid much for this visit back home at my dr. or if I had visited an emergency room. I was very happy with the service and I commend Carnival with how they handled our situation. I do have trip insurance as well (with some medical coverage) too.

 

Just thought I’d pass along a good story about the ship infirmary for a change.

[MamaParrotHead]

Yes, I had a good experience as well.

 

My son has a peanut and egg allergy. He apparently sat in some remanants of someone's egg breakfast one morning, and his Benadryl wasn't doing any good. So down we went to the infirmary. The nurse there was very nice and made me feel at ease. Checked him out, reassured me that if were going to have a severe allergy it would have happened at this point.

 

Turns out that because we did inform Carnival of his food allergies, and our waiter in the MDR the first night, they were supposed to have been preparing his food separately so it wouldn't get contaminated. And they weren't.

 

Therefore, we weren't charged anything for the short visit and Guest Services called us probably twice a day for the remainder of the cruise to check on my son.

 

I was quite satisfied with the service and level of care we were given as well.

[waitin4acruise]

That is great to know. Thanks for the info.

[NanCan]

I had been meaning to comment on the boards about our infirmarary visit last September on the Freedom. It was smack in the middle of all the swine flu worries so when my daughter (age 23) woke up with chills and aches, we were nervous but also figured that it was just the normal flu, got her some tylonal and stayed in the cabin with her all day. She got worse as the day went on and I was getting worried but she was SO afraid they would quarantine her for the rest of the cruise, I pretty much figured the same thing. Well, I finally went and talked to the CD, told him how worried I was and he met us in the infirmarary. *he also called the front desk and they gave us a free movie* No biggie but it was a nice gesture...As soon as we told the nurse her symptoms, she diagnosed a severe kidney infection and a quick urine test verified it. (Results in 5 mins) They gave her meds ( penicillan and another drug for the symptoms) we were back in the cabin in half an hour. She was still pretty sick for the rest of the cruise but at least she had been attended to. Total cost: 65 bucks. As we sat there, we watched people coming and going, one man with flu symptoms- he was given thera-flu, another lady with a rash- I believe she was given an ointment...etc. All very quick and matter of fact. We could not have gotten care that efficient or cheap back at home and I commend the staff on the Freedom. I post this because "we" were so scared to go there, others might come up against an illness and suffer rather than going to get treated because they are scared...

[jimbo5544]

We were on the Splendor last august and someone in our group was taken ill (also the night we left PV). She was also pleased with the service and reasonable cost (around midnight). Nice to know they are there when you need them.

[sheila1970]

I am so glad someone started this thread. I will be going on my second cruise in about 10 days and always wondered about the ships medical services. You always hear about the occasional emergency and someone must be airlifted off the boat. As I have had my fair share of twisted ankles, bum knees, etc I always invest in insurance, but wonderful to know the care you got was excellent.

 

Elationismyship hope your DH is feeling better.

[Traveler353]

OP: Wow! $180 for the visit. An Emergency room visit back in the states would cost you a grand before it was over. Sounds like a nice outcome from a bad day. Hope your Hubby is feeling better. Spains can hurt worse than a break.

[Cruising Clare]

On the way to the airport for our trip to Long Beach to board the Pride (at that time), I noticed I was getting a darn cold. Sneezed a few times and just knew it was coming. Annoying, but no biggee. That cold was hardly noticeable the whole cruise until the last night, when at 1 AM I sat bolt upright in bed, unable to breath and with the most wicked pain on my left side, under my ribs. I thought I was having a heart attack. My husband noticed my extreme discomfort, but couldn't leave the room, as our DD was asleep, so I headed down to the infirmary on my own. I didn't get far -- outside our room and maybe three steps down the corridor. Thank God a room steward was passing by. I told him what was happening and he ran for a wheelchair and brought me down to the infirmary himself. The nurse there was very thorough. Asked me every question under the sun and somehow knew it wasn't a heart attack. He gave me an anti-inflammatory of some kind, and almost instantly I felt better. I could breath and the pain was diminishing. However, since I was to fly the next day, he suggested I get a chest x-ray first, so we should meet him the next morning first thing, and he'd get us off the ship. He also asked me to describe our luggage. I got back to my room around 2:30 and slept the rest of the night. And there we were in the infirmary the next morning, met by the nurse, five or six fire department paramedics (who asked me all the same questions) and every piece of our luggage! I was taken by wheelchair to a waiting ambulance, and off we went, on Easter Sunday, to St. Mary's Hospital (good thing for us it was a Catholic hospital:D) where we found out I had a slight case of pneumonia. I was treated wonderfully at the hospital and sent on my way, and you know what -- we still made our flight back to New York! I'll never forget that incident and the wonderful care the infirmary (and then the hospital) gave me. I don't quite recall, but I seem to remember the infirmary being VERY reasonably priced, and of course, the hospital was picked up by my insurance. No complaints about the infirmary at all, and the photos outside St. Mary's emergency room make for very interesting conversation!;)

[klmorg]

OK, I feel compelled to jump in here, too. For those who haven't seen my praise for the ship's infirmary before (specifically the Liberty)... they saved my husband's life!

 

He had a heart attack on board a couple years ago at the ripe old age of 47. They acted quickly, and ended up giving him a $3000 "clot buster" shot as a last measure. It worked, and tided us over until we ported in Grand Cayman and got to the hospital there. Since there was no cardiologist on the island that day, they air ambulanced him to Miami for surgery (stent). He had 100% blockage of the right coronary artery.

 

I sent emails to everyone I could at Carnival after the "incident", praising the Liberty infirmary staff. The doctors at both Cayman Islands Hospital and the hospital in Miami told us that the treatment he received on the ship was right on, and saved him.

 

All is well with him now BTW. And besides being most thankful for that, I am also sooooooo glad I had purchased travel insurance to cover EVERYTHING. I could do a commercial for that, but that's another thread. :)

[MamaParrotHead]

OK, I feel compelled to jump in here, too. For those who haven't seen my praise for the ship's infirmary before (specifically the Liberty)... they saved my husband's life!

 

He had a heart attack on board a couple years ago at the ripe old age of 47. They acted quickly, and ended up giving him a $3000 "clot buster" shot as a last measure. It worked, and tided us over until we ported in Grand Cayman and got to the hospital there. Since there was no cardiologist on the island that day, they air ambulanced him to Miami for surgery (stent). He had 100% blockage of the right coronary artery.

 

I sent emails to everyone I could at Carnival after the "incident", praising the Liberty infirmary staff. The doctors at both Cayman Islands Hospital and the hospital in Miami told us that the treatment he received on the ship was right on, and saved him.

 

All is well with him now BTW. And besides being most thankful for that, I am also sooooooo glad I had purchased travel insurance to cover EVERYTHING. I could do a commercial for that, but that's another thread. :)

 

Just out of curiosity, what brand of travel insurance DID you have?

[Nunu]

I went to the infirmary on Princess to have my ear syringed :rolleyes: as it was killing me. Great care, 50 bucks I think, the staff seemed to be all from S. Africa including the doctor.

[klmorg]

Just out of curiosity, what brand of travel insurance DID you have?

 

We had (and have continued to purchase ever since) TravelSafe, purchased thru insuremytrip dot com. At the time, we paid $41 PP (us and the kids, ages 21 & 23 at the time). Total was $164 for the 4 of us. Best investment I ever made.

 

In addition, they were very quick to pay. Between the regular health insurance company and TravelSafe, everything was paid within a couple weeks of submitting the claims. That was really helpful too, especially with what we had all just been through... including max-ing out credit cards in the process.

 

That's another thing... so much of the expenses had to be paid upfront, then reimbursed later by the insurance company(s). Sorry... way more info than you asked for!!! TMI...

[MamaParrotHead]

We had (and have continued to purchase ever since) TravelSafe, purchased thru insuremytrip dot com. At the time, we paid $41 PP (us and the kids, ages 21 & 23 at the time). Total was $164 for the 4 of us. Best investment I ever made.

 

In addition, they were very quick to pay. Between the regular health insurance company and TravelSafe, everything was paid within a couple weeks of submitting the claims. That was really helpful too, especially with what we had all just been through... including max-ing out credit cards in the process.

 

That's another thing... so much of the expenses had to be paid upfront, then reimbursed later by the insurance company(s). Sorry... way more info than you asked for!!! TMI...

 

That's exactly the information i was looking for. I use insuremytrip as well, but the dozens of policies they offer are sometimes confusing. I'm happy to have a recommendation from someone who's actually had to use it.

 

I'm glad your DH is OK and that everything worked out.

[jimbo5544]

We had (and have continued to purchase ever since) TravelSafe, purchased thru insuremytrip dot com. At the time, we paid $41 PP (us and the kids, ages 21 & 23 at the time). Total was $164 for the 4 of us. Best investment I ever made.

 

In addition, they were very quick to pay. Between the regular health insurance company and TravelSafe, everything was paid within a couple weeks of submitting the claims. That was really helpful too, especially with what we had all just been through... including max-ing out credit cards in the process.

 

That's another thing... so much of the expenses had to be paid upfront, then reimbursed later by the insurance company(s). Sorry... way more info than you asked for!!! TMI...

The best investment you ever made for sure (forgetting the money you spent on the plan!!!). It is stories like yours that really sends home the message of how trip insurance works!!! Glad everything turned out OK for you.:)

[klmorg]

The best investment you ever made for sure (forgetting the money you spent on the plan!!!). It is stories like yours that really sends home the message of how trip insurance works!!! Glad everything turned out OK for you.:)

 

Thanks! I cringe when I hear people say... "but we are relatively young and healthy... I don't see the need for travel insurance, blah, blah, blah."

 

He was only 47 at the time, no family history, not overweight, no meds, overall pretty healthy. Or so we thought! I honestly purchased the insurance because at the time, both of our kids were away in college and I had booked the cruise pretty far in advance, so I got the cancel for any reason clause too, just in case something came up. And it was in the middle of winter, so I thought there could be weather or flight issues perhaps. I was never thinking anything medical, and certainly not a heart attack. :eek: They did attribute it to smoking. He was a smoker. Was. :)

 

That's exactly the information i was looking for. I use insuremytrip as well, but the dozens of policies they offer are sometimes confusing. I'm happy to have a recommendation from someone who's actually had to use it.

 

I'm glad your DH is OK and that everything worked out.

 

Thanks MamaP. I'm like you... I do lots of research and like to hear firsthand info and experiences, too. I guess that's what CC is all about!

[Plant]

Thanks to all of you who posted these wonderful, positive comments about Carnival's Infirmary visits. You hear so many bad things, it's just great to know if you're in need of the infirmary, things are handled professionally.

 

Since our next cruise is on Carnival, I feel much safer :) ,

[KCMarie]

We had (and have continued to purchase ever since) TravelSafe, purchased thru insuremytrip dot com. At the time, we paid $41 PP (us and the kids, ages 21 & 23 at the time). Total was $164 for the 4 of us. Best investment I ever made.

 

 

Thanks for sharing this info. I've been just mind boggled by all the different options and selections.

 

Also thanks to everyone who has posted the most favorable reviews of the Carnival infirmaries.

[peachhead11]

I had a fall on the Destiny in 2008. I landed hard on my knee & it blew up really big. The staff in the Infirmary was great. They xrayed it & thankfully it wasn't broken. The visit didn't cost anything since I had insurance through Carnival & they also paid for my follow up care at home. I was very pleased with my experience with the Infirmary & Berkely Ins.

[CHENELLEH]

I can't believe it was only 180. I got some chlorine in my eye while putting it the swimming pool and had to go to ER. They rinsed my eye for 2 hours and sent me on my way with a bill of 750. I'm not saying it wasn't worth saving my eye, but it is nice to know that if you have to go while on ship it isn't going to cost an arm and a leg!!

[jetskier]

My MIL once tumbled down the rear stairs Lido deck on the Holiday. Scraped up her arms and legs pretty good. Wearing flip flops and the edge caught. Went down to the purser's desk and they did not have any bandages big enough. MIL at first didnt want to go to the infirmary but my wife insisted. Once there they cleaned up the wounds and bandaged them.

 

No charge. Security came down and asked if she wanted to fill out an accident report and she declined as she said it was her fault. Security did check on her a couple of times before the end of the cruise.

Dave

[Miata Cruizer]

On my first ever cruise, I fell and broke my foot in Jamaica at Dunn River Falls. After 2 hours of arguing with the staff at Dunn River Falls that I just wanted to go to the ship for treatment - I was transported back to the Conquest. They had called ahead and let them know we were coming. We we meet at the tour bus with a wheel chair by a carnival employee and rushed through security and straight to the infirmary. The staff was great, had xrays and exam by the doctor - was given crutches and a wheel chair to use. Because I was on a carnival excursion my medical expenses were totally written off by carnival.

 

I was surprised and did not expect that ... I knew the risk when I choose that excursion. I had no complaint ( other than how the staff at Dunn River Falls treated us). Carnival and their staff were great! This was our first port of call and first cruise, but we feel in love with cruising and have cruised once a year since.

[broberts]

Another one with a very positive experience.

 

I was aboard Elation on an upper forward deck observing our arrival in Grand Turk early one morning. Next thing I new there were a number of people bent over me. Within minutes crew arrived with the nurse. After a brief examination they stretchered me down to the infirmary (in case you are interested, the stretcher had to be nearly vertical to fit in the elevator :)) where I was quickly hooked up to an IV and ECG.

 

In addition to timely care what impressed me was that they hunted down my nephew, who I was traveling with, and brought him down to the infirmary (he was only 19 at the time). A couple of hours in the infirmary and a subsequent visit with the doctor totaled $180.

[crusinpsychRN]

I should start using the infirmary for regular health care! A lot less expensive from these reports.

[Fun, Fun 44]

Great to know!! Sorry everyone had to go through these experiences to have the imformation to share, but THANKS for sharing. Sure gives me comfort about injuries/illness on board and off!

Happy cruising to all,

Kat

[Cruise, J.D.]

We've used the ship's infirmary twice and thought the service was excellent.