Does Princess charge for infirmary visits?

[Appygirl]

We have travel insurance, so if anything happens ultimately we'll be covered.

 

Last year on HAL my husband and several other passengers got food poisoning from eating chicken salad. The infirmary staff gave him a shot and medicine to prevent vomiting. A little seasick pack with gravol, gatorade, etc. HAL didn't charge us anything extra on our bill for the visit or more pills on the 2nd day when he was still ill.

 

We pack tylenol, gravol, pepto bismal, etc but if we do get sick and visit the Princess infirmary, do they charge for this service?

[Pam in CA]

We pack tylenol, gravol, pepto bismal, etc but if we do get sick and visit the Princess infirmary, do they charge for this service?

It all depends. If you have a gastrointestinal problem, they will provide medications free of charge, i.e., a visit is free. If, for instance, you have a cold or get bronchitis, the charge is $60 plus medicine.

[Toto2Kansas]

We have travel insurance, so if anything happens ultimately we'll be covered.

 

Last year on HAL my husband and several other passengers got food poisoning from eating chicken salad. The infirmary staff gave him a shot and medicine to prevent vomiting. A little seasick pack with gravol, gatorade, etc. HAL didn't charge us anything extra on our bill for the visit or more pills on the 2nd day when he was still ill.

 

We pack tylenol, gravol, pepto bismal, etc but if we do get sick and visit the Princess infirmary, do they charge for this service?

 

Unless you come down with noro, or they think the ship is what created the illness, you bet cha you will be charged for a visit to the Medical clinic. In fact, you will be charged for the visit, plus any meds (even over the counter type meds) that they would perscribe to you.

If you have travel insurance, then you would submit those bills for the visit and the meds after you return home and the travel insurance sends you a check. But services at the medical clinic are to be paid as you receive them. It's why we always take a credit card with a very large limit, just in case. ;)

 

Opps, another case of two posters typing at the same time it seems. :)

[lmg1230]

We had to visit the infirmary on the Emerald Princess when our 6 year old daughter had what appeared to be an allergic reaction to something in the kids club - she broke out in hives that were spreading across her body. We saw a doctor at the infirmary and she was given a shot of antihistamine as well as an oral antihistamine to take. We paid for the visit as well as the two medications.

 

Lisa

[Pam in CA]

Unless you come down with noro, or they think the ship is what created the illness, you bet cha you will be charged for a visit to the Medical clinic. In fact, you will be charged for the visit, plus any meds (even over the counter type meds) that they would perscribe to you.

...Opps, another case of two posters typing at the same time it seems. :)

I'm pretty sure that if they think you have a gastrointestinal virus, they will take the appropriate measures to make sure you stay in your cabin and provide medications. That's what happened to us on the Royal a couple of years ago. The last thing they want is someone walking about the ship and touching things, self-medicating and spreading a virus. It takes days to test for noro and confirm it so they'll treat first.

[Toto2Kansas]

I'm pretty sure that if they think you have a gastrointestinal virus, they will take the appropriate measures to make sure you stay in your cabin and provide medications. That's what happened to us on the Royal a couple of years ago. The last thing they want is someone walking about the ship and touching things, self-medicating and spreading a virus. It takes days to test for noro and confirm it so they'll treat first.

 

Yep, I thought that was what I said???? ;)

 

"Unless you come down with noro, or they think the ship is what created the illness, you bet cha you will be charged for a visit to the Medical clinic."

[snrlnd]

Got H1N1 while on board & it does cost to visit the doc in most cases. In my case between the visit and meds (DW had to take them too) it was $485.00. Since I didn't have Princess insurance, I filed it on my health policy and it did pay minus out of network extras, etc.

[Pam in CA]

Yep, I thought that was what I said???? ;)

 

"Unless you come down with noro, or they think the ship is what created the illness, you bet cha you will be charged for a visit to the Medical clinic."

Yeah, you're right. Think I'll sign off and have some popcorn. :)

[Cruise Gypsy]

DH broke his hand on the dock during a shore day midway thru the cruise. We had insurance but the cost was charged to our onboard account. He had about 3 doctor visits during the cruise, along with x-rays and the doctor set his hand and consulted with shoreside specialist on treatment.

 

We had no idea what the final bill would be but we were thinking medical care at cruise ship rates but the total bill was $350.00.:eek:

 

He was fully reimbursed with our regular medical insurance but we probably could have submitted to our travel insurance.

[wizard-of-roz]

My DH felt ill on the second night [many years ago].....we went to see the doctor [onboard] just to make sure it wasn't more than we thought. It cost $75.00 for the nurse to tell my husband [in 32 seconds] that she felt he got some sort of food poisoning. We had some antidiarreha medication in our suitcase and she suggested he take some. Or, she could "sell" us some! No thanks! By the next morning he felt 100% better.

Lesson learned: You know your body. My suggestion, do what you would normally do at home. Don't run to the doctor on board [unless your circumstances are truly an emergency!] Bring the otc meds that you would use at home and wait and see.

[billet]

and if you spend the day plus overnight in the centre the bill will be just over $1000 which they put on your shipboard account :)

[DrivesLikeMario]

My son had a gastrointestinal problem a few years ago and we were charged $80 for the visit, plus meds. No one else in the family got sick and we're almost positive it was food poisoning.

[Appygirl]

Thanks for the responses. On HAL they put my husband on 24 hour quarantine in the cabin after giving him the shot and meds. Fortunately the next day was at sea. I was not quarantined. But then I'm a vegetarian so I wasn't eating chicken salad either. He mostly wanted to report the food poisoning, but they denied it had to do with the food and suggested he might have norovirus. He's had food poisoning in the past and knows the symptoms. They were good about phoning and checking on him. The other people who ate the chicken salad I found about later that day. Lesson learned. I got seasick the following night. The waves were high and I was eating dinner at a window table and kept looking that way to talk to chatty table mate and I ended up just renting dinner that night. I didn't report it because I knew I was seasick and I didn't want to get quarantined because we were in port next day. I was fine by morning.

[DrivesLikeMario]

... He mostly wanted to report the food poisoning, but they denied it had to do with the food and suggested he might have norovirus. He's had food poisoning in the past and knows the symptoms. ...

 

That is typical M.O. for the docs. They gave us the same line. :rolleyes: Yet, my son ate things that none of us ate and we never got sick.

[sarge98]

The wife went the ship's Dr during a Feb 2010 cruise on the Caribbean Princess. The office visit and 2 tests with Med's was all of $143. Our BCBS payed $25 of it and we are trying to get the rest from our cruise insurance. They are/were seconday provider if you have any type of health insurance you usually have to go there first.