Is there a physician or medical facility on Windstart cruises

[danalhf]

I bought the policy from Windstar. They know her age. They take her date of birth.

 

She was not sent home because the ship's doctor did not coordinate with the insurance to get her off the boat. Do you have any idea how expensive it is to medivac someone off a remote area? I needed to use the insurance I purchased. You cannot simply call the insurance and say "take me off the boat and send me home or to a hospital". There is paperwork/conversations that happen between the ships doctor and the insurance doctors.

 

Until you purchase the insurance policy from Windstar and I have the paperwork I have, don't 'guess' at what is provided.

 

No one judged her by her age. I only commented on it because On Call seems to not sell policies to anyone over 85, and from the information you first gave, it appeared you had simply purchased an On Call policy. I still don't really understand what happened and no one here can comment on her care or medical condition. Ship's doctors are not there to provide extensive medical care. It is unclear why your grandmother was not sent home.

 

I can only say it's too bad this happened, and in your shoes, I probably would have left the ship if her condition was that bad.

 

As best as I can understand, Trip Mate is not the underwriter of the plan sold by Windstar; they are simply the administrator. The insurance provider is CSA. They are underwritten by Generali U.S. Branch for most states. I am guessing On Call was the designated provider for medical evacuation.

[danalhf]

Yes, the ER in Croatia discharged her. I shared the ER report with the ships doctor the next morning when he was ready to see my Grandmother. [Also worth noting, Dr. Gary told us at this meeting he used to be an ER doctor].

 

She did get significantly worse. I did talk to the ship's doctor many times. Now that we are home and I have a diagnosis from a hospital, one of the issues she was having was that he let her linger with a UTI for many, many days. He did not even test for it. In an elderly person it is very common that this can happen on ship (dehydration, exposure to sun, etc.). You can do a simple dip test in urine and then give oral antibiotics (which he had on board - my private nurse got them from him upon departure in Rome). A UTI in someone that age can make you delusional/incapacitated then lucid at times. And eventually left untreated is extremely dangerous.

 

I am not going to justify any more on this board how many times I was working with the insurance/the ship's doctor to get us proper medical care beyond the boat. It was arduous, painful and extremely difficult on both ends. The doctor was impossible to work with as was the insurance.

 

Again, I am posting this more as a "beware", know what you are getting into. People think they buy the insurance from a Luxury Cruise ship that caters to an older clientele and will hopefully never need it, but when it comes down to implementation, it is a different story.

 

 

Also, you ave a situation where the ER doctors, I assume, felt that it was acceptable for your mother to continue the cruise. Did she get significantly worse after the ER? If she did, then I would have talked to the ship's doctor and have him help make arrangements to go to a hospital at the next port that had reasonable facilities. If you had done this, and the ER suggested that she not continue the cruise then I am sue that On Call would have made the arrangements to get you and your mom home.

[SailorJM]

None of us can even begin to know the stress and frustration you must have felt with a loved one in such distress. It appears you tried everything possible, under very difficult circumstances and intense concern. If there is one thing to glean from this it might be to not to take the insurance offered by a cruise line. I've seen that recommended in travel mags a number of times. squaremouth.com is an excellent site for comparing the different travel insurance companies and their options/costs.

 

And thank you for sharing your information. It's wonderful to know your grandmother is a real trooper! With a very caring grandchild. May your next adventure together be much more positive.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Can anyone tell me if there is a physician or medical facility on the ship. If there is not, how do they handle medical emergencies. Thanks,

 

I had a allergic reaction prior to boarding our cruise in Venice possible from our dinner in Rome! The doctor on board the WindStar was so wonderful to me and gave me a shot as well as taking meds for 5 days and I was sooo much better! My eyes were so swollen! Within 24 hrs all systems were gone!