Sapphire, Dec. 15th cruise, pax illness

[LucyR.]

We had left Cabo, and it was in the early evening after dinner that I heard the Captain ask passengers if anybody had type O blood to donate

for a sick passenger. It was announced twice.

 

Then... it was approx. 9p.m. when I heard the Captain say that we had to return to Cabo to drop off a sick passenger.

 

Captain also said that we wouldn't be able to go to Puerto Vallarta due to a time problem. I am sure lots of passengers got disappointed.

But it was okay with me because I will be going on the Sapphire again

on Dec. 29th which is very soon.

 

Most of the passengers were very nice and caring that the passenger

was being taken care of in Cabo and we all received a letter stating

the passenger was okay.

 

There were a couple of passengers using the Medical Center for different reasons when they asked the Doctors what was the medical problem

of the sick passenger but were not given the cause of the medical problem of the middle aged woman that was sick.

 

The gossip on the ship was that the woman was on a jet ski and her body got slammed on to the stearing front of the jet ski and that is

how she got injured and got internal bleeding.

 

That is all I know on what happened. Some people asked the front desk if we would get some type of compensation but were told "NO".

I hoped to get some type of credit but we didn't get anything. I am guessing that missed ports happen all the time to all ships. It was my first time that I have had the experience of a changed itinerary due to

an ill passenger.

 

This accident that the passenger had is a reminder for all of us to be careful when doing a water sport on the ocean. The ocean was choppy

in Cabo. Plus, it is also important to buy medical evacuation insurance

because we never know if we will get in an accident. I almost fell down

on the ship due to not paying attention to where I was stepping but I was able to hold on to something to stop me from falling. I always try

to be real careful when walking around the ship.

 

I met a senior lady that used the shower gel provided for us in the shower. She made the mistake of putting the shower gel directly on her skin and it caused a serious rash and hives on her body. She had to see the doctor everyday for medical care. She did get better. I was happy for her.

A doctor got ill with a gallbladder problem but he was able to stay on the ship until we returned to port. He plans to see a specialist.

 

I had a great time on the ship and I love looking at the ocean. It makes me very happy to be on the ocean waters. I didn't want to leave my

7 day cruise. But in a few days I will be back on the ship. I promised

my favorite waiters that I would take them some New Year hats. I plan

to go shopping for the hats at a Party Store where they sell lots of cute

hats. The crew workers love small gifts. They don't always have time off

to shop so I always take them some gifts and they love the gifts.

[sassyredhat]

I read some of the other posts about this topic.

We have been on several cruises during the evacs, with no compensation.

I think there is a disclosure in the contract about this.

 

Yes, we did miss port calls, one of them being Honolulu, but if it were me needing the help, I would be grateful.

For the Captain to ask for blood at all, means it was serious. People can die from internal bleeding.

 

Pat

[CI66774]

I find it incredibly inappropriate to ask about compensation due to a trivial inconvenience in light of a very sick passenger. I wouldn't even think of asking for it.

[SuitCaseBears]

I hoped to get some type of credit but we didn't get anything. I am guessing that missed ports happen all the time to all ships.

 

Ya think? I've not been on many cruises but I've already missed two ports (one time my favorite port), once because of because of rough seas, once due to a mechanical issue that needed to be fixed. Where do you draw the line, credit if the cruise line saves someone's life, but not credit for rough seas?

 

And I missed 70% of a cruise because my husband was taken off a ship in an ambulance. Some people had to wait to get off the ship because they took him off first. Should they get credit? What if their excursion was cut short or they missed out on a sale at a store?

 

I'm damned happy we didn't cause anyone any more inconvenience than that because it sure would be upsetting to come on CC and listen to people whining about it incessantly.

[Cruiserkenn]

We had left Cabo, and it was in the early evening after dinner that I heard the Captain ask passengers if anybody had type O blood to donate

for a sick passenger. It was announced twice.

 

Then... it was approx. 9p.m. when I heard the Captain say that we had to return to Cabo to drop off a sick passenger.

 

Captain also said that we wouldn't be able to go to Puerto Vallarta due to a time problem. I am sure lots of passengers got disappointed.

But it was okay with me because I will be going on the Sapphire again

on Dec. 29th which is very s

Most of the passengers were very nice and caring that the passenger

was being taken care of in Cabo and we all received a letter sta

the passenger was okay.

 

There were a couple of passengers using the Medical Center for different reasons when they asked the Doctors what was the medical problem

of the sick passenger but were not given the cause of the medical problem of the middle aged woman that was sick.

 

 

 

The gossip on the ship was that the woman was on a jet ski and her body got slammed on to the stearing front of the jet ski and that is

how she got injured and got internal bleeding.

 

 

That is all I know on what happened. Some people asked the front desk if we would get some type of compensation but were told "NO".

I hoped to get some type of credit but we didn't get anything. I am guessing that missed ports happen all the time to all ships. It was my first time that I have had the experience of a changed itinerary due to

an ill passenger.

 

This accident that the passenger had is a reminder for all of us to be careful when doing a water sport on the ocean. The ocean was chop

 

in Cabo. Plus, it is also important to buy medical evacuation insurance

because we never know if we will get in an accident. I almost fell down

on the ship due to not paying attention to where I was stepping but I was able to hold on to something to stop me from falling. I always try

to be real careful when walking around the ship.

I met a senior lady that used the shower gel provided for us in the shower. She made the mistake of putting the shower gel directly on her skin and it caused a serious rash and hives on her body. She had to see the doctor everyday for medical care. She did get better. I was happy for her.

A doctor got ill with a gallbladder problem but he was able to stay on the ship until we returned to port. He plans to see a specialist.

 

I had a great time on the ship and I love looking at the ocean. It makes me

 

 

 

very happy to be on the ocean waters. I didn't want to leave my

7 day cruise. But in a few days I will be back on the ship. I promised

my favorite waiters that I would take them some New Year hats. I plan

to go shopping for the hats at a Party Store where they sell lots of cute

hats. The crew workers love small gifts. They don't always have time off

to shop so I always take them some gifts and they love the gifts.

 

Thanks for telling about this. I appreciate hearing about how the Captain handled the situation.

 

Enjoy your upcoming cruise.

[san diego sue]

We were on the ship as well. We did get a refund of port charges for Puerto Vallarta. Our unexpected second day in Cabo was glorious.

I didn't hear any grumbling on board. When the call for blood was announced, we were in the theatre. Several people got up immediately and we all applauded.When the announcement from the Captain came on, we were in a public area and didn't hear any complaints. My thoughts, thank goodness the Captain put passenger health first. Glad it wasn't us but comforted to know we would be taken care of if that was the case.

By the way the ship lost all those planned excursion fees for Puerto Vallarta and it was too late to plan any new ones in Cabo. So again, Thanks Princess for looking out for welfare of passenger.

[Pam in CA]

I can't tell you how many times I've missed a port for a variety of reasons, including when it looked nice but the weather report was for foul weather in a few hours. The safety of the ship and passengers is always the captain's first concern. Never got more than port charges nor would I expect to get more back unless the delay or missed port is due to mechanical failure or other ship-related issue.

[OCruisers]

LucyR .... While there have been other threads on this, I very much appreciate your first hand account. Thank You!

 

LuLu

~~~~

[LucyR.]

In all the years I have cruised I have never missed a port due to weather or an illness on the ship. So when we were told that we would miss out

on going to Puerto Vallarta I was just surprised. I did ask if I would get

the port charges for not stopping at P.V. but I was told that I wouldn't

get it because the ship had to pay the port charges for going back to Cabo.

 

Some of the new cruisers were surprised that the ill passenger wasn't

picked up by a helicopter or a boat. That is what they told me. I am just

reporting what I heard and what was my experience.

 

Most of the passengers were very concerned for the health of the sick passenger and cared about her.

 

I am not a greedy person because I reported to you all is that I almost fell and could have injured myself so I know how accidents can

happen when we don't expect to get injured or get sick all of a sudden.

Princess has been super generous with me in giving me future cruise credit. There is no way that I would demand a compensation. I just asked because it was my first experience ever in missing a port. This is

why I say I have been lucky.

 

I was not aware that there was another thread on the same subject.

I just wanted to report to this message board my personal experience. I wanted to see if some of the other cruise critic members had more information than I did.

 

The ship computer was super slow so I spent most of my time trying to send an important e-mail to a relative who was having a serious problem

and it took days before I could contact her. My computer minutes were

used up fast.

 

There are some NEGATIVE members and some POSITIVE members on this message board. I never argue with the bah hum bug posters.

I want to thank the POSITIVE members who really read every word I said and came to the conclusion that I was just writing my personal experience on the ship. I thank you all for your kindness towards me.

I am the OP. LucyR.

[caribill]

The ship computer was super slow so I spent most of my time trying to send an important e-mail to a relative who was having a serious problem

and it took days before I could contact her. My computer minutes were

used up fast.

 

 

Princess allows you to send some e-post cards while on board at no cost of Internet minutes.

 

Although intended for "Having a great time, wish you were here" messages, you could also use this for an important e-mail to someone just as long as you realize the number of words per card is limited.

[Astro Flyer]

LucyR...I appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences and the informative tone of your post was nothing like the deleted "ANNOYED" rant. It was a new experience & you shared your thoughts...Thanks. :)

 

I am not a medical professional however I did fly helicopters. There are many factors considered before deciding the best way to treat a patient. For someone with internal bleeding bouncing in a smaller boat probably wouldn't be a great option. The helicopter would provide a much smoother & faster transportation however it has a limited range. I've read articles that Princess ships can link directly to medical trauma centers to evaluate patients and to make the decision on the best way to be treated. For this patient the best option was to return to Cabo San Lucas & thankfully the patient is recovering.

[spingal]

LucyR...I appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences and the informative tone of your post was nothing like the deleted "ANNOYED" rant. It was a new experience & you shared your thoughts...Thanks. :)

 

I am not a medical professional however I did fly helicopters. There are many factors considered before deciding the best way to treat a patient. For someone with internal bleeding bouncing in a smaller boat probably wouldn't be a great option. The helicopter would provide a much smoother & faster transportation however it has a limited range. I've read articles that Princess ships can link directly to medical trauma centers to evaluate patients and to make the decision on the best way to be treated. For this patient the best option was to return to Cabo San Lucas & thankfully the patient is recovering.

 

My folks and I did talk to Gavin the cruise director about the evacuation. He told us that the reason they chose not to do a helicopter evacuation was because it was nighttime and would need to be conducted by the Mexican authorities who do not have the experience to execute it at night. We were about 3 hours out of Cabo so the range may have been too much too.

[Astro Flyer]

My folks and I did talk to Gavin the cruise director about the evacuation. He told us that the reason they chose not to do a helicopter evacuation was because it was nighttime and would need to be conducted by the Mexican authorities who do not have the experience to execute it at night. We were about 3 hours out of Cabo so the range may have been too much too.

Thanks & that makes sense to me. Once upon arrival in Ensenada their was a US registered medevac helicopter which transported a patient back to the US.

 

Also thanks for taking the time to keep us updated while on your cruise which was very considerate of you. :)

[spingal]

Thanks & that makes sense to me. Once upon arrival in Ensenada their was a US registered medevac helicopter which transported a patient back to the US.

 

Also thanks for taking the time to keep us updated while on your cruise which was very considerate of you. :)

 

Very glad to update everyone!! :D:D:D

[sassyredhat]

There are some NEGATIVE members and some POSITIVE members on this message board. I never argue with the bah hum bug posters.

I want to thank the POSITIVE members who really read every word I said and came to the conclusion that I was just writing my personal experience on the ship. I thank you all for your kindness towards me.

I am the OP. LucyR.

 

Oh Lucy, I hope you didn't think I was criticizing what you wrote.

That was NOT my intent, so I hope I didn't come across like that.

 

Pat

[jonikal]

Princess allows you to send some e-post cards while on board at no cost of Internet minutes.

 

Although intended for "Having a great time, wish you were here" messages, you could also use this for an important e-mail to someone just as long as you realize the number of words per card is limited.

 

I would not be too dependent on the e-cards always getting through to their destination. In several instances on the last couple of cruises, family and friends never received them.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I could have sworn I posted on this thread yesterday...and it was actually supportive for the OP as I was suggesting that she may not have known about the other thread.

 

But I also remarked on her idea of getting NY hats for the crew. On my last three NYE cruises, crew members, at least those in the dining areas and the bars had party hats on. I don't know about cabin stewards, etc. But it really might not be necessary especially if the OP doesn't have the time to go to a party store.

[lovevacadays]

Isn't it great to know that Princess will do what is necessary to make sure a sick passenger is taken care of. Life is unpredictable so it could be anyone of us or one of our family members.