Did you ever see the doctor or fly home??

[galleycook]

I heard a story today (from a passenger), for which I thought would be interesting to get some feedback on. This is the story as I heard it.

 

The passenger, a woman and her 10 year old daughter (neither have cruised before) were on the Anthem very recently to Bermuda. With the tropical storm along the coast, she was expressing her concern and nervousness before the ship left port. Many told her not to worry, it would be fine. Just as they left Bayonne, the Captain made his usual announcements and also advised them that they were going to take an alternative route to avoid the storm so there is no need for concern.

 

The next day (Sunday) they woke up to the storm. People were sick throughout the day and vomiting all over the place. They tried to go outside to get some air but were unable to because of the high winds and movements of some of the pool deck furniture. Her daughter ended up throwing up throughout the day to the point of being very dehydrated. Early evening and her daughter could not walk and was almost passing out so she asked a staff member to assist her in getting her daughter to the medical center (via a wheelchair).

 

Upon arrival to the medical center she was told there would be a $149 (US) consultation fee. The woman stated that this was unreasonable considering we all know what’s going on (the storm), this is extenuating circumstances, etc. They eventually told her to give her daughter half a Dramamine and sent her on her way.

 

My first set of questions are, has this happened to anyone else in the past? Has anyone visited the doctor as a result of something that may be considered the ships fault (tripping on a buckled carpet resulting in an injury as an example) and was the doctor’s visit complementary? Should the ship make exceptions when it comes to charging fees when circumstances are extraordinary (storm, virus outbreak, other)?

 

The story continues. Once in Bermuda, the weather was fine. However there was the return trip. Based on what happened on the way to Bermuda and it not going as was suggested it would go, they decided to leave the ship and fly home to potentially avoid the same on the way back. She is now asking RCI to reimburse her for the cost of the flights home. She indicated that RCI’s response to her call was somewhat nonchalant about the situation but did apologize. She is now waiting for an answer.

 

Second set of questions are, has this or something similar happened to anyone before? Is RCI responsible in any way? Should they, as a good-will gesture, reimburse for the cost of the airfare if not responsible? I doubt there would be any sense in giving them a credit towards a future cruise based on this experience.

 

I don’t know how bad this trip was compared to the February trip but they reimbursed those passengers for the cruise and gave them (I believe) a 50% credit towards a future cruise. Is this the same situation?

 

Obviously the ship/crew/captain is not in control of the weather but should they risk the trip (verses cancelling) if they are not in full control, especially when they know of a potential issue?? Just looking for some experiences or comments.

[Merion_Mom]

Third, fourth and fifth hand stories don't interest me.

[oneputt18]

I assume this is the lady:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2400405

 

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[galleycook]

I assume this is the lady:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2400405

 

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That's the one.

[broberts]

I am surprised a mother would balk at a small medical fee with a seriously ill daughter. Any emergency situation in which I have been involved in has usually proceeded on the basis of treat first, argue later.

 

Dehydration one could argue is as much the fault of the minding adult as the circumstances.

 

If a passenger elects to end their voyage, that is her choice. The cruise line has no moral or legal responsibility.

 

Why would a cruise line extend goodwill to someone who does not return the compliment?

[galleycook]

Third, fourth and fifth hand stories don't interest me.

 

Check out the link from oneputt18. Then you will have it first hand.

[reallyitsmema]

That's the one.

 

So you saw the news story or did you talk to this woman?

[galleycook]

I am surprised a mother would balk at a small medical fee with a seriously ill daughter. Any emergency situation in which I have been involved in has usually proceeded on the basis of treat first, argue later.

 

Dehydration one could argue is as much the fault of the minding adult as the circumstances.

 

If a passenger elects to end their voyage, that is her choice. The cruise line has no moral or legal responsibility.

 

Why would a cruise line extend goodwill to someone who does not return the compliment?

 

 

I'm not taking sides but relaying what I know. I don't think she balked at the cost as much as was surprised there would be a charge considering the circumstances.

 

And the dehydration was not deliberate. Rather her daughter just couldn't keep anything down.

 

Are you saying that RCI should not have refunded the fares from the Feb trip as a result of the storm. Just curious as to the difference? And I'm asking just for discussion purposes.

[galleycook]

So you saw the news story or did you talk to this woman?

 

I heard her doing a 10-15 minute radio interview.

[reallyitsmema]

I heard her doing a 10-15 minute radio interview.

 

Well, I am not sure what she said in that time but some of your statements are false. The Captain did not just make the usual announcements, he recorded three extensive videos that played on the onboard tv. He showed us what our route was going to be and what his plan was based on the weather data he had. His second video showed us the course we took and the adjustment he made because the ship drifted more east than was predicted. His final video showed the course we were going to take instead of the usual course so we could avoid the remnants that were still out there. He also made many announcements telling us what was going on and apologized for the weather and gave us a time frame of when we would be clear of the worst of it.

 

As far as trying to go outside, he closed decks on one side so that people would not be on the windier side but could still go out. More was closed when it was worse. They lashed everything down as soon as we left Bayonne and even had a large crate marked fragile - glass, which was lashed down on the pool deck along side the lower wall of the flowrider, so they were prepared for damage.

 

The weather in Bermuda was not fine. Tuesday morning was rainy and led to many people not going off the ship until later in the day. They added more activities and opened an additional venue for lunch because so many stayed on the ship.

 

We heard of others that flew home from Bermuda. My mother talked to one man who said 5 of the 10 in his group got off the ship in Bermuda and flew home.

 

Many people were sick but there was not vomit all over the ship. I actually never saw any though I know one elevator we were on had recently had an issue because the floor had been washed and there was still and aroma.

 

People deal with stress differently. We saw one woman taking a hissy fit because a ship of 4,000 passengers did not have a checker board! Her husband then went to give someone at guest services a piece of his mind.:rolleyes: We were still playing cards in the library when he came back an hour later after a very serious discussion with someone in guest relations.:cool:

 

There is no way they are going to refund this woman her airfare because she chose to leave a perfectly good ship to fly home.

[Viv0828]

I can understand why the cruise line would not provide airfare back, but I certainly think they should have provided free medical care for seasick passengers that needed it.

 

 

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[gliles]

I had too see Doc once and my trip insurance covered it, do they not cover sea sickness?

 

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[JVilleGal]

The Cruiseline can NOt control the weather.

 

 

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[JVilleGal]

I had too see Doc once and my trip insurance covered it, do they not cover sea sickness?

 

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Travel insurance will cover any visit to the ships Dr

 

 

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[ColoradoGurl]

If my daughter was that Ill, I would pay any amount of money I needed to make sure she was taken care of. Am I reading correctly that this mother actually declined service for her daughter who was too sick to walk over $149???

 

I would also not think the ship should refund her for their flights home, that was their choice and the weather is no fault of the ship.

 

Sounds like this woman didn't have trip insurance either. I don't think the ship owes her anything, as I don't think any of these issues were their fault. Sorry.

 

 

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Edited September 10, 2016 by ColoradoGurl

[dplusd]

I feel it is our responsibility to have insurance or pay the cost of medical treatment out of pocket. I would certainly not expect the cruise line to reimburse the cost of flying home. That was the expensive choice of the passenger and not necessary.

[galleycook]

The Cruiseline can NOt control the weather.

 

 

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True..... Which is why they have to control their ships and accept responsibility when they can't. Passenger and crew safety is their number one concern.

[FlashFire]

Interesting discussion. That lady was certainly a drama queen. I really hope they don't comp her a single thing.

 

No, I don't think they should refund or provide credit for cruises affected by weather. They can't control the weather any more than we can.

 

No, I don't think they should provide free medical care for things like seasickness or virus outbreak, assuming they were mitigated to the best of the ship's ability to start with.

 

Yes, I think the ship should provide free medical care for things that are a direct result of their own negligence. If a poorly rigged light falls on your head, I would expect them to take care of you.

 

I think all of this comes down to one important thing: the word "free". Nothing is "free". Anything you get, *somebody* must pay for. Now what's more fair -- the person who needs it pays for it, or the majority who don't need it split the cost of your "free" service?

 

My personal opinion is that one should take some personal responsibility. Understand that sometimes life doesn't go the way you want it to, and it may not be anybody's fault. Deal with it the best you can -- that's part of the journey, and if the thought of having additional expense in an unlikely circumstance bothers you that much, then buy travel insurance. That's what it's for.

[leaveitallbehind]

True..... Which is why they have to control their ships and accept responsibility when they can't. Passenger and crew safety is their number one concern.

 

What do you mean by this?? Did the ship and the passengers not arrive safely both at Bermuda and back to Bayonne? I don't understand your point with this comment at all.

Edited September 10, 2016 by leaveitallbehind

[buckact]

Something I've actually experienced not once, but twice.

 

Last October I was on the Navigator for a B2B and near the end of the first week I dislocated my knee participating in the Quest. Not my proudest moment, but I was struggling to walk and saw the Dr. the next morning to get it checked out since I was in pain. In that particular instance they comped my entire service which included a few rounds of x-rays and gave me a set of crutches and stabilizing my knee.

 

On the other instance I was sailing on Princess and there was a serious norovirus outbreak onboard. They asked for anyone experiencing symptoms to call the medical center. I did and they came to the room and checked me out. They didn't charge me for the Dr. visit, but the did charge me for the medicine. They gave me immodium and then charged me $50 for about $4 worth of medicine. On top of that they quarantined me to my cabin for 36 hours. Not my happiest cruise moment. Travel insurance took care of the charge, but I was still mad about the charge to begin with. The quarantine upset me, but I recognized the importance for other passengers enjoyment of the trip.

[galleycook]

Well, I am not sure what she said in that time but some of your statements are false. The Captain did not just make the usual announcements, he recorded three extensive videos that played on the onboard tv. He showed us what our route was going to be and what his plan was based on the weather data he had. His second video showed us the course we took and the adjustment he made because the ship drifted more east than was predicted. His final video showed the course we were going to take instead of the usual course so we could avoid the remnants that were still out there. He also made many announcements telling us what was going on and apologized for the weather and gave us a time frame of when we would be clear of the worst of it.

 

As far as trying to go outside, he closed decks on one side so that people would not be on the windier side but could still go out. More was closed when it was worse. They lashed everything down as soon as we left Bayonne and even had a large crate marked fragile - glass, which was lashed down on the pool deck along side the lower wall of the flowrider, so they were prepared for damage.

 

The weather in Bermuda was not fine. Tuesday morning was rainy and led to many people not going off the ship until later in the day. They added more activities and opened an additional venue for lunch because so many stayed on the ship.

 

We heard of others that flew home from Bermuda. My mother talked to one man who said 5 of the 10 in his group got off the ship in Bermuda and flew home.

 

Many people were sick but there was not vomit all over the ship. I actually never saw any though I know one elevator we were on had recently had an issue because the floor had been washed and there was still and aroma.

 

People deal with stress differently. We saw one woman taking a hissy fit because a ship of 4,000 passengers did not have a checker board! Her husband then went to give someone at guest services a piece of his mind.:rolleyes: We were still playing cards in the library when he came back an hour later after a very serious discussion with someone in guest relations.:cool:

 

There is no way they are going to refund this woman her airfare because she chose to leave a perfectly good ship to fly home.

 

 

First of all, don't shoot the messenger. As I said, I relayed the story as I heard it. And since it was directly from the passenger, the content was not changed passing from 2nd to 3rd, to 4th person..... Basically the same as you relaying your experience to me.

 

I don't know if they played route videos. She didn't mention it but did say the captain made his announcements when leaving Bayonne.

 

She said they went out onto the deck on Sunday morning. Maybe it was the section that was opened. Quite possibly it wasn't a case of ducking as chairs went flying past your head but even with most things lashed down, they still move and with the noise and wind, possibly a sense of danger. Again she is a first time cruiser.

 

I don't know what she meant by vomiting all over the place. It may have not been literal in the sense that you constantly had to watch were you walked but maybe seeing it in a number of places suggests (and especially under the circumstances) that it was somewhat widespread. Or maybe she had brief discussions with other passengers who provided their experience or maybe it just didn't happen to coincide with where you were, assuming the crew did nothing to clean it up, which I doubt.

 

The fact that you experienced something different or your interpretation is different doesn't mean that her situation or experience didn't happen. I was on the Anthem in Aug and had a number of issues. Other wrote reviews who were quite happy and I'm glad they did. But I still had issues.

 

Again, don't shoot the messenger. I was looking for experiences or opinions relating to seeing the doctor or getting a refund. RCI did it on the Feb cruise. What is the difference here??

[IsanTom]

I heard a story today (from a passenger), for which I thought would be interesting to get some feedback on. This is the story as I heard it.

 

The passenger, a woman and her 10 year old daughter (neither have cruised before) were on the Anthem very recently to Bermuda. With the tropical storm along the coast, she was expressing her concern and nervousness before the ship left port. Many told her not to worry, it would be fine. Just as they left Bayonne, the Captain made his usual announcements and also advised them that they were going to take an alternative route to avoid the storm so there is no need for concern.

 

The next day (Sunday) they woke up to the storm. People were sick throughout the day and vomiting all over the place. They tried to go outside to get some air but were unable to because of the high winds and movements of some of the pool deck furniture. Her daughter ended up throwing up throughout the day to the point of being very dehydrated. Early evening and her daughter could not walk and was almost passing out so she asked a staff member to assist her in getting her daughter to the medical center (via a wheelchair).

 

Upon arrival to the medical center she was told there would be a $149 (US) consultation fee. The woman stated that this was unreasonable considering we all know what’s going on (the storm), this is extenuating circumstances, etc. They eventually told her to give her daughter half a Dramamine and sent her on her way.

 

My first set of questions are, has this happened to anyone else in the past? Has anyone visited the doctor as a result of something that may be considered the ships fault (tripping on a buckled carpet resulting in an injury as an example) and was the doctor’s visit complementary? Should the ship make exceptions when it comes to charging fees when circumstances are extraordinary (storm, virus outbreak, other)?

 

The story continues. Once in Bermuda, the weather was fine. However there was the return trip. Based on what happened on the way to Bermuda and it not going as was suggested it would go, they decided to leave the ship and fly home to potentially avoid the same on the way back. She is now asking RCI to reimburse her for the cost of the flights home. She indicated that RCI’s response to her call was somewhat nonchalant about the situation but did apologize. She is now waiting for an answer.

 

Second set of questions are, has this or something similar happened to anyone before? Is RCI responsible in any way? Should they, as a good-will gesture, reimburse for the cost of the airfare if not responsible? I doubt there would be any sense in giving them a credit towards a future cruise based on this experience.

 

I don’t know how bad this trip was compared to the February trip but they reimbursed those passengers for the cruise and gave them (I believe) a 50% credit towards a future cruise. Is this the same situation?

 

Obviously the ship/crew/captain is not in control of the weather but should they risk the trip (verses cancelling) if they are not in full control, especially when they know of a potential issue?? Just looking for some experiences or comments.

 

You can't predict Mother Nature! When you cruise you assume the weather. When you book a floating hotel in the Atlantic you assume it could be a rocky ride. When you book a cruise out of the NE you assume you could get seasick! Not the ships responsibility!

[PhoenixCruiser]

You can't predict Mother Nature! When you cruise you assume the weather. When you book a floating hotel in the Atlantic you assume it could be a rocky ride. When you book a cruise out of the NE you assume you could get seasick! Not the ships responsibility!

 

Agree!

 

I'm guessing she didn't purchase travel insurance.

 

###

[galleycook]

What do you mean by this?? Did the ship and the passengers not arrive safely both at Bermuda and back to Bayonne? I don't understand your point with this comment at all.

 

Analogize it to riding on a bus. You pay your fare and you expect the bus to follow the rules of the road, speed limits, stops signs, etc. You don't want the bus taking a corner so that it goes up on two wheels. You don't expect the driver to accelerate fast throwing standing passengers around. And if there is a torrential downpour, maybe the bus needs to pull over and wait it out before proceeding.

 

The ship needs to operate in similar fashion except as applicable to the seas. The transit company is not responsibly for traffic laws, road conditions or weather but they are responsible to follow the rules and adapt to any changing situations or conditions. Getting you to your bus stop after being knocked to the floor a few times is not getting you there safely. The cruise lines takes your fare, and they are responsible to operate in a fashion where safety comes first. I happen to agree, but this is what they say, not me

 

It appears people were physically injured on the ship and it would appear as a result of the rough seas. Not to mention the people that were nauseous and the side effects that go along with it. Safety implies, free from harm, risk, injury.

[galleycook]

You can't predict Mother Nature! When you cruise you assume the weather. When you book a floating hotel in the Atlantic you assume it could be a rocky ride. When you book a cruise out of the NE you assume you could get seasick! Not the ships responsibility!

 

I don't think the point is whether you can predict the weather or not. In this case, the passengers most likely knew of the storm. The cruise line certainly knew of the storm. The ball is in the cruise lines court.

 

If they can't maneuver safely through or around a given storm, or aren't sure, then maybe they need to cancel. If they can do it safely, then proceed. But if they go, it's their responsibility. This isn't Monopoly. They don't get a "Get Out Of Jail" card once they taken your fare.

 

Of course if out a sea a storm pops out of nowhere with no warning, then it would be impossible for the cruise line to cancel so all they can do is their best to get through or around it.