Our 24 hour long cruise - not your typical review

[Btank]

23 minutes ago, ravensfan52 said:

The next day, we all made it to our respective airports, my mom got checked into the hospital in Charleston around midnight on Tues 4/2, and we got home around 2 am on 4/3. Since then, mom had her lung drained successfully in Charleston, removing a liter of fluid. She is breathing a lot better now, continuing with her myeloma treatment, and trying to gain back the 8 lbs she lost during the ordeal. 

 

 

This is great to hear.  She's got a damned good kid.

 

     --bruce T.

[PhoenixCruiser]

So glad to read a happy ending!  Thanks for sharing your experience with us.  Hope you can plan a do-over!

[blarko]

Thank you for sharing this ordeal. Happy to hear that your mom is doing better.

[hazence]

37 minutes ago, ravensfan52 said:

 

The unwavering kindness of strangers helped restore some of my faith in humanity and reminded me to give others the benefit of the doubt, treat them with kindness first, and remember that you never know what someone else is going through. 

 

Beautifully said. So thankful your Mother is doing well. Thank you for sharing your experience...it is not only instructive , but inspiring. Hope you all will be successfully cruising again soon.

[brookmill18]

So happy she is doing well!  Do you mind if I ask, did the rest of the party stay on board, and were you easily able to tell them what was happening and that things were OK?  Thinking it must be so hard to coordinate with a large party--so happy for a positive ending!

[KmomChicago]

Thank you Ravensfan for coming back.  The broad range of comments came from the fact that we all became so emotionally invested in you and your mom's story.   Very, very glad to hear she is doing well.   It is also heartwarming that you have nothing but good things to say about everyone involved in the situation.  It may be a fact that they were all as wonderful as you say, but your own positive attitude and gratefulness come through in this story. Happy Easter and many more.

[pattiea]

Good to hear your Mom is home & doing better....and that, yes, there are still great folks in this world 

[Grenouille21]

Thank you for sharing your story.  I am glad to hear that your mom was able to safely transfer back home and is recovering.  And what a blessing that you were able to rearrange all of your plans with seemingly little hassle.  With all of the restrictions on changing travel plans these days, it is good to hear that in a true emergency, there are ways to accommodate people.  

[blueridgemama]

Thank you for sharing your story and for being so gracious about some of the comments. Everyone was just so invested in knowing the outcome that some of us may have gotten impatient. I am so happy that your Mom survived this ordeal and that everyone was so helpful and kind. I was most impressed with your comments about the taxi drivers praying with you. So many visitors to Nassau have made negative comments about the "natives" (and I hate the term natives) so it is refreshing to hear how kind and thoughtful they were and that there are good people everywhere.. Best wishes and healing thoughts for your Mom as she continues her treatment.

Edited April 22, 2019 by blueridgemama

[vacationlover_mn]

Glad your mom is doing better, and good to hear that they had travel insurance.  I’ve been lazy about buying it in the past, but really need to start getting it!

[ravensfan52]

8 hours ago, brookmill18 said:

So happy she is doing well!  Do you mind if I ask, did the rest of the party stay on board, and were you easily able to tell them what was happening and that things were OK?  Thinking it must be so hard to coordinate with a large party--so happy for a positive ending!

 Yes the rest of our group stayed for the rest of the cruise. We were able to text them throughout the rest of the week to let them know what was going on. 

[nalatrixie74]

thank you for this review. we don't often get this viewpoint. and it's always a mystery when we see the ambulance on the pier sometimes. (what happened, what will happen to these ppl, how do things get taken care of, will it be ok) it's definitely a reality check when you're on vacation, then you see an ambulance. best to you and your family, and i hope you get a re-do! 

[Casino Comp Chick]

I am happy she is doing better. 

[ShillyShally]

So awesome she's doing better, thank you so much for sharing this!

[CruisinCrow]

I've never read a review like this one.  I'm so glad your mom is doing better.  What a nightmare that must have been!

[retiredgram]

Thanks for the update about your mom.   Glad she is doing better. 

I am glad you wrote such a detailed  review of what happens when you have to be taken off a ship for medical reasons.. Good to know you were taken care of.

[Ocean Boy]

5 hours ago, blueridgemama said:

 I was most impressed with your comments about the taxi drivers praying with you. So many visitors to Nassau have made negative comments about the "natives" (and I hate the term natives) so it is refreshing to hear how kind and thoughtful they were and that there are good people everywhere.. 

 These are the Bahamian people that I have come to appreciate through my interactions with the locals (natives). And that is why I try to come to their defense whenever I read negative comments around here about either them or their country.

[blueridgemama]

58 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

 These are the Bahamian people that I have come to appreciate through my interactions with the locals (natives). And that is why I try to come to their defense whenever I read negative comments around here about either them or their country.

 

Thank you. Locals is such an improvement over natives. I have been to Nassau several times and have found most locals friendly and helpful. Those that complain apparently have never walked around NYC😊( and I love NYC)

[cyntil8ing]

Oh my, this thread is giving me flashbacks! We too had a medical disembarkation in Nassau. In our case, it was my 75 year old dad. Spoiler up front -- he is still with us, though he has been through a lot since that sunny day we climbed the Queen's Staircase and had lunch and a beer at the Fish Fry.

 

We lost my mom the summer of 2017 and didn't want to be home for Christmas, so my family of four plus my dad booked a holiday cruise leaving Christmas Eve. We were half-way through the cruise, having a good time despite missing my mom, but at lunch that day in Nassau, my dad just seemed a little "off". We blamed it on too much sun and too much walking, and had him guzzling water. We headed back to the ship with the hope that with a nap, he'd be fine by dinner time.

 

By the time we got back to the ship, we knew it was more than just dehydration. Our taxi driver parked his taxi and helped us get my dad into the terminal. When security started yelling at him, he just tossed his keys to a guy standing nearby and told him to move the taxi. He remarked to my husband that he didn't know the guy and hoped he'd get his taxi back.

 

My daughter ran ahead, got a wheelchair and notified the medical staff he was coming. While the ship's doctor was looking him over, he had a seizure. He was promptly sent off in an ambulance, my husband with him, while I got us packed and disembarked. We rode all the way through town to the hospital in a golf cart! I was so scared one of my kids was going to fall off the back.

 

It was the day before New Years Eve, and we had a lot of trouble finding hotel rooms, but the port agent picked me and the kids up at the hospital and drove us around until we found something. We got the kids settled, and he took me back to the hospital. My kids were 14 and 11 at the time, and ended up taking care of themselves most of the time. I was so proud of them.

 

Anyway, it ended up being a mass in my dad's brain. He spent one night in the hospital to get the meds right to bring down the swelling that had caused his seizure. His travel insurance was prepared to medically evacuate him on a jet to a hospital in Miami, but together with the doctors, we decided he was stable to fly home commercially. We ended up spending two nights in Nassau and arriving back in Baltimore the day before our cruise returned.

 

I cannot say enough about how well we were treated by everyone from the ship, to the hospital, to the hotel workers and taxi drivers. The hotel coffee shop manager, who knew nothing of the story, noticed something was wrong and just the compassionate way he asked if I was ok, had me sobbing out the whole story. He sat with me and listened. I don't remember his name (heck, I don't even remember the hotel!), but I will never forget his kindness.

 

While I certainly never want to repeat this experience, it totally changed my opinion of Nassau and the wonderful people who live there. Oh, and according to my husband the fried conch at the Doctor's Hospital cafeteria is the best he has ever had.

 

We were on a cruise that called in Nassau last year, but it was still too soon after our adventure for me to even get off the ship. Because of my dad's ongoing medical issues, he is now living with us and we are no longer traveling, but someday, I will get back there. We have to find out what happened to that taxi!

[Croozin Soozin]

17 minutes ago, cyntil8ing said:

 We have to find out what happened to that taxi!

Thank you for also sharing your story. 

[ravensfan52]

Hi Cindy, thank you for sharing your very similar story, and I am glad your father is OK and still with you! We were at Doctor's Hospital as well, and my dad enjoyed a pork chop dinner in the cafeteria. The whole experience makes me even more loyal to Royal because of the way we were assisted with compassion every step of the way, and yes, I also have a soft spot for the Bahamians who we crossed paths with during that time. Every person was almost meant to be, giving us encouragement along the way. Thanks to everyone who commented, you also are examples of the best in people when total strangers are anxious for an update on my mom. I do love this forum and only hope to relay my experiences for the benefit of others.

[Btank]

4 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

 These are the Bahamian people that I have come to appreciate through my interactions with the locals (natives). And that is why I try to come to their defense whenever I read negative comments around here about either them or their country.

 

OK, fun fact: I may be the only person on this thread that was quarantined in The Bahamas.  In the mid 60s, my family was visiting - and I developed chicken pox.  I wasn't allowed to fly back to FL until all of the scabs were gone!

 

So, my Dad and siblings headed back without my mother, grandma, and myself.  We were left to fend for ourselves at the hotel... who basically adopted us.  I can barely remember it, but I do remember sitting in a kiddie wading pool (one of the locals had found one) as Mom and one of the hotel workers poured lots baking soda in it.  This happened twice a day!  I found out later that hotel workers went out and cleaned out the island stores (not too hard since there weren't many of them back then) of all of their baking soda... then canvassed friends and family to empty their cupboards and pantries!

 

After almost three weeks of extended vacation, I was cleared to return to the US.  Mom told me later how upset I was to leave my new best friends.  

 

    --bruce T.

 

[djyellowsub]

My husband had a fluid overload due to heart failure while we were docked in St. Thomas.  We also had to leave the ship (Oasis of the Seas) and go to the hospital.  I just want to share my agreement that the Royal staff was excellent during a very stressful time.  The St. Thomas port authority was excellent as well.  The people hired to deal with these crisis situations are very well trained and do their jobs well.  Even the ambulance driver was a delight.  I had a mini tour of St. Thomas given by him on the way to the hospital. I called this the "Ambulance Excursion" that is only offered to a select group of passengers.  He may have just been trying to distract me from worrying, but he was proud of his island and certainly should be.  I want to encourage everyone that, if you have a medical crisis, there are many wonderful, caring people who will support and help you.  We also had trip insurance and had a fantastic experience with that organization as well.  It is well worth the peace of mind even though you probably won't need to use the benefits.

[cruisequeen4ever]

I’m so glad your mom is home safely and recovering! This is another validation story of the important of trip insurance. It was touching to hear that the taxi drivers prayed for your mom and how helpful the port agent was in light of American news always noting how dangerous Nassau is. May your next cruise be a lot longer than 24 hours! 

[sparks1093]

OP, thank you for your story and I am glad your mom is doing better. Many people think that the port agent doesn't do much for people left behind but your story definitely shows otherwise.