Does Viking( regarding 121 day WLD cruise) have any responsibility if a passenger needs to go to a local hospital?

[izzy6510]

I bought the Viking medical insurance for the 121 day world cruise so hopefully there will be some assistance from Viking.

 I saw a posting of a woman traveling solo who was told

she needed to get checked out at a local hospital and no one at Viking reached out to see if she was O.K.  She had to get a taxi

back to the ship on her own with no help from Viking.  I will make that one of my many questions for Viking.  Does anyone have any 

experience with Medical assistance on Viking?

[Selion]

A few things here, mainly to set your expectations...

1.  While Viking sold you the insurance policy, Viking is not the insurance provider.  The "Viking" insurance benefits are administered by TripMate.

 

2.  While the TripMate insurance has medical evacuation coverage, it doesn't provide global concierge service (which calling a taxi would fall under).

 

3.  Most cruise lines' responsibilities end when you are in the care of local medical personnel.  Viking has no obligation to check on your conditions.  In regards to payments for care provided, that'd be between you, the medical care facility, and the insurance provider.

 

You should have received a policy of insurance from TripMate.  Read it, read it again, and read it again.  Your best resource is TripMate itself.  They are obligated to answer all of your questions regarding what their policy covers and doesn't cover.

 

This is a screenshot from a TripMate plan summary from 2022:

 

This is a screenshot of the Travel Guard policy I bought in 2022:

 

Note that Travel Guard Concierge includes "Ground transportation arrangements" while TripMate makes no mention of that (at least I didn't find it).

[Heidi13]

9 hours ago, izzy6510 said:

I bought the Viking medical insurance for the 121 day world cruise so hopefully there will be some assistance from Viking.

 I saw a posting of a woman traveling solo who was told

she needed to get checked out at a local hospital and no one at Viking reached out to see if she was O.K.  She had to get a taxi

back to the ship on her own with no help from Viking.  I will make that one of my many questions for Viking.  Does anyone have any 

experience with Medical assistance on Viking?

 

Whether you are booked on a 7-day or 121-day cruise, the process for being referred to shore medical facilities is the same, in any given port.

 

However, the assistance provided can vary depending on your issue and whether Viking have permanent staff at that port. As per the previous response, whether you have Viking insurance, or a 3rd party policy, makes no difference to any ship assistance you may receive.

 

If hospitalised, once picked up from the ship by ambulance, the insurance coverage, provided your claim is accepted, is responsible for your treatment and repatriation. In some ports, if Viking has a staff presence, you may receive some visits, but I certainly wouldn't expect that service. You can also receive assistance from your country's consulate.

 

When the ship's doctor recommends treatment and/or tests ashore, the ship may arrange transportation (taxi) to the medical facility where they booked the appointment. The taxi may be at your expense and the treatment/test will also be at your expense. Again, it is best to ensure you are covered by the insurance. Will the ship send a crew member with you to assist - possibly, but in reality probably unlikely.

 

In summary, plan to be on your own and depending on which port and the ship's staff, you may get some assistance.

 

As with any insurance policy, please ensure you have read it thoroughly, knowing what is covered and what is NOT covered (exclusions). It is also critical to know the reporting a claim procedure and the time limits. Late reporting can be reason to deny a claim.

[Mich3554]

A friend of mine was traveling with us on a river cruise last spring.  We was traveling alone (her spouse had recently died).  On a day where we were all going in different directions on excursions, she went off on her own.  While she was out, she passed out after lunch.

 
A doctor was with her in the tour, an ambulance arrived and took her to the local hospital.  The ship was in contact with the hospital, and as I was back first from my excursion, the ship’s GM contacted me and came to our cabin to tell me what had happened.  The other 3 in our party were not yet back, but the GM came by again to speak to all of us together.

 

Our friend was hospitalized for 3 days.  A taxi was arranged by the hospital to return her to the ship.  When she met the ship, the taxi didn’t accept credit cards and my friend didn’t have enough euros on her.  The ship captain met her taxi and paid (which did wind up on her final bill).  While there was no one in contact with her directly, the personnel on the ship WERE in contact with the hospital to determine what was going on and determine her best course of action.  As the cruise had another week to go, plus her extension, she was well enough to continue on with admonishments to get checked out while home.

 

My friend had to pay her hospital bill when she was released, which she put through her insurance when she got home.    

[vslparis]

We were 8 days into the 2022 World Horizon trip when my husband fell and shattered his humerus while we were docked in Puerto Vallarta.  The Viking Customer Relations manager arranged for transportation to a hospital, and an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon . Once it was determined that we would have to disembark, they arranged for housekeeping to help me pack ( the 4 months worth of things that I had just unpacked several day prior 😬) and for us to clear customers and immigration . The Customer Relations Manager and someone from Vikings medical office called several times to check up on things .  I arranged with the hospital to get back to the ship for the luggage and then they took me to my hotel which I arranged myself ( but Viking did ask if I needed help with that ) . 
I called my trip insurance company ( not with Viking) from the hospital to start a claim and from that point on they were the ones I spoke to regarding any sort of help needed. As @Selion mentioned, my insurance has a service that would have helped with a hotel, transportation ,return flights if needed.  
For that solo Traveller not be contacted by Viking, it could have been that she didn’t have any cell service so they couldn’t call like they did for us ( another reason  to have international cell service while traveling ) . 

Bottom line is that Viking will help arrange things with local medical and be kept informed, but only up to a certain point ; you need to be proactive and know what your trip insurance will be doing to help if the need arises. It is not all on Viking. 

 

[CorgiGuy]

Hi all,

 

God forbid, one never knows when or where a major illness/accident will occur.

 

Here is an option that some may not be known to some:

https://medjetassist.com/

[chengkp75]

To answer the OP's question, no, the line has no responsibility, unless the passenger was injured on the ship.  Whether or not the line will, voluntarily assist the passenger is something that is quite likely dependent on circumstances and location, as Heidi13 states above.