TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE

[monorail81]

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

Under $1200 !  You got off cheap. On my last cruise in December my daughter had a medical emergency and Royal billed us $2700. 
 

Thankfully, insurance covered 2629 of it.
 

we were very impressed with Royals medical team.  

Which insurance company do you use?  

[nightworker]

Yes Royal did exactly as they are supposed to do. However I think they could show some compassion and direction in what they should do. advise them how to get in touch with medivac or how to get help in getting home. They have all that information. Im sure they felt like they were being kicked off the ship  I agree with the Travel Insurance we always take it . Feel very sorry for them its a terrible experience!!

[SoloAlaska]

3 hours ago, toxicfairy said:

Just wondering how bad his leg was fractured. I wouldn't think for a fracture they would medivac even on land. I had a car accident obviously on land and when the ambulance came and saw my condition they called for a medivac. But I must have looked pretty bad I was conscious but my femur was broke and you could see it was right under the skin. I also broke my hip and shattered my heel, so I think my leg looked pretty bad lol. I couldn't see it because of the broken ball of my hip I couldn't sit up.

But I don't think for a simple break they would have medivac me.

I hope your husband is healing. Broken bones are no fun. 

This makes some sense. If you break your femur it has a risk of cutting an artery and you can bleed out quite easily. Broken hip is also a bad one. If a flight was available then why not. I once had a patient conscious and a helicopter was ordered but when she started stabilizing we told them they could stand down. It was the only chopper available for all of Nova Scotia at the time. Had there been another chopper that day we would have made a different suggestion. She had broken ribs and a broken hip along with other issues.

[Billy Baltic]

13 hours ago, nightworker said:

Yes Royal did exactly as they are supposed to do. However I think they could show some compassion and direction in what they should do. advise them how to get in touch with medivac or how to get help in getting home. They have all that information. Im sure they felt like they were being kicked off the ship  I agree with the Travel Insurance we always take it . Feel very sorry for them its a terrible experience!!

Nice to see some compassion here. Yes, the OP should have had medical insurance but with a tiny bit of effort RC could have made the experience a lot better for them. For example, they could have told the OP that; if they cannot rejoin the cruise then someone will pack their items. If they want to pack personal items before they leave the ship then they should do that. Small things make a big difference. 

[lovesthebeach2]

Welcome to CC. I haven’t read all the responses, but I wanted to say that I’m sorry your husband got injured and I hope he’s ok now.

 

BUT  Royal’s response was standard to cruise lines and unfortunately you learned the very hard, expensive way to always purchase travel insurance. I hope your husband fully heals so you two can cruise again……with insurance .

[mjkacmom]

16 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I am surprised you were charged for the medical visit. That's the only surprising thing to me in the entire post.

 

We've gone to medical twice... DD cut her head open doing back flips into the pool (yes, she shouldn't have been), she ended up getting stitches.  No charge.

 

Another cruise I was playing in the volleyball "tournament" and fell my knee give in one game.  Sat out the rest of that game, took a break, then played in the championship.  This time my knee totally gave out, and I went down.  They ended up getting a wheelchair for me and took me to medical.  I had just sprained my knee.  Crutches until the next morning, then a cane to get off the ship.  No charge.  Don't know if it was because I was doing an RCI "sponsored" activity or not.  Not complaining. 

The medical facility needs to charge to stay in business, it’s not a charity. Gift shops, spas, salons, medical all lease space to make a profit. I think you lucked out, I’ve seen many many get charged.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

1 minute ago, mjkacmom said:

The medical facility needs to charge to stay in business, it’s not a charity. Gift shops, spas, salons, medical all lease space to make a profit. I think you lucked out, I’ve seen many many get charged.

Maybe so.  But lucked out twice? On two different cruises?  

 

As I said, that's really the only thing that surprised me from the OP.  And I agree insurance should have been purchased (we had it both times, just didn't need it). 

[#1packerfan]

21 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

Maybe so.  But lucked out twice? On two different cruises?  

 

As I said, that's really the only thing that surprised me from the OP.  And I agree insurance should have been purchased (we had it both times, just didn't need it). 

I had the same experience. I fell and twisted my foot and ankle on the ship (Freedom) and had xrays in Medical and was not charged a penny.  We also had travel insurance.

 

[Tree_skier]

14 hours ago, monorail81 said:

Which insurance company do you use?  

I use Allianz and have an annual policy. However, my daughter had coverage through Kaiser Permanente.  My SIL is a state employee and their coverage is fantastic. 

[goldfish65]

The cruise line has to go by the book according to the terms in the cruise contract. If they stay involved in your arrangements, and you were displeased, you could claim  they were negligent. 

Edited February 17 by goldfish65

[shipgeeks]

I'm still curious whether anyone from the social group OP sailed with was of any help, either with logistics, or allaying concerns about the procedures. Were they all first-timers, or were there any more experienced cruisers?  Were they aware of the situation?  Any emotional or practical support?

[toxicfairy]

Ok so I never really think about getting hurt on a cruise. But I always get the insurance through the cruise line more because I'm worried about lost luggage or something else going wrong. Never looked into it. Does their insurance cover injuries? 🤔 

Guess I should be more concerned now that we're in our later 50's and both walking around with spare parts in our bodies lol. Me a ton of metal and hubby a new knee.

[Charles4515]

9 minutes ago, toxicfairy said:

Ok so I never really think about getting hurt on a cruise. But I always get the insurance through the cruise line more because I'm worried about lost luggage or something else going wrong. Never looked into it. Does their insurance cover injuries? 🤔 

Guess I should be more concerned now that we're in our later 50's and both walking around with spare parts in our bodies lol. Me a ton of metal and hubby a new knee.

I always get third party insurance  I am most concerned with medical evacuation. The policies do have a phone number to call for asistance if in a situation. I don't worry about lost luggage because the credit card I use covers that. 

 

I have only had to file a claim once. I was supposed to be on my way to Alaska and instead that day I was undergoing surgery. The third party insurance, on that sailing it was a Travel Guard policy ended up covering me 100%, flights, cruise and even independent excursions. So I didn't lose a penny. On the other hand on 60 cruises since then I have not filed a claim. So I have spent thousands on insurence I did not need. But that is why it is called insurance. 

[Another_Critic]

2 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

The medical facility needs to charge to stay in business, it’s not a charity. Gift shops, spas, salons, medical all lease space to make a profit. I think you lucked out, I’ve seen many many get charged.

 

If you're injured on a cruise ship (slip, fall, etc.), they typically offer complimentary medical care while on board.

[Sunshine3601]

Questions for the OP @MVP2024

 

Most importantly,  I hope your husband had a successful surgery after your return to Tampa and that his recovery goes well.   

 

1.    Did onboard medical advise that DH would be sent to a land based hospital/medical center before you arrived in Cozumel?    

2.  Did ship Dr. show you the x-rays and review the severity of the break or say additional medical care would needed?

If yes, this would have given you the time to pack your belongings yourself.   

3.  You say you were stuck in Cozumel for 3 days.    Was he in the hospital for those 3 days or were you both sitting in a hotel room trying to figure out how to get back to Tampa?   

4.  Why did he need an air ambulance?    Was the break too severe to fly commercially (first class for more leg room) back to Tampa?    

[klfrodo]

2 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

 

If you're injured on a cruise ship (slip, fall, etc.), they typically offer complimentary medical care while on board.

I doubt it's complimentary. I would imagine that the medical facility has a code that bills Royal in some shape or form. The medical contractor has to show revenue also.

Complimentary in the fact the patient doesn't see the bill.

 

When it comes to ships, every department has a cost/revenue bucket that at the end of the voyage, their revenue has to be more than the costs. Those department costs are labor, meal and drink expenses for their employees, living space for the employees, materials, etc. Those departments would include but not limited to shops, dining venues, entertainers (thats why they run the scratch offs and bingo), beverage services, hotel services, and of course medical.

[Engineroom Snipe]

3 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

I always get third party insurance  I am most concerned with medical evacuation. The policies do have a phone number to call for asistance if in a situation. I don't worry about lost luggage because the credit card I use covers that. 

 

I have only had to file a claim once. I was supposed to be on my way to Alaska and instead that day I was undergoing surgery. The third party insurance, on that sailing it was a Travel Guard policy ended up covering me 100%, flights, cruise and even independent excursions. So I didn't lose a penny. On the other hand on 60 cruises since then I have not filed a claim. So I have spent thousands on insurence I did not need. But that is why it is called insurance. 

I had third party travel insurance like you. Every cruise was insured and I never regretted getting it. All it takes is one slip and fall on the ship or on a shore excursion.

 

Every single excursion now has a legalize disclaimer about being in a foreign country subject to their laws and not being responsible for injury during the tour.

[njkruzer]

We have an annual policy.  Realized we needed more than cruise line insurance when we started to arrive several days in advance or stay after a cruise.  Those extra days aren't covered by cruise insurance.  Our health insurance,  even our Medicare supplement now, covers medical outside the US.  Btw if you have medical care outside the US you want copies of the medical records,  not just code numbers.  They might be different from your insurer uses.

[Engineroom Snipe]

20 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

We have an annual policy.  Realized we needed more than cruise line insurance when we started to arrive several days in advance or stay after a cruise.  Those extra days aren't covered by cruise insurance.  Our health insurance,  even our Medicare supplement now, covers medical outside the US.  Btw if you have medical care outside the US you want copies of the medical records,  not just code numbers.  They might be different from your insurer uses.

Sounds like you already know this but as long as you include the air flights and hotels as part of your estimate total insured value, and list the dates, you should be covered.

 

Are you talking about last minute spontaneous add-ons? You would correct that they would not be covered normally.

[njkruzer]

4 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

Sounds like you already know this but as long as you include the air flights and hotels as part of your estimate total insured value, and list the dates, you should be covered.

 

Are you talking about last minute spontaneous add-ons? You would correct that they would not be covered normally.

Understand, but the insurance we used to purchase through the cruise line only covered the cruise.  At least that's what I understood.  I agree that if I purchased private insurance for a trip and included everything I would be covered.  The annual policy also covers our car trips that are more than 100 miles from home.

[Charles4515]

3 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

Sounds like you already know this but as long as you include the air flights and hotels as part of your estimate total insured value, and list the dates, you should be covered.

 

Same here I include the the hotels and air in the air cost estimate  in the dates when I buy third party insurance. Those are covered by the policies I buy. As I mentioned the independent private excursions I booked that were paid in advance were rembursed when I had to cancel. 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

2 hours ago, klfrodo said:

I doubt it's complimentary. I would imagine that the medical facility has a code that bills Royal in some shape or form. The medical contractor has to show revenue also.

Complimentary in the fact the patient doesn't see the bill.

Well, yea.  I personally don't care about the internal money movings a company goes through.  "Complimentary" in my mind means the end user doesn't pay.

2 hours ago, klfrodo said:

 

When it comes to ships, every department has a cost/revenue bucket that at the end of the voyage, their revenue has to be more than the costs. Those department costs are labor, meal and drink expenses for their employees, living space for the employees, materials, etc. Those departments would include but not limited to shops, dining venues, entertainers (thats why they run the scratch offs and bingo), beverage services, hotel services, and of course medical.

My daughter's accident was the first night of the cruise.  We ended up having two check ups later through the cruise.  Never got a charge to the room.  There's no way on the first night they know how their cost/revenue is going to be.  That seems a very strange thing to base a decision on whether to charge someone.

 

My injury was on the sports court doing a "sponsored RCI activity".  DD's was in the pool just on our own. I'm guessing, as PP said, for accidents on board the ship, the cost is covered.  Just like if you're at the grocery store, simply step wrong and sprain your ankle (no wet spot or anything), the store will generally cover the costs. 

[vacationlover_mn]

Way back in the olden days of like 15 years ago, hubby and I never got travel insurance.  Then, I heard the horror stories.  Now we always get “cancel for any reason + medical”.  True story- the night before my mom and I were to embark on her first cruise, she had horrible back pain, massive anxiety, and mentioned we might need to cancel.  Since we had “cancel for any reason”, I didn’t have to stress about any money loss, and assured her that it would be ok and we could just go later.  Thankfully, she felt better after some medication and rest, and we had a great trip 🙂

[monorail81]

7 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

I use Allianz and have an annual policy. However, my daughter had coverage through Kaiser Permanente.  My SIL is a state employee and their coverage is fantastic. 

That’s awesome!  I’m a Florida local govt employee and we have no such thing, sadly. Been using Nationwide cruise and thankfully haven’t needed to use it. 

[sadiwest]

2 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

Sounds like you already know this but as long as you include the air flights and hotels as part of your estimate total insured value, and list the dates, you should be covered.

 

Just to clarify you'd be covered for before/after the dates onboard if everything is booked through the cruiseline?  Does that generally mean booking/paying hotel stays or only if you're actively participating in activities offered by the cruise line? 

 

Thinking specifically of the land/sea tours in Alaska plus the two day prior arrival.