TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE

[Coralc]

1 hour ago, sadiwest said:

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.  

 

The Cruise Line may have updated the policies provided by their insurance carrier, but last time I looked at a policy, it was cruise only. No flights unless booked with Air2Sea and no hotels. No optional pre or post cruise days. 

 

Land/Sea in Alaska booked through the cruise line is different, and coverage should be included for the entire dates of your trip. (But check on airline coverage) Or better yet, ask on the Travel Insurance board. Link: Cruise/Travel Insurance - Cruise Critic Community

Edited February 18 by Coralc

[birdofsong]

I never had insurance until my parents told me their friend had to be airlifted off of an Alaskan cruise.  Now I get it every time.  I think most of us don't think about having a medical event on a vacation.

 

That being said, I'm sure that OP and her husband were upset, disoriented, felt alone, and a bit helpless in a place so far away from home.  I don't think, regardless of insurance, any of us would feel any different.  I hope you don't give upon cruising, OP.  It really can be a marvelous experience.  What happened to you was terrible, but not indicative of any particular cruise line or vacation experience.  It was an unfortunate occurrence, and all of us have many of those in our lifetime.  

[Gwendy]

I have spent literally thousands on travel insurance over the years.  Only time I thought to use it was when I dropped my camera out of a canoe in PNG. After excess and depreciation it was not worth it.

Accidents can happen to anyone, young lady, fit and healthy stepped back at a park in Noumea.  There was a concrete drain, she broke her ankle and ad to be repatriated to Australia.

I wish there was a no claim bonus.  My premiums are getting larger, even though no claims, because I am I my 70’s and have existing health conditions, managed with medications.

[BirdTravels]

On 2/16/2024 at 5:48 PM, 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. 

You were probably. Interviewed by the ship’s Risk Management Officer. They would assess the potential liability of the cruise line and determine who pays for the treatment. 
 

We were on a RCCL ShoreEx in St Thomas and our “taxi” (open air safari truck) was in an accident and we were thrown forward into the seats in front of us. All of our medical treatment was free. 

[Engineroom Snipe]

14 hours ago, sadiwest said:

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.  

Please refer to @Coralc post following mine. It is a very accurate answer. I will not duplicate it.

[Engineroom Snipe]

9 hours ago, Gwendy said:

I wish there was a no claim bonus.  My premiums are getting larger, even though no claims, because I am I my 70’s and have existing health conditions, managed with medications.

 

Yes, while the insurance does not change for the calculated "hard" portions of our trip (airfare, hotels, cabin fare, and excursions), They raise it upon our age since we might have more difficulties if we get injured.

 

I wish we could get some "no-accident" forgiveness based on our previous trips but that would probably mean we would be heavily penalized once we had one and no longer be able to get insurance.

 

It can be tough getting long in the tooth.

 

At least we can celebrate we got here to be "penalized".

 

🤣

[mjkacmom]

17 hours ago, vacationlover_mn said:

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 🙂

I though CFAR only paid out like 75% of the cost.

[Another_Critic]

16 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I though CFAR only paid out like 75% of the cost.

Royal CFAR is 90% FCC.

[Engineroom Snipe]

50 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

Royal CFAR is 90% FCC.

I agree and I am not posting anymore because I think we are getting into more of a travel insurance post which has a thread of its own.

 

Insurance is just that, we buy it because it covers situations we hope to never need.

 

Don't buy, there might be a day you really need it.

 

Buy it and don't use it, you feel like you wasted money after enough years.

[BND]

On 2/16/2024 at 1:01 PM, MommaBear55 said:

As someone who was an ED provider, your husband got exactly the care that was needed. Surgery after fracture is often delayed and is not deleterious, the surgery was actually not a medical emergency. In a US ED, that bill could easily have been $5,000.

Who was supposed to pack up all the stuff in your stateroom? The staff does it under supervision from security. Once you are off the ship, you are actually not Royal's responsibility. 

The fact that you didn't buy trip insurance is on you. You've learned a very hard and expensive lesson. Royal doesn't need to refund you anything for your lost days. 

But I am truly sorry for the whole situation. It must have been very scary to be in a foreign country and trying to navigate all this while worried about your husband. Hopefully he will recover quickly.

This.  I broke my fibula (near the ankle) a few years ago near our home.  I was taken by ambulance to our hospital ER.  I was given pain meds (both by the EMT's and later in the ER), x-rayed, dislocated ankle and kneecap put back into place (thank God for Propofol) and sent  home in a split.  I then saw the OS three days later and had surgery (titanium plate that I still have) a week after that because he wanted the swelling to go down because it lessens the risk of infection.  No idea what the bill was because it was 100% covered through primary and secondary insurance, but I'm sure it wasn't cheap.  We have never cruised without insurance and were reimbursed for the cruise we were supposed to go on two months after my injury because we cancelled.   Anyone who has had Royal pack up their room aren't asked permission and as you said, it's done under supervision of security.  It's actually nice that they do it as it's one less thing for the guest to worry about.  As someone who has been splinted, this man would not have wanted to get back on the ship and deal with all the issues that come along with a break like that.  

[silversneakers]

On 2/16/2024 at 11:06 AM, MVP2024 said:

We were so excited to set sail on our first ever cruise with a great social group we are affiliated with. We set sail out of Tampa, FL on 2/8. 24 hours into our trip my husband fractured his leg on the sports court. We were “treated” ( I use that term loosely because they just did an xray and splinted his leg) and were charged almost $1,200 for this. They “treated” us down in medical and sent us back up to our room for the night, we were then forced off the ship the next morning on 2/10 (19 hours after the accident) where we were taken by ambulance to the local Cozumel hospital and were told by the cruise line that the doctor had to clear us in order to get back on the ship. Long story short the doctor did not clear us to get back on the ship because my husband needed surgery on his leg. Royal Caribbean took it upon themselves to pack all of our belongings up without getting permission from us (this alone was very violating). We were stuck in Cozumel by ourselves with zero support from Royal Caribbean and we had to find transport back to the states in order for my husband to get surgery. We were stuck in Cozumel for 3 days prior to having to pay out of pocket for an air ambulance back to Tampa. Hard lesson learned from our end to ALWAYS buy travel insurance. But also shame on Royal Caribbean for zero support to their customers. I am now having to fight to get some money back since we only were on the ship for 2 days. Also side note the ship returned to port a full day before we were able to get back. My question is, how bad does an injury have to be for Royal to medivac someone off their ship. Thankfully my husband and I had the support of friends and family and were able to return to the states but I know there are people in this world that would have been stuck for much longer. Not sure I will ever cruise with Royal ever again

I'm sorry that happened to you but yes, travel insurance is a must. I'm surprised to hear RCL did not have Care Team support for you during your stay and provide support assistance (not pay for) to you. I am aware they have very good Care Team training and support and I'm sorry if that was not provided to you.  Hopefully your husband is recovering nicely.

[LeeW]

On 2/16/2024 at 3:48 PM, 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. 

 

This is what I would have expected - the Royal app in the medical section indicates that an injury on the ship is treated at no charge.  Likewise gastro illness and covid.  

[broadwaybaby123]

While I sympathize, there's a few things you need to understand, should you decide to cruise again on ANY line:

 

1.) I think you understand the need for Travel Insurance at this point because of what happened.

 

2.) If Royal wasn't negligent, they don't have to pay for medical bills. Why would they if they didn't cause the accident in the first place? If they were negligent, then that's a different story. 

 

3.) Think of their medical facilities like Urgent Care at home. They don't provide all the services necessary for healthcare, as they aren't full-service hospitals. This is stated in your Cruise Contract that you signed when you purchased the tickets. Even the staff may not be licensed to give certain types of care. Minor ailments and injuries sure, but surgeries generally can't be treated on a ship. For example, I had a sinus infection prior to a cruise, which only got worse on the ship (yes, I saw my doctor prior to the trip). Marched myself down to the Infirmary and got amoxicillin, the same thing my doctor would have given me.

 

Sure they may be able to do X-rays, but even then, some issues may not show until the swelling went down. If it requires surgery, the most they can do is splint it.

 

4.) I understand most cruisers may not know to contact the port agent in an emergency, but unless the ship hears from you, they have no clue what your wishes are. If you didn't want them to pack your things, it's up to you to find a way to contact them. They were nice enough to pack your things for you so that you'd have them at the hospital. 

 

5.) Medevacs are usually used for life threatening situations. In my 32 cruises, I've only seen them medevac 2 people for one incident. Plus, they're looking for the fastest way to get you to a hospital, which was likely by ambulance, especially if you were in port. 

 

 

[bestcee]

On 2/16/2024 at 12:23 PM, klfrodo said:

Just as when you get lost in the back country or find yourself injured on a mountain top and need helicopter evacuation.

Maybe. Federally: No, you aren't on the hook. States? Maybe. Some states have laws that will bill you if they find you were negligent. Other states have laws that if you were in out of bounds areas, you will be billed for the rescue. It can vary. 

[Coralc]

Reading this again. Even if the husband had been medevaced from the ship, he still would have been taken to...Cozumel. 

[sdrocks]

Hopefully there is an accident/incident report filled out.  I'm surprised they are charging you for medical.

When I broke my arm on the cruise going to the gym I was not charged anything and I had conscious sedation to set my fractured wrist.

When I got home I needed surgery and my insurance company took all the information of the incident and were seeking  insurance reimbursement from Royal Caribbean.  I was not involved in that process, the insurance company did it all.  I don't know the resolution but I never paid anything out of pocket.

And I had travel insurance. Perhaps your insurance (Medical) will be involved ?  Just have good documentation and details.