Where to get Medical Labs for Blood Work on Extended Cruises

[JBN]

Hello,

First post here so be gentle!

 

We are considering a World or similar (75+ days) cruise in 2025 or 2026.  While I am in relatively good health, I get my blood tested monthly (CBC, CMP), including a couple of more esoteric tests (tacrolimus level) due to being a transplant recipient.  What do cruisers do in my situation?  By any chance can the ship do relatively simple blood tests like a CBC?  For those in a similar situation, what are things I need to know?

 

If it matters, I am in the USA and have BCBS Federal insurance and can basically go anywhere worldwide though if out of network I will of course pay extra. 

 

Many thanks, John

[kokopelli-az]

First of all, what cruise line will you be on?    HAL and NCL both do routine blood testing (or at least they did in the past).   You will need to contact your cruise line's Special Needs or Access Department and inquire specifically with the cruise line.  You will need your doctor's orders.   

 

If you require a test they cannot do, you might be able to have it done at a local lab at your port stop(s).   

 

If you share more information (like cruise line and your itinerary) people on this board may be able to give you more specific answers.

 

PS:   If you haven't decided your cruise line yet, whether they can do routine blood testing might be a factor as to which cruise line you go with.  

[JBN]

Thanks for the reply.  As you guessed, we have not decided on a specific cruise yet as the blood labs are sort of a major factor in that if one line does assist with labs and another does not, that would be a factor. 

 

It is the "contact the special needs" department info we are looking for so I can verify what a particular line does and does not do. 

 

I figured I "probably" would be able to do labs in various ports as you mentioned.  Maybe not every 4 weeks like clockwork but 4-6 is usually OK unless I would start to reject in which case, we fly home or to the nearest transplant center which there are several internationally.  

 

Many thanks, John

[GeezerCouple]

20 hours ago, JBN said:

Hello,

First post here so be gentle!

 

We are considering a World or similar (75+ days) cruise in 2025 or 2026.  While I am in relatively good health, I get my blood tested monthly (CBC, CMP), including a couple of more esoteric tests (tacrolimus level) due to being a transplant recipient.  What do cruisers do in my situation?  By any chance can the ship do relatively simple blood tests like a CBC?  For those in a similar situation, what are things I need to know?

 

If it matters, I am in the USA and have BCBS Federal insurance and can basically go anywhere worldwide though if out of network I will of course pay extra. 

 

Many thanks, John

 

Welcome to CruiseCritic!

 

Especially if this is your first cruise (or first foreign trip), given your health issues, please consider getting travel insurance.  If you get the right policy for your needs, that should include coverage for medical treatment as well as for costs loss if illness interferes with your travels or requires that you head home early, etc.

 

You might want to browse through the travel insurance section of CC, as well as asking your own questions:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

 

Importantly, "pre-existing conditions" usually have a very different meaning in travel insurance policies than we usually think of in everyday life.  However, the *best* thing is to get a policy that does NOT exclude coverage for anything relating to pre-existing conditions at all.

We ALWAYS get this type of policy, and have never been questioned about whether any medical condition was "pre-existing"; it's just not relevant.

 

However, one *must* be "fit to travel" on the day one purchases the travel insurance policy.

And it's often the case that these policies must be purchased within 10-20 days of the FIRST trip payment (refundable or not).  There are some policies that allow later purchase, but be sure to double check.

 

We are among those here on CC who recommend

www.TripInsuranceStore.com

 

They are a travel insurance broker and work with several insurers, so there is a variety of policies they can help you to choose from.  They can also help with claims if you wish, should a claim be needed.

We have had several claims, including a few large ones, and all have been paid without difficulty.  TIS helped us to select the policies, and they helped us a bit with our first claim, and also with some difficulties we had overseas trying to continue our travels after some time in hospital.  We needed some special arrangements to get to the "next stop", and we did *not* want to go home, although that would have been covered, including all costs of the rest of the trip.

 

CALL them; talk to them.  They'll ask some questions to help them try to find the best policy for your specific needs and preferences, including your specific medical condition.

 

And ENJOY your cruise!

 

GC

[kokopelli-az]

16 minutes ago, JBN said:

 

 

It is the "contact the special needs" department info we are looking for so I can verify what a particular line does and does not do. 

 

 

Go to the website of the cruise line you are considering (or to different cruise line websites if you don't know which cruise line).   Do a search on "special needs" or something similar.   It should take you to that cruise line's special needs or accessibility page.  Search through it and you will find contact information for their Access Dept (a phone number plus an email address). 

 

You will have to actually contact the cruise line because your request will probably not be addressed with the more common special needs inquiries.    

 

If you get stuck locating this information on a cruise line's website, come back here and somebody on this board will be able to find contact information for you.

[JBN]

Thanks Kokopelli. 

[kokopelli-az]

Take a look here.  This is an older thread but as you can see, responders agree on contacting the cruise line directly:  

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2629017-need-blood-work-during-a-cruise/

 

You might also want to hop on over to the Disabled Cruise Board and post your question there:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

[JBN]

Thanks again.  I will definitely be calling/writing the various cruise lines before booking.  John

[Host Kat]

On 9/2/2024 at 5:48 PM, JBN said:

Hello,

First post here so be gentle!

 

We are considering a World or similar (75+ days) cruise in 2025 or 2026.  While I am in relatively good health, I get my blood tested monthly (CBC, CMP), including a couple of more esoteric tests (tacrolimus level) due to being a transplant recipient.  What do cruisers do in my situation?  By any chance can the ship do relatively simple blood tests like a CBC?  For those in a similar situation, what are things I need to know?

 

If it matters, I am in the USA and have BCBS Federal insurance and can basically go anywhere worldwide though if out of network I will of course pay extra. 

 

Many thanks, John

 

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