crisvow Posted July 20, 2007 #1 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Does anyone know what types of dr's they have on board and how the facilities are? I am traveling in Jan. 08' with my infant son and just wanted to know how the services are in case we find ourselves needing it. Any feedback would be appreciated! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted July 20, 2007 #2 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Medical services onboard the cruiseships are outsourced to another company. I've seen people warn parents that cruiseships aren't equipped to deal with real emergencies with children. But we did have a real emergency on Disney (our youngest seized after getting a virus onboard) and although they DID have trouble finding the right dosages for her size and things to fit her...they made it work. The 2 doctors onboard that ship were ER doctors from Australia and they were awesome. I have seen many different posts about emergencies onboard and they all seem to have the same theme, the doctors ARE competent. In our case the ship's captain made the decision to take the entire ship back to Port Canaveral a little early so that our daughter could get evacuated to Port Canaveral Medical Center. And in a non emergency, the medical centers all carry the same medicines that you would need to treat things like ear infections and coughs if you child develops a cold while onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry's Girls Posted July 20, 2007 #3 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I cruised with my husband aboard RCI a few times while he was battling late stage cancer, and the doctors were first rate in dealing with any needs that came up. The facilities were very good. Best, Mia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoniqueS Posted July 21, 2007 #4 Share Posted July 21, 2007 On my last 2 cruises, ppl I was travelling with had medical emergencies...one broken leg and one major cut leg with pre-existing conditions complicating things (long story!) and the medical care was top notch....just really expensive! This was for adult care though...not children. Cheers! Monique Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy99 Posted July 21, 2007 #5 Share Posted July 21, 2007 My father in law was just on a RCCL and had a medical problem. They handled it very well. He is on blood thinners for only about two months and all of a sudden on the ship he started bleeding and couldn't stop it. He went to see the Dr on the ship and they were great. They did blood work on the spot and saw that (maybe because of his change in diet on the cruise) The blood thinners he was on were reacting differently in his system and he needed to lower his dose. They did everything they needed to get him all fixed up. He was very impressed with the whole thing and after getting back home and going over what happened with his Dr, His Family Dr said the Dr on the ship did everything right and left him on the lower dose that the Dr on the ship prescribed. The only down side to the whole thing is that it wasn't cheap... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crisvow Posted July 21, 2007 Author #6 Share Posted July 21, 2007 thanks for the replies! Glad to hear all the positive feedback! You never know what could happen! Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted July 21, 2007 #7 Share Posted July 21, 2007 And to add about it being expensive. Just be prepared to pay for any medical fees before you leave the ship. We were just REALLY lucky to have credit on a credit card to cover the expenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted July 21, 2007 #8 Share Posted July 21, 2007 This points out the need for travel insurance with medical coverage and medical evacuation coverage. Also dental. Roz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelitis Posted July 22, 2007 #9 Share Posted July 22, 2007 But will travel insurance cover the ship's infirmary? Some insurance will cover only ER's when traveling, and the ship's infirmary doesn't count as an ER (at least not for ours). I'd really like to know this, because it might be worthwhile for us to get coverage if it covered the ship's medical facility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted July 22, 2007 #10 Share Posted July 22, 2007 But will travel insurance cover the ship's infirmary? Some insurance will cover only ER's when traveling, and the ship's infirmary doesn't count as an ER (at least not for ours). I'd really like to know this, because it might be worthwhile for us to get coverage if it covered the ship's medical facility. Our travel insurance didn't cover anything. It was ridiculous. We paid out of pocket for everything until we got back in the states and our health insurance took over. So be VERY careful when choosing travel insuarance. I learned my lesson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted July 22, 2007 #11 Share Posted July 22, 2007 My travel insurance (separate from my BC/BS at work) covers the ship's infirmary. Go to the Insure My Trip website to compare policies. I wouldn't get a ship with children if I didn't have coverage for the infirmary and med evac. Roz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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