Thread: Have you ever been ill on a ship?

Fortunately we didn't get sick on our last cruise.

Originally Posted by hanna

Yes, twice with bronchitis. I do believe the temperature on the ship in the public areas is too cold. In and out of the sun and then into the cold air. No wonder!

For the past several years every time we cruise I come back with bronchitis!

My pulmonoligist tells me I absolutely must avoid temperature extremes. That's almost impossible to completely do while cruising. He even gives me antibiotics to take along with me to begin taking if needed before returning home.

We have two cruises booked. If I return home from them with bronchitis, we will probably quit cruising.

My hubby kept getting ill around the third day or so during cruises. He did some research at one point and found some studies about bacteria in water. So for a few cruises he brought his own bottled water onboard and made coffee and tea in the cabin to bring to meals, etc.

This last cruise he didn't make his own coffee but he stayed out of the ocean. He didn't get sick.

Interesting. I know drinking local water makes some people sick but I never heard of salt water doing so.

Originally Posted by nealberk

Interesting. I know drinking local water makes some people sick but I never heard of salt water doing so.

"Water, water everywhere ... but not a drop to drink ...."

Something to do with bacteria -- maybe it's from sea creatures.

No, I have never been ill on ships.

I read some of the posts on here and see where there were questions about travel insurance. Thought I would address that issue for those who may still have questions about it.

First, there are two types of travel coverage; one is travel protection and the other is travel insurance. Make sure you know what you're purchasing because there is a big difference in the two. I wrote a post about the differences here; http://www.cruiselinefans.com/ask-tr...ou-need-47524/

The main difference is that travel protection is not governed by the State Insurance Commission.

Now, as for whether the travel insurance is primary or secondary coverage depends on the company and the policy. Most of them sold today are secondary. But both are available, so you need to do your homework and decide which one is best for you. If you have good health coverage, then a secondary travel insurance policy might be your best alternative. Some health coverages do not cover issues outside of the U.S. - in that case, you'll want to get a travel policy that is primary coverage.

We had a client who had secondary coverage and got sick on the ship. They submitted the claim to their primary health plan, which was denied. They sent a copy of the denial letter to the travel insurance company and were reimbursed for their expenses. Takes a while and is a little more of a hassle, but it's better to have it than not have anything at all.

As for getting sick on a ship, we've been really lucky. In 41 cruises, we've only needed the doctor once - evidently, I got an ear infection just before we left and it got worse while on the ship. Had to see the doctor ($95) and get an antibiotic ($110). But my health insurance plan reimbursed me, so I never had to submit a claim to the travel insurance company.

For those who have never needed the ship's doctor, they will bill your onboard account, which gets charged to your credit card at the end of the cruise. Most of the time, you'll then need to submit all the paperwork to your health carrier for reimbursement. If they don't/won't pay, then you need to submit it to the travel insurance.

Pete

Sorry to hear about your respiratory problems. I sometimes am freezing in the casino and then very hot in other areas. I guess that it is hard to regulate the temperature onboard. I really hope that you don't have to stop cruising because of you health problems. Gloria

I am almost afraid to write this but I have so far never been sick on a cruise. Once I did have seasickness due to extremely high waves but just skipped a meal & then was fine. I use had sanitizers a lot. Maybe that helps. Gloria