Are there medical services on board a cruise?

[Rex]

Are there medical services on board a cruise?

[sue miller]

Yes, there is a doctor and nurse on board. Most, if not all, have the latest state of the art equipment. On Princess, they have the tv monitor that connects to a west coast hospital, and the doctors there can see everything that the ship doctor sees, and can recommend treatment!!

[isujim]

Some smaller cruise lines DO NOT..............mass market lines usually do have.

[canarymoon]

On the Zenith last month, I must say that my DH got GREAT medical care from Dr. Thummer. He was terriffic!

After DH had what he called 'stomach pains,' which it turned out were accompanied by high (spiking) blood pressure, Dr Thummer wouldn't release him from the infirmary until after the THIRD EKG confirmed he was OK. THEN he left a stint in his arm for 24 hours, and did a follow-up the following day just to be sure.

AND Dr. Thummer, a very engaging Austrian, put us right at ease with his manner, and comfortable with the level of attention and medical care he provided. What a sweetie he was!

[Chudley]

On the Zenith last month, I must say that my DH got GREAT medical care from Dr. Thummer. He was terriffic!

After DH had what he called 'stomach pains,' which it turned out were accompanied by high (spiking) blood pressure, Dr Thummer wouldn't release him from the infirmary until after the THIRD EKG confirmed he was OK. THEN he left a stint in his arm for 24 hours, and did a follow-up the following day just to be sure.

AND Dr. Thummer, a very engaging Austrian, put us right at ease with his manner, and comfortable with the level of attention and medical care he provided. What a sweetie he was!

Canarymoon, I'm very impressed, I've never had the occasion to use them, wouldn't even know where to find them but I've heard the service is very limited. You've changed my opinion, thank you.

[canarymoon]

Of course, when I checked my sea-pass account the next day, I'm sure my blood pressure took a little leap as well. The infimary bill was right at a grand.

A good case for cruise insurance, which, thankfully, we routinely purchase.

[Chudley]

Canary, I've heard that, also. We always buy insurance. It's so inexpensive for what it could end up costing you in the long run. My TA told me an airlift off of a cruise ship runs about $25K. I don't know if that's true, but I'm not going to chance it

[Mai Tai Mama]

Ditto ... to cruise insurance. It's a must...just consider it part of the cost of the cruise and don't leave home without it!

[canarymoon]

RE insurance:

You can get it through the cruise line (at least RCL, I know) or through your TA.

If you want to purchase it separately, check out www.insuremytrip.com
This web site allows you to compare the coverages from different companies, then select and purchase the one you want.

If there are health considerations, be sure to check out how they treat coverage of pre-existing conditions. Some cover, some do not. In any case, you need to purchase the insurance near the time (number of days vary by company) as when you put down your initial deposit to get pre-existing condition coverage.

NOTE: Medicare and also many employer-sponsored work plans do NOT cover medical expenses incurred OFF US soil.

[Cammie10]

We used the medical facilities on the Dawn Princess this March and were quite impressed with their care.The whole centre looked very high tech and efficient. My husband had a very high fever and cold symptoms. He was seen almost immediately and a prescription given. The cost in Canadian was $96.00 including the prescription. I thought that was not too bad.