Hi All,
Of late my hubby has been having chest infections and UTI’s and generally not feeling well.
We have a cruise to the Caribbean booked for November but family are asking us are we sure we should be going. I must admit I am nervous about it but hubby is adamant he wants to go.
Is this wise as being taken ill on a ship is not something I feel happy with. What would hapen if he was taken ill?
Look forward to hearing from anyone who has experienced this.
Caz
I’ve never been on a cruise, but I think that they have medical staff as part of the crew? If you’re very worried about it, prob the best thing to do is to contact the operator of the cruise and ask them. Hopefully your husband will be feeling better by November
Luisa x
They do have nursing and medical staff on cruises, although how equipped they are to deal with things I don’t know. They may have a low tolerance for offloading to the nearest establishment on land. Speak to your GP. He should be able to give you some more useful advice based also on which countries you are visiting. He may also give you some invaluable advice on when to panic, maybe also some ‘just in case antibiotics’ depends on GP of course. A lot can happen between now and November. Ensure you have good medical insurance cover. Alternatively take me I am a nurse!!! Lol Hope you get your cruise and thoroughly enjoy it Julia
Hi Caz,
I have a friend that has severe breathing difficulties and requires permanent oxygen amongst other things. He used to regularly go on cruises. They always had medical staff on board and he said the care he received was second to none. He did have to be taken off when he was severely ill on one trip and he was transferred to a hospital in the states. You need to check that you have adequate medical insurance to cover all eventualities. Check with the cruise company as soon as possible, to make sure they are aware of any possible medical conditions. In my friend’s case, they were grateful to be well informed because it meant that they were well prepared. He was never declined a trip, but the insurance was pricey. Worth it though for peace of mind! I think cruises are great for poorly people because many of them are used to dealing with older clients who naturally come with more medical issues.
Boo
Caz,
Don’t cancel it - as he does seem to want to go - give him something to look forward to. The sea air would help his breathing. And your GP can give you a course of anti-biotics to take in case.
Did your husband have a SPCatheter done. l know he was advised to - from my experience it has been the best thing.
Marcus - on here has recently had one done - and seems to be getting on well with it. And you would find it such an improvement as his carer.
l am sure the medical care -onboard -will be excellent- and quite use to all eventualities. And the staff always ready to help you.
All the best
Frances
Hi Boo,
Yes proper medical insurance for MS has been brought but it still worries me… Hubby said if he gets ill just leave me in the cabin… He doesnt realise that when high temp and confused it is as if he is dying…Men!! LoL
Caz
Hi Boo,
Yes proper medical insurance for MS has been brought but it still worries me… Hubby said if he gets ill just leave me in the cabin… He doesnt realise that when high temp and confused it is as if he is dying…Men!! LoL
Caz
Hi Frances,
Wow you have a good memory…So far hubby doesn’t have the SP but we see the urology nurse in June and want to ask about it as it does sound the better idea…AQnd with hubby having more tremors in his hands ISC is becoming harder and harder.
Thanks again
caz
I’ve only got experience of cruising on relatively small ships (i.e. fewer than a thousand passengers, so quite tiny by today’s standards), but on the most recent cruise last month I happened to chat with two people who’d had to see the ship’s doctor:
the one gentleman had had to pay a £100 call-out fee plus drugs costs, which was charged to his cabin (credit card) account. He was assured that he’d automatically be given a receipt suitable for a travel/medical insurance claim, as well as the amounts appearing on his cabin account. No idea what was wrong with him and I didn’t like to ask! The doctor’s call-out fees varied between something like £60 for a visit to the ship’s medical centre during the day, up to £200 for a call-out to your cabin during the night.
a 92-year-old gentleman was very happy to tell me all the ins and outs (not that I actually asked!) of his bout of pneumonia, which all sounded rather severe. The ship’s doctor gave him antibiotics and was prepared to get him into a hospital on land (and leave him there) if he’d taken a turn for the worse, but didn’t feel the need to quarantine him - which is something that can happen with infectious things.
Given how many creaking and elderly folk inhabit cruise ships, I’m fairly confident that ship-board medical staff can deal with all ‘standard’ illnesses for a price - so a UTI or chest infection aren’t going to faze them in the slightest.
Furthermore, your pre-cruise information should tell you what you are/aren’t allowed to go on board with, e.g. recent tummy upsets will see you banned from travelling and having to claim on your travel insurance. This is comforting, because it should mean that nobody with anything horrid is travelling with you!
I hope these second-hand experiences give you a little more confidence in cruise ships’ medical facilities and that you have an absolutely amazing time and thoroughly enjoy yourselves
Lolli xx
Don’t know anything about costs. But definitely doctors on board. My last cruise went to a lecture about the staff and ship - amazing medical facilities. For peace of mind Ask your cruise company and be honest about concerns. Cruising is amazing I’m going again this year. Please don’t cancel Hugs Min xx
It’s a tricky one.
I have two points:
Insurance. I expect you have done this already, but just in case you haven’t … if your husband has been having chest infections/UTIs recently, you need to formally tell your insurer about this and get their agreement that expenses relating to such conditions will be covered. It is not enough that he was covered for MS when you took out the policy. If he has been having specific (albeit MS-related) troubles like chest infections since then, you MUST tell them about these or he will almost certainly not be covered for any related troubles while you are away, and the holiday could turn into a hideously expensive one.
GP advice. If he has had spells of illness, it is probably best to get a letter from the GP just before you go to say that the GP considers him fit to travel.
Despite all this gloom (!) I hope that all goes well, and you enjoy your holiday.
Alison
x