What I've learned this cruise (Visit to the infirmary!)

At the moment, I am sitting in my stateroom looking out at Bermuda!

Unfortunately, I am also wearing a hideous cast on my foot.

While on a guided tour, I stepped wrong and snap. The stairs were uneven and the ground at the bottom of the step was kind of dug out and irregular. Our guide said a woman split her knee open at that spot and that it had been brought to the attention of the government to fix. Anyways.

I got a nice tour of the infirmary. Very cool. They seem to be very well prepared. Since I was injured off the ship and not on a Carnival excursion, we had to pay for the service. $90 for a doctors visit. Total of $294 for doctors visit, x-rays, pain meds, and the cast. A fraction of what I would have paid in the states at an ER, but I was surprised that they didn't accept any kind of insurance. I was also surprised that everything was just charged to our sign and sail account.

Crutches could be rented for a $50 deposit. Crutches really aren't practical on a ship. Besides the fact that ones balance is compromised by the movement of the ocean, there is just an insane amount of walking. Still they are handy for getting around the room.

Ultimately, we rented a wheelchair as well. Not a motorized one, just a regular wheelchair. It cost $175 ($50 which is refunded after returning the chair).

We do have travel insurance. . . not really sure if they will cover anything or not. Guess we'll find out when we get home.

Anyways, it has been interesting!

Goodness, glad you are OK (sort of)! I'm sure it will be a hassle but enjoy what you can on the rest of the cruise... and you are right, cheaper than a trip to the ER.

Good attitude! And yes, I agree the cost of the infirmary is really great. Having had to use one once for our Son at 1:00 a.m., I understand. If you have health insurance, just submit the bill from the ship. We had most of it reimbursed to us by our insurance. Keep up the good spirits

So sorry to hear about your accident! :eek: Thank you for sharing your experience and giving a good review to the infirmary. We have had to visit a few times over the years for minor things (sons finger slammed in bathroom door...big OUCH!) and bandaids (which they charge for) and have always been impressed with the professional manner with which we were treated. Hope you aren't in much pain and are able to enjoy some of the time you have left on your cruise!

Too bad! What a way to spend your cruise. :(

How far are you into your trip?

So sorry to hear of your accident. Sounds like you will try to make the best of it, anyway! Don't worry about the bill - your travel insurance will definitely pick it up, though it may take a couple of weeks for you to get re-imbursed. You may have to put it thru your private insurance, first, and then the other insurance will kick in and pick up the rest. Make sure you get all the bills and documentation from the infirmary before you leave the ship. Hope you can enjoy the rest of your cruise without too much pain.

oh my goodness! sorry to hear about your accident and hope you can make the best of the rest of your cruise!

Glad you are doing better! On our Victory cruise we were sitting on our balcony watching people come back to ship. Lo and behold there are 2 guys and 1 female carrying another female . She couldn't walk at all.

Guessing she was hurt on an excursion. Saw her around the ship in a cast on her foot and in a wheel chair.

Not a good way to spend a vacation.

That's why at my age when people ask what excursion are you going to do I tell them Walk to the pool/and bars and do nothing more strenous than R & R.

Sorry to hear about the disappointment, pain and frustration. But so relieved that you have travel insurance. This is one of the basic things the insurance generally covers, so although it will be some hassle, you should have nothing to worry about it. If your insurance is PRIMARY, you need to file only with travel insurance. If it is SECONDARY (most are), you will have to file with your health insurance first. In the meantime, don't worry about, just get around as best you can and enjoy your cruise!

Since I was injured off the ship and not on a Carnival excursion, we had to pay for the service. $90 for a doctors visit. Total of $294 for doctors visit, x-rays, pain meds, and the cast. A fraction of what I would have paid in the states at an ER,

I think next time I hurt my ankle I'll just book a cruise and have it treated there. The whole cruise and treatment might be cheaper than our ER.

example:

My Ex took our daughter to the ER for a rash that had been around for about three weeks. She didn't use our Pediatrician so she wouldn't have to pay anything. Just had the ER bill sent to me...Anyway, the ER Doc looked at the rash, said he wasn't sure what was causing it, wrote a prescription for the itching and sent the bill for about $700. I took her to our Pediatrician. He told us what was wrong, said it would clear up in about a week and billed us $65.

If your travel ins. doesn't cover the medical (it should though) you can always bill your health insurance and they should cover the medical costs.

Glad you are ok and seem to be taking it in stride...Enjoy the remainder of your cruise...

Wow........

but good to know this information for sure

If your travel ins. doesn't cover the medical (it should though) you can always bill your health insurance and they should cover the medical costs.

Our private health insurance does not cover any out of country medical costs and it is very good coverage. I think most private insurance is the same. Medicare and Medicaid also don't cover out of country medical expenses.

Sorry this happened to you, but I'm SHOCKED at the pricing. I always assumed that visiting the cruise ship doctors would result in ridiculously inflated prices, so high that insurance would deny most of the claim. It's nice to know that the prices are actually affordable.

Sorry this happened to you, but I'm SHOCKED at the pricing. I always assumed that visiting the cruise ship doctors would result in ridiculously inflated prices, so high that insurance would deny most of the claim. It's nice to know that the prices are actually affordable.

Unfortunately DH has visited the infirmary on prior cruises. One time for severe breathing problems. All told, our pulmonologist told us - "Next time DH gets sick - take a cruise - the care they gave him was excellent and it's cheaper than here at home! :eek:" (We still laugh about it - but, good to know that the specialist said he wouldn't have handled it any different - gives us peace of mind).

We had travel insurance (including medical). Took approximately 2 weeks for that insurer to reimburse - full costs - of medical treatment aboard.

Thanks for sharing OP. Sorry about your accident but it sounds like you are making the best of it.

I've only been down to the ship infirmary once & that was to get large bandaids (scraped my shin on the the rocks while snorkeling...got caught up watching my son & not the rocks). The rental shack on the beach gave me a couple of small ones until I got back to the ship. I ALWAYS carry a small first air kit when we travel but we totally left it home. They "gave" me enough to last the entire cruise.

If your travel ins. doesn't cover the medical (it should though) you can always bill your health insurance and they should cover the medical costs.

Many Health Insurances don't cover "out-of-country" altho many may reimburse at the lower "out-of-network" rate. ken

So sorry to hear of your accident. Sounds like you will try to make the best of it, anyway! Don't worry about the bill - your travel insurance will definitely pick it up, though it may take a couple of weeks for you to get re-imbursed. You may have to put it thru your private insurance, first, and then the other insurance will kick in and pick up the rest. Make sure you get all the bills and documentation from the infirmary before you leave the ship. Hope you can enjoy the rest of your cruise without too much pain.

I wonder how this would work with my insurance. I have to pay a hefty deductable (more than the bill), so I would pay that (essentially pay twice) and then file a claim with my travel insurance and be reimbursed?????

OP, I'm sorry that you were injured, but glad to hear that the ships infirmary was able to get you casted.....I would suggest though that you see an orthopedic doctor upon your return...I'm sure that the ship physician did an okay job, but it would be worth it to me to have a specialist reconfirm that it was realigned and casted properly.

sorry to hear. usually i hear of people getting hurt in bermuda on mopeds.

At the moment, I am sitting in my stateroom looking out at Bermuda!

 

Unfortunately, I am also wearing a hideous cast on my foot.

 

While on a guided tour, I stepped wrong and snap. The stairs were uneven and the ground at the bottom of the step was kind of dug out and irregular. Our guide said a woman split her knee open at that spot and that it had been brought to the attention of the government to fix. Anyways.

 

I got a nice tour of the infirmary. Very cool. They seem to be very well prepared. Since I was injured off the ship and not on a Carnival excursion, we had to pay for the service. $90 for a doctors visit. Total of $294 for doctors visit, x-rays, pain meds, and the cast. A fraction of what I would have paid in the states at an ER, but I was surprised that they didn't accept any kind of insurance. I was also surprised that everything was just charged to our sign and sail account.

 

Crutches could be rented for a $50 deposit. Crutches really aren't practical on a ship. Besides the fact that ones balance is compromised by the movement of the ocean, there is just an insane amount of walking. Still they are handy for getting around the room.

 

Ultimately, we rented a wheelchair as well. Not a motorized one, just a regular wheelchair. It cost $175 ($50 which is refunded after returning the chair).

 

We do have travel insurance. . . not really sure if they will cover anything or not. Guess we'll find out when we get home.

 

Anyways, it has been interesting!

Your travel insurance should cover it. It will depend on which coverage plan you purchased. Who did you buy through? Just make sure you get copies of all the receipts and reports so that you can send it in with your claim.

That is awful about your accident! :( If you have travel insurance you MAY have to go through your regular insurance first and if they refuse to pay, travel insurance should cover it. Depends on what kind of travel insurance you bought but usually they will cover injuries during travel, from my experience/knowledge.

Wow, what a way to spend a vacation. Your travel insurance should cover any medical expenses that your own medical insurance won't cover.

A few years ago I developed shingles while on a cruise. Medicare is our primary insurance and that doesn't cover anything outside the USA. The medical staff on the ship gave me a receipt detailing what was done and the cost of treatment and medicine.

I had to submit a claim to the insurance company and because they knew Medicare didn't cover the expenses, we received a check for all the costs within a couple of weeks.

If you do have to submit your claim to your regular insurance, if you get a rejection for payment, you will need to submit a copy to the insurance company. Good luck and I hope you are feeling better soon.

Agree... between regular health insurance & travel insurance, everything should be covered & OP reimbursed. I know this firsthand from our visit to the infirmary a few years ago after my DH had a heart attack on board. The infirmary staff saved his life.

I'm just glad things are as okay as possible and that you were not hospitalized in port. I look at the costs of this type of situation as just a part of life. At least you were not seriously-life threatening injured.