Princess Sailaway Dinner food poisoning

[Cruisefan2014]

The crew member that jumped off the previous cruise had nothing to do with this current cruise. I meant to convey that the last two cruises weren't the best experiences, that's all.

Also I only had questions regarding this illness since I got it the first night of the cruise and was so bad and questions regarding the treatment i got.

Yes the doctor did say that it could be cancer but didn't have a cat scan onboard to check along with the marijuana withdrawal diagnosis as a culprit.

I'm not after any financial settlement, I always have taken in consideration I could have ate something the few days before and it didn't kick in until the first night of the cruise about an hour after I ate. I dry heaved for days since I couldn't vomit anything.

I was just wondering if the page long bill for all the IVs and tests and stuff were necessary since they didn't find anything and just treated it for Gastro Illness since that is obvious what it was.

Oh well the whole experience sucked. I spent most of the cruise in bed are standing in a shower trying to make the nausea go away. It was the worst illness in my life

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...I flew in two days before and felt fine...

 

Sorry for your bad cruise experience. Two days is more or less how long Norovirus takes to develop after exposure, so it could very well be that you picked it up (or some other bug) on the plane and became symptomatic shortly after boarding the ship.

 

I used to take my chances and travel without insurance, but I no longer do. If you had been evacuated to a land-based hospital, as Cindy mentioned in a previous post, your bill might have skyrocketed beyond the $1100 you were charged. So, in a way, you might consider yourself lucky this time, as strange as it sounds.

 

I hope any future cruises are more pleasant!

Edited April 9, 2015 by SoCal Cruiser78

[Cruisefan2014]

Anyway I am totally losing sleep over this today anyway.

I do agree with all of you that it could have been something I got the day before and it didn't come on until that night.

Is there a positive test for Norovirus?They did say they were treating me as that and quarantined me.

Whatever it was it was really bad. by ten or so that night I was vomiting horriblely and taken by paramedics in the early hours of the morning to be treated and didn't get off the IVs til that afternoon.

That wanted to take my blood again each time I came back too but I refused. I did try to refuse the tests, IV etc initially when I got therebut they indicated they would send me back to the cabin and do nothing for the bad stomach heaves and vomiting if I didnt

[ldlewis45]

OP, it sounds far more likely that you either had a severe case of flu or the norovirus. Just because you became sick on a Princess ship, doesn't mean that they are the cause of your illness.

[GUT2407]

I didn't find out the outcome til today almost four months later. Also my insurance doesn't cover foriegn.

Also the medical care wasn't that good after I talked to others about the treatment with all the blood test etc and how they treated it.

I still left the medical center and dry heaved in my cabin for days.

It was unfortunate that I got sick during dinner and was horribly ill pretty much the whole trip after coming off a cruise where the crew member jumped off.

Really makes me think twice about cruising even though we were loyal Princess costumer for years.

 

 

Funny on the other thread you said your insurer needed more info from Princess.

 

And how do you know the treatment wasn't that good?

[GUT2407]

The crew member that jumped off the previous cruise had nothing to do with this current cruise. I meant to convey that the last two cruises weren't the best experiences, that's all.

Also I only had questions regarding this illness since I got it the first night of the cruise and was so bad and questions regarding the treatment i got.

Yes the doctor did say that it could be cancer but didn't have a cat scan onboard to check along with the marijuana withdrawal diagnosis as a culprit.

I'm not after any financial settlement, I always have taken in consideration I could have ate something the few days before and it didn't kick in until the first night of the cruise about an hour after I ate. I dry heaved for days since I couldn't vomit anything.

I was just wondering if the page long bill for all the IVs and tests and stuff were necessary since they didn't find anything and just treated it for Gastro Illness since that is obvious what it was.

Oh well the whole experience sucked. I spent most of the cruise in bed are standing in a shower trying to make the nausea go away. It was the worst illness in my life

 

 

So you fall over, Dr orders and X-Ray because your arm is swollen, it's not broken, so you don't want to pay?

 

Same thng, the tests showed nothing so you don't want to pay.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

My wife came don't with similar symptoms on a Princess cruise & it lasted for a little over 1 1/2 days. We inquired with the medical dept to ask if any others had reported the same conditions (thinking it was food poisoning) and although they wouldn't tell me if there were others, they keep her confined to the cabin for 48 hours with anything she wanted from a limited menu for the first day & from the standard menu on the second day.

Although we had insurance I told them upfront that we were questioning them only out of curiosity & not for any treatment. We never received any bill even though they did examine her twice. I still suspect that it was food poisoning & there must have been others that came down with it even through they wouldn't say.

[pompeii]

My teen-aged son contracted salmonella on a (non-Princess) cruise years ago. He decided to be adventurous and try an oyster, and became very ill with diarrhea about a day and a half later, which happened to be disembarkation morning. At the time we thought it was noro, but it got worse after we got home and the tests showed salmonella. He spent a couple of nights in the hospital. Although we are pretty sure of what made him sick (he was the only one of us who ate an oyster) we didn't seek anything from the cruise line because we couldn't be positive. He had eaten lunch at a restaurant in port so it's possible he got something there, although the doctor pin-pointed the oyster as the likely culprit.

 

I am only relating our experience to show the time line and symptoms. In other words, it took hours to come on, and the main symptom was diarrhea, not so much vomiting, which is true of many types of food poisoning.

[BratDet]

As others have stated, if your medical insurance does not cover you at any point during your cruise because you are out of your country, get travel insurance. I NEVER cruise without it

 

Additionally, IF my husband or I have had recent blood work...since I always get copies- I bring them with me. Last summer, I cruised Carribean with copies of my labs. This summer, I will be bringing a flash drive with my husbands entire file due to a recent severe, sudden illness.

 

I advise bringing paper copies of labs, or take pics, or save to file on computer, or add to flash drive

because a Dr. can compare them to new lab work, as they are trying to get to a diagnosis.

 

If you were refusing future lab work, despite still being ill- that was foolhardy.

 

Some labs can indicate, you are getting worse and need more medical attention than they can give....

 

I hope you are fully recovered.

Now that you have experienced the extreme $$$ you have to pay as a result of medically self-insuring yourself for a cruise- you will buy cruise insurance. Imagine the bill if you had to be medically evacuated off the ship....

 

Bernadette

[Iamcruzin]

I just want to add that the OP is making a mockery of the medical facility on Princess ships. Unknown to us, my son had fractured his wrist the day before we left. He told us it was a sprain. On the first day at sea his wrist blew up and we took him to the medical center. They took x-rays and set his arm in a cast. A few days later when the swelling went down they reset it. They sent us home with a CD of the x-rays to show our orthopedist. All of this cost $400. Our orthopedist who removed the cast told us that the Doctor on the ship did and excellent job setting the wrist. He charged my insurance company $1200 for that visit just to remove the cast and to take x-rays. Sad thing is I had Princess insurance and never thought to submit the claim. I couldn't believe how little Princess charged. My wife spent that much on her nails and hair in the salon.

[CI66774]

OP - sorry you got sick. However, it's really impossible now to determine where it originated. Hopefully, you purchased cruise/travel insurance in addition to your regular medical insurance and will be reimbursed. If not, I'm sorry to say you learned a hard lesson. Most medical plans limit (or don't pay for) foreign services unless life-threatening (obviously varies policy to policy). However, had you purchased cruise insurance, it might very well have paid for your medical services.

 

I say chalk it up to an unfortunate illness (we've all had them) and move on. It's highly unlikely any attorney would take on your case (damages appear to be de minimis). Good luck.

[hm9912]

It sounds to me like you became ill on a cruise, had to seek medical care, and you're now either looking for Princess to reimburse you for the services, or trying to find a way to blame Princess for your illness to pursue legal action.:(

 

If you know your medical insurance won't cover you outside the U.S., then you can either purchase travel insurance or choose to roll the dice and realize you'll have to cover the costs if you get sick. I think you should be thankful you didn't require a medical evacuation for your illness and you're only out $1,100.

 

The way I see it from the information you've provided, is you're looking for somebody to accept responsibility because you chose to travel without insurance.:mad:

 

Well said Cindy!

 

Totally agree with you.

Anyone who travels and fails to take out proper insurance should not be complaining when they get sick.

 

Howard

[PescadoAmarillo]

Just about the only issue we read about here on CC for which I can not generate an ounce of sympathy is cruising without travel insurance and then expecting the cruise line to make concessions. It actually angers me. We pay $1000s each year in travel insurance; what is the point if Princess makes exceptions to its own policies when someone has an issue?

 

With an illness such as the OP describes, there is no proof that Princess was in any way the causative factor. A patient always has the right to refuse treatment or tests. The time to raise a fuss was when they were suggested.

[julie3fan]

She told me a few different times I may be going through " Marijuana Withdrawals" and that was what was causing the violent illness. I don't have much experience at all with drugs or alcohol besides this so was real shocked when she tried to give me that diagnosis.

 

OP, it sounds like maybe you are a (medical?) marijuana user. Is this for a medical condition that maybe presented some new symptons that just happened to start on your cruise? Or maybe caused/exacerbated from stopping your marijuana treatment??

[RDC1]

marijuana withdrawal can have physical manifestations, including nausea. Other symptoms that can occur are headaches, cramps, shaking, dizziness, etc.

[AE_Collector]

And how do you know the treatment wasn't that good?

 

Others said so.....

 

Also the medical care wasn't that good after I talked to others about the treatment with all the blood test etc and how they treated it.

[Viesczy]

Little late to the convo...

 

I'm sorry that you had a terrible cruise experience, would you have preferred no assistance? You reached out for help and they gave the help you requested.

 

Pay the bill.

 

The lessons you should learn from this are 2.

 

1) Don't eat the cockroaches... that's all lobsters/crabs/shrimp are and what sane person wants to eat bottom dwelling bugs that mill about in excrement?

 

2) Unless the bone is sticking out with an artery cut, you tough it out.

[Cruisefan2014]

I was taken down from my room to the Medical Center by a paramedic who had come to the room and saw I was ill, gave me a shot of something, I did not feel better and the paramedic came back a short time later to take me to the Medical Center.

I do have my regular insurance and still unclear if they cover. They said they did for cruise ship illness if I paid in American dollars but are saying I'm missing info they need from Princess and Princess only sends me a copy of the bill.

Amazing there are some people claiming I'm a " troll" who is making all this up!

I came on this board to ask a question to see if other people have had this experience, and I agree with the people who say there is no way to know for sure where I got.

Regarding the marijuana, when the doctor asked me if I drank or had taken any drugs I said that I did smoke pot sometimes and have years. As far as drugs and alcohol go don't like alcohol so haven't drank since the 80s and don't use any other type of drugs. I was told by the doctor on three different visits that it is probably marijuana withdrawal which just seems absurd to me.

That is one reason why I was so skeptical of the bill given that kind of medical advise.

[kruisey]

I was taken down from my room to the Medical Center by a paramedic who had come to the room and saw I was ill, gave me a shot of something, I did not feel better and the paramedic came back a short time later to take me to the Medical Center.

I do have my regular insurance and still unclear if they cover. They said they did for cruise ship illness if I paid in American dollars but are saying I'm missing info they need from Princess and Princess only sends me a copy of the bill.

Amazing there are some people claiming I'm a " troll" who is making all this up!

I came on this board to ask a question to see if other people have had this experience, and I agree with the people who say there is no way to know for sure where I got.

Regarding the marijuana, when the doctor asked me if I drank or had taken any drugs I said that I did smoke pot sometimes and have years. As far as drugs and alcohol go don't like alcohol so haven't drank since the 80s and don't use any other type of drugs. I was told by the doctor on three different visits that it is probably marijuana withdrawal which just seems absurd to me.

That is one reason why I was so skeptical of the bill given that kind of medical advise.

 

While I empathise with you.On the other hand I just had to giggle when you mentioned the guy going overboard within you same subject..:)

[dplusd]

Really makes me think twice about cruising even though we were loyal Princess costumer for years.

 

Seriously, if you have been a loyal Princess cruiser for years, you should know the importance of having insurance while cruising. Very sorry for your illness, but you chose to gamble without insurance and this time you lost.

[bhopal21]

Just about the only issue we read about here on CC for which I can not generate an ounce of sympathy is cruising without travel insurance and then expecting the cruise line to make concessions. It actually angers me. We pay $1000s each year in travel insurance; what is the point if Princess makes exceptions to its own policies when someone has an issue?

 

I could not agree more.

 

Mike:)

[donaldsc]

The crew member that jumped off the previous cruise had nothing to do with this current cruise. I meant to convey that the last two cruises weren't the best experiences, that's all.

 

It was a lot worse for the guy that jumped and also for the people who had worked with him and knew him for his time on the ship.

 

DON

[hm9912]

Seriously, if you have been a loyal Princess cruiser for years, you should know the importance of having insurance while cruising. Very sorry for your illness, but you chose to gamble without insurance and this time you lost.

It doesn't matter what cruise line or where you are traveling.

Everyone should have medical, trip, and evacuation insurance.

While on a Russian River Cruise my wife suddenly awoke with excruciating pain.

Our English speaking guide accompanied us to a local hospital.

We declined to stay in this hospital and left but the bill turned out to be only a few dollars. She later found out after returning home that she had a kidney stone.

A few years later I also felt the excruciating pain from a kidney stone. This can occur with no warning and everyone should have adequate medical and trip insurance coverage at all times.

 

Howard

[cougaraz]

A couple of points to bring up:

 

First, if I was so sick that I couldn't get out of bed, I would be begging for every test available to determine the root cause.

 

Second, if unable to keep anything down, the IV fluids that the OP supposedly didn't want or consent to, might very well have been the best thing possible. When you are sick as a dog, especially when you can't eat or drink, those bags are like angels' tonic pouring straight into your soul.

 

Third, $1100 for emergency medical treatment including IV fluids and blood tests isn't really expensive.

 

Fourth, I have had occasion to encounter cruise ship medical departments a couple of times and they were simply outstanding. The capability that they take to sea is extraordinary and they face a challenging environment in which to work.

 

I got a UTI last summer on Ruby Princess and was reluctant to go to medical for help, but it wasn't getting any better and my wife wasn't going to leave me alone until I went. Being a relatively young, type A male, I was not thrilled about discussing my situation, but the desk was manned by a young paramedic who had been a U.S. Army medic and he was very disarming and pleasant. He had me sign a couple of forms, asked me what the problem was and I told him. He kind of smiled and said, when you are a man with a UTI, you know. Gave me a sample bottle, I provided a specimen, they spun and tested while I talked to the nurse, then the doctor, test results came back, a quick shot in the butt, some antibiotics and off I went. They called me each of the following days until I finished the meds to check on me.

 

FINALLY.....

 

BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE!!!!!!!

 

Seriously people, I have amazing health insurance with global coverage and still cannot conceive of traveling internationally, especially on a cruise, without travel insurance. Just do it, when you are calculating the fare, calculate travel insurance as part of the cost, if you travel long enough, someday it will pay off big time.

[Cruisefan2014]

Like I have stated, I should have worded the original post a little different. I guess my question was could I have been treated without all those tests.

As far as the crew member overboard I only stated that being that these last two cruises two out of ordinary events happened.

I had no issues with how the crew member overboard was handled as I figured it wasn't even my situation. I really felt more for Princess that they went and handed out partial refunds to everyone.

Some of the passengers were really emotional especially on the day of the funeral. Other passengers I heard wanted to get together and sue the jumpers family.

I really had no opinion on this event other that is was out of the ordinary just like the illness on this cruise was out of the ordinary for me