medical emergency aboard queen mary 2 world cruise

[jfavenuex]

I am thinking of going on the queen mary 2 complete 2018 world cruise. What happens if you get a retinal detachment or other types of medical emergencies and you need a hospital or surgeon. How does cunard handle the situation if you cannot wait and its on the transatlantic portion or other portion not near ports?

[Lakesregion]

Some things in life require self insurance or self risk. Cunard Has one of the best medical set-ups of any company because of their long distances from ports, However, they are not capable for all emergencies in house. If something really bad that the staff does not feel confident fixing, the ship will radio for assistance from the nearest coast guard and they will attempt an at sea air lift to the nearest facility capable of tending to the emergency. Now if you are in mid stream so to speak, it may take a day or two before the ship can get close enough for such a lift off and in the proverbial - you may be sol. Life is not fair but Cunard tries to make it as safe as they can.

[GUT2407]

What happens if the same thing happens anywhere else.

 

They provide emergency treatment (very Goid emergency treatment by all reports) and get you to the nearest hospital ASAP.

[Adammara]

Make sure you are fully insured to start with, treatment is very expensive. My cousins husband was hospitalized on board for a week on a world cruise, at a cost of thousands of dollars with further treatment in port, and on their return to the UK. It was covered by travel insurance which had cost a hefty £5000 for the two of them, as there were some declarable health issues.

[cruiseluvva]

£5000 sounds amazingly cheap. I know of someone where the insurance claim was in excess if £100,000.

[Scrapnana]

We had a medical emergency on the 2014 World Voyage on QE. The afternoon that things became critical there was a ship-wide call for people with a certain blood type. The next day we sailed close to the shore of Oman where the gentleman (and another who was not as seriously ill) were loaded onto a boat and taken to hospital in Muscat.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Scrapnana

[Runaways]

£5000 sounds amazingly cheap. I know of someone where the insurance claim was in excess if £100,000.

 

The cost of the WC insurance premium for two people was £5,000? The claim was £100K+?

[balf]

The cost of the WC insurance premium for two people was £5,000? The claim was £100K+?

 

 

That's how I read it. In this case the premium was 5% of the claim.

 

Although the company had to pay out in this case it's doubtful that the original risk was anywhere near 5%: that one in 20 would claim.

 

David.

[Keith1010]

What they will do will vary on the medical situation of the patient and where they are sailing.

 

The key is to have insurance that can cover you in the event of a major evacuation.

 

We have been on board ships when we had to turn back to port, or when we were delayed getting out of port or when evacuation was done by pilot or by helicopter.

 

Keith

[chengkp75]

I don't know the itinerary, but I would be more worried about the trans-pacific portions if I had medical issues. While the ship could speed up to get close to the next port, or back to the previous port, there are some segments where you could be several days outside of helicopter range.

[balf]

It was only when we got back that I started to think what could have happened on an Antarctic cruise. Most of the passengers were pensioners, but all were fine. Even so.

 

David.

[jimmybean]

I don't know the itinerary' date=' but I would be more worried about the trans-pacific portions if I had medical issues. While the ship could speed up to get close to the next port, or back to the previous port, there are some segments where you could be several days outside of helicopter range.[/quote']

 

Good point, chengkp75. In addition to being far from a port, many of the hospitals in the Pacific are rudimentary. In French Polynesia, they routinely transport people with more complicated illnesses back to France for treatment (we learned on a Tahitian tour).

 

As Keith mentioned, seeking the right level of care depends entirely on what the diagnosis is.

 

Best to know your health situation and be realistic before booking a voyage that could prove disastrous. Consulting with your physician would be a good step for someone who has worries.

 

Life is always a gamble and nothing is ever guaranteed. Know your risks, cross your fingers and enjoy travel, while you can. Serious illness can strike while inconveniently on a ship, but in numbers, it happens to very few passengers.

[chengkp75]

Good point, chengkp75. In addition to being far from a port, many of the hospitals in the Pacific are rudimentary. In French Polynesia, they routinely transport people with more complicated illnesses back to France for treatment (we learned on a Tahitian tour).

 

As Keith mentioned, seeking the right level of care depends entirely on what the diagnosis is.

 

Best to know your health situation and be realistic before booking a voyage that could prove disastrous. Consulting with your physician would be a good step for someone who has worries.

 

Life is always a gamble and nothing is ever guaranteed. Know your risks, cross your fingers and enjoy travel, while you can. Serious illness can strike while inconveniently on a ship, but in numbers, it happens to very few passengers.

 

It will also depend on the risk/reward analysis done by the ship's doctor, the Captain, and the flight surgeon or naval vessel's surgeon. The Captain has the right to override decisions if it will place the majority of passengers and crew in significant danger, the flight surgeon will determine if the risk of a basket winch and flight are warranted, and even the extreme of transferring someone to a naval or coast guard vessel at sea can be dangerous to crew and to the patient.

[SPacificbound]

I am thinking of going on the queen mary 2 complete 2018 world cruise. What happens if you get a retinal detachment or other types of medical emergencies and you need a hospital or surgeon. How does cunard handle the situation if you cannot wait and its on the transatlantic portion or other portion not near ports?

 

We carry annual MedJet Assist for evacuation. A retinal detachment is specifically stated as a evacuation they won't do. This may be totally different with different insurers.

[13_jane]

I was speaking to one of the staff on our QE christmas/new year cruise 2015/16, and she actually said to me that if someone has a heart attack on board here - they have more chance of survival than having one at home! She said the response to an emergency is something like 3 minutes - so I think I'd take my chances on board any day :-)

 

xxx

[Solent Richard]

I was speaking to one of the staff on our QE christmas/new year cruise 2015/16, and she actually said to me that if someone has a heart attack on board here - they have more chance of survival than having one at home! She said the response to an emergency is something like 3 minutes - so I think I'd take my chances on board any day :-)

 

xxx

 

A fair assessment indeed.

 

I note that the OP mentions a specific condition and wonder if this is some ongoing problem they have: in which case the medical insurance company will surely be demanding a higher premium anyway.

 

Indeed, so curious was I that I looked up the condition ...

 

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Retinal-detachment/Pages/Introduction.aspx

 

Now while it does demand pretty fast treatment it also mentions warning signs.

 

Balls in the OP's court.

[Cats2010]

I am thinking of going on the queen mary 2 complete 2018 world cruise. What happens if you get a retinal detachment or other types of medical emergencies and you need a hospital or surgeon. How does cunard handle the situation if you cannot wait and its on the transatlantic portion or other portion not near ports?

 

 

If you look at it from a distance point of view, the biggest portion is between Tenerife and Namibia, and I am not sure of the quality of medical treatment in West Africa. All the other places on QM2's 2018 world cruise should not be too problematic.

 

I have been abord QM2 once when there was a medical urgency somewhere between Ireland and the UK. From the news I learned later that everything went well.

 

Best wishes :)!

[Underwatr]

I note that the OP mentions a specific condition and wonder if this is some ongoing problem they have: in which case the medical insurance company will surely be demanding a higher premium anyway.

If the OP is American, US travel insurance only concerns itself with whether the insured is medically able to travel at the time insurance is purchased; otherwise preexisting conditions can be waived if insurance is purchased at the time of initial or final payment (depending on the insurer).

 

There are no medical questions influencing the cost of US travel insurance. Age of the travelers, length and destination of the trip, and total trip cost are the only questions.

[alc13]

 

.....

 

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Retinal-detachment/Pages/Introduction.aspx

 

Now while it does demand pretty fast treatment it also mentions warning signs.

 

Balls in the OP's court.

 

I sympathize with the OP since I had a retinal tear a couple of years ago. Quite terrifying, and immediate medical attention is necessary to avoid permanent damage. Just to be clear, the "warning signs" are what send you to the MD immediately - you don't wait once you have a burst of floaters or light flashes.

 

I guess I would suggest to the OP that if you are prone to this sort of event, you should consider itineraries carefully before booking a cruise, and tend towards routes with frequent stops near larger cities.

 

Good luck!