Medical Evacuation on transocean cruise

[jerwick]

When you are on a transocean cruise and it becomes medically necessary

to be transported to a hospital what happens? For example you are on day 3 in the Atlantic of a 6 day crossing and experience such an emergency.

1: Do they medivac you?

2: Any idea of what evacuation insurance coverage limits you should have?

 

Princess insurance offers up to 50,000 max, other policies such as Travel Guard have 100,000 on one policy: 500,000 on another policy.

 

Don't plan on needing this but planning a trip across the pond and that is what insurance is for-the unexpected.

 

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[Druke I]

If you are still three days out to sea, chances of a medevac are slim to none.

 

We were on American Hawaii's Constitution, 24 hrs out of Honolulu, sailing from San Francisco/LosAngeles/Honolulu, 12-84, when there was a medical evacuation.

 

One US Air Force C-130 tanker plane, and two helicopters, one USMC & one USAF, met the ship, circled while refueling the choppers. USMC chopper attempted to land on fantail - couldn't get down as ship bouncing too much on heavy seas. USAF chopper dropped stokes litter to deck, ailing little old lady put in it, Medic dropped to fantail in bosun's chair, secured the litter, winch lifted litter to hovering chopper. Then, while attempting to lift Medic, ship took bad bounce, Medic hit railings, but safety harness kept him secure, and they got him up to chopper.

 

Fascinating to watch. Ship's band played martial music, and ship's Captain gave long blasts on ship's whistle (horn) in salute to job very well done.

 

I don't have any idea how her insurance may or may not have "kicked in".

 

Later PA notified us that she got to hospital OK, emergency surgery successful, and full recovery expected.

 

We also saw a helicopter evacuation on Westerdam, 9-97, off coast of Nova Scotia, conducted by Canadian Coast Guard. Similar type operation, chopper hovered, sick person winched up in stokes litter.

[DrD]

You can save money by simply falling overboard. After they rescue you, they will pick up the tab for medical costs and evacuation. Especially if you take your screwdriver and loosen the guardrail first.

[Dortmunder]

Another good reason to always have a swiss knife in your pocket.

[Sandy R]

The Celebrity Constellation has a helicopter pad in the front of the ship. During a day at sea, the Captain came on the loud speaker to say that a passenger was going to be helicoptered off the ship in a few minutes, that everyone should stay inside and not venture onto any of the open decks. Right after the announcement, everyone made a b-line for the decks to watch. Actually, viewing was better on the cabin TV's. Never found out what happened to the passengers.

 

I don't think any Princess ship has a helicopter pad. Wonder if their new ships will be so equiped?

[DeepWaterMariner]

If you are in mid ocean you can forget about evacuation for a day or two. A typical senario would be for the ship to head for the nearest evacuation facility, even though it may be a thousand miles away. At the same time, or when approaching the helicopter range of the evacuation site, a chopper will head toward the ship. The time to evacuation would thus be reduced by both the ship and helicoper heading for each other. Few ships have helopads but that isn't a problem. It is probably easier to hover and lower a stretcher and helicoper crewman than land on a helopad in a rough sea. We were on one Princess cruise to Alaska that had two evacuations in the same day. On our next cruise there was yet another evacuation off a RCCL ship. Neither had pads and it wasn't a problem, but neither was making a tansoceanic crossing.

[Bucky3]

We saw two evacuations on our b/b Vancouver-Ensenada cruises last fall. One was the second day at sea and the ship moved closer to the Oregon Coast to meet the helicopter. The patient was hoisted up. Then the last day a Coast Guard ship came out to meet us outside of San Diego. It pulled up right beside the ship and patient was transferred. We could see the SD skyline clearly but still had to backtrack to Ensenada and then be transported by bus to San Diego as originally scheduled! Both emergencies were caused by falls on deck.

[Mmm...coffee!]

When you are on a transocean cruise and it becomes medically necessary

to be transported to a hospital what happens?

 

That's why they have cold storage on board for those whose time it is to assume room temperature. Sorry to be creepy. :o

[alibail]

You can save money by simply falling overboard. After they rescue you, they will pick up the tab for medical costs and evacuation. Especially if you take your screwdriver and loosen the guardrail first.

 

Yeah, but you run the risk of not being noticed :-)

 

Assuming your going transatlantic, if it was absolutley necessary to be taken off the ship, they would probably off load you at bermuda. Failing that, you'd probably be stuck until it was within helicopter range of a European country. - If you look at a map, there really isn't alot of stuff out there between USA and Europe :-)

 

But bear in mind most ships are equiped to deal with minor surgery and to keep you alive until you can be transfered to a hospital.

 

I'm sure you'll have a great cruise! What one are you going on?

[Splinter]

We were on the Statendam coming back from Hawaii a couple of years ago and they had two passengers who required medical evacuation. We were 600 miles from San Diego, and about 1000 miles from Hawaii. The captain diverted the ship somewhat north (which put us closer to San Francisco than San Diego).

 

Three jet helicopters from the USA Airforce (stationed in Texas), and two tanker planes were required for the evacuation, which required mid-air refueling for the helicopters twice on the way to the ship and twice back to the mainland. They sent 3 helicopters to have one back-up, and two planes for the same reason.

 

It took about 2 hours just to download crew, then upload the passengers to the helicopters, while the tanker planes circled and circled the ship. The front of the ship was closed to all passengers during that time.

 

The helicopters made it to Stanford Medical Center (Palo Alto, CA) with both passengers alive. Not sure what happened to them after that.

 

Your tax dollars at work! Not sure what the bill was for the passengers but I don't think even the military does this for free.

[DEL67]

I do not know how much military medical evacuations cost. However, 3 years ago when my husband had a heart attack in Panama, my sister who is an ER charge nurse in Miami told me that her hospital's unit charges $10,000/hr from the time they leave the hospital until they return. Luckily he did not need to be evacuated, because we did not have trip insurance and I figured out it would have cost $60,000 - $70,000. Now we always get insurance!

[PescadoAmarillo]

We've done two transatlantics, but I'm not aware that any medical evacuations were required on either of those (although a few people did disembark in Bermuda on a west-east transatlantic). However, we had tablemates on a cruise last year and they told us how the man suffered a compound leg fracture in heavy seas in the north Atlantic the year before, outside of the limits available to helicopter evacuation. He had to put up with that pain (it sounded horrendous) until the ship got close enough to Nova Scotia to be evacuated...then the winds still prevented it. They had to wait till they docked in Canada to get him off the ship. When we do transatlantics or transpacifics, we always make sure that we've had medical and dental checkups before we leave (and we're still middle-aged), but you can't plan for all the emergencies that can arise when you're in the middle of the ocean. And we always buy travel insurance.

[DrD]

We've done two transatlantics, but I'm not aware that any medical evacuations were required on either of those (although a few people did disembark in Bermuda on a west-east transatlantic). However, we had tablemates on a cruise last year and they told us how the man suffered a compound leg fracture in heavy seas in the north Atlantic the year before, outside of the limits available to helicopter evacuation. He had to put up with that pain (it sounded horrendous) until the ship got close enough to Nova Scotia to be evacuated...then the winds still prevented it. They had to wait till they docked in Canada to get him off the ship. When we do transatlantics or transpacifics, we always make sure that we've had medical and dental checkups before we leave (and we're still middle-aged), but you can't plan for all the emergencies that can arise when you're in the middle of the ocean. And we always buy travel insurance.

 

Don't ships infirmaries carry pain meds? Maybe that's how I'll pay for my next cruise, bring a bottle of percocet and sell it to the injured.