Best Cruiseline for Medical Facilities/Staff

[blitheone]

(I apologize if this isn't the correct forum; please let me know if it should go elsewhere 🙂)

My Beloved and I have cruised for almost 25 years and I'm surprised that we never checked out the infirmary on any of our ships (but neither have our physician friends who've traveled). Well, now he has emphysema (with an oxygen concentrator) and one of the things keeping him going is the joy of travel. 

 

So, does anyone have any recommendations regarding cruiseline medical facilities? We realize that, for serious situations, the staff stabilizes and evacuates, as it's not a hospital. It's just that he's had a few pneumothorax over the years and his surgeon is now saying to keep our cruising close to areas with decent hospitals (probably New England/Canada for us since he cannot fly). Most likely, everything will be hunky dory, but the concern chip has been implanted in my worrying Meemaw brain.

 

We'd be using a travel agent (and my uneducated guess is that since travel service clientele is likely older, they might have some experience). But I want as much info as possible and I BELIEVE IN Y'ALL 😁.

 

Thankfully, we haven't needed our travel insurance, but the peace of mind it provided was well worth it, so yes, we'll definitely be insured (including emergency evac).

 

Thanks for any info and please forgive any garbled syntax (my post surgical meds have rendered me mightily stoopid 😏).

[suramom]

i found Princess to be competent.  Their staff was ER doctors, paramedics, and nurses.  They only have a few hospital-type rooms.  They evaluated my husband for heart attack, which he didn't have.  But it soon got overwhelmed there after he got covid along with half the ship it seemed.  I see you will travel close to hospitals, so they can evac you if need be.

[DaisyGoldberg]

My mom got amazing care on NCL Getaway - she got covid/pneumonia and after the initial workup/diagnosis we went daily for nebulizer treatments and antibiotics. The facility seemed as fully/modernly equipped as any emergency room I've ever been to. I know they had 3 doctors (because one of the nurses laughed that we'd seen all three). Seemed very well staffed. Smaller/older ships may of course have lesser facilities, though I imagine it probably has more to do with date of the most recent drydock.

 

Frankly, I think her initial care was far better than what she would have received in a busy ER at home with the same symptoms. That said, it's phenomenally expensive (her bill was 11K, to be paid upfront).

 

On a NE/Canadian cruise you'd probably only ever be a few hours from a hospital, so you should do well.