Medical Care On The Island

[PaulCM]

Im travelling with my elderly mother on the Island to Hawaii on 21st October. She has so many health problems that I dont even think I can remember them all!! Naturally, the quality of the on - board medical care is of concern to me. I contacted Princess and just received the standard corporate blurb on how good they are. Does anyone have experience of the medical care on board the Princess ship's and the Island in particular?

[JLC@SD]

Im travelling with my elderly mother on the Island to Hawaii on 21st October. She has so many health problems that I dont even think I can remember them all!! Naturally, the quality of the on - board medical care is of concern to me. I contacted Princess and just received the standard corporate blurb on how good they are. Does anyone have experience of the medical care on board the Princess ship's and the Island in particular?

I do not have experiences.....but the care on board is limited.

 

I would certainly consult her doctor as to whether her potential needs can be met on board. If they can't, they may evacuate her from the ship in an emergency.

[chasetf]

I do not have experiences.....but the care on board is limited. I would certainly consult her doctor as to whether her potential needs can be met on board. If they can't, they may evacuate her from the ship in an emergency.

Not only "may they" but most of us can testify about situations where they have evacuated. .... and I don't think it takes much. They are not running a hospital ship so I believe they want the patient off :( even in remote areas.

 

So if you mother is like mine or my mother-in-law, at the first sign of heart failure for instance, they would be lowering a lifeboat. :eek:

[teachergal29]

PaulCM,

Come join us on our roll call and at our get-together on the Island on the 22nd, Wheelhouse Bar at 10am. There are about 34 of us from CC so far. Hope your mom is feeling tip top for the cruise.

 

Hope to see you onboard

 

Aloha:)

[gooch47]

On board care is excellent. I've been in the med centers more times than I would care to remember and I've always found them extremely competent. Not me, thankfully, but on our way to Hawaii the first time, two men were evacuated after suffering heart attacks. The ship sped up to maximum to get there early for them. We also arrived in Tasmania about 12 hours early (the night before) when a woman suffered female problems of a life-threatening nature (hemmoraging). They take health concerns very seriously.

[Pam in CA]

The medical departments on Princess ships are generally excellent. They are British-trained professionals who treat everything from colds to broken bones to other medical emergencies. They are as good as your local hospital ER room. They can handle many things but there are some things they are not equipped to handle.

 

Make sure your mother has all of her meds along with doctor's notes, and get as much trip insurance as you can. Being prepared, you will have done everything you can, leaving you and your mother time to relax and enjoy yourselves.

[kruisey]

The island Princess Medical center is well equipped.I had occasion to visit on September 22 this year when I was suffering with motion sickness.All staff very efficient.Being born in the UK I do know that the Scottish Doctor on board was trained to very high standards demanded in Scotland.

In my humble opinion you can relax knowing that your mother will have top medical treatment if required on board....Kruisey:)

[katisdale]

I have found the medical care on Princess to be excellent. I have not used the service but since I am a nurse I asked if I could have a tour and that was granted. They have modern equipment and the doctors and nurses (British, South African etc.) were able to talk knowledgeably about their duties etc. However, (and this is a pretty big however) they were very open about their limitations. If a person needed surgery or had a life threatening illness they would probably need to evacuate him/her. At some point between the west coast and Hawaii you are too far away from either coast for a helicopter to reach you and do an evacuation. In the interim they would do the best they could to maintain the person until evacuation could be completed.

[spongerob]

If your mother has medical problems of a potentially serious nature, you should contact Princess Fleet Medical directly, after of course discussing with her doctor her fitness for travel. The only contact number I can find for them is a fax number - 661-753-0121. You might be able to get in touch with someone directly by calling 1-800-PRINCESS and asking to be connected to someone in Medical.

[billet]

Hi Kruisey! We were on the Island in September too and my elderly mum visited the medical centre and was kept there for a few hours observation and treatment. The south african doctor and the nurses were extremely competent and caring and took care of my mum exceptionally well. They do have an OR on board and are equipped for trauma but that is not why they are there! Their main purpose is to look after minor ailments and a shoreside doctor should be consulted prior to the trip. from my experience, if your mum does fall ill she will be in good hands.