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That said, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many cruise lines have expanded their medical care facilities on ships and added new requirements for medical personnel. Royal Caribbean, for example, now requires all its doctors to have training in acute respiratory illness and has added an infection control officer who oversees the line's infection control plan on each ship. Do cruise ships have medical facilities with doctors and nurses on board? Yes, most large cruise ships have doctors on board at all times, working 4 or 6 month contracts with the cruise line.
What to Do When You Have a Medical Emergency on a Cruise Ship
If you've purchased travel insurance, it will often cover the remaining amount. Ships from the main cruise lines all will have at least one doctor and two nurses onboard. According to American College of Emergency Physician guidelines, ships must have medical staff on call 24 hours. Medical personnel (both physicians and registered nurses) must have at least three years of postgraduate experience in general and emergency medicine or board certification in emergency medicine, family medicine or internal medicine. If a life-threatening injury or illness, such as a serious fall or heart attack, occurs, cruise ship doctors are unlikely to fully treat a patient onboard, choosing instead to send the passenger to a land-based medical facility.
Paying for Medical Care While Cruising
These essential components provide a safety net that extends far beyond the allure of open waters. No, the full amount of onboard medical care will be charged to your onboard account, regardless of whether you are fully insured at home. Should you require medical care in a port of call, services provided in foreign ports must often be paid in full by cash or credit card before you are discharged. Once you pay the cruise line and any other required providers, you should submit receipts and documentation to your health insurance provider to recoup whatever your insurance will pay for out-of-network emergency care.
Collaboration with Onshore Medical Facilities
Major cruise lines follow health and sanitation standards to keep passengers safe on board, including regular cleaning throughout cabins, restaurants, snack areas, pools and elevators. Ships are also subject to at least two unannounced annual inspections in partnership with the CDC and three or more formal public health reviews, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. Cruise ships generally have capabilities similar to urgent care centers. Passengers can seek medical attention for routine reasons like fevers, sore throats, minor injuries, cold symptoms, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal issues. Taking the average monthly cruise ship doctor salary of $12,000 (for a senior doctor), working for 8 months per year, that’s an average yearly salary of $96,000.
Typically, a member of the cruise line's Care Team will accompany the ill passenger and a companion or family member to the hospital. Cruise ships are perhaps best known for amenities like buffets and swimming pools, but their medical facilities also have the capability to treat a wide range of illnesses and injuries, from common colds to heart attacks. And unfortunately, payment is expected upfront for a lot of these, or at least immediately after treatment, even if your bill rises into the thousands. You can then claim it back from your travel insurance or health insurance (or a combination of both), depending on where you live and where you are treated. This can be stressful since you might get a large bill, but it’s the way it works with most medical insurance. The cruise line will assist you if you need to speak to family members or your bank to arrange a loan in the case of serious treatment that costs a lot.
Generally costing between 5 and 8 percent of your trip’s total price, it can cover most cruise ship medical expenses incurred onboard. Opting for travel insurance and preferably health insurance offers peace of mind, ensuring you’re financially protected against unexpected medical costs during your cruise. Cruise ships operate in a dynamic environment where they must contend with difficulties, including bad weather and the possibility of medical problems at sea. To tackle these difficulties, emergency preparedness is a top priority for cruise lines.
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Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. Cruise ship doctors work as independent contractors and may charge a basic hourly fee. The list suggests medications used to treat everything from gastro-intestinal problems to heart, eye, skin, respiratory, and ear, nose and throat conditions.
Cruise ships do have a pharmacy on board, stocked with various medications that you can purchase if they are needed. Some cruise ships will give out anti-seasickness medication for free (although you may need to pay for the consultation with the doctor first if you need the seasickness injection). Typically, a cruise ship will have two doctors onboard, or at least one doctor and one nurse.
When planning a cruise trip we tend to not plan on having any medical issues, but sometimes life has other plans in store. Luckily, cruise ships are equipped with medical offices and an infirmary with medical staff available around the clock. Most cruise ships will have one or two doctors and up to four nurses onboard to treat sick passengers. Medical staff must meet certain training requirements, but they do not have to be certified in the United States.
The ship's medical staff has the right to determine whether a passenger is unfit to continue on a sailing. Cruisers will be disembarked if they are in a condition "likely to endanger health or safety," according to MSC Cruises' conditions of travel, for example. Cruise doctors can make arrangements to have passengers transferred to a health facility at any port, at the passengers' expense. Cruise ship medical centers usually are located on a lower deck, set apart from crowded areas and close to the back-of-the-house crew facilities. It's also where a passenger might be taken temporarily prior to disembarking for additional care if the ship is unable to provide it. Major cruise lines staff their ships with doctors trained in emergency room medicine, making them ideal candidates to work on cruise ships where emergency situations occur frequently.
Sometimes, cruise passengers hesitate to visit the shipboard doctor because of the cost. Don’t expect the medical center to accept your U.S. health insurance; typically, the cost of any services and/or medication you receive will be billed to your room. If you have travel insurance with emergency medical/dental benefits, then you may be reimbursed for losses due to covered medical and dental emergencies that occur during your cruise. Cruising is generally a smooth experience, but it’s comforting to know that if a medical emergency arises, the cruise ship doctors and the team on board are well-prepared.
Some cruise lines offer pills at the purser's desk for free, while others sell it in onboard stores. On particularly rough sailings, most cruise lines will provide medicine free of charge. Lautenschlager's medical costs on Norwegian totaled $371.96, including medication, according to a receipt she shared with USA TODAY. And when we say that cruise ship doctors are required for minor surgery, this doesn’t mean anything big – examples from job descriptions include the removal of foreign objects and the stitching of cuts. This means cruise ship doctors must be capable of a lot of treatments to keep you safe.
I spend four to five months a year on cruises and the rest of my time in Hungary. The medical center is an onboard hospital, because we have to be prepared for everything. Cruise ship doctor roles are good for those with a positive attitude and the energy to work every day. If you want to see the world and you’ve got the necessary experience, then they can be a great way to work whilst you travel. Equipment might include wheelchairs, stretchers, back boards for spine immobilization, lab capabilities for tests, oxygen, EKG capability, defibrillators, cardiac monitors and other equipment to gauge vital signs. The cruise line operator has a formulary – a list of medications needed to treat most diagnoses made on the ships – and stocks the vessels with those, though supplies are limited given the finite storage on board.
In addition to doctors, the ship is also staffed with other medical personnel who can assist during an emergency. A cruise ship’s infirmary must follow American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) guidelines, which dictate that all medical facilities must carry the proper equipment to perform a variety of treatments and diagnostics. Depending on the size of the cruise, the medical team consists of five to nine people. On smaller ships, with up to 3,500 passengers and 1,500 staff, there are two doctors, three nurses, and sometimes a medical secretary. On larger cruises, with 6,500 passengers and 2,200 staff, there are three doctors, five nurses, and a secretary. A great travel insurance company is Allianz Travel Insurance, which is reputable and cost-effective.
Strict safety rules are followed by cruise ships, and this includes being ready for medical emergencies. The medical staff onboard has specialized training to manage emergency scenarios. The ship is equipped with a morgue, medical supplies, and drugs, guaranteeing it can manage various situations. Additionally, cruise lines stay in touch with local medical professionals who can advise on life-threatening conditions.
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