If you're considering passports and/or insurance

[GOOFY D]

I think they have paid up what they can which is about $8k or so? (going by memory) and as of now have $2800 more but another full day of medical expenses to tack on. They were advised by the finance officer to apply for more credit cards to pay for the rest.

I have dealt with medical services on a cruise before. The upcharge on a cruise is absolutely absurd. So, if the cruise line has collected $8,000 of a $10,800 bill, they will lose nothing even if the family gives them a hard time on the remainder. Their risk is much smaller on those collections than the lawsuits and PR issues that they would incur attempting to delay health care to a very sick child.

 

[lanejudy]

Medical care for the child won't be delayed -- the child and a guardian will be debarked to receive medical care on land; otherwise they continue to incur further expense onboard. The cruiseline won't hold the full next cruise from going, and they aren't going to keep the rest of this family onboard for that. Assuming there are 2 parents (or 2 adults) with this party, one may be delayed debarkation until the onboard bill can be settled, or some sort of legal financial agreement is signed.

It's a horrible situation. But I can see both sides -- the cruiseline wanted to debark the family in port earlier, and the family opted (for logical reasons) to remain onboard and run up the medical expenses onboard. They actually were fortunate the cruiseline allowed that and had enough resources to continue treating the child for an extended period of time. Medical resources on a ship are finite and at some point the family could have been put off the ship to receive medical care, regardless of passport. It was a no-win for the family and I do understand why they opted to remain onboard.

OP - thank you for the reminder that not only are passports important, but having financial means to cover unexpected expenses is just as important. Insurance rarely covers the cost up front.

 

[Lisa F]

I have dealt with medical services on a cruise before. The upcharge on a cruise is absolutely absurd. So, if the cruise line has collected $8,000 of a $10,800 bill, they will lose nothing even if the family gives them a hard time on the remainder. Their risk is much smaller on those collections than the lawsuits and PR issues that they would incur attempting to delay health care to a very sick child.

I believe it - a hospital relies on people using their services to make their financials work, but on a cruise ship maintaining medical services is a sunk cost. They have to have the space, they have to pay the crew whether they are actively treating people are not - they have to have that covered in the cruise fare in some way and not count on having tens of thousands of bills by some unlucky person to pay for it on any given cruise.

People are also speculating that they are threatening because they have almost no recourse once they leave the ship. Given that they have already paid as much as they could it doesn't sound like they are making a huge effort to skip out on the bill, but the officers of the cruise are treating them like criminals who ran up a huge bill boozing and gambling.

Maybe not all but a LOT of their stress could be alleviated by the way Disney typically does business. Not saying they are always perfect but for the most part when they are dealing with a medical issue - especially for a child - they bend over backwards to comfort and give a sense that they have things under control and are working to help. A lot of this is out of NCL's control as far as immigration/passports/evac goes BUT they could be a lot more supportive, let the family know they are in their corner, that they will be coordinating with the port to have an ambulance waiting, trying to make them as comfortable as possible while their cruise is ruined and basically acting like they care about this child more than a couple thousand bucks in medical bills that are already way inflated to start with.

 

[Lisa F]

Medical care for the child won't be delayed -- the child and a guardian will be debarked to receive medical care on land; otherwise they continue to incur further expense onboard. The cruiseline won't hold the full next cruise from going, and they aren't going to keep the rest of this family onboard for that. Assuming there are 2 parents (or 2 adults) with this party, one may be delayed debarkation until the onboard bill can be settled, or some sort of legal financial agreement is signed.

It's a horrible situation. But I can see both sides -- the cruiseline wanted to debark the family in port earlier, and the family opted (for logical reasons) to remain onboard and run up the medical expenses onboard. They actually were fortunate the cruiseline allowed that and had enough resources to continue treating the child for an extended period of time. Medical resources on a ship are finite and at some point the family could have been put off the ship to receive medical care, regardless of passport. It was a no-win for the family and I do understand why they opted to remain onboard.

OP - thank you for the reminder that not only are passports important, but having financial means to cover unexpected expenses is just as important. Insurance rarely covers the cost up front.

I think we all know realistically it won't but it's really lousy that NCL is threatening that to a mother who is already worried about her child. Horrible customer service. You're right though - legally they can't detain the family (it's a total party of 10 so there are definitely other adults to deal), and delaying the next cruise will cost them more than the outstanding bill. I get that the cruise is a business but part of being a business is good customer service and they have been abysmal at it.

Also not just logical reasons, the US consulate in Mexico recommended they stay on board as the local hospital facilities are a few hours from the port and horrible - having to wait there while paperwork is processed very likely would have led to a worse outcome than staying on the ship especially fighting sepsis. The mom is not complaining about the crew or care they are getting on the ship either - just about how they are being treated by the financial officer and the captain's refusal to acknowledge that her son is even sick and requiring of immediate medical care upon returning to port. A little kindness seems like it would go a long way in this case.

But YES what I bolded. I don't think a lot of people realize how their insurance works. I have good credit and it seems like cards are forever raising my limit. If I had serious spending issues I could get into serious trouble but I rarely ask them to knock it back because it doesn't impact my credit score and I feel like when I travel, the ability to put a few tens of thousands of dollars of medical bills on my card and deal with the reimbursement later is valuable.

 

[DLgal]

Wow, how scary! This is why, even though we don't need them so high, we maintain 3 credit cards with credit limits over $30k. You just really never know when you will need that kind of money quickly. Hope this little boy recovers with no long term damage.

 

[Dug720]

I think we all know realistically it won't but it's really lousy that NCL is threatening that to a mother who is already worried about her child. Horrible customer service. You're right though - legally they can't detain the family (it's a total party of 10 so there are definitely other adults to deal), and delaying the next cruise will cost them more than the outstanding bill. I get that the cruise is a business but part of being a business is good customer service and they have been abysmal at it.

No dog in the fight, but... Has anyone seen/heard anything other than from the mother who, as I bolded, "is already worried about her child" that the "You cannot leave until your bill is settled" is exactly what NCL said? When we are upset we often hear part of something or hear something in a way that was not intended.

I'm not saying that they are handling this well, but it may not be as hard-hearted as the mother's report is making it out to be simply because of her stress level.

 

[GPaLarry]

After 10 cruises, 9 with the mouse, and other trips overseas, we always take a passport. Take one look on YouTube of pier runners missing the ship and the agony they must go through without a passport to get home or to the next scheduled port. I wear a money belt with passport and serious $$ off the ship, except on CC, just in case something happens.
We have dodged a bullet with every trip/cruise we have taken in not buying insurance. However, we are seriously considering it for our cruise in June because we are getting much older and the chances something might happen to us, through failing bodies or unexpected bugs (not Disney created, i.e. Bugs Life), become greater with each passing day. It is pricey and we will have to budget accordingly. My 2 cents!

 

[brentm77]

NCL is being the opposite of helpful. The family is being told they will NOT be allowed to leave the ship until their bill is settled in full, which is approaching $10k now for iv fluids, antibiotics and steroids since Saturday.

NCL doesn't have the legal right to prevent someone from leaving the ship over an unpaid bill. I hope they know to call local law enforcement as soon as the ship docks if they cannot get off.

Edit: I see this was already addressed by a friend and they now know.

 

[Adelle Dazeem]

No dog in the fight, but... Has anyone seen/heard anything other than from the mother who, as I bolded, "is already worried about her child" that the "You cannot leave until your bill is settled" is exactly what NCL said? When we are upset we often hear part of something or hear something in a way that was not intended.

I'm not saying that they are handling this well, but it may not be as hard-hearted as the mother's report is making it out to be simply because of her stress level.

Exactly - so many people blow these things out of proportion trying to make the "big, bad company" look like they are being unreasonable. Oh look at poor little me - I'm a VICTIM!! I don't buy it.

 

[Happy100]

I never understand why people will fork over the money for the cruise but not a passport. The cost of the passport is pennies in comparison to the cost of cruise considering they last 5-10 years depending on age. My son has had a passport since he was 4, the first year he went out of country with us on a cruise. It wasn't even a consideration for me to not get him one.

I have taken the gamble on not having travel insurance. Sometimes I get it sometimes I don't. The older I get and the more medical emergency stories i read such as this one, the more I see a reason to purchase it.

 

[Spiffy MacSpiff]

So sad. I hope the little guy is OK; his parents must be frantic, I can't imagine. And at the risk of sounding like a victim-blamer... if you're on the fence, save up for your trip a little bit longer and get passports. We all like to think that this kind of thing will never happen to us, but it does happen sometimes and fate just might point at you. That said, I don't think that NCL can or would try to prevent anyone from leaving the ship. They're a huge company and have other means to recoup their costs. Besides, the bad publicity wouldn't be worth it. My guess is that the family will debark and be able to pay the bill off over time.

 

[Lisa F]

No dog in the fight, but... Has anyone seen/heard anything other than from the mother who, as I bolded, "is already worried about her child" that the "You cannot leave until your bill is settled" is exactly what NCL said? When we are upset we often hear part of something or hear something in a way that was not intended.

I'm not saying that they are handling this well, but it may not be as hard-hearted as the mother's report is making it out to be simply because of her stress level.

Why would anyone else (besides NCL's financial officer) be part of that conversation? How would you get independent confirmation?

They were told by the finance officer that they could not leave the ship until the bill was settled, they had $2800 outstanding and to expect more to be added for the extra day of medical care, and were advised to apply for more credit cards to pay the bills.

I would think that anyone remotely trained in customer service would say words of comfort to any parent in this situation "we need to take care of the bill before you go, but of course one of your other family members can take care of it while you take your son to the hospital - we will have an ambulance standing by for you." Hard to misinterpret that, so I doubt it was made explicit to them.

I don't really have any reason to doubt the mother's account of it because as I said, she is not going off the rails blaming anyone for anything. Her comment on the passport is "lesson learned" and has already taken responsibility for the big mistake not having them was. She has acknowledged that she is receiving good care from the medical team on board. She is distraught but not lashing out except against being told she will not be able to leave the ship with her injured child until the bill is settled, which they don't have the money to do after maxing out whatever payment methods they had on file at this point. She actually sounds fairly reasonable about all of it so I am inclined to accept her interpretation.

I don't think "maybe she misheard." I think it is NCL's responsibility to take charge of the situation and tell her exactly what will happen next as far as what they can do to assist her in getting her son the medical care he needs. She isn't blaming them for the immigration stuff but they can certainly call an ambulance for her and get her off that ship as quickly as possible after docking and clearing customs and they can certainly give her some measure of comfort by letting her know that things are set in motion for her son to get the care he needs, right? Or is that too much to ask?

 

[Mechelle Walker]

This poor family is going through hell on a cruise because they have neither. What a freak accident made worse by not having the means (legal or financial) to get back to the US. Many people wonder if the extra expense is worth it if not required, but this demonstrates why even though it's not required, it's a good idea to have a passport if you're leaving the country.

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/c...-to-get-back-to-u-s-with-sick-child-on-cruise

This poor family is going through hell on a cruise because they have neither. What a freak accident made worse by not having the means (legal or financial) to get back to the US. Many people wonder if the extra expense is worth it if not required, but this demonstrates why even though it's not required, it's a good idea to have a passport if you're leaving the country.

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/c...-to-get-back-to-u-s-with-sick-child-on-cruise

Hoping for his speedy return and recovery!

 

[Lisa F]

So sad. I hope the little guy is OK; his parents must be frantic, I can't imagine. And at the risk of sounding like a victim-blamer... if you're on the fence, save up for your trip a little bit longer and get passports. We all like to think that this kind of thing will never happen to us, but it does happen sometimes and fate just might point at you. That said, I don't think that NCL can or would try to prevent anyone from leaving the ship. They're a huge company and have other means to recoup their costs. Besides, the bad publicity wouldn't be worth it. My guess is that the family will debark and be able to pay the bill off over time.

They should hopefully be able to pay it off once their travel insurance kicks in also, which they do have.

As I mentioned, the mom's comment on the passport thing is "lesson learned" so I think she gets it that it was a big mistake to not have passports.

I'm a single mom and I have to work to save up for my trips but I would not dream of taking my son out of the country without a passport nor travel insurance including medical and evacuation from a foreign country. It's just part of the trip.

In reality I'm sure they can't prevent her from leaving but they should be trying to expedite her departure to an ambulance and let her know they are planning to do so and what the plan is after docking. You'd think they would want to get that kid off as soon as feasible as every minute he is there the risk of them being sued goes up if he takes a turn for the worse on their ship (not that I think they are to blame but once the lawyers start sniffing around that's what happens and I'm sure their lawyers know that too) - you'd think they would want to get him under someone else's care ASAP and basically have documentation that they did everything they could to help. It's crazy that this threat was even made and a plan hasn't been shared with them to get their child access to the medical care that he needs.

 

[Gentry2004]

So if they have insurance, really their only issue was lack of a passport right? With a passport they could have debarked and flown home that day. Cancun runs daily flights to most parts of the US.

 

[DLgal]

So if they have insurance, really their only issue was lack of a passport right? With a passport they could have debarked and flown home that day. Cancun runs daily flights to most parts of the US.

Yeah, basically. The insurance company likely would have covered a medevac flight out of Mexico back to the US if they had had passports.

 

[Lisa F]

Yeah, basically. The insurance company likely would have covered a medevac flight out of Mexico back to the US if they had had passports.

Yes when reached out to insurance they said their hands were tied due to lack of passports. Some people are interpreting this as "there is a clause that they won't pay for medical care if you don't have passports" but I don't think that is what they are saying. I think what they were told is that they cannot arrange a medevac flight out due to immigration rules without passports, which is something that the insurance company WOULD spearhead. I am guessing that the onboard medical expenses will be reimbursed after the fact like any medical expenses would. But I do think right now that is probably too much complication for the family to be dealing with.

There are two issues. One is the extreme frustration about not having any choices due to lack of passports, but the mom just seems to be venting about that and not blaming anyone in particular but just basically looking for support and prayers for her son, who looks horrific. I do think NCL would have preferred to put her ashore in Mexico and not have to deal with any of this but she flat out refused after learning the nearest hospital was 3 hours away, it would take 3 days to get expedited passports (and in about the same amount of time they would be back in the USA if they stayed on the ship) and the US Consulate in Mexico advised her that the medical care was horrible there and said she'd be better off staying on the ship and returning to the US that way since it would take the same amount of time. I think she decided it was safer to stay on the ship which would definitely get her back to the US on Wednesday morning rather than the unknown of a long car trip in a foreign country and the possibility of being stranded there with no guarantees it would be worked out in 3 days.

The second issue is bills are mounting and they were told by the financial officer that the family could not leave the ship until the bills are paid - it sounds like they have maxed out the credit card that was on their onboard account at about $8k and are out of resources to pay any more at this time. They were advised that they should try to apply for more credit cards to pay the balance. I think she is also a bit dismayed at what basically amounts to IVs for fluids, antibiotics and steriods are costing. She has been in touch with enough people on land to confirm that they can't be detained and arrangements have been made with the local authorities to have an ambulance and she was assured that the EMTs would be able to remove the child from the ship and take him to a hospital.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Travelling without a passport and not having a large emergency fund.... dangerous at best. At worst, things I cannot say on the DIS.
and it really should be a requirement to have a passport to board a cruise ship!

 

[lklgoodman]

I thought I read on here that they were with others, didn't say if it was relatives/friends. I know if I were with friends/relatives, I would hand over my credit card to help pay, and they would do the same. Surely others in their group can help out so both parents can get off the ship to be with their son? Definitely a horrible situation. Prayers for this family.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

That’s definitely rough-

I hope they don’t consider it a preexisting condition if he had it before he boarded and not cover it