Medical facilities onboard

[MarBee]

Hello!
We’ve never cruised before, but my kids are begging to try one out. One of the (quite a few) things that makes me really apprehensive is that my son has asthma. Unfortunately, we’ve had to visit the ER on one of our WDW trips for a breathing treatment. Because of this, I’d like to know what type of medical facilities/services are on board the ship.
I realize there are medical facilities at the various ports, but I’m not super trusting of the island medical facilities.
Thanks in advance!

 

[TestingH2O]

Well, the DCL website doesn’t give much information, but I’m sure you could call and ask about specific treatments.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/health-safety/onboard-medical/

I will say that my experience when I went was that it looked just like urgent care complete with a lab to do tests, oxygen, X-ray machine, a pharmacy, etc. The ship also has lots of AEDs around in case of emergency.

 

[Corwin]

Hello!
We’ve never cruised before, but my kids are begging to try one out. One of the (quite a few) things that makes me really apprehensive is that my son has asthma. Unfortunately, we’ve had to visit the ER on one of our WDW trips for a breathing treatment. Because of this, I’d like to know what type of medical facilities/services are on board the ship.
I realize there are medical facilities at the various ports, but I’m not super trusting of the island medical facilities.
Thanks in advance!

There are medical providers onboard in the Health Center on Deck 1. In my experience, they have common OTC and prescription medications.

However, note that you have to pay for all services out of pocket, and get reimbursed by your health insurance or trip insurance later. This is one of the reasons it's a good idea to have trip insurance that includes medical coverage.

Info on the Health Center is here:
https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/health-center/

 

[Geomom]

If you get trip insurance (I'd definitely recommend getting 3rd party insurance if you do a cruise), make sure it includes "preexisting conditions" so that it will cover your son's Asthma.

 

[cvaska]

On my last cruise, me and some of my party went down and toured the facility on the Fantasy (They had medical backgrounds, and were curious), They were both very impressed with the setup. They have three on staff doctors, which is unheard of, even on mega ships. (RC only has two for more passengers). Over all, you would be in good hands if need be

 

[SnowWhite2]

As for an idea of cost, my DD was in the health center for about 1 hour and got 1 bag of saline via IV. The cost was $1004 which was added to our onboard account and needed to be paid prior to disembarkment. We sent the paperwork to our insurance upon returning and they paid most of the bill. That was approximately 4 years ago.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

My mother had to use the medical facility on board the Magic extensively during our WBTA cruise a few years ago. She had a heart condition (eventually diagnosed as congestive heart failure) and problems breathing (eventually diagnosed as COPD). They almost made her disembark in Tenerife (before the crossing to the Atlantic began) but she was greatly improved so they let her stay on board.

Unfortunately she took a turn for the worse that night, we spent several hours in the facility as she was having problems breathing. But they stabilized her and gave her an oxygen machine for her to use at night when she slept, and she did did the rest of the trip (this was a 14 day cruise). They also gave her a wheelchair and I had to bring her to the medical facility 2x per day for checkups. I think her total bill was either $2000 or $4000 - I know that is a big difference, but I honestly can't remember exactly, but either way I thought it was insanely low for how much treatment she received.

We did have trip insurance and she had to put through her private insurance and Medicare - some was paid by her private insurance - and then the insurance paid the rest. She had no out of pocket costs in the end.

The doctors and the nurses were fantastic. I can't say enough about them. I think they saved my mom's life. Less than a year later she had to have open heart surgery which shows how bad she really was. Sadly she passed last year, but I will always be grateful for what they did for her.

 

[gotomu212]

My son does not have asthma but 5 year ago be picked up some respiratory problem onboard and needed a breathing treatment. The doctors and and nurses were fantastic, saw him right away, and scheduled us to come back for two more treatments the next day. I believe it cost $180 total for all 3 treatments and they followed up the day after to make sure he was recovered.

We were talking with the nurse during one treatment and she said they were fully equipped for any emergency response needed to stabilize a passenger until they could get them medically evacuated and that in some situations it means they could independently care for someone for 24 hours and could perform minor emergency surgery if absolutely necessary...all to say they are very qualified and equipped.

 

[MarBee]

Thank you all for your responses! I’m feeling a little better. I did email directly and asked for specific treatments and machines they had. If I get anything back that is more than a canned response, I will post here.

Now I just have to get over my fear of becoming claustrophobic and fear of seasickness, and we may be booking a cruise

 

[MarBee]

My mother had to use the medical facility on board the Magic extensively during our WBTA cruise a few years ago. She had a heart condition (eventually diagnosed as congestive heart failure) and problems breathing (eventually diagnosed as COPD). They almost made her disembark in Tenerife (before the crossing to the Atlantic began) but she was greatly improved so they let her stay on board.

Unfortunately she took a turn for the worse that night, we spent several hours in the facility as she was having problems breathing. But they stabilized her and gave her an oxygen machine for her to use at night when she slept, and she did did the rest of the trip (this was a 14 day cruise). They also gave her a wheelchair and I had to bring her to the medical facility 2x per day for checkups. I think her total bill was either $2000 or $4000 - I know that is a big difference, but I honestly can't remember exactly, but either way I thought it was insanely low for how much treatment she received.

We did have trip insurance and she had to put through her private insurance and Medicare - some was paid by her private insurance - and then the insurance paid the rest. She had no out of pocket costs in the end.

The doctors and the nurses were fantastic. I can't say enough about them. I think they saved my mom's life. Less than a year later she had to have open heart surgery which shows how bad she really was. Sadly she passed last year, but I will always be grateful for what they did for her.

I’m so sorry for your loss. I bet your mother enjoyed that cruise and being with you so much.

 

[Shanti]

Make sure you get travel insurance that covers preexisting conditions and covers the cost of emergency medical evacuation, if needed.

 

[MarBee]

Make sure you get travel insurance that covers preexisting conditions and covers the cost of emergency medical evacuation, if needed.

Thank you!

Does anyone have a travel insurance policy that they recommend? I do get something through my Chase Sapphire Preferred but I don’t know exactly what yet. I’ll have to do some research...

 

[Geomom]

Thank you!

Does anyone have a travel insurance policy that they recommend? I do get something through my Chase Sapphire Preferred but I don’t know exactly what yet. I’ll have to do some research...

We haven't had to file a claim--so I can't say how good they are with that. We've used Travel Insured International--the Worldwide Trip Protector Plan. I liked the amount of coverage offered for the price. Kids 17 and under are covered for free. The preexisting condition clause is an additional charge to the normal plan, and you'll need to buy your insurance within 21 days of booking your cruise to get it.

As far as your claustrophobia--DD18 and I are a bit claustrophobic (can't do Mission Space at Epcot at all!) We were fine with an Oceanview stateroom on deck 2 on the Wonder (and have the same area booked this summer on the Magic). (Verandah was too expensive for those itineraries.) Basically, I just need a window to see the outside from our room. We had no issues on the rest of the ship--there are so many things to do that you don't feel closed in. And if you need to go outside--there is the promenade to walk around (deck 4 on Magic/Wonder) and the pool/sports decks.

For seasickness--my kids have seabands (accupressure). I brought Dramamine Naturals (ginger tablets). Next cruise I'm bringing Bonine (meclizine) for DD18. She was the only one to really suffer. The ship has some free samples of chewable Meclizine (for ages 12 and up) outside of the health center--it's what DD18 used on our first cruise. I just felt queasy the first day while getting my 'sea legs'--a little ginger ale and dinner made me feel better and I was fine the rest of the cruise.

 

[Shanti]

Thank you!

Does anyone have a travel insurance policy that they recommend? I do get something through my Chase Sapphire Preferred but I don’t know exactly what yet. I’ll have to do some research...

I use Travel Insured International via USAA. But a key thing is to buy the insurance within 30 days of your initial trip downpayment, which is often required to get preexisting conditions coverage.

 

[SherriNichole]

They do have medical facilities on board. My brother had to go on our 2nd cruise. He also has asthma. We went during June and it was very hot and since (at the time they admitted to it) they ration the AC, could not cool down and had an attack. His defense mechanism when he gets an attack is to get sick. Well they ended up quarantining him for 24 hours. We had excursions the next day and they refunded his money. They also did free room service (cans of soda) since he was not allowed to leave the room. They checked on him periodically and delivered movies to the room to keep him occupied.

ETA that we did not have trip insurance and I honestly don't know what the cost looked like; my mom would have dealt with all of that stuff.

 

[Summer12315]

My daughter doesn't have asthma but she has a tendency to get tight in the chest whenever she gets slightly sick. In 2015 we woke up and she was wheezing and struggling for breath. She was 6 at that time. We took her to the medical facility on deck 1 when they opened and they gave her a breathing treatment and an inhaler for later usage and she was fine. It cost about $400 and we then submitted it to our insurance for reimbursement when we got home. I'm sure if it had been a true immediate emergency that we could have gotten someone to help right away.

 

[Iris1974]

Just thought I would mention this. My mom has really bad Asthma so bad that she has been hospitalized several times in the last 2 years. The doctor prescribed her a Nebulizer, medicine and tubes that run from the machine and a mouth piece. It's very small and portable. The medicine is compact and doesn't need any refrigerating. The newer brand of machines now only take 3 minutes. My mom times hers. If she was to go away on a vacation she would bring it with her. Her insurance paid for all of it. She has Medicare and Medicaid and they paid for everything. It plugs into to the electrical wall socket. You might want to see if you can get one for the cruise and for home. It would cost nothing for the treatment as opposed to going to the medical center and paying a lot for a treatment. It's a good investment for someone who has Asthma regularly. Just thought I would tell you my mom's experience. Happy Cruising.

 

[MarBee]

They do have medical facilities on board. My brother had to go on our 2nd cruise. He also has asthma. We went during June and it was very hot and since (at the time they admitted to it) they ration the AC, could not cool down and had an attack. His defense mechanism when he gets an attack is to get sick. Well they ended up quarantining him for 24 hours. We had excursions the next day and they refunded his money. They also did free room service (cans of soda) since he was not allowed to leave the room. They checked on him periodically and delivered movies to the room to keep him occupied.

ETA that we did not have trip insurance and I honestly don't know what the cost looked like; my mom would have dealt with all of that stuff.

Is this still the case with temperatures on the ships? That’s a deal breaker for me. I need it cold to sleep.

 

[MarBee]

Just thought I would mention this. My mom has really bad Asthma so bad that she has been hospitalized several times in the last 2 years. The doctor prescribed her a Nebulizer, medicine and tubes that run from the machine and a mouth piece. It's very small and portable. The medicine is compact and doesn't need any refrigerating. The newer brand of machines now only take 3 minutes. My mom times hers. If she was to go away on a vacation she would bring it with her. Her insurance paid for all of it. She has Medicare and Medicaid and they paid for everything. It plugs into to the electrical wall socket. You might want to see if you can get one for the cruise and for home. It would cost nothing for the treatment as opposed to going to the medical center and paying a lot for a treatment. It's a good investment for someone who has Asthma regularly. Just thought I would tell you my mom's experience. Happy Cruising.

Thank you!
We actually have one but a few times the neb just didn’t cut it and we need a bigger breathing treatment. We do travel with it on trips though, and it certainly helps give some peace of mind. Hopefully it works well for your mom too!

 

[Ralph&Pam]

I use Travel Insured International via USAA. But a key thing is to buy the insurance within 30 days of your initial trip downpayment, which is often required to get preexisting conditions coverage.

Also note that different travel insurance policies may require that you purchase the insurance within a shorter period of time after initial deposit in order to cover preexisting conditions. We use Allianz which has a 14-day requirement from date of initial deposit or payment. Never had a claim, so cannot comment on that aspect of their coverage.