Nightmare in Nassau

[mbrocker]

Did you have travel insurance? My understanding is that most private insurers in the US don't pay for out of country medical services.

Talk about stressful. You poor thing. So glad it all worked out for you in the end.

 

[wehavesix]

I'm so glad your daughter is doing better!

A similar thing happened to my sister and brother in law last month. They were on the Fantasy when he had a heart attack. The ship took them to Cozumel where he had surgery and spent a couple more days in the hospital there before an air med flight took them back to the states where he had another surgery and is now home recovering. Thank goodness they had passports!

 

[CatDenver]

I will echo what others have said about passports. We had to get passports for my husband and children (ages 11 and 8) and we had them within a week and a half and that was a regular request, not an expedite. They are so easy to get.

 

[lilpooh108]

I'm so glad your daughter is doing better!

A similar thing happened to my sister and brother in law last month. They were on the Fantasy when he had a heart attack. The ship took them to Cozumel where he had surgery and spent a couple more days in the hospital there before an air med flight took them back to the states where he had another surgery and is now home recovering. Thank goodness they had passports!

OMG that's awful! I can't believe he had a heart attach on board and had to have surgery in Mexico. Talk about a crazy situation.

Good thing he is recovering. Best wishes to them!

OP--good luck to your daughter. Glad she's doing better.

 

[klass3]

So unnerving! Glad your daughter's ok. Insurance is a must (and passports).

 

[neg58]

By the way, what you would need to do if you travel on just an ID/BC is get an emergency passport from the US embassy/consulate in the country you are suck in. They might issue a passport with just the documents you have (BC) or they might issue a one time entry into the US. They aren't going to make you live in Nassau forever.

People have needed emergency passports before, and the US official know how to do it, but it is just not a problem you want to deal with on top of the emergency. Also, some places don't have an office or official, and you'd need to get it from another island, so that would be another delay.

My sister had her passport stolen in France once, and she had to spend a day getting a new one, involving a few trips back to the embassy.

Nancy

 

[DisneyOrBustColorado]

First let me say that I am sooooo glad that things turned out well for your daughter & your family.

Thank you so much for bringing to light of why we always travel with Passports & trip insurance. I have never had to make a claim with our trip insurance & never really needed our passports (Thank God) but I will always remember your story when I think about not paying for insurance or passports.

Thanks for sharing & let us know how things come out with your insurance.

 

[mbrocker]

By the way, what you would need to do if you travel on just an ID/BC is get an emergency passport from the US embassy/consulate in the country you are suck in. They might issue a passport with just the documents you have (BC) or they might issue a one time entry into the US. They aren't going to make you live in Nassau forever.

People have needed emergency passports before, and the US official know how to do it, but it is just not a problem you want to deal with on top of the emergency. Also, some places don't have an office or official, and you'd need to get it from another island, so that would be another delay.

My sister had her passport stolen in France once, and she had to spend a day getting a new one, involving a few trips back to the embassy.

Nancy

I imagine this isn't an uncommon occurrence in Nassau.

 

[Kimmielee]

I so glad your daughter is ok and that things worked out!! 48 days 'til our cruise and I'm applying for a passport tomorrow!!!! I can't imagine your fear ON TOP of your concern for your daughter. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[yaddakal]

Wow! Ordered passports;-) how scary!

 

[jbugeye22]

Wow, this is a good reminder that passports are very important. I was on this same cruise with you. All the adults have passports but not the children. Now I am going to get ones for my kids. Thank you for sharing your story!

 

[eemaxx]

I'm so glad your daughter is doing better!

A similar thing happened to my sister and brother in law last month. They were on the Fantasy when he had a heart attack. The ship took them to Cozumel where he had surgery and spent a couple more days in the hospital there before an air med flight took them back to the states where he had another surgery and is now home recovering. Thank goodness they had passports!

I was on this same cruise when we changed our course for a medical emergency. I wondered what had happened. So glad to hear that your brother in law is okay. Very unsettling to hear the in-room announcement (in code of course) in the middle of the night.

And as for your daughter, so scary! I can't imagine. Glad it turned out okay.

Yes, passports and travel insurance are a must! You just never know.

 

[Four Swampers]

By the way, what you would need to do if you travel on just an ID/BC is get an emergency passport from the US embassy/consulate in the country you are suck in. They might issue a passport with just the documents you have (BC) or they might issue a one time entry into the US. They aren't going to make you live in Nassau forever.

People have needed emergency passports before, and the US official know how to do it, but it is just not a problem you want to deal with on top of the emergency. Also, some places don't have an office or official, and you'd need to get it from another island, so that would be another delay.

My sister had her passport stolen in France once, and she had to spend a day getting a new one, involving a few trips back to the embassy.

Nancy

Stolen or lost passports are a possibility. I recommend bringing a photocopy of the ID page of your passport, leave a photocopy with a friend, and/or email a scanned copy to yourself. Having a copy to take to the embassy is very helpful in getting a new passport issued.

 

[wallawallakids]

Stolen or lost passports are a possibility. I recommend bringing a photocopy of the ID page of your passport, leave a photocopy with a friend, and/or email a scanned copy to yourself. Having a copy to take to the embassy is very helpful in getting a new passport issued.

YES! This is a great idea. I plan on putting a copy in our safe at home that my parents can access if need be, and taking a picture of it with our smart phone as well as having a copy. Redundant, but I think important. I have read that you shouldn't take them off the boat with you. Leave them in the safe. Take the copy and phone with you.

 

[DVCFan1994]

Thanks for posting this. DH and I have passports, and we bought trip insurance. But, we are also planning on staying onboard in Nassau, so we had decided not to bother with passports for our young kids. You changed my mind! You just never know.

Glad everything worked out for your daughter and your family

 

[bumbershoot]

I was then told "They wont deny your daughter because she is a child, but it is ilegal for you to stay in this country without a passport."

Who said this to you? If it was someone related to the cruiseline, I would followup. It cannot possibly be true. And it added urgency and FEAR to your day, which was totally unneeded. If that weren't said to you, you would have been able to put all of your attention to the medical situation, without worrying about legal actions.

 

[darwinsrule]

Who said this to you? If it was someone related to the cruiseline, I would followup. It cannot possibly be true. And it added urgency and FEAR to your day, which was totally unneeded. If that weren't said to you, you would have been able to put all of your attention to the medical situation, without worrying about legal actions.

From a legal standpoint this is entirely accurate. You are in a foriegn country and there are certain rules you play by. Having worked for Canadian Immigration you need sufficient documentation not just to get into the country you are visiting but enough to get yourself home. Without a passport you are not getting on a flight home and that is the problem. At that point you are no longer visiting.

With a medical emergency they will work with you, but you are going to need someway to get home. I imagine it will involve a bunch of phone calls with the embassy and arranging for some emergency travel documents. All doable but it will cost time and money. And a lot more money then what the passport would have cost.

 

[rentayenta]

I'm so glad that everything turned out ok OP. Thank you for sharing your story.



We will have Passports. I am too much a stress case to not too.

 

[LoveDisneyx4]

Yes, we we're very lucky. It could have been much worse.
Thanks for all the well wishes. She is doing better, we have follow up appt tomorrow.

This reassures me that I did the right thing in getting us passports even though we don't technically need them for our Eastern Caribbean cruise. It was right under $550 for the 4 of us (2 adults and 2 kids), but I'll be ever so thankful if I need them. When we paid almost $5K for the cruise--I think that the measly $550 is money well spent. Fingers crossed that I don't really end up needing them, but I tend to be the nervous type anyway, so definitely don't need the added stress in an emergency!

Sounds similar to when my DD had bladder infection (thought to originally be appendicitis as well), and was treated with antibiotics, but we did have an overnight observation stay in the local pediatric hospital...her white cell count was rather high...so they wanted to make sure the antibiotic was working.

Hmm...maybe I should call my health insurance company--oh, the wheels are turning for that rare chance...

Thank you for posting your story and so thankful that your DD is better and you made the ship!

 

[jendeli]

Hey everyone, Thanks again for the well wishes. I'm glad to see that our experience has encouraged some of you to apply for a passport. Not only will we all get passports, but travel insurance as well.
In the back of my mind I knew that the port authority would be able to get me some sort of emergency passport. I had never been in that sort of situation before so I didn't know how/when/where. And of course my biggest concern was just wanting to stay by my daughter's side. Anyway, I'm a worrier, and that experience was a worrier's nightmare.