What happens if you are unwell on a cruise – our Expert Dr shares her first-hand experience
Written by Maria Hughes
Travel Expert
Reviewed by Dr Ellen Welch
NHS GP and resident medical expert
Published
Updated
A medical emergency at sea can be a frightening experience. Unlike being unwell on a conventional holiday, getting medical treatment on a cruise can involve several different parties - from the ship's medical team and captain to local hospitals, port agents, emergency services and, importantly, your travel insurer.
What happens if you become ill or injured on board?
Former cruise ship Doctor,Dr Ellen Welch has stated that “the response will depend on the nature of the problem. Someone who collapses or suffers a serious injury, such as a broken bone, may receive an emergency response from the ship's medical and stretcher teams. Other passengers may make their own way to the ship's medical facility after developing symptoms.
Cruise ships vary in the medical facilities they have available, but many have an emergency room equipped to deal with a range of urgent problems. This can include ECG and cardiac monitoring, blood tests, oxygen and emergency medication.
The medical team will assess the passenger, provide treatment and, where necessary, stabilise them before deciding whether further treatment ashore is required.
Crucially, that decision isn't based solely on the medical problem. The ship's location and itinerary also play an important role.
The medical team may need to consider how long it is until the next scheduled port, whether there is a suitable hospital there and whether the passenger is stable enough to remain on board until the ship arrives.”
When you need hospital treatment ashore
Dr Ellen Welch says “If hospital treatment is required, the ship's medical and operational teams will liaise with the port agent and local emergency services to arrange an ambulance and transfer to an appropriate medical facility.
For some passengers, this may be relatively straightforward: they receive treatment ashore and are well enough to return to the ship and continue their cruise.
For others, leaving the ship means that the rest of the cruise may have to be abandoned. If the passenger is not fit to travel, arrangements may then need to be made for accommodation, luggage, onward travel and eventually their journey home.
Some cruise lines may have care teams or crew members who can accompany passengers ashore, helping them navigate an unfamiliar destination and, where necessary, deal with language barriers. If someone is medically unfit to travel independently, their eventual journey home may also require a medical escort.”
A serious emergency can be more complicated
For the most serious medical emergencies, the response can become considerably more complex.
For example, a passenger suffering a stroke may need urgent specialist treatment that cannot be provided on board. The medical team will still initially stabilise the patient, but the decision about how to get them ashore becomes a maritime operation as well as a medical one.
The ship's doctor will work with the captain to determine the safest option. Contrary to what passengers may expect, this does not automatically mean a helicopter evacuation.
A helicopter may only be able to reach a ship within certain geographical and operational limits, and sea conditions, weather, the patient's condition and the availability of suitable medical facilities ashore all have to be considered.
Depending on the circumstances, the safest option might instead be to continue towards the planned destination, divert to another port or arrange an evacuation.
The coastguard and local emergency services may also be involved.
For the passenger and their family, this can mean a large number of organisations working together behind the scenes.
A medical emergency on a cruise can therefore involve much more than a trip to the ship's medical centre. Treatment may ultimately involve a hospital in another country, an ambulance transfer, additional accommodation, new flights or even a medically escorted journey home.
Why travel insurance is important
No one plans to spend their holiday unwell. However, unexpected illness can happen to anyone, and existing medical conditions can sometimes make an otherwise common illness considerably more complicated.
Travellers can protect themselves financially by taking out appropriate travel insurance before departure and ensuring that any relevant pre-existing medical conditions are fully declared.