Travel Tips

Travel Tip: Cruise Ship Medical Care

If you get sick on a cruise, do you know what you should you do and what to expect?

I’ll tell you what you need to know about medical care on board.

While most cruise ships now have an onboard doctor or clinic, be aware that onboard care won’t be anywhere near like what’s given on land.

If you get sick or injured onboard, know that medical services aren’t included—and they’ll likely be expensive.

Take notes about your care, especially the names of the people who treat you.

Because while you’ll likely be sent to a regular hospital if you have serious problems, ship doctors will usually ‘stabilize’ patients before offloading them, and you’ll need to know exactly what this involved to prevent any complications.

Finally, get a copy of any medical records to take to your doctor back home.

Just remember, the bottom line on most ships is that medical care is a profit center, not a public service.

To find out more about cruising, visit our Cruise Travel section.

And get more of our Daily Travel Tips here.