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Carnival Cruise Lines

Medical Care

Carnival Cruise Lines • Bad Food • Billing Errors • Cancellation Policies • Children's Programs • Crime on Board • Crime in Port • Damaged Luggage • Disabled Passengers • Medical Care • Missed Ports • Overbooking • Poor Service • Safety Issues • Wedding Services • "Branded" by Carnival News • Carnival Cruise Lines to Refund $40 Million in Fuel Surcharges • Illness Strikes Carnival Ships Cruise Notes • Medical Care Spotty • Health Care Guidelines • Consumer Fact Sheet

Linda of Johnston RI (2/24/04):
We just returned from sailing on Carnival's Fantasy 2/19-2/23. My husband & I traveled with our 12 & 14 yr old children, along with another family with children of the same age. As a seasoned traveler & travel agent, I was extremely disappointed with Carnival Cruise Lines. We have sailed with Princess, NCL, & just last yr with Royal Caribbean on the Sovereign of the Seas. Due to some rocking on the Fantasy, I fell off my bed & hit my head on the steel wastebasket. The wastebasket had a sharp edge which sliced my eyelid area. My first night on the trip was spent at the ship infirmary where I needed stitches to close the cut. The doctor used DermaBond glue & put a band aid over it. Needless to say, I now can't get the band aid off! The fee: $127, paid on site.

Don of Lexington KY (12/7/03):
On Feb 21 we departed Fort Lauderdale on the cruise ship Legend. The first day my wife and I got sick from the afternoon meal and we had cramps and developed diarrhea and went to the infirmsry and were told it closed at 6 pm. We went to the purser's desk where they gave us some seasick pills and I tried to tell the foreign-speaking agent we were not seasick, but all she could say was take two pills every 6 hours.

Damage Resulting: Spent $1,800 for cruise and my wife had to take an extra week off from her go0vernment job.

Jacob of Terawa Terrace NC (12/1/03):
We sailed on the Sensation out of Tampa on Nov. 10th. On the morning of the 12th, my wife started having bad trouble breathing, chest pains, and was vomiting really bad. The ship infirmary said they had nothing they could take care of it with, and that going to the hospital on Grand Cayman was the best bet. So the people on the ship took care of getting us to the hospital, and told them what time to get us back to the ship, with the help of the Citrus Grove Shipping Co. there.

My wife got good care at the hospital, for what the doctor said was probably food poisoning. We got out of the hospital as fast as we could, keeping in mind when the last boat went to the ship, but found out we had just missed the ship. The Citrus Grove people said they tried to stop the ship for us, but they wouldn't stop. As we were doing this we realized there was another Carnival Cruise ship (Imagination, I think) sitting right there off the beack, and was even currently loading. We talked to them about trying to get onto that ship, but they said no, because it was going to Jamaica next, and not Cozumel, and was ending up in Miami, and not Tampa.

We even tried explaining that Miami was fine, because we are from Florida, but had no luck, we were stranded. We ended up having to stay the night in a hotel, then having to pay to fly out the next day. Once in Tampa we had to stay another 2 nights in a hotel, waiting for our luggage and car keys, which were on board. To top all of this off, this cruise was our honeymoon. It was a total nightmare.

We ended up losing our honeymoon cruise, paying nearly $700 in medical bills, paying another $700 for plane tickets back, and paying approximately another $200 in 3 nights of hotel stay. For a Lance Corporal in the Marine Corps, and for being newly married, that has all been really hard on me and my wife.

Alice of Chula Vista CA (6/27/02):
Went to doctor while on board the Fantasy, would not bill my HMO. We paid cash. When consulted with HMO needed report from Doctor. Contacted several times. Still no follow-through. I don't want much, just a report not money. We also never saw our cabin steward unless we were sleeping then she would knock. I have asthma; when the boat drill was held I was not told what to do and by the time I got up all those stairs I felt like I was going to die.

Jose of Puerto Rico (6/1/02):
We were passengers for the May 19 7-day cruise to St Thomas, Martinique, Barbados and Aruba and two days at sea. The cruise on May 23, 2002 on its way to Aruba had a major power failure in the middle of the ocean. We were stuck there for 8 hours. At 7:30 am the motors of the ship, lights and airconditioning on the whole ship went off.

No one gave us information and we were in the dark; we had a cabin w/o windows. My children and I panicked. My husband got out to see if anything can be seen. It was total chaos. The room stewart did not come till about 9:00 am with a borrowed flashlight to help some people go up to the 9th floor. We found that large magnetic doors were closed and we were not advised how to open them. Children were seperated from their parents due to these doors and caused us more anguish.

When we reached the top floor about 10:00 am on our own the ship by that time had emergency lights up in the stairs by the elevators not in the hallways. I am hypoglycemic diabetic and had to get breakfast and my children also. The four lines were all full and no organization done to separate sandwich lines from buffet. After 8 hours of hell and finally turning on the motors they detour the cruise to St Lucia to fly in a technician to fix the cruise ship and decide to give 1 hour of complimentary drinks and 50.00 credit to each in the sail and sign card and not taking the cruise to Aruba.

We paid $2,596.00 and we are a family of 4 of which 2 are children a 7 yr and 9 yr. We were exposed to danger this ship was stuck in the ocean. We docked at St Lucia May 23, 2002 7:30 p.m. and left St Lucia May 24, 2002 at 11:30 pm. We were very upset and dissapointed we feel that the rest of the 4 days on this cruise was ruined. We felt unsafe and insecure and afraid for our safeway home. We had nightmares and we think we consider that the cruise ship was unfair and the compensation was inadequate and below the amount we spent per night.

By the way Camp Carnival for children exposed my son to danger having him go through scavenger hunts throughout the ship unsupervised. We dont know if there sick people on the ship and unsafe places my 9 yr old could have gone into. They were very rude and I requested formal apology which they did but actually caused fright to my 9 yr old.

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