'Devastated': Passengers speak out after Bahamas-bound cruise diverted to New England, Canada over weather

Table Of Content

• 'Devastated': Passengers speak out after Bahamas-bound cruise diverted to New England, Canada over weather
• Do you have to pay for medical care on a cruise ship?
• Royal Caribbean Ship Impacted by Sudden Storm in Gulf of Mexico
• crew members die on Holland America ship; fire breaks out on Carnival cruise
• What happens if you need to be medically evacuated from a cruise
• news Alerts

The U.S. Coast Guard airlifted four passengers from three different cruise ships off the coast of California over the weekend using helicopters. The aircrews evacuated the Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises passengers over a 24-hour period that started Friday night because the travelers suffered from various ailments. The way cruise ships get sick or injured passengers to shore depends largely on "the weather, the location and the assets available," Scott said.

'Devastated': Passengers speak out after Bahamas-bound cruise diverted to New England, Canada over weather

Even in the midst of bad weather, however, cruise ships can change their orientation, adjust speed, deploy stabilizers, and take other steps to ensure guests’ safety and comfort as much as possible until the severe weather passes. While cruise ships do attempt to steer clear of bad weather, it is not always possible to completely avoid lengthy squall lines or large storm systems. This is particularly true in the case of Voyager of the Seas and Carnival Dream, both of which were heading back to Galveston at the time of the severe weather. A Norwegian cruise ship with over 2,000 passengers and 1,000 crew on board was given permission to dock in Mauritius on Tuesday after being denied permission over fears of a potential cholera outbreak on board. At least 15 people on the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn were isolated and samples were taken for testing on Sunday, according to a statement from the Port of Mauritius.

Do you have to pay for medical care on a cruise ship?

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The authority said that the passengers who were due to start their cruise Sunday would not be able to do so that day and that they would have to be relocated to available hotels. Around 15 passengers aboard the Norwegian Dawn remain in isolation because of an undisclosed "health risk" and are undergoing testing, according to the Mauritius Ports Authority. Passengers of a cruise who were expecting a sunny getaway in the Bahamas this week were instead sailed to a much colder climate due to severe weather. There have been a number of cholera outbreaks in southern African countries over the last few months, the BBC reported. Since January 2023, over 3,000 people in the region have died from cholera and 188,000 have been infected, according to the BBC. Coast Guard (or equivalent officials in other countries) are available to them, who can provide an evacuation by helicopter, or by boat if they are closer to shore.

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For example, in the case of a heart attack, they can give patients thrombolytics – or "clot-busting drugs" – on board until they can get them to a cardiac catheterization lab, which the vessels do not have. Cruise ship medical facilities can treat a wide range of ailments, from earaches to heart attacks. Similarly, guests may be advised to stay off their private balconies or verandahs during bad weather, especially as these areas can be prone to flooding when waves are high or rainfall is intense. Passenger Heath Barnes said the ship was on a detoured path, destined for an unscheduled stop in Freeport, as a result of stormy weather and high winds when fire started. The Nieuw Amsterdam returned Saturday to its home port of Fort Lauderdale, guests disembarked, and the vessel has embarked on a cruise with a stop in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, on Monday, Holland America said. One passenger posted a video on Facebook showing the view from her room's window Thursday with the cruise ship bobbing up and down and creaking in the throes of high waves.

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"The decision not to allow the cruise ship access to the quay was taken in order to avoid any health risks," the authority said in a statement. Scott said a medical evacuation can cost tens of thousands of dollars, though the amount varies depending on the circumstances and where travelers are at the time. Doctors on board can prescribe medications to be dispensed and taken while on the ship, and treat serious medical issues until passengers improve or as a stopgap measure until a passenger can be brought ashore, depending on the situation.

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People on board the ship developed mild stomach symptoms after visiting South Africa for a couple days in mid-February, CBS News partner network BBC News reported. Dr. Joe Scott, senior director of fleet medical operations at cruise line operator Carnival Corp., told USA TODAY in February that its ships' facilities are generally set up like a typical emergency department. Scott oversees day-to-day operations for the company's North American brands, including Carnival, Princess and Holland America Line. Guests onboard reported that some individuals were injured by slot machines falling, but no severe injuries have been reported.

Haley Ott is the CBS News Digital international reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau. Cholera, an infection that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration, is rare in the developed world, but it is almost always fatal if left untreated. Walch said travelers should read the details of a policy to find out what is and isn't covered.

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He said he is "not aware" of any cruise line that accepts insurance in its medical facilities and highly recommended passengers purchase travel insurance, which he said is more likely to cover those bills. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports.Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. The 138,194-gross-ton Voyager of the Seas can welcome 3,602 guests onboard at double occupancy, or as many as 4,000 passengers when fully booked with all berths filled.

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About 2,000 of those passengers would have completed their trip and disembarked in Port Louis, while 2,279 new passengers were expected to board the ship, Reuters reported. "The health and safety of passengers as well as that of the country as a whole are of the utmost importance to the authorities," the port authority of Mauritius said. MIAMI — Two crew members died on board a Holland America cruise ship, and a fire broke out on a Carnival ship while both of the ships were in the Bahamas this weekend, officials said. Faust said that cruise lines typically have a "contract of carriage" clause that doesn't guarantee the ports the ship will travel to and allows the cruise operator to change the itinerary for various issues, including weather.

Last month, an outbreak of norovirus — a common stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhea — sickened 92 passengers and eight crew members on a Celebrity Cruises ship. Officials in the island nation of Mauritius blocked a Norwegian Cruise Line ship from docking there Sunday after more than a dozen passengers were stricken with a stomach illness. Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. "Evacuation arranged and covered by the travel insurance typically comes into play once you are already hospitalized and need to be moved in order to get more appropriate care," she said in an email.

Displays tipped over in retail stores, and in the ship’s casino, slot machines tipped and fell. Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas recently encountered a severe squall in the Gulf of Mexico while finishing her most recent sailing. Passengers scheduled for those late-March cruises are being offered full refunds and credit that can be used for a future cruise, it said. "There was a moment of silence that the captain requested. And that entire scenario did affect the entire cruise. Things were canceled, joyous events were canceled, and we really just thought about mortality — the people who perished on the ship." Two civilian support vessels are aiding the ship in its journey to port, Danish rescue authorities said.

Onboard activities are often adjusted as well to be sure crew members and entertainment performers are safe, and outer decks may be closed when winds are high. As is standard procedure, the open decks were closed during the storm and for a period of time afterward while safety checks were performed and the area was cleaned up. Videos and photos shared to different social media sites also show flooding in both public areas and guest staterooms, as well as passengers milling about in general confusion as the situation evolved. "The damage is more than we first thought and will require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel, resulting in the cancellation of the March 25 and March 29 cruises from Port Canaveral," Carnival Cruises said. In a statement Sunday, Carnival Cruises acknowledged witness reports of a lightning strike or the sound of thunder before the fire erupted. The ship set sail out of Fort Lauderdale on March 16 for a seven-night trip.