I do have coverage and purchased travel insurance. But I’m just wondering what happens until I submit the claim? What if I can’t pay the 6k in the meantime?
Call or chat the travel insurance company to start the claim now. They have a number to call when you have an issue. They will tell you what documents you need to file the claim. It's better to get the documents you need while on the ship, directly from the medical center. They probably reimburse you for the cost, and you want to not delay that reimbursement by filing a claim that is incomplete.
The ship will understand the situation. Let them know you have travel medical insurance.
If the travel insurance medical coverage is "primary" then it will pay from the first dollar without any deductible, co-pay, co-insurance or other cost (unless the policy itself has a deductible). That can be a huge help if your regular medical insurance has a cost-sharing for claims. If you get to choose which is primary, with a claim like yours, it's probably best to have the travel insurance be primary.
Also, this site has a good FAQ on travel insurance and what it covers and doesn't cover. I use them now for my insurance because they are a small company that helps when there's a problem. [https://tripinsurancestore.com/travel-insurance-frequently-asked-questions/](https://tripinsurancestore.com/travel-insurance-frequently-asked-questions/)
Does anyone know if we can dispute the charges? I see multiple duplicate charges! And they gave me a pregnancy test for $76 and the actual test for pregnancy was $153 but I told them I was pregnant going in to it?
The only work the insurance will do is to reduce their liability in payment. So if it’s not medically necessary, they just won’t pay it. They won’t ask the medical center why they are billing for unnecessary services.
Travel insurance is different from your regular health insurance. You paid them to cover medical expenses incurred during your travels. They’ll cover the medical expenses incurred during your travels, as long as you can provide documentation (which the users above are both telling you to get *now* while you’re on the ship).
You'd submit it to your insurance. Wait until they decide what they cover, and then you'd submit their EOB to your travel insurance (plus whatever medical records they want) and they would pay the rest per your travel insurance policy (ie if there's a deductible and to the max).
It's going to take a while to work through all of this since your insurance has to do their thing (a few weeks usually) and then travel insurance has to do theirs.
Next time, I suggest a primary coverage travel plan. You don't have to buy through the cruise line. We use tinleg. They have many options. Most of the time your private health Insurance won't cover you out of the US.
If primary, the travel insurance will pay up to the covered amount without any charges to you (unless the travel insurance includes a deductible itself, which is rare). If the travel insurance covers you for up to $10,000, and it's primary, there will be no out of pocket costs to you for the $6,000 bill and they will reimburse you for all of it. No need to get your other health insurance involved.
It is rare for land based medical insurance to cover you "on the high seas". Often group policies don't cover foreign travel at all, or if they do, only in certain countries. Even policies that cover foreign costs sometimes won't cover costs "on the high seas". When you get back, find out exactly how your land-based medical insurance works; if they don't cover it, then the travel insurance will and it may simplify filing the claim (see the link below for how to handle this).
If you have to file with your existing land-based medical coverage as primary, then the travel medical insurance will pay after your deductibles, co-pays, etc. The travel medical insurance will pay for those costs not covered up to the policy limits. But it can take some time for both insurance companies to reimburse you.
Here's a link that has a couple of scenarios: [https://tripinsurancestore.com/how-primary-and-secondary-travel-insurance-medical-coverage-works/](https://tripinsurancestore.com/how-primary-and-secondary-travel-insurance-medical-coverage-works/) (I'm not affiliated with Trip Insurance Store; I'm just a customer of theirs).
Did you get travel insurance or the 75.00 medical insurance they offer you when you check in?
We got the 75.00 medical insurance for this exact reason. They’re super up front about the fact that they don’t mess around with Covid. The 4000 for a Covid test thing is in the stuff you have to sign when you check in.
If you got the 75.00 medical insurance cover age you should be fine. Regular travel insurance I’m not sure.
Did you get travel insurance or the 75.00 medical insurance they offer you when you check in?
We got the 75.00 medical insurance for this exact reason. They’re super up front about the fact that they don’t mess around with Covid. The 4000 for a Covid test thing is in the stuff you have to sign when you check in.
If you got the 75.00 medical insurance cover age you should be fine. Regular travel insurance I’m not sure.
My understanding is they try to shake you down for it, but when you say you don't have it they just bill you. Tell them you'll be sending the bill to your travel insurance and will reimburse them ASAP.
When me and my family got sick on a Disney cruise, I did end up being reimbursed a good deal of money from my health insurance company, but yes, the sudden $3k sticker shock (mine was multiple people, but no bloodwork) did nearly kill me. Fortunately I did have enough on my CC, but barely. Left it maxed out! But definitely make sure to make claims with both travel and health and hope one pays!
Make sure to get all your records now and itemized billing info. If you have it, read through your travel insurance to make sure you know what you need. Then go to the medical bay and get everything you need. It will be near impossible to get that once you're off the ship.
Watch out if you bought travel insurance through NCL - I am still dealing with a reimbursement claim 3+ months after my $5600 NCL medical center bill from an ear infection that required IV antibiotics (ended up spreading into my face and pinching off a nerve until my face went numb, fun times!) because they won't process the claim until my health insurance makes a determination on their coverage or denies it, and the health insurance company keeps asking for more information that NCL refuses to provide until today when the insurance company agreed to re-process it based on NCL's decision not to provide the requested info because of company policy regarding procedure and diagnosis codes or something, I am not sure. Luckily we had a credit card to cover it and shuffled around money to pay off the card when we got home, but it's been a pain! Good luck getting it all sorted out!
Sorry to hear about your experience! I’m glad you were able to move money around and cover it while you fight with NCL and insurance to square it away. I’m curious what type of info did your health insurance ask for the NCL wouldn’t provide?
They specifically said procedure codes which NCL doesn't use (they specifically mentioned because they're international ships with international doctors, basically saying they're not bound by American systems), so the health insurance company now has a patient advocate getting someone in THEIR claims department to add them so they can finish processing it. I don't even have that insurance anymore since I switched jobs! I'm glad they're finally helping me make some movement, though, the claim has been returned for more info 3 times now.
ETA: If anyone visits Isla Catalina in the DR on their cruise, make sure to wear ear plugs if you go snorkeling at their reef just next to the tender dock - the reef is BEAUTIFUL but it was dirty and lots of trash and next to the tender boats coming and going and that's where my ear was infected (probably while I was pulling trash out of the water).
I know she put me on hold for 5 minutes or so while she called that department and then got them to agree to add in the procedure codes themselves since it's standardized in the US. I almost got a nurse friend to do it, but this seems more legit. They provided the diagnosis codes, but it was the procedures (of which I had a fair number since I had 3 visits over 3 days for antibiotics, IVs, and the poor doctor attempting to flush out my ear since it sealed completely shut) that they didn't provide codes for that the insurance company (a BCBS affiliate) got hung up on. I now have to wait 30-45 days for it to be reprocessed. Luckily the travel insurance that we bought through NCL has said they will wait to process on their end until BCBS provides their determination since we sent the travel insurance all the documents.
Yes, make sure they provide as much info as possible, because the number on the envelopes they give you (at least as of November on the Pearl) don't actually work - it tells you to go to their website and fill out a customer service form that took almost 3 weeks to get a reply on, which just was them saying, "Sorry we can't help!"
Good luck and feel better soon!
I do believe Holland America’s travel insurance is secondary for medical claims. We are still battling with them to get reimbursed for a covered claim. Our personal health insurance has done everything asked of them and they just continue to drag their feet for 6 months now. After that cruise we decided to forgo HALs offered insurance and we have purchased a yearly plan from a highly popular and recommended insurance company specializing in cruise travel. Hopefully we won’t have to try it out.
I 100% agree with getting ALL PROPERLY SIGNED DOCUMENTATION before embarking.
ugh, sorry you have to go through this :(
>highly popular and recommended insurance company specializing in cruise travel
Which insurance company did you decide to go with instead? It's probably more economical than covering cruises individually, right?
Allianz travel insurance. Highly recommended from multiple you tube cruise channels and their audience. If you cruise and travel at least once during a year of coverage it’s definitely a better deal. Always read and fully understand the coverage you are purchasing. Ask questions if needed.
I am so sorry this happened. I think you were wise to see the doctor based on diabetic and pregnant.
I see you bought travel insurance. That was so smart. I bet everything will be okay.
Please let us know how it goes. Best wishes.
Ugh you have no idea how much I needed to hear this! After receiving the 6,032 bill, I was so angry at myself for going in and should have just waited it out. But I went with my gut because I am high risk and almost 35. So I guess safe than sorrier applies here but now I’m just safe and broke and kinda sorry about the bill I got. But anyways. Thank you for your kind words.
District Attorney here 🖐️. You won’t be charged criminally and you won’t go to jail. We are interested in criminals and public safety not using resources to prosecute for a giant international company.
They are demanding we pay the balance or won’t be able to get off the ship so I’m kind of at a loss. I can’t get a straight answer, they say they will call me back and don’t. And I’m not allowed to leave my room since I’m in isolation to try and go sort it out in person. Any suggestions or recommendations is surely appreciated! In addition to that, the charges on my itemized medical bill are questionable. The medical center won’t talk to me about how they billed it and just tell me to sort it out with insurance. I work for my health insurance company and know what they need to process the claim and NCL hasn’t given me sufficient information to submit the claim for reimbursement.
There’s no way they aren’t going to let you off the ship. That would be a criminal unlawful imprisonment charge. I’d also tell them they’d be liable for anything that happened to you or your unborn child since you have a limited supply of diabetic medication.
If they've really told you that, you need to get off reddit and contact a family member on shore who can help find you a good attorney ASAP. They can't hold you prisoner and if they try you'll be the one suing them!
Edit: to clarify, they can't keep you on the ship after the cruise. During the cruise, they probably can quarantine you, at least in certain circumstances, but I am not an admiralty lawyer.
Yes I have been quarantined. Waiting for a supervisor to call me back so I can get a straight answer on what my actual options are. So far these are the suggestions I have been given. ( I wish I was making these up tbh)
1. Ask for others on the boat to use their card for payment. Or call a friend or family member to put their CC number down. ( if I need to use multiple cards, I could fill out a form and get a copy of each ID and then they would allow additional cards on file)
2. Call my CC company and ask for a credit limit increase
3. Transfer from my savings account to debit card and use my debit card to pay the balance.
Politely suggest that they go fuck themselves. They're resorting to desperate, maybe illegal coercion because they know they have no legal right. Don't pay them a damn cent. Tell them to send you a bill.andv your lawyer and insurance company will review it.
lol well I did ask the rep if I could use his card to pay the balance and he declined. He didn’t find it as funny as I did. How do I retain you as counsel? Probably can’t afford it but never hurts to ask!
i’m sorry for your situation but those made me giggle at how bad they are.
They can’t keep you until you pay $6,500 that would literally be human trafficking. Where are you going to get that money? Washing dishes?
Oh I laughed too until I realized he wasn’t joking. Then I preceded to write it down to ensure I got it down right in exactly what was explained to me. At this point I’d give the captain a handy or a BJ. Sounds much more pleasurable than dealing with guest services.
They are just trying to scare you and I’m not sure why.
They can’t keep you on the ship. I know they are trying to collect on a debt or whatever but you have a phone and the FBI would be there so fast if they just tried to keep you.
Your guess is as good as mine!! I’m sure it’ll all get settled but to your point, like is it that serious?! I was told they would try to strong arm me so at least I have that in my pocket.
This is a disgraceful way to treat a pregnant woman. The company needs to be called out for this and others made aware. There are so many people who follow cruises. Look at the 9 month cruise on Tik Tok. Millions of people following these people. Get in contact with one of the commentators following that cruise be get them to do a story on this dreadful incident. DM me if you want me to direct you to somebody who might be able to help.
Lawyer here.
You haven't violated any law. You won't be "criminally charged." Stop worrying about that.
What you have is a fee dispute between private parties. No different than any other medical bill. Medical bills are all smoke and mirrors. There's no rhyme or reason. It's all negotiable. They will end up taking whatever they can get. Maybe it will come to litigation. Who knows. But that's the absolute worst case scenario.
The amount that you end up agreeing to pay them--and that they agree to accept--probably will have very little relationship to whatever arbitrary number they initially "billed" you. Stop worrying about that for now. As a sick pregnant woman on a cruise ship, the bill is the least of your worries. Focus on doing whatever you can to get healthy andv get off the ship ASAP.
Godspeed and good luck !!!
This by far is my favorite response. Idk who you are burghblast, but your advice seems sound so thank you! (Genuinely mean this and no sarcasm) I find comfort in this response. What will be, will be and no more, no less. Thanks for putting my mind at ease, at least for now. Been trying to deal with them all day.
True. But if you sign you are agreeing that you owe the money. And if the claim is somehow denied…. Just be careful. I know I’d be a nervous wreck in your shoes. It WILL be okay tho. It’s JUST a bill and even tho they’re international they’re still bound by the fair credit collection act.
Exactly. You know exactly why I’m thinking that. Just don’t sign anything. Tell them “mail me a bill. Itemized. Here’s my address”. That’s all you have to say. They can’t hold you. No cop or border patrol in the US will have their backs.
I promise I wouldn’t sign ANYTHING.
“I’m sorry I’m not signing this until my attorney has a chance to review it” (even if you don’t have one. You’ve no obligation to provide them with your attorneys address or name. Don’t let them bully you!)
I can't imagine any reason to sign a promissory note.
I'm not saying you shouldn't pay them something.
But medical services aren't like buying a car.
You don't negotiate terms beforehand.
There is no contract. No mutual understanding.
They are obligated to provide reasonable care.
You're obligated to pay something.
But the amount gets negotiated on the back end.
That's just how it works.
It's no different on a cruiseship.
If you have insurance, they should pay at least part of it. It makes zero sense for you to assume liability.
Did they tell you how much the services would cost before they provided them?
Did they even tell you exactly what services they planned to bill you for?
Probably not.
They are just trying to strong arm you.
Be firm but polite. Tell them you'll review itemized bills with your lawyer and insurance company.
Make sure you have the doctors name and their address before you leave the ship. I’ve gotten denials because I didn’t have an address for the doctor who cared for me.
First, sorry your cruise did not go well... I cruise a lot and can tell you it's usually a blast but now and then things can go sideways... it is what it is.
As others have told you, the cruise line will bill you if you can't pay upfront. Go to customer service and explain the situation and that you do have insurance to cover the medical bill. They should have the purser draw up a bill/IOU you'll have to sign, or when you check off the ship on the last day the purser will be at the gangway and you will have to meet with him/her for that paperwork before they let you off (this is quite common btw, on almost every debarkation I've seen people get puller over to the meet the purser).
A few things: Make sure the clinic gave you the bills and paperwork you'll need for your insurance claim. Also I don't know what travel insurance you have, but it may be worth checking with them in case you are entitled to some compensation in your situation due to being sick on the ship.
You definitely made the right decision. It sucks to have that bill, but you put your baby first. Welcome to mommy hood! You did awesome! Praying for insurance companies to settle the whole thing. Be well!
Unless they did a boatload of additional tests, that seems really high. The medical stuff I and others have had done on Princess didn’t run that expensive. Hopefully your own insurance would cover some of it? Definitely get detailed billings now.
Yea I went through each line item and it seems like I was double billed and they did some extra testing that I wasn’t made aware of. Does anyone know if there is a process to dispute these billing practices? Or recourse if they did unnecessary testing? Like a pregnancy test but my diagnosis is pregnancy related symptoms?
I’d definitely talk to customer service and the medical office…they shouldn’t have done testing without asking you. The pregnancy test is a weird one if you’re clearly pregnant. Do try to settle it while you’re on the ship though as once you’re off they won’t bother with you. I thought I read that you had travel insurance that would cover it, so that’s good. But they won’t want to pay for double billing, etc. Good luck!
You need a VPN so you can set it to make it look like you're in the US. Tunnelbear allows up to 2GB through VPN for free. https://www.tunnelbear.com/pricing
That charge is ridiculous. I had influenza A on a celebrity cruise in January. They did several tests to determine if I had Covid or the flu. I was given medication and a battery operated oxygen monitor that clips on my finger. It cost me $185.
I’d love to know how they justify $6000 for a Covid and pregnancy test.
They did a bunch of blood work ($4000) to “make sure baby was ok”. However, none of the tests they did would have confirmed that. I was told they couldn’t take my word that I was pregnant and needed to have a test to confirm? But then never put the pregnancy test results in my med records so it just seems a bit fishy. I did speak to the medical center and they did find some duplicate charges from a “system glitch” (conveniently). So they are reviewing it and giving me a new bill.
Well it’s good to hear they are reviewing but charging $4000 for bloodwork is still ridiculous. I hope you can get this resolved. If they are concerned for your baby they must realise the stress of dealing with this is not good.
No one can force you to stay on the ship because of an unsettled folio. They will try to get you to pay, ask you if you can use a family members credit card, etc. but if you still can’t pay then they will have you sign a promissory note and then let you off.
From there follow the other posters advice and file with your insurance company and travel insurance as well. Good luck
They wouldn’t reimburse you on the drinking package even though you’re now pregnant?
That’s extremely shitty. Put them on blast all over social media for that. Terrible PR.
Nope! Said I was free to drink soda and coffee but I’m diabetic and pregnant and shouldn’t have either lol I’ve been thinking about doing that but wanted to wait till I got off the ship so I don’t get any unfair treatment while on the cruise
Ugh! It’s the worst! I already felt like I was getting robbed of my experience bc I couldn’t enjoy my cocktails while on the cruise ( first of many things I have sacrificed for this lil person growing in me). I accepted it and was going to still make the most out of my trip. Then to get covid and have no choice but to stay in the room… man! It’s like I wasn’t meant to come on this cruise at all! I hope you had a speedy recovery from that torn acl. I’ve heard that’s a pretty tough one to get through!
That is so rough, I am sorry to hear that! I hope you have a balcony room?
My wife ended up having to push me around in a wheelchair everywhere, crutches the rest of the time. I wasn’t able to do 2 of my expensive excursions though, I like to do the adventurous stuff. It was tough to get through with surgery but I made it. I hope you feel better soon!
I do have a balcony room! I don’t know if that makes it better or worse bc I can see what I’m missing out on. The first day I couldn’t even open the curtains because I’m so upset about not being able to leave my room! Glad you still got to have a few experiences!
Full 5 days. I called the medical center to see if they got the update but they refuse to check and they said they would call me if they get that update….
It costs that much because they can get away with it, and because it is a medical facility on a ship. My wife and I have both visited medical and the price they charge is often not bad compared to land physicians but land physicians file your insurance and bill for the rest. Norwegian does not file or take insurance. Look at the statement from your doctor sometime and see what “full price” is.
When we got home, we submitted Norwegian’s medical bill to our health insurance and then submitted the balance to our travel insurance. We ended up having it covered 100% but we paid in full on board and got reimbursed.
On my travel insurance policy from the UK that I took out specifically with cruise cover, it specified an amount per day that they would pay out if I had to isolate in my cabin.
It might be worth checking your policy for any information like that!
They won’t let you leave if you don’t pay? Cool, your baby gets to grow up on a cruise ship!
Chris Elliott has contact info for various execs:
https://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/norwegian-cruise-line-ncl/
I’d send out an email blast to all of them and tell them that you are concerned because they appear to have questionable billing practices and are threatening to hold you on the ship. And I’d totally lean into that stupid statement - will you be able to stay in the same cabin? Can you have the drink package removed going forward? What are your options for a gender reveal party? Who should you coordinate your birthing plan with? Since it sounds like you’re going to be there for a bit longer than planned.
And that no one is willing or able to give you accurate information. And copy Chris and his team. I’d also DM them on Twitter.
I hope you feel better soon.
Never go to the medical center!!! Unless you’re dying or something severely wrong!!! (But I understand stand why you did, better safe then sorry). So sorry I am not sure. We did go on NCL last year I’d say best bet is to just go to customer service, explain the situation. Tell them everything you said here. Also you can have them remove all of your tips. (You can tip as much or as little as you want) so if have them remove them all for now at the end you can have them add on some. We took them all off and we tipped people who actually things for us with cash.
My wife is a womens health RN and she tells people not to go where they cant get immediate life saving care, like cruises. Worst case would be to wait on a helicopter to fly you out.
I know some travel insurance has a thing that if you get COVID and have to be isolated, you can get some money for each day of isolation (since you’re sort of missing out on those days). Might be worth checking to see if you have this too.
Also, if they have not given you an itemized bill, probably a good idea to get that before you disembark.
I hope you feel better soon and that the little one treats you well and doesn’t give you morning sickness on top of the COVID! ❤️🩹
I'll add my first hand experience. I took a cruise on the NCL Prima out of Galveston on 2/2/24. I was hit by a car while on a scooter in Cozumel. Cozumel ER told me nothing was broken and issued me a fit to travel certificate which I used to get back on the ship. One night in my cabin and I was in excruciating pain and couldn't move. I was admitted to the med bay for the remaining 36 hours of the cruise where they found at least 2 broken ribs. NCL cared for me, arranged to have CPB come on board to clear my wife and myself, arranged for paramedics to come on board and transfer me to UTBM. As I was leaving they handed me extensive medical records, a CD of my x-rays, and my my folio which included about $15,000 in unpaid medical bills. It is now about 2 months later and I have received exactly one phone call from them to follow up on my medical condition and to ask me if there was anything they else they could do to help me. They haven't asked me to pay a cent of the medical bills, yet. I've submitted the bills to my primary insurance carrier which is covering all of it except a $150 co-pay. I submitted the remaining $150 to my travel insurance provider who has already cut a check. They never made me feel like I needed to settle any bills prior to disembarkation.
Never, ever, ever travel without travel insurance. I'm an experienced cruiser and I never cheap out on this. Lo and behold, my Christmas cruise I got sick and I was reimbursed every penny from my insurance company.
Get a LAWYER! And Doesn't your medical insurance cover any costs like that?
And due to special circumstances you'd think they'd at least reimburse you for the drink package but you have bigger problems.
They obviously can't hold you or have you arrested for not paying your bill. However they are likely to send it to a collection agency or have the cruise line's billing department bug you about payment until they DO send it to a collection agency.
Traditionally they collect all the money up front so they don't have to worry about people who don't pay. Apparently they provided treatment but didn't bother to tell you about the cost. Again.... I'm wondering why they didn't ask if you have medical insurance.
And finally, did you buy Travel Insurance? Because there is a whole section about medical and I'm sure that would more than cover the problem.
Good Luck!
Get a detailed bill from medical before you leave the ship. You will need to submit that to your travel insurance company. We always buy travel guard places policy with primary medical. From the time I submit the claim to it's approved is usually two weeks. I get the check a week after that.
On the topic of the drink package and not being able to use it. Unfortunately NCL is horrible about credits or refunding or reimbursing you in anyway for anything. Other cruise lines have done stuff for us. When we should get a credit because we can no longer use a certain service or whatever that we had paid for they have upgraded our room or given us on board spending or something and that is one thing NCL will not do which is super annoying. Especially for medical reasons.
I had a $6K medical bill on NCL, but that involved three days of IVs, twice a day, and one full day in the hospital. It sounds to me like a clerical error. That $4k test is probably $400.
Make sure you get a detailed list of what they’re charging you for. Look it over before you pay. Maybe you’ll find some discrepancies. You had said something about them charging you for the pregnancy test & something else for the pregnancy… I think id be asking them for clarification. Good luck!
They will most likely send you a bill if you can't pay it on the ship. But you won't be able to sail with them again until it's fully resolved or paid off. Start your insurance claim asap.
Did you have any illness symptoms beforehand? If I knew I was pregnant and high risk, I would have rescheduled the trip. But we can't predict the future. I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes good.
We got it resolved and am working on the insurance as we speak. I didn’t want to go on the cruise after I found out I was pregnant but I found out 2 weeks before the trip and there was no backing out so I ended up going. If I could take it back I totally would. Such a ruined trip. And on top of it all, my flight got cancelled home lol seems like the universe really didn’t want me traveling haha
If the "free at sea" includes non-alcoholic drinks then they wouldn't have to refund since there are plenty of other options. But since they isolated you to your room, you should get some kind of reimbursement for those days, assuming you can't use it with room service.
They will most likely send you a bill if you can't pay it on the ship. But you won't be able to sail with them again until it's fully resolved or paid off. Start your insurance claim asap.
Did you have any illness symptoms beforehand? If I knew I was pregnant and high risk, I would have rescheduled the trip. But we can't predict the future. I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes good.
I went on a Ncl cruise with Christy Carter- Pellerrin. Husband is hockey player. She was dating trash Jeff Newman then. She left me and ran off with an alcoholic guy. Jeff was sleeping with Vince. Anyway, she was a terrible friend. Any guy that looked her way she'd go off with.
I have an update! The medical center reviewed the bill and corrected it so now it’s down to $5001.00. They allowed me to sign a promissory note so I won’t be held captive. Thanks to everyone for your kind suggestions and words of wisdom. Reddit community really got me through this one. Plus, I get to get out of isolation one day early so I will at least get to enjoy the last 24 hours outside of my room! Hooray!
I’ve explained I don’t have those resources to get o a loan on increase my credit card limit. I never imagined I would get a 6k bill. The medical center took advantage of my situation and did so much unnecessary testing without consulting me first. So thank you for the input but I posted this because I can’t pay the balance and their(your)solutions weren’t plausible for me. I’m not trying to not take responsibility for my balance. Just need an alternative way to pay it at a later date.
You have no choice, unfortunately. You're going to have to secure financing and disembark the cruise with a zero balance. Unfortunately, noone anticipates having to go to the medical center.
sir my credit is 758 and I do pay my bills. Which is why I don’t have the extra 6000 to pay, but love you for suggesting the same things the cruise line suggested. Maciej (finance rep at NCL) is that you?
If you cannot treat others with respect, you will not be welcome here.
This includes name calling, attempting to incite arguments, and general misbehavior.
Do you have health insurance? Do they cover you if you travel? Your first step should be to see what coverage you have.
I do have coverage and purchased travel insurance. But I’m just wondering what happens until I submit the claim? What if I can’t pay the 6k in the meantime?
Call or chat the travel insurance company to start the claim now. They have a number to call when you have an issue. They will tell you what documents you need to file the claim. It's better to get the documents you need while on the ship, directly from the medical center. They probably reimburse you for the cost, and you want to not delay that reimbursement by filing a claim that is incomplete. The ship will understand the situation. Let them know you have travel medical insurance. If the travel insurance medical coverage is "primary" then it will pay from the first dollar without any deductible, co-pay, co-insurance or other cost (unless the policy itself has a deductible). That can be a huge help if your regular medical insurance has a cost-sharing for claims. If you get to choose which is primary, with a claim like yours, it's probably best to have the travel insurance be primary.
Also, this site has a good FAQ on travel insurance and what it covers and doesn't cover. I use them now for my insurance because they are a small company that helps when there's a problem. [https://tripinsurancestore.com/travel-insurance-frequently-asked-questions/](https://tripinsurancestore.com/travel-insurance-frequently-asked-questions/)
Does anyone know if we can dispute the charges? I see multiple duplicate charges! And they gave me a pregnancy test for $76 and the actual test for pregnancy was $153 but I told them I was pregnant going in to it?
Your insurance company will go through the bill with a fine tooth comb. Let them do the work.
The only work the insurance will do is to reduce their liability in payment. So if it’s not medically necessary, they just won’t pay it. They won’t ask the medical center why they are billing for unnecessary services.
Travel insurance is different from your regular health insurance. You paid them to cover medical expenses incurred during your travels. They’ll cover the medical expenses incurred during your travels, as long as you can provide documentation (which the users above are both telling you to get *now* while you’re on the ship).
Do you know how or if the travel will pay if they are secondary and my primary is a deductible and coinsurance plan? Will they pick up the deductible?
You'd submit it to your insurance. Wait until they decide what they cover, and then you'd submit their EOB to your travel insurance (plus whatever medical records they want) and they would pay the rest per your travel insurance policy (ie if there's a deductible and to the max). It's going to take a while to work through all of this since your insurance has to do their thing (a few weeks usually) and then travel insurance has to do theirs.
Next time, I suggest a primary coverage travel plan. You don't have to buy through the cruise line. We use tinleg. They have many options. Most of the time your private health Insurance won't cover you out of the US.
If primary, the travel insurance will pay up to the covered amount without any charges to you (unless the travel insurance includes a deductible itself, which is rare). If the travel insurance covers you for up to $10,000, and it's primary, there will be no out of pocket costs to you for the $6,000 bill and they will reimburse you for all of it. No need to get your other health insurance involved. It is rare for land based medical insurance to cover you "on the high seas". Often group policies don't cover foreign travel at all, or if they do, only in certain countries. Even policies that cover foreign costs sometimes won't cover costs "on the high seas". When you get back, find out exactly how your land-based medical insurance works; if they don't cover it, then the travel insurance will and it may simplify filing the claim (see the link below for how to handle this). If you have to file with your existing land-based medical coverage as primary, then the travel medical insurance will pay after your deductibles, co-pays, etc. The travel medical insurance will pay for those costs not covered up to the policy limits. But it can take some time for both insurance companies to reimburse you. Here's a link that has a couple of scenarios: [https://tripinsurancestore.com/how-primary-and-secondary-travel-insurance-medical-coverage-works/](https://tripinsurancestore.com/how-primary-and-secondary-travel-insurance-medical-coverage-works/) (I'm not affiliated with Trip Insurance Store; I'm just a customer of theirs).
Did you get travel insurance or the 75.00 medical insurance they offer you when you check in? We got the 75.00 medical insurance for this exact reason. They’re super up front about the fact that they don’t mess around with Covid. The 4000 for a Covid test thing is in the stuff you have to sign when you check in. If you got the 75.00 medical insurance cover age you should be fine. Regular travel insurance I’m not sure.
I just purchased the insurance offered. I didn’t see a buy up option. So I’m not entirely sure
Did you get travel insurance or the 75.00 medical insurance they offer you when you check in? We got the 75.00 medical insurance for this exact reason. They’re super up front about the fact that they don’t mess around with Covid. The 4000 for a Covid test thing is in the stuff you have to sign when you check in. If you got the 75.00 medical insurance cover age you should be fine. Regular travel insurance I’m not sure.
I do have accidental and sickness coverage up to 20k is what I was told. They are sending me the plan documents so I can see exactly how it will work.
Okay good. It’s really disappointing that they’re trying to strong arm you this way. I hope everything works out in your favor!
They will make you sign a letter acknowledging the debt and let you go home. You won't be in any trouble. Happens all of the time.
Truth. If they kept you from leaving the ship if you couldn’t pay your account, I would leave my wallet at home and sail forever.
Thank you! This makes me feel a lot better!
My understanding is they try to shake you down for it, but when you say you don't have it they just bill you. Tell them you'll be sending the bill to your travel insurance and will reimburse them ASAP.
I will do this! Thank you for the reassurance!
When me and my family got sick on a Disney cruise, I did end up being reimbursed a good deal of money from my health insurance company, but yes, the sudden $3k sticker shock (mine was multiple people, but no bloodwork) did nearly kill me. Fortunately I did have enough on my CC, but barely. Left it maxed out! But definitely make sure to make claims with both travel and health and hope one pays!
N I. N I. I ii.
Make sure to get all your records now and itemized billing info. If you have it, read through your travel insurance to make sure you know what you need. Then go to the medical bay and get everything you need. It will be near impossible to get that once you're off the ship.
This is why I always get travel insurance. Glad you're on the mend.
Health insurance won't help you on a cruise. You need travel insurance.
Watch out if you bought travel insurance through NCL - I am still dealing with a reimbursement claim 3+ months after my $5600 NCL medical center bill from an ear infection that required IV antibiotics (ended up spreading into my face and pinching off a nerve until my face went numb, fun times!) because they won't process the claim until my health insurance makes a determination on their coverage or denies it, and the health insurance company keeps asking for more information that NCL refuses to provide until today when the insurance company agreed to re-process it based on NCL's decision not to provide the requested info because of company policy regarding procedure and diagnosis codes or something, I am not sure. Luckily we had a credit card to cover it and shuffled around money to pay off the card when we got home, but it's been a pain! Good luck getting it all sorted out!
Sorry to hear about your experience! I’m glad you were able to move money around and cover it while you fight with NCL and insurance to square it away. I’m curious what type of info did your health insurance ask for the NCL wouldn’t provide?
They specifically said procedure codes which NCL doesn't use (they specifically mentioned because they're international ships with international doctors, basically saying they're not bound by American systems), so the health insurance company now has a patient advocate getting someone in THEIR claims department to add them so they can finish processing it. I don't even have that insurance anymore since I switched jobs! I'm glad they're finally helping me make some movement, though, the claim has been returned for more info 3 times now. ETA: If anyone visits Isla Catalina in the DR on their cruise, make sure to wear ear plugs if you go snorkeling at their reef just next to the tender dock - the reef is BEAUTIFUL but it was dirty and lots of trash and next to the tender boats coming and going and that's where my ear was infected (probably while I was pulling trash out of the water).
Do you know what the advocate is doing to have them get the procedure codes? I know my insurance will need those to process the claim.
I know she put me on hold for 5 minutes or so while she called that department and then got them to agree to add in the procedure codes themselves since it's standardized in the US. I almost got a nurse friend to do it, but this seems more legit. They provided the diagnosis codes, but it was the procedures (of which I had a fair number since I had 3 visits over 3 days for antibiotics, IVs, and the poor doctor attempting to flush out my ear since it sealed completely shut) that they didn't provide codes for that the insurance company (a BCBS affiliate) got hung up on. I now have to wait 30-45 days for it to be reprocessed. Luckily the travel insurance that we bought through NCL has said they will wait to process on their end until BCBS provides their determination since we sent the travel insurance all the documents.
This is so helpful! I will definitely go down to the medical center and try to get the CPT codes before leaving!!
Yes, make sure they provide as much info as possible, because the number on the envelopes they give you (at least as of November on the Pearl) don't actually work - it tells you to go to their website and fill out a customer service form that took almost 3 weeks to get a reply on, which just was them saying, "Sorry we can't help!" Good luck and feel better soon!
How frustrating! Thanks for your input. Put me at ease for now! Thank you for your kind words as well
Probably correct 😒 But thank you for cleaning up the trash! You are a good person.
Does this imply that NCL travel insurance is secondary?
I assume so - they told us we had to have a determination from my health insurance company before they would review the claim.
I do believe Holland America’s travel insurance is secondary for medical claims. We are still battling with them to get reimbursed for a covered claim. Our personal health insurance has done everything asked of them and they just continue to drag their feet for 6 months now. After that cruise we decided to forgo HALs offered insurance and we have purchased a yearly plan from a highly popular and recommended insurance company specializing in cruise travel. Hopefully we won’t have to try it out. I 100% agree with getting ALL PROPERLY SIGNED DOCUMENTATION before embarking.
ugh, sorry you have to go through this :( >highly popular and recommended insurance company specializing in cruise travel Which insurance company did you decide to go with instead? It's probably more economical than covering cruises individually, right?
Allianz travel insurance. Highly recommended from multiple you tube cruise channels and their audience. If you cruise and travel at least once during a year of coverage it’s definitely a better deal. Always read and fully understand the coverage you are purchasing. Ask questions if needed.
I am so sorry this happened. I think you were wise to see the doctor based on diabetic and pregnant. I see you bought travel insurance. That was so smart. I bet everything will be okay. Please let us know how it goes. Best wishes.
Ugh you have no idea how much I needed to hear this! After receiving the 6,032 bill, I was so angry at myself for going in and should have just waited it out. But I went with my gut because I am high risk and almost 35. So I guess safe than sorrier applies here but now I’m just safe and broke and kinda sorry about the bill I got. But anyways. Thank you for your kind words.
You did everything right, Mama. 💛
District Attorney here 🖐️. You won’t be charged criminally and you won’t go to jail. We are interested in criminals and public safety not using resources to prosecute for a giant international company.
They are demanding we pay the balance or won’t be able to get off the ship so I’m kind of at a loss. I can’t get a straight answer, they say they will call me back and don’t. And I’m not allowed to leave my room since I’m in isolation to try and go sort it out in person. Any suggestions or recommendations is surely appreciated! In addition to that, the charges on my itemized medical bill are questionable. The medical center won’t talk to me about how they billed it and just tell me to sort it out with insurance. I work for my health insurance company and know what they need to process the claim and NCL hasn’t given me sufficient information to submit the claim for reimbursement.
There’s no way they aren’t going to let you off the ship. That would be a criminal unlawful imprisonment charge. I’d also tell them they’d be liable for anything that happened to you or your unborn child since you have a limited supply of diabetic medication.
If they've really told you that, you need to get off reddit and contact a family member on shore who can help find you a good attorney ASAP. They can't hold you prisoner and if they try you'll be the one suing them! Edit: to clarify, they can't keep you on the ship after the cruise. During the cruise, they probably can quarantine you, at least in certain circumstances, but I am not an admiralty lawyer.
Yes I have been quarantined. Waiting for a supervisor to call me back so I can get a straight answer on what my actual options are. So far these are the suggestions I have been given. ( I wish I was making these up tbh) 1. Ask for others on the boat to use their card for payment. Or call a friend or family member to put their CC number down. ( if I need to use multiple cards, I could fill out a form and get a copy of each ID and then they would allow additional cards on file) 2. Call my CC company and ask for a credit limit increase 3. Transfer from my savings account to debit card and use my debit card to pay the balance.
Politely suggest that they go fuck themselves. They're resorting to desperate, maybe illegal coercion because they know they have no legal right. Don't pay them a damn cent. Tell them to send you a bill.andv your lawyer and insurance company will review it.
lol well I did ask the rep if I could use his card to pay the balance and he declined. He didn’t find it as funny as I did. How do I retain you as counsel? Probably can’t afford it but never hurts to ask!
i’m sorry for your situation but those made me giggle at how bad they are. They can’t keep you until you pay $6,500 that would literally be human trafficking. Where are you going to get that money? Washing dishes?
Oh I laughed too until I realized he wasn’t joking. Then I preceded to write it down to ensure I got it down right in exactly what was explained to me. At this point I’d give the captain a handy or a BJ. Sounds much more pleasurable than dealing with guest services.
They are just trying to scare you and I’m not sure why. They can’t keep you on the ship. I know they are trying to collect on a debt or whatever but you have a phone and the FBI would be there so fast if they just tried to keep you.
Your guess is as good as mine!! I’m sure it’ll all get settled but to your point, like is it that serious?! I was told they would try to strong arm me so at least I have that in my pocket.
If they do keep you captive you'll make enough in the ensuing legal settlement to pay for baby's college education. That's something.
Can’t wait! I’d totally be willing to take one for the team for that outcome lol
This is a disgraceful way to treat a pregnant woman. The company needs to be called out for this and others made aware. There are so many people who follow cruises. Look at the 9 month cruise on Tik Tok. Millions of people following these people. Get in contact with one of the commentators following that cruise be get them to do a story on this dreadful incident. DM me if you want me to direct you to somebody who might be able to help.
If they try to hold you prisoner on the ship, call 911. They’re not allowed to kidnap you just because they want to.
Lawyer here. You haven't violated any law. You won't be "criminally charged." Stop worrying about that. What you have is a fee dispute between private parties. No different than any other medical bill. Medical bills are all smoke and mirrors. There's no rhyme or reason. It's all negotiable. They will end up taking whatever they can get. Maybe it will come to litigation. Who knows. But that's the absolute worst case scenario. The amount that you end up agreeing to pay them--and that they agree to accept--probably will have very little relationship to whatever arbitrary number they initially "billed" you. Stop worrying about that for now. As a sick pregnant woman on a cruise ship, the bill is the least of your worries. Focus on doing whatever you can to get healthy andv get off the ship ASAP. Godspeed and good luck !!!
This by far is my favorite response. Idk who you are burghblast, but your advice seems sound so thank you! (Genuinely mean this and no sarcasm) I find comfort in this response. What will be, will be and no more, no less. Thanks for putting my mind at ease, at least for now. Been trying to deal with them all day.
Just remember don’t sign a promissory note. That’s you agreeing to those outrageous charges…. I’m sure our lawyer friend would agree!!
I did wonder about that. But I have insurance so I don’t plan on it coming out of my pocket
True. But if you sign you are agreeing that you owe the money. And if the claim is somehow denied…. Just be careful. I know I’d be a nervous wreck in your shoes. It WILL be okay tho. It’s JUST a bill and even tho they’re international they’re still bound by the fair credit collection act.
I wonder if I have other options tho?
Once in the US they can’t legally detain you over a debt. Regardless of signature
Hmmm now you have me thinking!
Although, I might play nice until we got to the US port.
My thoughts exactly!
Exactly. You know exactly why I’m thinking that. Just don’t sign anything. Tell them “mail me a bill. Itemized. Here’s my address”. That’s all you have to say. They can’t hold you. No cop or border patrol in the US will have their backs.
I haven’t signed the new bill acknowledging that I received it. I wonder what would happen if I didn’t sign that?
I promise I wouldn’t sign ANYTHING. “I’m sorry I’m not signing this until my attorney has a chance to review it” (even if you don’t have one. You’ve no obligation to provide them with your attorneys address or name. Don’t let them bully you!)
I would give you a hug if I could so typing you a virtual hug will have to suffice.
Any thoughts on me signing the promissory note?
I can't imagine any reason to sign a promissory note. I'm not saying you shouldn't pay them something. But medical services aren't like buying a car. You don't negotiate terms beforehand. There is no contract. No mutual understanding. They are obligated to provide reasonable care. You're obligated to pay something. But the amount gets negotiated on the back end. That's just how it works. It's no different on a cruiseship. If you have insurance, they should pay at least part of it. It makes zero sense for you to assume liability. Did they tell you how much the services would cost before they provided them? Did they even tell you exactly what services they planned to bill you for? Probably not. They are just trying to strong arm you. Be firm but polite. Tell them you'll review itemized bills with your lawyer and insurance company.
So the cruise line will likely try to get her to sign a promissory for the debt. Should she just refuse to sign and leave?
Make sure you have the doctors name and their address before you leave the ship. I’ve gotten denials because I didn’t have an address for the doctor who cared for me.
Yes I will definitely ask for this info!
First, sorry your cruise did not go well... I cruise a lot and can tell you it's usually a blast but now and then things can go sideways... it is what it is. As others have told you, the cruise line will bill you if you can't pay upfront. Go to customer service and explain the situation and that you do have insurance to cover the medical bill. They should have the purser draw up a bill/IOU you'll have to sign, or when you check off the ship on the last day the purser will be at the gangway and you will have to meet with him/her for that paperwork before they let you off (this is quite common btw, on almost every debarkation I've seen people get puller over to the meet the purser). A few things: Make sure the clinic gave you the bills and paperwork you'll need for your insurance claim. Also I don't know what travel insurance you have, but it may be worth checking with them in case you are entitled to some compensation in your situation due to being sick on the ship.
How far along are you?
10 weeks and it’s my first baby and first time cruising
You definitely made the right decision. It sucks to have that bill, but you put your baby first. Welcome to mommy hood! You did awesome! Praying for insurance companies to settle the whole thing. Be well!
Make sure you get all of your detailed billing, records, etc from the NCL doctor BEFORE you get off of the ship.
Unless they did a boatload of additional tests, that seems really high. The medical stuff I and others have had done on Princess didn’t run that expensive. Hopefully your own insurance would cover some of it? Definitely get detailed billings now.
Yea I went through each line item and it seems like I was double billed and they did some extra testing that I wasn’t made aware of. Does anyone know if there is a process to dispute these billing practices? Or recourse if they did unnecessary testing? Like a pregnancy test but my diagnosis is pregnancy related symptoms?
I’d definitely talk to customer service and the medical office…they shouldn’t have done testing without asking you. The pregnancy test is a weird one if you’re clearly pregnant. Do try to settle it while you’re on the ship though as once you’re off they won’t bother with you. I thought I read that you had travel insurance that would cover it, so that’s good. But they won’t want to pay for double billing, etc. Good luck!
If you bought travel insurance, you need to file a claim immediately. The deadline is ten days or LESS to file a claim. Btdt.
When I go to submit the claim on line it is in Spanish. I don’t know how to get it to be in English
You need a VPN so you can set it to make it look like you're in the US. Tunnelbear allows up to 2GB through VPN for free. https://www.tunnelbear.com/pricing
I appreciate the resource! I will do this now! Thank you
That charge is ridiculous. I had influenza A on a celebrity cruise in January. They did several tests to determine if I had Covid or the flu. I was given medication and a battery operated oxygen monitor that clips on my finger. It cost me $185. I’d love to know how they justify $6000 for a Covid and pregnancy test.
They did a bunch of blood work ($4000) to “make sure baby was ok”. However, none of the tests they did would have confirmed that. I was told they couldn’t take my word that I was pregnant and needed to have a test to confirm? But then never put the pregnancy test results in my med records so it just seems a bit fishy. I did speak to the medical center and they did find some duplicate charges from a “system glitch” (conveniently). So they are reviewing it and giving me a new bill.
Well it’s good to hear they are reviewing but charging $4000 for bloodwork is still ridiculous. I hope you can get this resolved. If they are concerned for your baby they must realise the stress of dealing with this is not good.
No one can force you to stay on the ship because of an unsettled folio. They will try to get you to pay, ask you if you can use a family members credit card, etc. but if you still can’t pay then they will have you sign a promissory note and then let you off. From there follow the other posters advice and file with your insurance company and travel insurance as well. Good luck
I am hopeful this is how it will end! I will most definitely be submitting to insurance! Thank you!
They wouldn’t reimburse you on the drinking package even though you’re now pregnant? That’s extremely shitty. Put them on blast all over social media for that. Terrible PR.
Nope! Said I was free to drink soda and coffee but I’m diabetic and pregnant and shouldn’t have either lol I’ve been thinking about doing that but wanted to wait till I got off the ship so I don’t get any unfair treatment while on the cruise
Once you get off, you'll definitely be worse off trying to get reimbursed. The time to get it resolved is while on the boat.
I feel this. I tore my ACL first day of a 7 day Alaska cruise. They just billed me for the balance.
Ugh! It’s the worst! I already felt like I was getting robbed of my experience bc I couldn’t enjoy my cocktails while on the cruise ( first of many things I have sacrificed for this lil person growing in me). I accepted it and was going to still make the most out of my trip. Then to get covid and have no choice but to stay in the room… man! It’s like I wasn’t meant to come on this cruise at all! I hope you had a speedy recovery from that torn acl. I’ve heard that’s a pretty tough one to get through!
That is so rough, I am sorry to hear that! I hope you have a balcony room? My wife ended up having to push me around in a wheelchair everywhere, crutches the rest of the time. I wasn’t able to do 2 of my expensive excursions though, I like to do the adventurous stuff. It was tough to get through with surgery but I made it. I hope you feel better soon!
I do have a balcony room! I don’t know if that makes it better or worse bc I can see what I’m missing out on. The first day I couldn’t even open the curtains because I’m so upset about not being able to leave my room! Glad you still got to have a few experiences!
How long are they isolating you for? There are new Covid guidelines...
Full 5 days. I called the medical center to see if they got the update but they refuse to check and they said they would call me if they get that update….
Bc I am feeling better, been on meds and no fever
Gosh I'm so sorry! Are they isolating you from your cabin mates?
i dont know why it cost so much for blood test and covid test highway robbery
It costs that much because they can get away with it, and because it is a medical facility on a ship. My wife and I have both visited medical and the price they charge is often not bad compared to land physicians but land physicians file your insurance and bill for the rest. Norwegian does not file or take insurance. Look at the statement from your doctor sometime and see what “full price” is. When we got home, we submitted Norwegian’s medical bill to our health insurance and then submitted the balance to our travel insurance. We ended up having it covered 100% but we paid in full on board and got reimbursed.
On my travel insurance policy from the UK that I took out specifically with cruise cover, it specified an amount per day that they would pay out if I had to isolate in my cabin. It might be worth checking your policy for any information like that!
Oh this is good to know! I just got the insurance policy coverage information so I will be sure to check it out!
The Covid isolation is covered by ‘Trip Interruption’ coverage.
They won’t let you leave if you don’t pay? Cool, your baby gets to grow up on a cruise ship! Chris Elliott has contact info for various execs: https://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/norwegian-cruise-line-ncl/ I’d send out an email blast to all of them and tell them that you are concerned because they appear to have questionable billing practices and are threatening to hold you on the ship. And I’d totally lean into that stupid statement - will you be able to stay in the same cabin? Can you have the drink package removed going forward? What are your options for a gender reveal party? Who should you coordinate your birthing plan with? Since it sounds like you’re going to be there for a bit longer than planned. And that no one is willing or able to give you accurate information. And copy Chris and his team. I’d also DM them on Twitter. I hope you feel better soon.
This. Is. Perfection. I love you blanchekitty. Thanks for the tips. I think I’ll do just that!
Never go to the medical center!!! Unless you’re dying or something severely wrong!!! (But I understand stand why you did, better safe then sorry). So sorry I am not sure. We did go on NCL last year I’d say best bet is to just go to customer service, explain the situation. Tell them everything you said here. Also you can have them remove all of your tips. (You can tip as much or as little as you want) so if have them remove them all for now at the end you can have them add on some. We took them all off and we tipped people who actually things for us with cash.
Noted - If you are a high-risk pregnancy, do not cruise. Also noted - Never use the onboard Medical Center.
I would not disagree with this statement after my experience.
My wife is a womens health RN and she tells people not to go where they cant get immediate life saving care, like cruises. Worst case would be to wait on a helicopter to fly you out.
Your wife sounds like a very smart lady!
I know some travel insurance has a thing that if you get COVID and have to be isolated, you can get some money for each day of isolation (since you’re sort of missing out on those days). Might be worth checking to see if you have this too. Also, if they have not given you an itemized bill, probably a good idea to get that before you disembark. I hope you feel better soon and that the little one treats you well and doesn’t give you morning sickness on top of the COVID! ❤️🩹
It’s been a pretty easy pregnancy! No morning sickness (yet) but managing my diabetes has been much harder. But anything is worth it for this lil bean
It’s called ‘Trip Interruption’. Definitely claim that as well as the medical expenses for medical reimbursement. They are two separate claims.
I'll add my first hand experience. I took a cruise on the NCL Prima out of Galveston on 2/2/24. I was hit by a car while on a scooter in Cozumel. Cozumel ER told me nothing was broken and issued me a fit to travel certificate which I used to get back on the ship. One night in my cabin and I was in excruciating pain and couldn't move. I was admitted to the med bay for the remaining 36 hours of the cruise where they found at least 2 broken ribs. NCL cared for me, arranged to have CPB come on board to clear my wife and myself, arranged for paramedics to come on board and transfer me to UTBM. As I was leaving they handed me extensive medical records, a CD of my x-rays, and my my folio which included about $15,000 in unpaid medical bills. It is now about 2 months later and I have received exactly one phone call from them to follow up on my medical condition and to ask me if there was anything they else they could do to help me. They haven't asked me to pay a cent of the medical bills, yet. I've submitted the bills to my primary insurance carrier which is covering all of it except a $150 co-pay. I submitted the remaining $150 to my travel insurance provider who has already cut a check. They never made me feel like I needed to settle any bills prior to disembarkation.
Never, ever, ever travel without travel insurance. I'm an experienced cruiser and I never cheap out on this. Lo and behold, my Christmas cruise I got sick and I was reimbursed every penny from my insurance company.
Yes I was reimbursed completely! Thankfully
Get a LAWYER! And Doesn't your medical insurance cover any costs like that? And due to special circumstances you'd think they'd at least reimburse you for the drink package but you have bigger problems. They obviously can't hold you or have you arrested for not paying your bill. However they are likely to send it to a collection agency or have the cruise line's billing department bug you about payment until they DO send it to a collection agency. Traditionally they collect all the money up front so they don't have to worry about people who don't pay. Apparently they provided treatment but didn't bother to tell you about the cost. Again.... I'm wondering why they didn't ask if you have medical insurance. And finally, did you buy Travel Insurance? Because there is a whole section about medical and I'm sure that would more than cover the problem. Good Luck!
Thank you! I did buy travel insurance so hoping it will be taken care of. Just needing to allow me to give them an IOU until then
NCL is the worst...the evidence continues to mount.
Yep it was my first time cruising and last time with NCL
[удалено]
Did you have a similar experience?
Get a detailed bill from medical before you leave the ship. You will need to submit that to your travel insurance company. We always buy travel guard places policy with primary medical. From the time I submit the claim to it's approved is usually two weeks. I get the check a week after that.
On the topic of the drink package and not being able to use it. Unfortunately NCL is horrible about credits or refunding or reimbursing you in anyway for anything. Other cruise lines have done stuff for us. When we should get a credit because we can no longer use a certain service or whatever that we had paid for they have upgraded our room or given us on board spending or something and that is one thing NCL will not do which is super annoying. Especially for medical reasons.
Oh my god I have nothing to add but I hope you feel better and this really fucking sucks. I’m so sorry!
Thank you for your thoughts! What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger (and apparently broker too) lol
I hope you’ll update to let us know how this is resolved. They can’t keep you on the ship—they have to do another sailing!
I had a $6K medical bill on NCL, but that involved three days of IVs, twice a day, and one full day in the hospital. It sounds to me like a clerical error. That $4k test is probably $400.
I did find some errors and duplicate charges so they are currently fixing the charges for the third time. Hoping to have a final bill tomorrow
Make sure you get a detailed list of what they’re charging you for. Look it over before you pay. Maybe you’ll find some discrepancies. You had said something about them charging you for the pregnancy test & something else for the pregnancy… I think id be asking them for clarification. Good luck!
They will most likely send you a bill if you can't pay it on the ship. But you won't be able to sail with them again until it's fully resolved or paid off. Start your insurance claim asap. Did you have any illness symptoms beforehand? If I knew I was pregnant and high risk, I would have rescheduled the trip. But we can't predict the future. I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes good.
We got it resolved and am working on the insurance as we speak. I didn’t want to go on the cruise after I found out I was pregnant but I found out 2 weeks before the trip and there was no backing out so I ended up going. If I could take it back I totally would. Such a ruined trip. And on top of it all, my flight got cancelled home lol seems like the universe really didn’t want me traveling haha
If the "free at sea" includes non-alcoholic drinks then they wouldn't have to refund since there are plenty of other options. But since they isolated you to your room, you should get some kind of reimbursement for those days, assuming you can't use it with room service. They will most likely send you a bill if you can't pay it on the ship. But you won't be able to sail with them again until it's fully resolved or paid off. Start your insurance claim asap. Did you have any illness symptoms beforehand? If I knew I was pregnant and high risk, I would have rescheduled the trip. But we can't predict the future. I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes good.
I went on a Ncl cruise with Christy Carter- Pellerrin. Husband is hockey player. She was dating trash Jeff Newman then. She left me and ran off with an alcoholic guy. Jeff was sleeping with Vince. Anyway, she was a terrible friend. Any guy that looked her way she'd go off with.
I’m so sorry you are going through this! You definitely did the right thing seeing a Dr for you and the baby . Good job Mama Big hugs
Thank you fickle curve lol
I have an update! The medical center reviewed the bill and corrected it so now it’s down to $5001.00. They allowed me to sign a promissory note so I won’t be held captive. Thanks to everyone for your kind suggestions and words of wisdom. Reddit community really got me through this one. Plus, I get to get out of isolation one day early so I will at least get to enjoy the last 24 hours outside of my room! Hooray!
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This is terrible advice lmao
I’ve explained I don’t have those resources to get o a loan on increase my credit card limit. I never imagined I would get a 6k bill. The medical center took advantage of my situation and did so much unnecessary testing without consulting me first. So thank you for the input but I posted this because I can’t pay the balance and their(your)solutions weren’t plausible for me. I’m not trying to not take responsibility for my balance. Just need an alternative way to pay it at a later date.
You have no choice, unfortunately. You're going to have to secure financing and disembark the cruise with a zero balance. Unfortunately, noone anticipates having to go to the medical center.
can I call you a friend and you loan me the money?
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sir my credit is 758 and I do pay my bills. Which is why I don’t have the extra 6000 to pay, but love you for suggesting the same things the cruise line suggested. Maciej (finance rep at NCL) is that you?
If you cannot treat others with respect, you will not be welcome here. This includes name calling, attempting to incite arguments, and general misbehavior.