Cruising has become very popular since the pandemic, with many cruise lines reporting multiple sellouts and taking reservations into 2026.
No one expects to become ill on a cruise ship, but it happens all the time. You come down with a stomach bug or something that attacks your respiratory tract. You sprain your ankle. You break a tooth. If you’re older, you may notice symptoms that feel like a heart attack or look like a stroke.
A cruise ship’s medical center
PC: Ulrika / flickr / CC BY-ND-2.0
Every U.S.-based cruise ship has a medical department that’s staffed with one or two doctors and usually a handful of nurses (the larger the ship, the more medical personnel they have on board). These medical workers are either actively working or on call 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, as per American College of Emergency Physicians guidelines.
Medical personnel (both physicians and registered nurses) must have at least three years of postgraduate experience in general and emergency medicine or board certification in emergency medicine, family medicine or internal medicine. If the ship allows children on board, they must also have training in pediatrics.
Each ship’s medical equipment and services available may vary, although you may expect them to be equipped with defibrillators, ventilators, cardiac monitors, oxygen tanks, x-ray machines, and lab equipment. Medical centers on cruise ships are generally able to perform minor surgeries, prescribe medications and stabilize patients who have more serious medical conditions. However if the passenger has a serious medical situation, plans can be made for them to be transported via helicopter or a small boat from the cruise ship to where they can receive life-saving care at a medical facility on land.
PC: Coast Guard coordinates medevac of man from cruise ship in Key West
Emergency medical services personnel awaiting patient from cruise ship in Key West, Oct. 20, 2021. The Serenade of the Sea personnel safely transferred the man to emergency medical services and was further transported to Lower Keys Medical Center. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
It’s not free!
Unlike the midnight buffet and the use of hot tubs, receiving medical attention while on a cruise ship is not part of the cost of being on the ship.
Chances are excellent that your regular health insurance (including Medicare) won’t cover the costs of medical care onboard because most people’s health insurance only works when you are within the United States.
What about my travel insurance?
It depends on the policy, honestly. According to Allianz, “if you have travel insurance with emergency medical/dental benefits, then you may be reimbursed for losses due to covered medical and dental emergencies that occur during your cruise.
In other words, make sure you get travel insurance, and choose it wisely, friends. 😉
What will medical care on a cruise ship cost me?
Again, medical care doesn’t come part and parcel as part of your cruise. If your regular health insurance doesn’t cover you, and you didn’t get medical insurance (or didn’t get travel insurance that will cover onboard medical care), you will be expected to pay for that onboard medical care 100% out of pocket.
These are some prices that have been shared in the past 5 years or so. References are from the likes of ProfCruise, The Express, USA Today, CruiseBlog, Quartz, Emma Cruises, Cruise Critic, etc. Prices vary from cruise line to cruise line and, of course, 2024 prices are going to be higher than 2019 prices. But this should give you a guide.
- Vending machine band aid: $1
- Basic medical care (check up, Rx) for upper respiratory infection: $372
- Care on ship after suffering a series of seizures: $2,500 (patient was then evacuated off the ship via boat. Which had its own cost)
- Doctor medical evacuation escort: $1199
- Nurse medical evacuation escort: $699
- Air medical evacuations from the Caribbean to the U.S. mainland: $20,000
- Air medical evacuations in Alaska, the South Pacific, and Australia: over $100,000
- In-office doctor consultation: $109- $150 (during office hours. Add anywhere from 25% to 60% if it’s outside of office hours)
- Follow-up office visit: $99
- Nurse consultation: $50-$75 (during office hours. Add 25% to 60% if it’s outside of office hours)
- Doctor cabin visit: $199-$225 (cabin follow-up visit $60-$99)
- Blood pressure check: $10 per day
- X-ray: $100 – $200 (depending on the body part)
- CPR: $260 – $799
- Defibrillation: $499
- Thrombolytic IV therapy (“clot buster” if you’re having a stroke): $799
- Tracheal intubation: $109
- Ventilator: $54 per day
- Oxygen mask: $21
- Oxygen administration: $21 per hour
- Post mortem care: $54-$249
- Reduction and immobilization of dislocation: $260
- Stitches: varies with size of wound. 30cm was $759
- After-hours pharmacy charge: $50 (on top of the cost of the medication)
- On-ship admission to ICU: $349
- First 60 minutes of critical care: $599 (each add’l 60 min: $299)
- Nursing fee per hour: $79
- Suprapubic catheter incision with insertion: $599
- Foley catheter insertion: $199
- Ear wax: $99 (per ear)
- 12-lead EKG (+ interpretation): $79
- Nas-gastric tube placement: $59
That’s just a start. ProfCruise.com has a whole list of medical procedures and their respective costs that were up to date as of September 2022 (so they are not very up-to-date, but they give you an idea).
The bottom line
If you’re independently wealthy, medical costs on a cruise ship shouldn’t be much of an issue for you. But if you’re one of the rest of us, chances are it can be. Plan accordingly.
Feature Photo (cropped): Ulrika / flickr / CC BY-ND-2.0
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