An unlucky cruiser thought he hit the jackpot after winning a free cruise only to receive an unexpected $47,000 medical bill.
Mike Cameron and his girlfriend, Tamra Masterman, of Braham, Minn., set sail on a free Norwegian cruise that departed out of Miami, Florida, on January 5, FOX 9 reported.
However, their dream vacation aboard Norweigan Encore quickly took a turn for the worse when Cameron came down with the flu. He visited the ship's medical center for treatment where crew members told him not to worry about the cost because of his travel insurance.
Thankfully, Cameron recovered in three days but was shocked to receive a hefty bill for the services in the medical center.
"To turn around the day we're leaving and get handed a $47,000 bill, I just didn't even know what to do," Cameron said in an interview with FOX 9, "Everyone in the medical ward kept saying, 'Don't worry, you have $20,000 coverage. You'll be just fine."
Even though they purchased travel insurance through Norwegian Cruise Line, the couple is having issues filing a claim.
Masterman explained how nobody wants to take responsibility for the bill: "The [travel] insurance doesn't wanna pay it until we run it by our health insurance, [and] the health insurance doesn't want to pay it because [it was] aboard,"
Norwegian charged the two credit cards on file, maxing out both of them. After that, Cameron still owes the company $21,000.
Norwegian gave Cameron and Masterman a letter explaining that its pricing is "closely comparable to other cruise lines and is what we believe to be fair and reasonable."
FOX 9 reached out to the cruise line via email, with a Norwegian spokesperson saying they're looking into whether the charges are typical for flu treatment.
"You start thinking [that] you're gonna lose your house; you're gonna lose your cars," Masterman added.
You should still purchase travel insurance for cruise vacations
A good travel insurance policy protects against lost luggage or flight delays, in addition to medical treatment received in international waters. However, in most cases, the policy should cover routine medical treatment.
One couple taking their honeymoon cruise was forced to pay a $10,000 bill after receiving treatment for a ruptured appendix without insurance.
In a Reddit post titled, "Appendix burst on honeymoon!" jellocore explained how the happy couple was on a cruise to the Bahamas when they began suffering from severe and sudden stomach pain.
"The medical center was closed and they had an 'emergencies only' line. I waited 4 hours before calling because I couldn't tell if it was an emergency," they said, "Not only did I have appendicitis, [but] my appendix ruptured. This is very serious and I will be in the hospital for at least a week."
Because of the severity of the situation, the couple had to disembark early so jellocore could undergo emergency surgery.
However, because they didn't have travel insurance, they wiped out their entire honeymoon budget and savings paying the $10,000 bill, which just covered the services on the cruise ship. Thankfully, their medical health insurance policy helped cover the hospital stay in Miami, Florida.
A similar situation happened to Vincent Wasney and his fiancée, Sarah Eberlein, who were vacationing on a free cruise on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas.
Wasney suffered a series of seizures, racking up over $2,500 in medical bills for onboard treatment.
The incident sparked a debate over the best travel insurance policies
"...[T]hey were [underinsured] by their travel insurance carrier. $20,000 in medical coverage is WAY TOO LOW for a cruise abroad. Minimum [of] $75,000 for medical and that’s bare bones. (I’m an insurance producer, so I am not pulling that number from the ether.)," commented Glittering-Read-6906 on a Reddit thread titled, "NCL at it again with sleezy stuff."
Hot_Introduction_270 added, "The moral of the story [is] do not buy the insurance offered by [the] travel company you are traveling with. Independent travel insurance always has better benefits."
"I've learned a lot by reading these subreddits that you never visit a cruise's [medical] center unless it's life or death. Last cruise I went with my own [painkillers], cold medicine, anti-d, etc. If I would get sick, I'll just ride it out in my room," said omnired44.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
