Man Wins Free Cruise, Company Charges Him $47 For Onboard Flu Treatment

A passenger who won a free Caribbean cruise ended up with a $47 bill after coming down with the flu during the trip. Now he doesn't know how to pay off the debt to the cruise line, writes Independent.

Photo: Photosvit | Dreamstime.com

Mike Cameron and his girlfriend Tamara Masterman from Minnesota won a free trip on Norwegian Cruise Line. The Encore cruise ship departed from Miami, Florida on January 5 for a week-long Caribbean cruise.

However, during the trip, Cameron fell ill with the flu and went to the ship's medical center. He claims to have recovered within three days.

On the subject: Cruise Line Bills Passengers $1300 for Minor Mistake

Masterman said her boyfriend was "hooked up on catheters and IVs" during his treatment.

The passenger soon learned that his treatment had cost $47.

“And you start to think that because of this you will have to lose your car and your home,” Masterman said sadly.

"I don't even know how I'm ever going to be able to pay it back. I'm going to have to, but I don't know how," Cameron admitted.

According to the source, the cruise line charged two credit cards registered to the passenger, exceeding their limit. Cameron will have to pay another $21.

Speaking to a local news station, Masterman said they purchased travel insurance from Norwegian that covers up to $20, but they were unable to file a claim.

"Travel insurance doesn't want to pay until we make a request to our health insurance. Health insurance doesn't want to pay because the treatment was abroad," she explained.

"On the day of departure, to receive a bill for $47! I just didn't know what to do," Cameron said. "The medical center assured me, 'Don't worry, you have $000 coverage, everything will be fine.'"

The couple received a letter from Norwegian saying their rates were "comparable to other cruise lines and, in our opinion, fair and reasonable."

A Norwegian Cruise Line spokesman confirmed that Cameron was hospitalized on January 9 and "received appropriate treatment and then spent 62 hours in intensive care."

“We cannot disclose the details or severity of the guest’s condition due to privacy laws and regulations, but we can confirm that the necessary medical procedures and associated costs have been reviewed by our team.

Since medical insurance is not accepted on board, we strongly recommend that the guest apply for reimbursement with their medical insurance company after the cruise.

Since the guest had purchased travel insurance for his holiday, we recommended that he continue to pursue his claim with the insurance company after he had filed a claim with his health insurance company," the company explained.

It should be noted that Norwegian's website states: "Onboard consultations and treatment for respiratory illnesses are available for an additional fee."

“We are committed to providing quality medical services and each of our ships is equipped with a state-of-the-art medical centre staffed by highly trained doctors and nurses to provide care to both guests and crew while on board,” a company spokesperson said.

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High onboard medical bills have repeatedly raised concerns among passengers. In 2022, a Michigan man who suffered a seizure on a Royal Caribbean ship was forced to pay $2 in medical bills.

He was on board the Independence of the Seas when he suffered three seizures and was handed a medical bill while being evacuated to a rescue ship that needed to be paid before disembarking.

The passengers were eventually allowed to disembark the ship even though they had not paid the full bill.

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