I Spent My First Cruise in the Ship's Hospital

Watching an endless number of commercials about cruising made me curious. They mainly advertised the Royal Carribean cruise line. They had a variety of activities for all age groups. Everyone seemed to be having fun.

So, I researched about cruising. The more research I did the more it made me want to go on one.

I decided to take a 4-day cruise to the West Indies Islands. I decided when I wanted to go. I calculated how much the trip would cost - airfare, the cruise, etc. I decided how much money I would spend during the trip for drinks, gifts, restaurants, and such for my first trip on a cruise line. I was excited and ready to go.

I mentioned to my book club friends that I was going on my first cruise to the Islands. One member asked specific questions. After the meeting, she indicated her interest in going with me. It would be her first cruise also.

That was fine with me. I would save a lot of money booking a room with two people. Cruise ships always charge the same based on two people in a room called double occupancy.

A few days later, my friend asked if she could invite one of her friends. She had never been a cruise, either. And just like that - we booked a triple-room. With the savings we decided to book a room with a balcony.

It was a busy day. We left Boston by plane and arrived in Miami. A crew member held up a sign at the airport. We got on a bus which brought us to the ship.

We were directed to put our tagged luggage in a designated area. We would see our luggage again in our room.

We stood in a long line to check in. When it was my turn, a member of the crew asked for my credit card. After writing down all the information, he checked my balance. He wanted to make sure that I had enough cruise funds to enjoy myself.

As we walked into the huge ship, our pictures were taken. The photos of everyone, all 4500-5600 passengers, were put on a massive board in front of the photo shop. The photos were for sale, if wanted by passengers.

On board, we found our luggage in our room. We chose our beds, unpacked, and got comfortable. We went to the balcony. It had a small white table and 3 white chairs. A crew member knocked on our door. Coming in, he announced that he was our steward.

While unpacking, we were informed by the captain through the speaker in our room that the ship was required to have a fire drill before we could start our voyage. He referred us to the large notebook on the table in our room. It gave us all the information we needed.

I had not had an asthma attack this bad in years. It was very hard to breath. With every breath I took, my chest hurt.

I sat on my bed, hoping my breathing would get better. I did my best to calm down. I tried to convince myself that it was a little attack. But it was getting worse.

The captain announced over the intercom that everyone was mandated to be at their assigned fire drill location, The ship could not leave the port until everyone was accounted for.

It was as if he were talking directly to me. I stumbled over to the telephone on the table and called the bridge. I informed them that if they were waiting for me to get to my station, I could not because I was having an asthma attack.

Soon after my call, the captain announced the fire drill was over.

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We ate an excellent dinner with drinks in the main dining room. We agreed to go to the comedy show later in the evening,

The captain spoke over the speakers He instructed us to go to our rooms, quickly get our fire drill gear, and go to our stations. Everyone headed for the stairs. The three of us followed suit.

We had to go up 5 flights of stairs to get to our room. The elevators were turned off for the fire drill.

Passengers sprinted up the stairs. I tried to keep up with my friends. I was out of shape ang had an alcoholic drink. Around the third floor I was really out of breath. I told my friends to go ahead. I would be right behind them.

By the time I reached the 5th floor, I was done. I had to sit down on the top of the stairs. By the n my roommates had been in our room, put on their gear, passed me on the steps, and were headed to our station. I told them I would catch up.

That was not going to happen. By the time I entered our room, I was gasping for air, I was having a full-fledged asthma attack.

There was a knock on my cabin door. When I opened it, two crew members with a wheelchair entered. They assisted me into the wheelchair and transported me to the ship's hospital. The elevators were working again.

Once I was downstairs in the ship's hospital, I was transferred to a bed. The only thing I was able to blurt out was to ask the ship's doctor to tell my roommates that I was in the hospital.

The doctor and nurse quickly worked to take care of me. A mask was put over my head, and medicine filtered in. They took my pulse and blood pressure.

After a while I heard upbeat music. I was at the bottom of the ship, so I felt the ship move. I heard the passenger's cheers. We were finally on our way!

As I began to feel better and looked around at my surroundings. It looked exactly like a hospital room. I was pleasantly surprised, and comfortable.

It took time for the medicine to take effect. Finally, I was able to breathe normally. Once I was stabilized, I could go back to my room. I was in the hospital for 5 hours.

When I returned to my room, my roommates were in bed. They joked that I had dumped them. They said they were too tired to do anything. They asked if the comedy show was good. When I told them I had been in the ship's hospital, they were astonished. No one had called them.

The next day my friend called the ship's purser. She conveyed her anger that.no one notified them that I was in the hospital for hours. An hour later the purser arrived with a dish of chocolate pastries. He gave his sincere apology and inquired about my health. I was still a little woozy, but I was happy that the ship's purser came by and showed concern.

They charged my credit card about $300 for my little incident. I didn't complain about the bill. I was treated very well at the ship's hospital. The hospital crew was efficient and effective,

Unfortunately, I was very weak from my medical episode. I chose not to participate in sightseeing at the several islands we visited. I spent all 4 days on the ship.

Fortunately, there was plenty to see and do on board. Not everyone leaves the ship every day. There were activities we could do while we were in port. They had events and activities for all ages and energy levels. I found the passengers were as friendly as the crew.

Despite my illness, I caught the cruise ship bug. It was one of the best excursions I had. A year later, my book club friend and I went on another cruise. She had also caught the bug. And I was better prepared that time.

I had a wonderful time!