Cruise Passenger Racks Up $47,000 Bill for Flu Treatment

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One couple is living a nightmare after their free cruise vacation ended up costing them nearly $50,000 due to a bout of the flu. 

Mike Cameron, and his girlfriend, Tamra Masterman, were excited to win a free Caribbean cruise onboard Norwegian Encore – which they embarked on earlier in January. 

Itโ€™s unclear which sailing the couple was part of, but the Breakaway Plus-class ship has been exclusively offering the same 7-night itinerary out of Miami, Florida – which features calls on Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; and Great Stirrup Cay, NCLโ€™s private island in the Bahamas.ย 

The cruise started out as the vacation of a lifetime – that is until Cameron came down with a bad case of flu that required three days of treatment from the onboard medical center. 

Before disembarking, he was given a bill for $47,638.79. As the cruise lines typically require medical debts to be paid prior to the conclusion of the sailing, Norwegian maxed out both credit cards the couple had on file – and they still owe around $21,000.

โ€œWe didnโ€™t get a chance to pay. They just took it out. Yeah, they just maxed our two credit cards out,โ€ Masterman told Fox 9 News

The couple did purchase $20,000 in travel insurance through Norwegian Cruise Line that they expected would protect them from something like this – but so far the insurance claim has not been approved. 

โ€œThe travelerโ€™s insurance doesnโ€™t want to pay it until we run it by our health insurance.The health insurance doesnโ€™t want to pay it because itโ€™s abroad.โ€œ Masterman explained.

While receiving treatment, the healthcare workers also did not give the couple any reason to suspect such a massive bill was coming their way.ย 

โ€œEveryone in the medical ward kept saying ‘donโ€™t worry, youโ€™ve got $20,000 coverage, youโ€™ll be just fine,’โ€ Cameron said, speaking to his own experience.

With no resolution in sight, and interest adding to the bill, the couple is currently considering bankruptcy – and fear that they may lose their home or cars. 

Norwegian Cruise Line Responds

As the story has begun to make waves online, NCLโ€™s reputation has taken a bit of a hit. 

โ€œNCL at it again with sleazy stuff,โ€ one person wrote on Reddit. 

โ€œWhat on earth? What kind of treatment did he need on board that cost that, and how can the cruise line coverage refuse to pay it? Seems crazy,โ€ another person added. 

Read Also: How to Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Cruise Vacation

But, while Norwegian Cruise Line has not issued a public statement on this matter, NCL did send the couple a letter explaining that their medical center pricing is โ€œclosely comparable to other cruise lines and is what we believe to be fair and reasonable.โ€

Norwegian Encore Cruise Ship in Miami
Norwegian Encore Cruise Ship in Miami (Photo Credit: YES Market Media)

It is true that cruise ship medical centers across brands are notorious for costing quite a bit more than care on land – largely because the ships have to maintain a fully equipped medical center with qualified staff present or on call at all times.

Just to name a couple of examples from last year, a passenger onboard Norwegian Bliss received a bill for over $2,000 after seeking treatment for sea sickness while cruising in Alaska.ย 

In May of 2024, a cruiser had to be evacuated mid-sailing from Royal Caribbeanโ€™s Independence of the Seas after becoming sick and suffering from multiple seizures – and was still handed a $2,500 bill on his way out

But while these bills were excessive, the price of Cameronโ€™s care is a marked increase that seems out of the realm of reason.

Fox 9 News asked a Norwegian spokesperson if the bill really is standard, who said the cruise line is looking into whether the charges are typical for flu treatment. 

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Catie Kovelman
Catie Kovelman
Catie is an award-winning journalist and researcher. By day, she helps market new movies and TV shows as a senior research manager. But by night, she loves writing cruise news. In addition to Cruise Hive, Catie has contributed to a variety of newspapers, magazines, and other online publications, such as The Plaid Horse, Unwritten, YourTango, Fangirl Nation Magazine, Chapman Magazine, the Orange County Register, and Voice of OC.

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