Cruise ship delayed by medical emergency

[OceanAngel]

TANYA COLLIER MACDONALD

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY  Cape Breton’s first cruise ship visit was delayed by a few hours when a Holland America ship stopped to remove a sick passenger shortly after setting sail from Halifax, Sunday night.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax arranged to air evacuate a passenger suffering from heavy bleeding, said spokesperson Lt.-Cmdr. Marie Claude-Gagne.

The centre was contacted just before midnight and the air evacuation occurred at around 2:20 a.m. Monday. The elderly man was transported to a Halifax hospital for treatment. His condition is unknown.

Because of the evacuation, the MS Maasdam’s scheduled 7:30 a.m. docking at the Sydney Marine Terminal didn’t take place until 12:45 p.m., said Don Rowe, general manager at Sydney Ports Corp.

However, cruise ship organizers were waiting for it to arrive since the early morning.

“We didn’t know it was postponed,†said Rowe. “All parties weren’t notified.â€Â

Monday’s visit is one of 14 times the vessel will stop in Sydney between now and October.

“We’re going to see a lot of her,†said Rowe.

In total, the island will have 34 cruise ship visits carrying about 50,000 passengers.

“That’s about average,†he said.

Peyton Chisholm, curator at Cape Breton Centre for Heritage and Science, said that seeing the first cruise ship arrive was a welcome sight.

“Everybody looks happy,†he said as he watched the passengers unload from the ship. The vessel was carrying about 1,194 passengers. It can accommodate about 1,258 guests.

Chisholm said the centre offers walking tours around Sydney’s north end, which include stops at Cossit House, St. Patrick’s Church Museum and Jost House. About 50 passengers took part in the tours Monday.

“They’ll have a lovely day,†he said before the tours departed.

Raven Davis, manager at Petroglyphs Gift Shop in Membertou, was busy greeting cruise ship visitors entering the gift shop’s second location at the marine terminal.

“It’s a breath of fresh air when you see people wanting to visit Cape Breton,†she said. “They chose to come here.â€Â

Among those visitors were Connie and Jim Stanley, who split their time between Chicago and Florida when not cruising around the globe.

“It’s our first time here,†said Connie.

The couple planned to take in a history tour that covered the island’s musical history.

Eva and Bud Scanland of California first visited Cape Breton four years ago and looked forward to stopping again this cruise.

“We love Nova Scotia,†said Eva Scanland. “It’s lovely.â€Â

The couple was hoping to see some puffins on a puffin, eagle, seal tour.

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=29564&sc=145

[CanadianCruiser]

Sounds like this has been an interesting cruise.....

[Chucksta63]

Do most folks get or have coverage for this type of problem?

I have insurance that coveres me out of the country. It is calle Assist America, it is part of my package. It will fly me to America to an American hospital with one other person with me & will fly my childern home to the nearest relitave. Great package I love it just for the cruises!

[hazelson]

We are covered under our extended plan through DH's work - it's a good program - I think.....even sends us home in style if we "leave the land of the living" so to speak.

[JohnG]

Most of the travel insurance policies offer up to $50,000 in medical expenses and $50,000 in medical evacuation expense. Most US medical insurance policies/coverage do not cover you outside the US, which is why people buy travel insurance. If you think you are covered by a policy from an employer, it would be prudent to verify if they cover you outside the US.