Medical Staff / Hospital Suite

[PhillyCB]

I just wanted to put a brief post on this board about the EXCELLENT medical care that is available onboard the Wonder. Heaven forbid anyone should need it, but it's absolutely great.

Here's my story: My girlfriend and I were on our first Disney cruise 10/27-31. We were at dinner Monday night, and my friend, who is diabetic, said she couldn't read the menu. She was asking me questions about the menu and so on. She had had 6 surgeries in the last few months for severe glaucoma and a detached retina. Anyway, I was answering her and asking her to go to the doctor. Eventually, she became confused and unresponsive. My assistant server, Tomaslav, was nearby and came over and asked if anything was wrong. I told him to get the doctor and get him/her fast. Within 10 minutes the doctor, nurse and a wheelchair were at our table. My friend was completely unresponsive at that point. She was rushed to the hospital suite only to find out that her sugar was down to 34. Another 10 to 15 minutes and she would have sunk into a coma and quite possibly have died.

The doctor and nurse were fabulous. They took over, administered an IV and gave her oxygen. She was unconscious for almost an hour but out of danger. The head server, Pierre, our server, Richard and assistant server were all great. They couldn't have been better, faster or more compassionate. The nurse kept in touch with us over the rest of the cruise to make sure that my friend was doing well.

The interruption to the other dinner guests was minimal and many people were completely unaware of my friend's "incident."

My point, sorry to take so long to get to it, is that the medical staff and facilities are the best that you can hope for in a less than perfect situation. They were very competent, caring and concerned.

 

[bemily]

oh wow! Glad something so scary turned into a positive experience for your group!!

 

[Dennis the WDW Menace]

One reason that it took me so long to go on a cruise, it took my wife 25 years to prod me to get on the ship, was that I had worked on the equipment and advised medical personnel concerning the use of the equipment at Miami and Ft. Laud. ports in the past. I did this to help a friend of mine who owned the supply co. The things that I saw was something I would not want to deal with. But when I asked about the medical systems on DCL and the quick responce that I received was amazing. These are highly trained people, great facilities and they care about what they do. After years in medicine I had to retire due to diabetes and AS. I feel very confident of the medical care that I would receive on the ship and would recommend to anyone with medical problems to utilize this service onboard if they need them. Also, to fellow passangers, I would recommend that you not only inform DCL of any serious medical conditions that you have before your cruise but also when you arrive so that it provides first hand infor for the ships medical people in case you have a problem like the one here.
PhillyCB I hope that your friend is doing better and I applaud you for your very intellegent action in a very difficult situation.

 

[wintergal]

Thanks for the post PhillyCB!! I was just recently diagnosed with diabetes, and it makes me feel very confident that the medical staff on board would be competent if (God forbid) something should go wrong on my cruise.

 

[inkkognito]

I'm so glad everything turned out okay!
I too have to give kudos to the medical staff, although my incident happened on the Magic. I was dancing at the 70s party, and my knee cap popped off...I had never even realized that could happen! All I knew is that I was suddenly on the floor. Even though it was late, the doctor and nurse arrived within minutes. They took me to the medical center and did a "closed reduction" (fancy way of saying they put it back). I was supplied with a velcro cast and crutches, plus a wheelchair to use on the ship. When we got home, my orthopedic doctor said that they had done a great job of treating it onboard. Nobody wants to think about the possibility of a medical emergency, but if it happens, you will be in good hands.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[albiats]

I am glad to hear that they helped quickly.

I also agree that anyone with a medical problem should let DCL know of it in advance of their cruise.

They have a Medical Needs form that your TA can obtain for you and you can fill it out and have it faxed back to them. It is a one page form that covers any type of medical need.

If you booked directly with DCL, they should be able to get it you.

hope that helps