A Minnesota man who won a free Norwegian cruise saw his luck run out during the week-long vacation when he got sick on the ship and required medical attention.
Mike Cameron and his girlfriend Tamra Masterman embarked on the trip Jan. 5, but the holiday turned into a nightmare when Cameron became ill with the flu, KMSP reported.
He was treated at the ship’s medical centre and recovered after three days. But he soon learned the treatment cost $47,000US (about $67,000CDN).
The cruise line charged the two credit cards they had on file, maxing out each of them, but he still owes US$21,000 (about $30,000CDN).
“I was just flabbergasted by the whole thing,” Cameron told the outlet. “I guess I am just used to the medical system in the United States. I can’t believe it happened.”
The couple had purchased travel insurance from the cruise line that covered expenses of up to $20,000, and also have health insurance — but Cameron is stuck in a holding pattern, with each claiming the other is responsible for the bill, he said.
Cameron recalled how crew members assured him not to worry about the cost as he received treatment.
“One lady in the medical ward said he had the traveller’s insurance and that meant $20,000 of coverage,” he said, adding he thought that would cover it.
However, “the traveler’s insurance doesn’t want to pay it until we run it by our health insurance,” Masterman explained.
“The health insurance doesn’t want to pay it because it’s abroad.”
The couple said the bill came with a letter from Norwegian stating that its pricing was “closely comparable to other cruise lines and is what we believe to be fair and reasonable.”
Cameron’s daughter has since launched a GoFundMe to help with the couple’s “medical burden,” detailing how they decided to take the vacation to celebrate Masterman’s recovery after a lung cancer diagnosis, which resulted in her having surgery to remove “a mass from her lungs” in October 2024.
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The fundraising page noted that after Cameron’s “oxygen levels dropped significantly,” he was admitted to the ship’s ICU where he “received oxygen, had a catheter placed (incorrectly), IV medications, and x-rays.”
The man was also given a diagnosis of “Influenza A and possible pneumonia,” which they claim was “never confirmed.”
A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line said that while the company was unable to share details of Cameron’s care due to patient privacy laws, its internal team reviewed his “necessary medical procedures and resulting expenses.”
In a separate statement to the outlet, the cruise line said it was looking into whether that pricing was typical for flu treatment.
Cameron offered a warning to other future travellers.
“If you go on a cruise, make sure you got good traveler’s insurance,” he said. “Once you are out on international waters, it’s a whole different story.”