Do they have doctors on cruise ships?

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Anja H

There is a minimum of 1 Doctor and one Nurse onboard (mostly more - this depends on how many people the ship can carry)
They have opening hours which are stated in the daily news you get. Normally they are open twice a day. There is a consultation fee and fee for medicine/prescription and treatment at all times.
If you need a doctor/nurse outside the regular opening times there is an emergency number you can call (on most US based ships this is 911 - yet also this number is stated in the daily news and often next to all public phones)
In an emergency you can also always call the reception desk.

As for another answer below - the crew member who said there is only one cruise line with a real doctor onboard is not correct.
A passenger ship will not be allowed to sail without one.

Erica M

Yes. There are medical services on board in case something goes awry.

dave.greg

I was told by a cruise ship employee that one one cruise line always has a qualified MD on board.
Is it true? I don't know.
But If I was really worried I'd contact the cruise line and ask them.
PS Medical personel is not a Doctor. Ask for his/her name and qualifications.

hockeysktr17

Yes they do - depending on the cruise ship line it may not be free of charge though. I know that most do not have 24 hour doctor services, but in the event you still need one in an emergency the doctor can be summoned for a charge. I'm sure you can find details on the cruise ship line website.

Mary L

There has been at least one MD and several nurses on each cruise I have taken. My personal experience with their services was after I tripped and fell down several marble stairs, went kersplat on the deck, and broke several bones in my foot and sprained one ankle and both knees -- OUCH! They x-rayed everything, found the breaks, put a cast on it, wrapped the sprains, and sent me on my way with some pain pills and a wheel chair. Fortunately it was toward the end of the trip! Anyway, I could hardly wait to get back home to see an orthopedist, concerned that perhaps the ship medical officers may have set the bones improperly, and was quite relieved when the orthopod said they had done everything exactly right. Since my injuries were the result of an accident on board, there was no charge. (There are charges for other sorts of medical services.)

Time travler

Yes they do have doctors on board. They can help you with all kinds of things and write a prescription if needed and then tell you where in the port to get it filled. Of course they also carry common medication on board too. I have use their service once and they were great. They even took me and another person to a pharmacy in Australia, waited for the prescription to be filled and then took us back to the ship. This was on Princess cruises and this is one of many reasons why I like them, but I'm sure other cruise companies do just as well.

Lauren

yes they do have doctors, but i've heard some stories saying that they are not the greatest. There was a story in the news about a woman who was wrongly diagnosed and passed away.

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