A Texas family’s cruise vacation turned into a financial nightmare when their daughter suffered a medical emergency aboard a Royal Caribbean ship, resulting in over $13,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Emergency Strikes Two Days Into Cruise
Khiali Baxter was just two days and five hours into her first cruise with her boyfriend when she became extremely ill aboard a Royal Caribbean ship sailing from Galveston to Mexico. “I woke up, I started throwing up blood. Unfortunately, I had passed out on the ground,” Baxter recalled.
She was taken to the ship’s infirmary, where doctors determined she had internal bleeding. An ambulance transported her to a hospital four hours away in Mexico, where the real shock came when staff demanded payment upfront before treating her.
Hospital Demands Payment Before Treatment
Khiali’s father, Craig Baxter, was stunned by the conversation with hospital staff. “We’ll work as far as the $2,500 will take us,’ I’ve never heard this in my life,” he said. The family was forced to pay upfront for medical care while their daughter drifted in and out of consciousness.
Despite performing an endoscopy and colonoscopy, doctors couldn’t determine the source of the internal bleeding. The family still doesn’t know what caused the emergency.
Mounting Bills Total Over $13,000
The financial damage was extensive: an itemized hospital bill totaling $9,970, plus $4,048 for onboard medical facilities. Additional costs for flights and lodging in Mexico pushed the total even higher. Craig Baxter now has a pile of receipts documenting the unexpected expenses.
Travel Insurance Could Have Helped
Travel insurance expert Jeff Rolander from Faye Travel Insurance talked about the importance of coverage for cruise passengers. “A comprehensive travel insurance product typically costs 6 to 8% of the trip cost,” he explained, noting that policies can cover medical bills and medical transport.
“Sometimes the trip of a lifetime can become the situation of a lifetime,” Craig Baxter warned other families. The experience has opened their eyes to the importance of travel insurance.
Family’s Warning to Others
While a GoFundMe helped recover some costs, the Baxter family hopes their story prepares others for potential medical emergencies. “It was a very, very scary experience…I really wish I would’ve gotten travel insurance,” Khiali said.
