A celebration cruise for a Minnesota couple ended with a bitter note when they were slapped with a medical invoice of $ 47,000.

Mike Cameron told KMSP-TV that he and his girlfriend Tamra Masterman won a free-week cruise in the Norwegian Norwegian Norwegian Cazoe to the Caribbean, and embarked on the trip on January 5.

Mike’s daughter, Krystal, shared in a gofundme that the couple decided October 2024.

However, the celebration quickly took a turn when Cameron became ill with the flu on board and was admitted to the cruise medical ICU, according to KMSP-TV. “He received oxygen, placed a catheter, intravenous medications and radiographs, and spent a total of four days in the medical room,” said his daughter Krystal in Gofundme.

Cameron finally recovered and told KMSP-TV that he was not too worried about the invoice because he and his girlfriend had bought travelers insurance.

“Everyone in the Medical Hall continued to say ‘Do not worry, you have a coverage of $ 20,000, you will be fine,” he recalled.

“… Turn the day we are leaving and give us an invoice of $ 47,000,” he continued. “I didn’t even know what to do.”

You never miss a story: register in the free daily newsletter of people to keep up with the best of what people have to offer, from celebrity news to convincing human interest stories.

The couple told KMSP-TV that Norwegian Cruise Line maximized their two credit cards, around $ 26,000, which they had in the file to help pay the invoice. However, the couple has struggled to recover any cost through their health insurance.

“Traveler’s insurance does not want to pay it until we manage our health insurance. Health insurance does not want to pay it because it is abroad,” Masterman explained to the exit.

Norwegian Cruise Line told the couple in a letter obtained by KMSP-TV that the price of medical treatments was “closely comparable to other cruise lines and that is what we believe is fair and reasonable …”

In a separate statement at the exit, the cruise line said it was investigating whether that price was typical for the treatment of the flu. According to a 2024 NIH study, the hospitalization costs of the flu averaged between $ 11,000 and $ 13,000 during the 2022/2023 flu season.

A Norwegian Cruise Line spokesman issued the following statement to people:

“On January 9, 2025, Mr. Cameron was admitted to the medical center on board and received an appropriate treatment for his condition, followed by 62 hours of critical care.

While we cannot reveal the details or severity of the medical condition of the host due to laws and regulations that govern personal privacy, we can confirm that our internal team has reviewed medical procedures and resulting expenses.

As medical insurance is not accepted on board, we strongly encourage the guest to submit a claim before their health insurance provider after the Criseta. As the guest bought travel insurance for their vacation, we have recommended that they continue their claim before the insurance provider, after having filed the claim before his health insurance supplier. “