George Ellenburg (he/him/his)<p><a href="https://m.ai6yr.org/@ai6yr" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org</a><span> <br>You might not want to get </span><a href="https://bofh.social/tags/sick" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#sick</a> while on a <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/cruise" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#cruise</a>, or you may end up like <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/MikeCameron" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MikeCameron</a><span> from Braham, Minnesota:<br><br>Mike Cameron, a man from Braham, Minnesota, won a free cruise with </span><a href="https://bofh.social/tags/NorwegianCruiseLines" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NorwegianCruiseLines</a> but ended up with a $47,000 <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/medical" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#medical</a> <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/bill" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bill</a> after falling ill with the <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/flu" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#flu</a><span> onboard[1][5].<br><br>Key details of the story:<br><br>1. Mike Cameron and his girlfriend Tamra Masterman won a free week-long Caribbean cruise on the Norwegian Cruise Line Encore.<br><br>2. The cruise departed from Miami on January 5, 2025[1][5].<br><br>3. During the trip, Cameron contracted the flu and required medical treatment in the ship's medical center[1].<br><br>4. He spent four days in the medical ward, receiving oxygen, catheter placement, IV medications, and X-rays[8].<br><br>5. The couple had purchased travel insurance from Norwegian Cruise Line that covered medical expenses up to $20,000[1].<br><br>6. Despite having insurance, they were charged $47,000 for the medical treatment[1][5].<br><br>7. The cruise line maxed out two of their credit cards on file, leaving them with a remaining balance of $21,000[1].<br><br>8. Norwegian Cruise Line stated that their pricing was "closely comparable to other cruise lines and is what we believe to be fair and reasonable"[1][5].<br><br>This story has been covered by various news outlets, including FOX 9, The Independent, CBS News, and others, since late January 2025[1][5][9].<br><br>Citations:<br>[1] </span><a href="https://www.fox9.com/news/braham-man-47k-flu-norwegian-cruise-ship" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.fox9.com/news/braham-man-47k-flu-norwegian-cruise-ship</a><span><br>[2] </span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Cruise/comments/1idxb1u/wild_story_my_local_tv_station_just_ran_minnesota/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.reddit.com/r/Cruise/comments/1idxb1u/wild_story_my_local_tv_station_just_ran_minnesota/</a><span><br>[3] </span><a href="https://retailwire.com/norwegian-cruise-line-medical-bill/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://retailwire.com/norwegian-cruise-line-medical-bill/</a><span><br>[4] </span><a href="https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3047118-47k-bill-for-the-flu%E2%80%A6-but-they-had-insurance/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3047118-47k-bill-for-the-flu%E2%80%A6-but-they-had-insurance/</a><span><br>[5] </span><a href="https://www.the-independent.com/travel/news-and-advice/caribbean-cruise-line-norwegian-flu-medical-bill-b2692412.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.the-independent.com/travel/news-and-advice/caribbean-cruise-line-norwegian-flu-medical-bill-b2692412.html</a><span><br>[6] </span><a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-FCIC/pdf/GPO-FCIC.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-FCIC/pdf/GPO-FCIC.pdf</a><span><br>[7] </span><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/braham-man-owes-47k-flu-034309288.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.yahoo.com/news/braham-man-owes-47k-flu-034309288.html</a><span><br>[8] </span><a href="https://people.com/minn-man-who-won-free-cruise-gets-usd47k-medical-bill-after-catching-the-flu-8786897" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://people.com/minn-man-who-won-free-cruise-gets-usd47k-medical-bill-after-catching-the-flu-8786897</a><span><br>[9] </span><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-man-free-cruise-expensive-medical-bill/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-man-free-cruise-expensive-medical-bill/</a><span><br>[10] </span><a href="https://moneywise.com/insurance/health/this-minnesota-man-won-a-free-norwegian-cruise-to-the-caribbean-but-got-smacked-with-47000-medical-bill-after-being-admitted-to-ships-icu-heres-how-to-avoid-the-same-mess" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://moneywise.com/insurance/health/this-minnesota-man-won-a-free-norwegian-cruise-to-the-caribbean-but-got-smacked-with-47000-medical-bill-after-being-admitted-to-ships-icu-heres-how-to-avoid-the-same-mess</a><span><br><br>RE: </span><a href="https://m.ai6yr.org/users/ai6yr/statuses/114078348985472756" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://m.ai6yr.org/users/ai6yr/statuses/114078348985472756</a></p>