Jane Kipp

I was right, today is a challenge. Today is Ken's 70th birthday. It is another beautiful day, and we are in Cozumel, Mexico. I head down for my regular morning walk. It is an enjoyable walk since there is little humidity and a gentle breeze. I need to get my walk in now cause I'm not sure what the day is going to hold. I grab a coffee and Danish in the Observation Lounge on deck 17.

By 8 AM I’m calling Medical to find out what is going on. We have an appointment at the hospital for 9:30 AM. I head over to Ken and Gabi’s, so we are all together. We get 2 wheelchairs and off we go. Norwegian has been really great in assisting us through this! They get Ken and Gabi off the ship, down the (very long) pier, through the crew access gate and wait until we get a taxi. Once in the taxi, it is only a 15-minute drive to the hospital. Once there, we register, and Gabi is whisked away. Ken and I have to sit in the waiting area. Impressions are that this is a very clean and well-kept hospital. I don't have any experience with hospitals outside of Canada, but this one is either very new, or they just maintain them better. The seats are comfortable, the noise level is low. The smell level is normal, this is more like a doctor’s office than a hospital. There is even a smoking area for Ken outside.

Poor Ken, this is not how he wanted to spend a birthday, and he is very worried about Gabi. I think he also blames himself since they were up on the 18th deck for Ken to have a smoke. It is really nobody's fault. Accidents happen and that’s it. We are waiting for the better part of 3 hours there. At least we can get up and walk around outside. The hospital is on a side street. There seems to be existing and new construction, but I don't wander far. I'm sure I scream ‘Tourist'. However, after the 3 hours, Gabi is cleared for travel. There are no fractures, bleeds or concussions. Thank goodness. It Gabi had not been cleared for travel the ship would not let her back on board. That would mean that Ken and I would have to pack everything up and find a place to stay until Gabi could travel. That would also mean canceling our flight out of Houston and getting one from Mexico. However, this is not the case. We are good to go. We get another taxi, who takes us to a Pharmacy to get Gabi her prescriptions and head back to the ship. Everyone in Mexico has been great. They all speak some level of English that makes this process easier. The are all very helpful. The cost wasn't that bad, I thought. The CT scan, examine and documentation for the ship at the hospital was a little over $1,100.00 US. The prescriptions were another $100.00 US. However, the best news is that Gabi is fine.

Once back at port, we don't have to wait long for Norwegian to send a couple of wheelchairs to get us back to the ship. We have to get Medical to clear Gabi at security. Then we are good to go.

When we get up to the room, Ken gets the surprise of the room decorations that I arranged for his birthday! Now we can start celebrating. We finally get something to eat around 2PM. The rest of the day is spent with a dip in the hot tub and a couple of drinks. Time for a nap before a later dinner.

We have a nice dinner at the Commodore restaurant. Everyone wishes Ken a happy birthday. Ken does the steak; Gabi the pasta and I have my favourite lamb shank. At the end of dinner, they even bring Ken a birthday cake. Well at least the day has ended well. We hit the Casino and then it is off to bed. Tomorrow is our last full day on board. It is also a sea day which means that it will be a crowded ship.Læs mere