Couple’s dream vacation ends with nightmare $47,000 bill from cruise line – they were on free trip & now face bankruptcy

A COUPLE who won a free Caribbean cruise ended the trip nearly bankrupt after being slapped with a massive $47,000 bill.

Mike Cameron and his girlfriend Tamra Masterman had no clue their lives would be flipped upside down when they boarded the Norwegian Cruise Line Encore ship on January 5.

Tamra Masterman and Mike Cameron went on a free Norwegian cruise on January 5Credit: KMSP

But during the Caribbean trip, Cameron got sick and spent three days in the medical wardCredit: KMSP

At the end of the cruise, the couple was handed an outrageous $47,000 bill that’s left them nearly bankruptCredit: KMSP

The couple from Braham, Minnesota, about an hour north of Minneapolis, excitedly traveled to Florida to embark on the trip of a lifetime.

But soon after launching to sea, Cameron contracted the flu, and he was locked in the ship’s medical center for three days getting treatment.

The pair was hesitant about the cost of the intense care, which involved catheters and IVs, but staff told them there was nothing to worry about.

Plus, they had purchased travelers insurance, which could cover up to $20,000 worth of charges.

However, the couple’s hearts sank into their stomachs when the trip came to a close, and they were billed for over double the coverage limit.

At a loss for words at the charge, Cameron said, “I just didn’t know what to do,” Fox affiliate KMSP reported.

In a desperate search for answers, the terrified pair called Norwegian, hoping there was a mistake.

But after the cruise line reviewed the bill, it found no problems and demanded that the pair pay the ridiculous bill.

The traveler’s company was no help either, as it told the couple to look to their health insurance for coverage.

Meanwhile, their health insurance refuses to pay out anything since Cameron technically got care on foreign waters.

While the anxious couple searched for any way to get help, the heartless cruise company maxed out both Cameron and Masterman’s credit cards.

Now, they still owe $21,000 and are considering filing for bankruptcy.

Masterman was recently diagnosed with cancer and had to get surgery to remove a mass from her lungs, Cameron’s daughter wrote on Facebook.

Now that this latest financial blow has hit the already-suffering pair, their future looks grim.

In a scathing Facebook post, Masterman blasted the cruise line for billing the ridiculous amount and forcing the two to quarantine in the medical bay.

She said she regretted getting care from them instead of getting off the ship at the British Virgin Islands for help.

At first, Norwegian stood by its pricing, and said it was competitive with other cruise lines.

Now, the company is taking a second look at the life-ruining bill, a spokesperson told KMSP.

A GoFundMe has been started for the couple to help pay off some of their debts.

In a comment, Cameron thanked her loving community for coming together in their time of need.

“We haven’t heard from anyone involved with Norwegian Cruise Line or any insurances, but you guys are doing an amazing job getting the word out,” she wrote on the GoFundMe.

“Let’s take back our right to travel safely and knowledgeable.”

The U.S. Sun has reached out to Norwegian for an update on the bill.