I was airlifted 800 miles off a cruise over a misdiagnosis — and missed my anniversary

Doctors went a little overboard on this cruise ship.

A vacationer in the UK claimed that he was unwillingly airlifted to a hospital 800 miles away after the vessel’s physician mistook his “pulled muscle” for a serious infection.

“I just can’t understand it — I was feeling totally panicked and angry,” lamented Stephen Cassidy, 60, to South West News Service.

The Dorset, England, native had reportedly spent £3,598 (about $4,464) on a two-week cruise to Norway with Princess Cruises to celebrate his wife Carol’s 60th birthday, as well as their 40th wedding anniversary.

It was smooth sailing until midway through the voyage when the music teacher felt a pain in his thigh.

As he’d had a hip replacement on that side, the concerned castaway visited the ship’s doctor, who, after conducting a physical examination and taking an X-ray, determined that something was awry.

“The ship’s doctor told me that something in one of the blood tests he carried out suggested I had infection in my hip,” recalled the former army reservist, who was subsequently administered IV drips three times a day for nearly a week.

The cruise ship was originally slated to moor in Iceland, where Cassidy could visit a doctor before coming back aboard. However, the boat was unable to stop, so the physician instead sent the orthopedic X-rays to a surgeon, who determined that there was nothing to worry about and that he could stay aboard.

All seemed hunky-dory until a nurse asked the former police dog handler his weight and told him that his wife needed to pack his bag because he had to leave.

The Brit was devastated. “I asked if I could leave the medical center to pack my own bag — they said no and I felt like a prisoner,” recalled the aghast Cassidy, who realized he was going to miss his wife’s birthday.

“When he said you’re going off, I looked at my wife and said ‘have a happy birthday tomorrow’ — the doctor obviously knew he’d caused great deal of upset,” the besieged senior said.

In addition, from that point on, the medical staff went “from being friendly” to “suddenly very hostile,” according to the patient.

Despite being able to walk, Cassidy was allegedly put in a wheelchair and wheeled out onto the deck, where he and two other unwell passengers were evacuated off the ship via helicopter.

The trio was then flown some 800 miles to the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick, Scotland, for a medical examination.

That’s when the patient learned the appalling truth: He didn’t have an infection and the injury was most likely a pulled muscle.

His cruise of a lifetime had been cut short over the most innocuous of injuries.

“Subsequently we were all told that none of us were in a medical emergency and I was told I had a muscle sprain and nothing more,” lamented the flabbergasted Brit. “I never should have been medically disembarked from the ship — I was absolutely fuming.”

The financial injuries he incurred were far more grievous. In addition to blowing thousands on a cruise that was aborted halfway through, Cassidy had also forked out more than $1,000 for flights home and a night in a hotel.

And while his insurance company reportedly covered the medical expenses, Cassidy felt like the cruise liner should’ve footed the bill because they didn’t consider his anxiety and depression when forcing him to disembark.

“I feel Princess should be paying this because I’m now 60 and I’ve got pre-existing conditions,” he lamented. “It’s only matter of time before premiums go up or companies stop covering me.”

When approached for comment, a Princess Cruises spokesperson refused to discuss the case in detail, simply saying that Cassidy’s allegations were “without merit,” the Daily Mail reported.