Ill Aboard! Dangers of Getting Sick at Sea

But Marlene said that she never would have gone to the clinic just to report Don was getting better.

(Getty Images/ABC)

"[Marlene] was saying she was getting very concerned because he wasn't getting any better," said Deanna Soiseth, a fellow passenger who was staying in a nearby cabin.

In the middle of the night — on the 12th day of their cruise — Marlene made an emergency call for a nurse.

"His skin was turning dark," she recalled.

The nurse didn't come to the cabin, but Marlene said she gave advice, "She said 'Well, get him something to eat and have him drink water.'"

Two hours later — at 4:40 a.m. — Marlene made her last emergency call. By this time, Marlene said Don was cold and his skin was very dark.

"I said, 'Somebody's got to get up here, I don't like what I'm seeing," she said. The records show a nurse arrived at 4:50 a.m.

The doctor was called at 5:00 a.m., but didn't arrive until 5:35 a.m. — two minutes after Don collapsed, according to records.

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"I was probably five feet away from him on a chair and saw him die," said Marlene.

"My mom had to see the man she loved die on the floor in front of her because nobody would listen to her when she tried to say he was getting worse and worse," said Vaaga.

The autopsy report said Don died of a heart attack. It also noted that Don had pneumonia.

The Bryce family believes dehydration triggered Don's heart attack, questioning why he was never given IV fluids — especially since he had a history of heart trouble.

Dr. Mark Gibson couldn't be reached for comment, but in a written statement, Holland America said the medical staff was in frequent contact with the Bryce's and did nothing wrong. "We have determined the medical staff acted in a proper and professional manner," it stated.

While Marlene disputes Holland America's claims, she said she is determined to move forward — and make sure no one else experiences a similar agony.

"This should not have happened," she said, "And I don't want it to happen to anyone else."

Under maritime law, cruise lines aren't responsible for the actions of the doctors they hire, since the doctors are independent contractors.