Meds on our cruise

Hello,

We are cruising on the Dawn in 2 weeks. My wife takes 9 pills a day.

She doesn't want to take all the pill bottles on the ship with us. Has anyone had a problem taking a pill box (box that has a slot for each day of the week) on the cruise with them?

thanks

I have always put mine in a pill box and never ever an issue. I do however put a list around the container with elastic band so if the ship or airlines want to check they can.

That is how I bring mine! In the "weekly pill box"...I also bring my medical history..which includes a list of the meds...;)

On our June trip on the dawn, one family took ill and was transported to the hospital in Bermuda, one other family member stayed with her. It turned into a week before they flew back, the family member that stayed with her and found out that her specific melds were not available on the island. Luckily she always packs an extra weeks worth of melds when she travels, this time it worked out. And she always packs them separately

You may bring your meds in any container you wish...no worries!

Bring a print out from the pharmacy (the big chains you can print out online). If any are narcotics definitely keep them in the bottle. I work at a pharmacy and more than once we've gotten calls from panicked patients in the airport with meds about to be confiscated.

Hello,

We are cruising on the Dawn in 2 weeks. My wife takes 9 pills a day.

She doesn't want to take all the pill bottles on the ship with us. Has anyone had a problem taking a pill box (box that has a slot for each day of the week) on the cruise with them?

 

thanks

I never had an issue either. I take a lot of vitamins and have them in one of those daily pill divider boxes as well. Was never questioned.

I'm going to be the opposite from what everyone else has said - I make my mom take all the bottles. She hates me for it :). But technically, when you return to the U.S. and go through US Customs, if they were to search your bags (which is rare but happens) and they find a bunch of pills - you could be in some trouble and at the very least delayed - the reason is that they have to be able to identify them and technically they are supposed to be in a proper prescription bottle labelled properly and bearing your name.

I know it's a hassle and it takes up space - especially with 9 bottles, but if you want to be safe, not sorry and be on the side of caution, I'd take the bottles. Just my 2 cents. Either way, enjoy your cruise :)

I'm going to be the opposite from what everyone else has said - I make my mom take all the bottles. She hates me for it :). But technically, when you return to the U.S. and go through US Customs, if they were to search your bags (which is rare but happens) and they find a bunch of pills - you could be in some trouble and at the very least delayed - the reason is that they have to be able to identify them and technically they are supposed to be in a proper prescription bottle labelled properly and bearing your name.

 

I know it's a hassle and it takes up space - especially with 9 bottles, but if you want to be safe, not sorry and be on the side of caution, I'd take the bottles. Just my 2 cents. Either way, enjoy your cruise :)

You bring up a very good point. Better safe than sorry.

Not to worry as long as you have a list of the prescribed meds. I get mine off of my chart at the Cleveland Clinic. I kind of laughed at the suggestion to bring all of the bottles in case US customs searches your bags. That would be at the end of the cruise. The weekly pill box would be basically empty. And oh, I take 12 pills a day (some of them twice) and two kinds of insulin, so I also have pen needles, test strips, and the like. I have been on 12 cruises and have never had a problem. I carry everything with me too. I do take a few days extra in case of snowstorms and the like getting home.

Since it appears you're leaving out of Boston, you won't have to go through customs with your luggage so it shouldn't be a problem. I would however bring a compete listing of the medications with dosages or even easier, take a picture of the bottles with a cell phone and then you'll have the information if needed.

Carrie

Not to worry as long as you have a list of the prescribed meds. I get mine off of my chart at the Cleveland Clinic. I kind of laughed at the suggestion to bring all of the bottles in case US customs searches your bags. That would be at the end of the cruise. The weekly pill box would be basically empty. And oh, I take 12 pills a day (some of them twice) and two kinds of insulin, so I also have pen needles, test strips, and the like. I have been on 12 cruises and have never had a problem. I carry everything with me too. I do take a few days extra in case of snowstorms and the like getting home.

You've been lucky.

I'm glad I gave you some humour when you said you laughed at my comment to have the bottles because they would "basically" be empty, but then at the end you say you do take a few extra. So you would have pills with you. Unfortunately it only takes one "questionable" pill to get you detained and possibly fined - and who needs that at the end of their vacation? Definitely not me, especially if flying. Not worth the risk of missing my flight.

Chances are you would be fine - but there is always the possibility of being searched, and to me it's just not worth it.

From the U.S. CBP site -

Can I travel with medications and medical devices, such as needles or oxygen tanks?

Prescription medications should be in their original containers with the doctor's prescription printed on the container. It is advised that you travel with no more than personal use quantities, a rule of thumb is no more than a 90 day supply. If your medications or devices are not in their original containers, you must have a copy of your prescription with you or a letter from your doctor. A valid prescription or doctors note is required on all medication entering the U.S.

Hello,

We are cruising on the Dawn in 2 weeks. My wife takes 9 pills a day.

She doesn't want to take all the pill bottles on the ship with us. Has anyone had a problem taking a pill box (box that has a slot for each day of the week) on the cruise with them?

 

thanks

If you are not flying, no problem for sure with cruise ship.

We take long cruises of more than a week, sometimes more than a month.

I bag each days' pills in individual small baggies from SciPlus.com

Even flying internationally I never take original bottles for 19 meds. None are narcotics or pain pills. I do carry a pharmacy list of the pills in the ziplock bag with baggies of each day's pills.

Even when randomly selected for customs inspection at the airport entering Europe there was no problem.

They did not even question the pills or look at the pharmacy list.

 

Chances are you would be fine - but there is always the possibility of being searched' date=' and to me it's just not worth it.

 

From the U.S. CBP site -

 

Prescription medications should be in their original containers with the doctor's prescription printed on the container. It is advised that you travel with no more than personal use quantities, a rule of thumb is no more than a 90 day supply. If your medications or devices are not in their original containers, you must have a copy of your prescription with you or a letter from your doctor. A valid prescription or doctors note is required on all medication entering the U.S.[/quote']

 

Notice that even this quote implies that it IS okay not to have original bottles if you have a copy of the prescription, which is what a pharmacy printout is.

I'm going to be the opposite from what everyone else has said - I make my mom take all the bottles. She hates me for it :). But technically, when you return to the U.S. and go through US Customs, if they were to search your bags (which is rare but happens) and they find a bunch of pills - you could be in some trouble and at the very least delayed - the reason is that they have to be able to identify them and technically they are supposed to be in a proper prescription bottle labelled properly and bearing your name.

 

I know it's a hassle and it takes up space - especially with 9 bottles, but if you want to be safe, not sorry and be on the side of caution, I'd take the bottles. Just my 2 cents. Either way, enjoy your cruise :)

I have had my luggage checked and my luggage only out of the two of us three times. USA to CAN and there has always a letter placed inside luggage saying that they have checked it. I'm assuming its checked before it's put on the plane as the luggage always comes off with everyone else's.

This on always happens on the way back. It never happens leaving Canada so it may be because of the meds and I travel with alot of them and when leaving Canada I always have them in my carry on.

But as I said earlier I have a print out of the meds and fold it around weekly pills containers, the others that have stay stored I do the same in a zip-lock bag.

Never been pulled aside or questioned.

Despite the ones that tell you not to worry, they are not the ones that will have to deal with any issues. If you do as the CBP tells you to do with prescriptions, you will be fine. These rules of course do nothing for your ports of call. Carry the original container, the actual prescription or a doctors letter and you have nothing to worry about. Why take a shortcut when it is so easy to follow the governments rules?

I have been traveling with meds for 30 years both for business and travel just the way I explained. WITHOUT incident.

shame on any Airport Security Screener that attempts to stop someone from carrying pills onto an airplane in the U.S. That goes way beyond their mandate and authority to conduct administrative searches for weapons, explosives and incendiaries.

Returning to the country may be another issue. Do you really think that most Customs agents are able to confirm that the pills in a prescription bottle really match the label?

Hello,

We are cruising on the Dawn in 2 weeks. My wife takes 9 pills a day.

She doesn't want to take all the pill bottles on the ship with us. Has anyone had a problem taking a pill box (box that has a slot for each day of the week) on the cruise with them?

 

thanks

Bermuda it tough on drugs .

Many many people leave thousands of dollar in the Bermuda courts.

A couple of loose pain pills with no prescription can get you there Too .

Some country( like Turkey think ) narcotics are total against their law no mater what .

Do you really think that most Customs agents are able to confirm that the pills in a prescription bottle really match the label?

Yes.

Most law enforcement, including CBP are thoroughly training on prescription pill identification. The shapes, colors, and imprints on the pill are not random.

http://www.drugs.com/imprints.php

Care Zone an iPhone app lets you take pictures of your bottles, and download all you medications.

Seeing that it is illegal in most states to carry prescription MEDS outside their original container, even WITH a copy of your prescription, I personally would not risk it when dealing with interstate or international travel! I have many clients who would not be clients if not for this law in my state. Even with copies of scripts, etc, the charges still stand as a misdemeanor, although any felony possession charges for the pills themselves usually do go away with a copy of the script.

Seeing that it is illegal in most states to carry prescription MEDS outside their original container, even WITH a copy of your prescription, I personally would not risk it when dealing with interstate or international travel! I have many clients who would not be clients if not for this law in my state. Even with copies of scripts, etc, the charges still stand as a misdemeanor, although any felony possession charges for the pills themselves usually do go away with a copy of the script.

Well I don't no what state your in but chances I've probably been there more than once.

Have you ever seen the show on tv called Drug Inc. or Border Security, they use the little baggie that has dye that can tell what the drug is (whether it' contraban), secondly they too have a chart with all the size and shapes of the pills in their exact color t so when doubt they can take that little pill and if the traveler calls it say aspirin then they just hold it up to see if it matches the exact size and shape.

They have bigger fish to fry and maybe even go after the people who are smuggling anything and everything that's not legal.

THERE NOT LOOKING FOR LITTLE PILL BOXES.

Boy do I wish that you were correct, but as a public defender in one of the largest cities in the US, my case load tells a much different story.

The issue is that all prescription drugs are contraband without a script if on the federal schedule. Separate from that is the law making it illegal to carry outside the original container regardless of whether you have a script or not.

I'm not talking about TV, rather real world experience. Hopefully you never have issues, I personally would not risk it.

Does anyone have any clue how many med errors there are? I ALWAYS take my prescriptions in the original bottles, some are light sensitive as well. You have the lot numbers and confirmed contents when you don't play around and mix up a bunch of pills in a container. I've seen plenty of people spill their pills, contaminate them and loose them.

Doesn't matter to me, what anyone else does. My husband and I follow safety protocols because our lives depend on those medications.