Can I bring frozen breastmilk on ship?

[Nikk723]

I have a 7 month old and will be going on the Freedom of Seas in a couple weeks. My parents are coming with us to watch the baby a couple nights. Can I bring a couple bags of frozen breastmilk onto the ship with me? I called and they said that was not allowed since it's perishable. Which doesn't make sense to me it's my son's nourishment, I mean they let you take it on a plane now. I asked for a medical fridge to store the milk. I figure it will thaw by the time I get to the cabin. Thank you for the info!

[Mom2B&Z]

That way you can store your "perishables" once on board.

Seriously though, I can't imagine why they would not allow breastmilk...what are they going to do, tell you to stop and pump before you get on board? You're carring it with you either way, what's the difference???

[Nikk723]

Ya when the lady told me it was not allowed I couldn't believe it. It's not like I'm trying to sneak alcohol in. I thought maybe she didn't know what she was talking about, so I figured I'd reach out on here to see if anyone else has had a problem.

[cb at sea]

If you're breastfeeding, YOU will be there...you shouldn't need to bring perishables....there's NO PLACE to store it! You can pump during the day before you need it...the little fridge will keep it cold enough for a few hours.

 

That's what's so nice about breastfeeding...no need to "store" anything....it's ALWAYS available!

And, at 7 mos., this will most likely not be your child's only nourishment!

[Nikk723]

I asked for a medical fridge in my cabin. I'm bringing my mom with us to watch the baby some evenings. I can pump when we get there, but it will just be easier to have a few in the fridge for our evening out.

[Marie51]

I asked for a medical fridge in my cabin. I'm bringing my mom with us to watch the baby some evenings. I can pump when we get there, but it will just be easier to have a few in the fridge for our evening out.

 

Sometimes the people at customer service don't know what they're talking about. That being said, what is a medical fridge and is there a charge for it? I am a big milk drinker and always order extra cartons of milk from room service and keep them in the cabin fridge. They always have stayed cold. Some people say the fridge isn't cold enough but I have never had a problem. Good luck.

[Katiebug430]

A medical fridge will likely only be a fridge, not a combination fridge/freezer. I don't know of any medications that must be kept frozen (plenty must be kept cold, but freezing them would actually be bad). I guess I don't get how this will work. :confused: If you bring bags of frozen milk, they will thaw in the fridge within a day and then you'd only have 24 hours in which to feed or dump the milk. Remember the rules of breast milk storage...refrigerated milk will keep for 4-8 days but frozen milk has to be used within 24 hours of thawing.

 

Why not just bring your pump and pump a fresh bottle when needed, or hand express if that works better for you? If you really don't want to pump, you'd actually be better off bringing refrigerated milk that was very recently pumped and keeping it in the fridge, because you will have a much longer time window to use the milk.

 

We'll be cruising with a 10 month old in June and while I expect she'll nurse as usual, I plan to bring my manual pump in case I want to go do something on my own (DH would be with the baby, of course). With the manual I can still pump off a bottle for her but we don't need to worry about storage because we could even pop the bottle into the ice bucket for a few hours if necessary! :)

 

(I admit, as a full time working mom I'm looking forward to getting to take a vacation from my pump and just being able to nurse all week!)

[Naomi John]

Hope you can get a good starage unit for the milk. I can see where you are coming from. You have the frozen milk to be used, which probably came at a time when diatary thoughts were considered.

 

For your cruise, you are on vacation, your diet will change a little and your milk may not be the same. make a few more calls and get the permission you need. I would bring the frozen milk in a carry on of some sorts and if questioned, asked them to taste it.:p

[kitty9]

Cruise lines just can't start allowing things like that because once they do, it could open a floodgate of people wanting to bring on all sorts of stuff. Now I know that might sound stupid, but there are all kinds of people out there who would try.

 

It won't be allowed due to health department regulations. Cruise lines absolutely must take those rules seriously.

[Katiebug430]

It won't be allowed due to health department regulations. Cruise lines absolutely must take those rules seriously.

 

What health department regulations would forbid a mother from storing and feeding her own milk to her infant? :confused: I have never heard of such a thing in the US.

 

The CDC and OSHA do NOT list breast milk as a bodily fluid requiring special precautions for handling. Companies that won't allow pumping employees to keep their milk in a communal employee refrigerator or day care centers that treat milk like a biohazard (feeding with gloves, etc.) are in violation of CDC policy.

 

I suspect the issue is that Royal Caribbean very rightly won't take responsibility for keeping the milk appropriately stored. If frozen milk doesn't stay frozen, it would potentially go bad if more than 24 hours have elapsed since thawing (based on personal experience I think the window is more like 48 hours but I don't push it where my child's almost sole source of nutrition is involved). If the ship's medical facility may not be able to keep it frozen, then that's a problem, and they're not going to stash it in the big freezer in the galley!

 

That's why I suggested to the OP that she consider bringing freshly-pumped refrigerated milk rather than frozen - chilled milk is much more forgiving of being in a fridge or a poorly-controlled freezer (if the medical fridge has a freezer compartment like a dorm fridge does). I'd hate for her to lose a lot of pumped frozen milk by assuming there will be suitable storage facilities for it.

[khm1]

What health department regulations would forbid a mother from storing and feeding her own milk to her infant? :confused: I have never heard of such a thing in the US.

 

The CDC and OSHA do NOT list breast milk as a bodily fluid requiring special precautions for handling. Companies that won't allow pumping employees to keep their milk in a communal employee refrigerator or day care centers that treat milk like a biohazard (feeding with gloves, etc.) are in violation of CDC policy.

 

I suspect the issue is that Royal Caribbean very rightly won't take responsibility for keeping the milk appropriately stored. If frozen milk doesn't stay frozen, it would potentially go bad if more than 24 hours have elapsed since thawing (based on personal experience I think the window is more like 48 hours but I don't push it where my child's almost sole source of nutrition is involved). If the ship's medical facility may not be able to keep it frozen, then that's a problem, and they're not going to stash it in the big freezer in the galley!

 

That's why I suggested to the OP that she consider bringing freshly-pumped refrigerated milk rather than frozen - chilled milk is much more forgiving of being in a fridge or a poorly-controlled freezer (if the medical fridge has a freezer compartment like a dorm fridge does). I'd hate for her to lose a lot of pumped frozen milk by assuming there will be suitable storage facilities for it.

 

Well said! I agree with you completely and second your suggestion to take fresh, refrigerated milk. It will keep much longer than previously frozen milk (up to 8 days). Even at room temperature, pumped milk will keep for up to 8 hours. Once thawed, breast milk only keeps for 24 hours.

 

OP, if I were you, I would start pumping a few days before the cruise and store the milk in the fridge, maybe even packed with some ice to keep it very cold. Date each container so you can use the oldest first. I would then bring a small, collapsible cooler with the milk packed with either blue ice, or regular ice in a zip-lock bag. I think that this method will keep your milk more fresh than a fridge with an unknown temperature. I would put the whole thing in my carry on. If asked questions at security, I would simply state that the milk was for my baby and needed to feed him. I wouldn't even volunteer that it was breast milk unless specifically asked. You can get fresh ice and keep the milk iced down in your cabin. Just tell the cabin steward that you need extra ice twice a day, or go get it from the buffet restaurant. Take extra zip-lock bags for this purpose.

 

It is simply ridiculous to me that they would not let you board with food for your baby! In almost every state there are laws protecting your right to breastfeed your baby. If you take responsibility for the care and storage of your own milk, I cannot see any reason why they would not let you do so. It is simply none of their business.

 

Good luck and enjoy!

[Nikk723]

Hi thank you for all the advise. I wasn't thinking it thru when I started the thread. Fresh milk definitely makes more sense. But my main concern is, is it allowed on? Has anyone had a problem bringing it on? I can always pump fresh, it will just be easier for me to have reserves (low-supply takes alot of time to produce one feeding). I'm going to bring it on anyways and see what happens. I really can't see RCCL taking away food for my child.

[5waldos]

Hi thank you for all the advise. I wasn't thinking it thru when I started the thread. Fresh milk definitely makes more sense. But my main concern is, is it allowed on? Has anyone had a problem bringing it on? I can always pump fresh, it will just be easier for me to have reserves (low-supply takes alot of time to produce one feeding). I'm going to bring it on anyways and see what happens. I really can't see RCCL taking away food for my child.

 

Uh- won't the easiest fresh milk still be in you? In which case...... Since you can bring all kinds of fresh things onboard (but perhaps not off) I can't imagine it being any kind of an issue. But can't you just feed your child before you go out for the evening and leave some should your child wake up? Medical fridges might be a problem- I wouldn't imagine they would have them. You might need to go to the clinic on board to arrange that. But for a few hours just have a bag, ask for ice in the ice bucket, and you should be fine.

[beachchick]

Sometimes the people at customer service don't know what they're talking about. That being said, what is a medical fridge and is there a charge for it? I am a big milk drinker and always order extra cartons of milk from room service and keep them in the cabin fridge. They always have stayed cold. Some people say the fridge isn't cold enough but I have never had a problem. Good luck.

 

A medical fridge is a small regular fridge that the cruise lines provide to passengers who require it for storing medicine that is extremely temperature sensitive. They are not supposed to be for other uses, but sometimes not all are needed on a particular cruise. As there are a fairly limited number of them onboard, please wait until you are onboard and underway before asking if one is available. That way you'll know you aren't taking it away from someone who absolutely requires it to cruise. I think most people who need one call in advance, but sometimes the information doesn't make it to the ship. In those cases, passengers with medical needs have to request one again once they're onboard.

 

(If it sounds like I'm saying that I don't think it's a good idea to reserve one in advance for storing breast milk...well, I guess I am. I absolutely support breastfeeding on cruises and am sad when I read posts about how moms shouldn't ever nurse in public or that it's weird to nurse more than 6 months or what have you. However, moms always have the option of nursing right at the source or pumping and storing very short term in the cabin "fridge" or a small cooler with ice. Sure, if a medical fridge is available once you're onboard, great. But they really are there for passengers who must have the regulated cold temperature for medication and medical needs.)

 

beachchick

[malley]

I would just pump before your leave your LO, that way it can stay room temp for 5 hours and now worries! :) You don't want your liquid gold going bad!

[kitty9]

Just to clarify things, I called Guest Services for RCI and I just did a live chat with one of their reps and both confirmed that they will not accept anything from a passenger for storage in their galley freezers or refrigerators. The lady with whom I had the live chat, Bernadette, called her supervisor to get an answer and this was the response. "We cannot accept anything brought on by a passenger for storage in our general stores area of the ship. This includes refrigeration or freezing. If something that is brought on board by a passenger is found in the freezers or general storage areas, it will be immediately discarded. We are bound by rules of the US Department of Health and therefore must follow their regulations. These rules includes all kinds of food/nourishment/beverages brought on by a passenger or delivered to the ship by a third party agent".

 

So, this is what I got directly from RCI. It might not be fair, and it may not make sense, but it is what it is. It sucks, but they have their rules, even though they might not make sense to us.

[Katiebug430]

Hi thank you for all the advise. I wasn't thinking it thru when I started the thread. Fresh milk definitely makes more sense. But my main concern is, is it allowed on? Has anyone had a problem bringing it on? I can always pump fresh, it will just be easier for me to have reserves (low-supply takes alot of time to produce one feeding). I'm going to bring it on anyways and see what happens. I really can't see RCCL taking away food for my child.

 

You shouldn't have any problem bringing the milk on board as long as you're not planning to store the milk in the ship's general freezers/fridges. The one in your cabin (if appropriate for milk storage) would be just fine! If they allow guests to bring formula for their baby, they must allow you to bring breast milk. :)

 

 

The lady with whom I had the live chat, Bernadette, called her supervisor to get an answer and this was the response. "We cannot accept anything brought on by a passenger for storage in our general stores area of the ship. This includes refrigeration or freezing. If something that is brought on board by a passenger is found in the freezers or general storage areas, it will be immediately discarded. We are bound by rules of the US Department of Health and therefore must follow their regulations. These rules includes all kinds of food/nourishment/beverages brought on by a passenger or delivered to the ship by a third party agent".

 

See, that makes perfect sense and is along the lines of what I was thinking - they can't take responsibility for ANY passenger food or beverage because then they'd accept liability if something went wrong. It's nothing against breast milk specifically, but a blanket ban on passenger foodstuffs in the ships's storage areas.

 

Since the OP plans to store the milk in a medical fridge in her cabin, I think she'll be all set.

[SummerW]

I just got off the Princes Sapphire and brought a sippy cup of expressed breastmilk with me on the boat and took one with me off the boat. I never even asked.

 

If I were you I would request the medical fridge and leave it at that. There is no need to explain what it will be used for; that would be in violation of HIPAA.

 

WRT pumping before leaving the baby, that might be an option for some or might not. My 23 lb, 6-mo-old, EBF until this past week, linebacker baby can put it away, and I often have just enough supply for him -- no surplus. So expressing extra can be tricky. If it were me, I'd have to bring on some previously expressed milk to be sure to have enough.

 

Here's another thought: Bring on the frozen milk, if that's all you've got, then replace one nursing session with it while you pump a fresh batch of expressed milk once onboard. That way it'll be as fresh as possible for when you need it on your night out.

 

Lots of options, it seems! Have a great time!