Insulin Storage on Crown Princess & subsequent Tour

[Swtmaryc]

Hi all:

 

I'm booked on an August Cruisetour on the Crown Princess. I am diabetic and need to store my insulin in a refrigerator. I take only one shot at night. Am curious how that is handled on the ship and also on the tour (Tour is through Princess and at Princess lodges.)

Any suggestions would be useful!

 

Mary

[jg21]

You will have a small refrigerator in your cabin while on ship; as for the land portion, you may have to carry a small cooler to store the insulin during the day.

[Pam in CA]

You will have a small refrigerator in your cabin while on ship; as for the land portion, you may have to carry a small cooler to store the insulin during the day.

Every cabin has an ice bucket which can be filled with ice and placed in the mini-frig. You can call room service at any time for additional ice although your room steward usually refreshes 2x a day. The alternative is to store it in the Medical Center if you're uncomfortable using the mini-frig and ice bucket.

 

[born2cruize]

Hi all:

 

I'm booked on an August Cruisetour on the Crown Princess. I am diabetic and need to store my insulin in a refrigerator. I take only one shot at night. Am curious how that is handled on the ship and also on the tour (Tour is through Princess and at Princess lodges.)

Any suggestions would be useful!

 

Mary

 

What kind of insulin are you using? I take Lantus once a day also at night. Once my bottle is open it doesn't need refrigeration for 28 days. Then it must be thrown away. I also take Novalog with meals that works the same way, but a pen of Novalog will last me a week to 10days so it never has to be thrown away. In 2012 also did Alaska cruise followed by 5 day land then another cruise. As was mentioned a frig is in your room, on both ship and land. Only had to store un-open pens in frig. Don't store near freezer in frig as insulin may freeze which is a no no.

Edited May 30, 2014 by born2cruize

[cdngrl]

You will have a small refrigerator in your cabin while on ship; as for the land portion, you may have to carry a small cooler to store the insulin during the day.

 

my daughter is diabetic and yes, stored her insulin in the fridge (she had a pen-needle, 5-6 injections a day). sorry, we've never toured before, so can't answer your question about how to store that. i'll have to ask her as I don't recall what she's done lately as she's now on a pump. princess will provide a sharps container but we've never asked for one, she's brought her own.

Edited May 30, 2014 by cdngrl

[Carolyn R]

Insulin, either open or unopened, generally last for one month when stored at room temperature (59 to 86°F). Insulin does not need to be refrigerated, just kept at a temperature below 86°F.

[paul929207]

My wife gave herself Forteo shots. These need to be stored in a cool place. I don't remember the exact temperatures. We found the cabin frig did NOT keep to a reasonable range. We were able to store it in the real refridgerator in the medical center. Each afternoon my wife woul go down during normal hours and give the shot

[Jules59]

I'm a type 1 also. Have always used the Princess in room refrigerator for my insulin. If you are going off the ship for awhile, there are different insulin and diabetic kits that will keep your insulin at the right temp. Meaning having a cool gel with them.

[as19111]

Look on-line for Frio insulin cooling wallets. They come in a variety of sizes. I needed to carry a 3 week+ supply on our trip to SA and they work very well. I carry the small size in my purse/backpack for injections with meals, and kept the larger one in the fridge in the cabin for the extras and evening dose. As mentioned, be careful that it is stored on the lower part of the fridge. If it is up top, it could freeze. If you keep the wallet "charged", you won't need to put it in the fridge if your trip is shorter in length. By charged, I mean soak the inner bag in cold water for 10 minutes and it will last a week. You can repeat this as often as needed.

 

Also, ask your cabin steward for a small sharps container. You place your used needles in it and it will be destroyed as medical waste at the end of the cruise. The container is marked with your cabin number.

Edited May 31, 2014 by as19111
repeat the charge

[rjack22]

I second the use of Frio Cooling Wallets! These work very well. A couple of places that carry them is Amazon and Magellans.

 

And I also agree that insulin doesn't need to be refrigerated unless the temperature is over 85 degrees. At least that was the case with me and Lantus and now with Humalog. Now if you are carrying the insulin on shore then I would use a Frio Wallet.

[cirman52]

Look on-line for Frio insulin cooling wallets. They come in a variety of sizes. I needed to carry a 3 week+ supply on our trip to SA and they work very well. I carry the small size in my purse/backpack for injections with meals, and kept the larger one in the fridge in the cabin for the extras and evening dose. As mentioned, be careful that it is stored on the lower part of the fridge. If it is up top, it could freeze. If you keep the wallet "charged", you won't need to put it in the fridge if your trip is shorter in length. By charged, I mean soak the inner bag in cold water for 10 minutes and it will last a week. You can repeat this as often as needed.

 

Also, ask your cabin steward for a small sharps container. You place your used needles in it and it will be destroyed as medical waste at the end of the cruise. The container is marked with your cabin number.

 

great info, thanks for sharing this. I have wonder about the new injectable pen I am on, since unused needs to be cooled and we will be gone for more than 30 days at a time.

[OCruisers]

We were on Crown Princess in January and were shocked at how very cold our mini-fridge kept things.

LuLu

[caribill]

We were on Crown Princess in January and were shocked at how very cold our mini-fridge kept things.

LuLu

 

There is a dial located inside the mioni-fridge to help set the temperature. Many people who think the mini-fridge is too warm don't check to see if the dial is set all the way to the cooler side.

[OCruisers]

There is a dial located inside the mioni-fridge to help set the temperature. Many people who think the mini-fridge is too warm don't check to see if the dial is set all the way to the cooler side.

 

That's one of the first things we always do when we get to our cabin.

LuLu

[nurse@sea]

I also have used the Frio cooling packs for many years for all my unopened insulin pens. They work very well and can be ordered in a few different sizes to go along with your needs. google Frio and the website will pop up. Have a great cruise!!