Are there any freezers available for personal use? This is for a medical condition.

[brandonjordyn]

I have to travel with a few ice packs for medical reasons. This is for a cooling vest that I need to wear. I will be staying in a Haven suite. I was wondering if anyone knew if the staff could accommodate me? Or perhaps a concierge lounge in the Haven. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you!!

[GeezerCouple]

I have to travel with a few ice packs for medical reasons. This is for a cooling vest that I need to wear. I will be staying in a Haven suite. I was wondering if anyone knew if the staff could accommodate me? Or perhaps a concierge lounge in the Haven. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you!!

 

Is what you need "ice" to replace the "ice packs" in the vest?

Or do you need to freeze something like pre-shaped gel?

 

If the former, you can ask your Butler to keep you supplied with *lots* of ice (several buckets, with no water).

 

GC

[RD29P5]

Best bet would be to call the access desk 866-584-9756. I'm sure they will be able to answer your question, and help you out.

[brandonjordyn]

Is what you need "ice" to replace the "ice packs" in the vest?

Or do you need to freeze something like pre-shaped gel?

 

If the former, you can ask your Butler to keep you supplied with *lots* of ice (several buckets, with no water).

 

GC

 

Thank you for the quick reply. I have gel ice packs that need to be frozen in a freezer. Sadly, ice won't work.

[don't-use-real-name]

I am sure that something can be worked out with your Butler and Concierge.

One of the things to be worked out is the sanitary conditions of refreezing

your gel packs in NCL galley freezer.

Your being a guest in the Haven or a suite makes it much easier

to provide the attention needed in this case.

 

As the frozen gel dispenses it cooling effect it does not melt like ice.

It goes from a solid gel to a semi-liquid and needs to be refrozen to

use again.

All this in a sealed unit with no loss of the gel going to a semi-fluid.

A gel pack can not be refrozen in ice as the ice is in a constant state

of melting.

 

The in cabin mini-fridge keeps things cool but does not provide a

degree of freezing required for the OPs gel pack.

 

So it is a matter of using NCLs galley freezer.

Or bringing ones own freezer certainly not a desirable solution.

 

Refreezing with dry-ice presents other problems.

 

Contact the Pre-Cruise Concierge for help and get the solution

in some form of writing to alert the ships crew of this special need.

With the number of guests that NCL handles daily this can't be

all that much of a problem.

 

Stay cool - you all hear ! - Well at least frozen !

[newmexicoNita]

Best bet would be to call the access desk 866-584-9756. I'm sure they will be able to answer your question, and help you out.

My thoughts exactly. I don't think, when the issue is this important most of us want to give advise. Of course someone here may have the same situation and can address the Op correctly.

[LrgPizza]

The access desk is where you need to call. Please ignore the posts telling you to wait until you are on the ship to talk to the butler. You must work this out ahead of time with the access desk.

[islesdave]

I second calling the access desk. They handle all special medical needs arrangements prior to boarding. If you booked with a TA, they should be able to note your booking. Either way call the access desk.

[zqvol]

I have to travel with a few ice packs for medical reasons. This is for a cooling vest that I need to wear. I will be staying in a Haven suite. I was wondering if anyone knew if the staff could accommodate me? Or perhaps a concierge lounge in the Haven. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you!!

 

You need to contact the special needs department. They can accommodate you but you need to plan ahead of time.

[Lorey2007]

I would also bring a supply of Hefty zip lock freezer bags so your ice packs don't touch anything in the NCL freezer.

[GranJean]

We had a similar challenge on a long Northern Atlantic cruise with NCL We contacted NCL a couple of months prior to sailing. They arranged for the Medical Office to accept and exchange cold packs as needed. They apparently have their own sterile freezers and equipment to handle such medical items. This was at no cost to us at that time. We did give them a healthy tip though.

[chengkp75]

We had a similar challenge on a long Northern Atlantic cruise with NCL We contacted NCL a couple of months prior to sailing. They arranged for the Medical Office to accept and exchange cold packs as needed. They apparently have their own sterile freezers and equipment to handle such medical items. This was at no cost to us at that time. We did give them a healthy tip though.

 

It's not so much that the medical center has "sterile freezers", but that the refrigerators and freezers in the medical center are not "food contact surfaces", and therefore less restricted in what can go into them. Returning an item that has been handled by someone whose personal hand hygiene is not known, to a food storage freezer would be a very large problem from a food safety standpoint. The only way would be to have the ice pack sanitized (surface temperature of 160*F for 6 seconds) in a dishwasher before it was returned to the freezer.