Nieuw Amsterdam (refrigerated medication)

[GreenSmoothieCruiser]

We are sailing soon on the Nieuw Amsterdam. Two members of our group take a refrigerated medication at bedtime. I have had a few emails with HAL general customer service and Access & Compliance and have been told that the refrigerators in cabins are not meant for medication. However, we are welcome to keep our medications in the medical center. The issue is that these medications need to be taken at bedtime and the medical center is not open in the later evening. I am told that if we need to access our medication at a time when the clinic is not open, there will be a  $35.00  fee to have the nurse open the medical center. 

Does anyone else have experience with this? We are trying to think of ways to possibly save the $245 total fee that this would cost over seven days. Maybe we can keep a cooler in our cabin and keep the medication cold with ice packs that we keep frozen in the medical center freezer? And have two sets of ice packs to rotate as needed? Any other ideas? Thank you! 

Edited October 16, 2018 by GreenSmoothieCruiser

[colbe]

How cold does the medication have to be? There is also ice provided in your room twice a day. The cooler/fridge in the room kept my wine a very yummy temperature😀.

[0bnxshs]

I've always found the room coolers will keep my meds cold enough, even on NA. They may not be "certified" as being medically acceptable but they work for things like latanoprost eye drops and bydureon injections in my experience.

Edited October 16, 2018 by 0bnxshs

[GreenSmoothieCruiser]

5 hours ago, colbe said:

How cold does the medication have to be? There is also ice provided in your room twice a day. The cooler/fridge in the room kept my wine a very yummy temperature😀.

 

I'm not sure, but I'm thinking keeping it in therefrigeratorr with a few ice packs will be a good solution. This is what I was told via email: The mini bar fridge (your stateroom already has one) in guest staterooms are not intended for use with medication as they do not get cool enough for many medications. These units are intended for keeping beverages cool. For medications that require refrigeration, you may request the use of the Medical Center's refrigeration unit.

[GreenSmoothieCruiser]

4 hours ago, 0bnxshs said:

I've always found the room coolers will keep my meds cold enough, even on NA. They may not be "certified" as being medically acceptable but they work for things like latanoprost eye drops and bydureon injections in my experience.

 

Thanks, good to know. I think our plan will be to keep the meds in the refrigerator with ice packs. I'll bring two sets of ice packs and keep one set in the medical center freezer overnight while the other set is in the cabin...or something like that. 😉 

[mammy123]

I take insulin twice a day and need to keep it refrigerated.  I rent (for $2.00/day) a refrigerator and it is cold enough.  Don't know how cold this medicine needs to be, so don't know if we are comparing apples to apples.  Good luck with whatever you decide.  Have a good cruise. 

[kwb101]

I use long release insulin that must be refrigerated until the bottle begins to be used, at which point it can be at room temperature for up to 4 weeks. Onboard Maasdam in August and September, I found that our cabin's refrigerator felt like about 45-50 degrees, cool but not cold (I didn't have a thermometer). At home, our refrigerator is set to 35, the recommended temp for food (and I measure it periodically).

After one night in Maasdam's fridge, I took it to the medical center until the end of the voyage (we spent two weeks afterward traveling on land).

I would second the recommendation to rent a unit for your cabin. I'm not sure why HAL provides units that merely cool, instead of chilling, as most of us are used to (I suspect it may be energy use).

[Fla Mike]

31 minutes ago, kwb101 said:

I use long release insulin that must be refrigerated until the bottle begins to be used, at which point it can be at room temperature for up to 4 weeks.

 I am also an insulin user, and use both a long acting and a mealtime insulin.

As stated above, most insulin can go about 28 days after first use at room temperature.

If the medication in question is indeed insulin, or any non-insulin diabetic injection, (ie: Victoza) it should be fine in the room's standard fridge or in a drawer.

If the cruise is long enough to need more than one vial or insulin pen, the additional items can be stored in the medical center and retrieved the day before.

I also never travel without the Frio Insulin Cooling Case. These have been a real winner for me.

 

[UtterCaro]

Another insulin (and Trulicity pen) user who votes for the Frio wallets.  They're great for flight days, too.

[GreenSmoothieCruiser]

On 10/16/2018 at 10:05 PM, mammy123 said:

I take insulin twice a day and need to keep it refrigerated.  I rent (for $2.00/day) a refrigerator and it is cold enough.  Don't know how cold this medicine needs to be, so don't know if we are comparing apples to apples.  Good luck with whatever you decide.  Have a good cruise. 

 

Hi! Were you able to rent a refrigerator on the Nieuw Amsterdam? That option was not mentioned to me in my emails with customer service. 

[GreenSmoothieCruiser]

@Fla Mike, thanks for the information. The medication is injectable growth hormones that needs to be refrigerated at all times. Thank you and UtterCaro as well for the recommendation for the Frio cool packs. We have a lunchbox that we use with ice packs for trip days. 

[Fla Mike]

20 hours ago, GreenSmoothieCruiser said:

@Fla Mike, thanks for the information. 

 

You are welcome!

[GreenSmoothieCruiser]

Hello! I wanted to update the post as we were on the Nieuw Amsterdam last week. I brought two sets of ice packs on board. Whatever packs we were not using in the cooler in our refrigerator were kept in the medical center freezer. We visited the medical center once in the morning and once in the evening to pick up one set of ice packs and drop off the other other set. We kept the medication in our room in the refrigerator in a cooler with ice packs and a gallon size Ziplock full of ice (we visited Deck 9/Lido once a day for fresh ice). As other posters have mentioned. the refrigerator itself is cool, but not cold. Thanks again for the help!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for coming back.

 

Glad that it all worked well for your medications.

[Fla Mike]

Glad it all was good!