Insulin On A River Cruise

[AliceS]

Has anyone taken insulin on a river cruise? How did you keep it cold? We are used to having a refrigerator in a cabin on a ship and there are none on Amadeaus.

[pmwtravels]

We have not cruised yet, but in talking with Amadeus they will be keeping the insulin cold for us, we don't have all the details yet, but they are aware of our situation and says it will be handled.

[Buckland]

I asked our cruise director that question not long ago. She told me that it can be kept in a fridge for you and whenever you needed it the staff would get it for you, even if you needed it in the middle of the night as there is always someone on duty you can go to. My wife injured her finger at 3 in the morning one day and we were able to get help immediately by going to the "front desk". The person on duty was swift at here response and my wife and I were snug and warm again within minutes, her finger neatly bandaged. In case you are wondering how she sustained an injury so early in the morning - she got up to close our sliding glass door and in her sleepy state, closed it on her finger.

 

Buck

[Venturagirl]

I took insulin on my Viking 14 day cruise last year. While Viking would have stored it in their refrigerator, I decided against the hassle of having to go get it from them and then return it after use. So I put my insulin in a zip lock sandwich bag and kept it in our ice bucket filled with ice from the self-serve ice machine down the hall. I replaced the ice myself twice a day (the housekeeper would have done it but I wanted to stay on top of it myself). I've used the ice bucket solution often in hotel rooms that don't have minifrig's or when the minifrig isn't cold enough.

[H2Otstr]

We were on the Viking Burgundy last year and there were NO ice machines for general use. One had to go to the bartender and ask for ice.

[Mumof2]

I wouldn't worry about refrigeration too much. My husband NEVER refrigerates his, even at home. The only time it's been a problem is when we are having a heat wave, and it's getting old, and it's been out for more than a month. Other than that, his current vials are never refrigerated, and they don't deteriorate before he's used them up. If he's got extra stock, he'll keep it in the fridge, but not otherwise. In 15 years of doing this, I think it's only been a problem twice, in the circumstances I described. And you can tell when it's deteriorated - it gets granular and doesn't look right. Then it just doesn't work as effectively as usual.

 

When he was first diagnosed, he worried about all that stuff when we travelled to Europe. Now it's not even a concern.

 

Relax and enjoy!

 

Mel

[AliceS]

Thanks everyone for the advice. The pre-mixed pens do need refrigeration. They are easy to transport though. We'll figure it out. We have months to go yet.

[DEEGEE]

I have been on two river cruises with Avalon, on the Poetry and on the Tapestry, both had in room refrigerators. I had no problems with my insulin.

[AliceS]

I have been on two river cruises with Avalon, on the Poetry and on the Tapestry, both had in room refrigerators. I had no problems with my insulin.

 

Thanks, but we're on Amadeaus and there are no refrigerators in the cabin. I talked to them and we can freeze cold packs to use in the cabin. That way we just bring a small insulated bag and several cold packs (some in the freezer and some in use) and are good to go.

[land lover]

Hi Alice