refrig meds

[bambidrummer]

Question? Has anyone travel on a cruise with medication that needs refrigeration? How did you handle it? We travel with a mini cool/refrig, but I am not sure we can take it on board. :confused:

[madforcruising]

Most cabins have fridges in these days. So it depends on your Ship and cabin category and you might have a fridge in there already.

But then those fridges tend to not get too cold and you would have to check at what temp. your meds have to be stored.

 

Your best bet is to contact the special needs department at RCCL and inquire about your needs and they will most likely be able to accomodate you with a fridge in your cabin that meets your needs.

 

The email is special_needs@rccl.com (note there is an _ between special and needs)

 

The phone number is (866) 592-7225 and fax (954) 628-9622

[bambidrummer]

Thank you so much for the information. I am sending an email now.

Thanks:p

[RetireeWannabee]

My husband is insulin-dependent and we've never had a problem keeping it cold. The one time we didn't have a fridge, the cabin steward gave us a separate ice bucket and the insulated container hubby keeps the insulin in fit perfectly without freezing the meds.

 

Rest assured, you will be accomodated.

[RadioPeri]

Question? Has anyone travel on a cruise with medication that needs refrigeration? How did you handle it?

I use an injectable medication once a week that needs to be refrigerated. I have not found most in-cabin fridges cold enough for my liking (cool,yes -- cold, no). On our last cruise, I brought the shot in an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack, and took it down to the infirmary when we boarded. They were happy to keep it there, properly refrigerated, until I came down for it later in the cruise. It was even better, because they have a sharps container for disposing of such things, which I wouldn't want to leave in a wastebasket in the cabin .

 

~ Peri

[madforcruising]

I use an injectable medication once a week that needs to be refrigerated. I have not found most in-cabin fridges cold enough for my liking (cool,yes -- cold, no). On our last cruise, I brought the shot in an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack, and took it down to the infirmary when we boarded. They were happy to keep it there, properly refrigerated, until I came down for it later in the cruise. It was even better, because they have a sharps container for disposing of such things, which I wouldn't want to leave in a wastebasket in the cabin .

 

~ Peri

 

 

Just in case you or others read this don´t know, you can ask your cabin steward for a sharps container. I agree don´t leave such things in the wastebasket.

[amickeyfriend]

On our last cruise, (Voyager) the refrigerator in the room did not work at all - So for two weeks we used the ice bucket and stored one bottle of insulin with the cruise line. When we got home we did some shopping and found a container from the diabetic supplies that you plug in. Insulin will stay cool for 10 hours even after being unplugged. Also has a car plug-in. We used this on a recent weekend trip and it was fabulous. No more dripping ice and no waiting for someone to deliver a refrigerator to a hotel room. THe cost was about $50 but well worth it.

[cruzinnh]

Even though you have emailed special needs it is best to stop by guest services as soon as you board to make sure they have your request. On our first RCI cruise they ran out of fridges and we had to use the less desirable ice bucket method. I had to throw out a vial as I was not able to keep it cool enough.

 

Kathy J

[uksimonusa]

On our last AOS cruise, when we first went to our cabin, there was a white fridge under the vanity, that said Medical Refrigerator on it, while we were unpacking a guy came and took it away, he said that it was for the previous passengers medicine. So there are special firdges available, and a call or email to special need should take care of it!

[bambidrummer]

Thank you all for the information. I just bought a travel refrig at walmart. So next problem will the let me on with it? At $1900 a month for meds I am not throwing out any of it. FYI on tossing needles: we put ours in a little drinkable yogurt bottle and screw back on the lid. No needle sticks.

[malibusr]

Works great for insulin and needles when weather is hot or you dont have a fridgehttp://www.diabetesandmore.com/FRIO-1-Large-Injectable-Pen-Some-Needles-P23.aspx

[malibusr]

http://www.diabetesandmore.com/FRIO-1-Large-Injectable-Pen-Some-Needles-P23.aspx

[RetireeWannabee]

FYI on tossing needles: we put ours in a little drinkable yogurt bottle and screw back on the lid. No needle sticks.

My concern on that is if they attempt to recycle everything possible, there will be more handling of that item. Maybe compacting where the needle is exposed after the bottle is crushed.

 

Please do ask for a sharps container as anyone handling refuse understands what's inside with no surprises.

 

Awesome tips on the other coolers/supplies!!!

[RadioPeri]

Please do ask for a sharps container as anyone handling refuse understands what's inside with no surprises.

Or you can head down to the infirmary, inject yourself, and dispose of your needle there when you're done. ~ Peri

[NJGRANNY]

We've never had a problem getting a sharps container and a refrigerator even if we forgot and had to ask when we boarded.

[bambidrummer]

I did not know you could get a container. I just keep the yogurt container with my needles until I get home.

[bambidrummer]

Most cabins have fridges in these days. So it depends on your Ship and cabin category and you might have a fridge in there already.

But then those fridges tend to not get too cold and you would have to check at what temp. your meds have to be stored.

 

Your best bet is to contact the special needs department at RCCL and inquire about your needs and they will most likely be able to accomodate you with a fridge in your cabin that meets your needs.

 

The email is special_needs@rccl.com (note there is an _ between special and needs)

 

The phone number is (866) 592-7225 and fax (954) 628-9622

Noone is answering the phone or the email. Has anyone carried on the electric cooler? Does it pass through security?

[pmfan]

Hope you get your needs addressed before the cruise....

[CaribeDiver]

Per the head of housekeeping on my cruise in Feb, the refrigerators in the cabins are not really refrigerators they are more like a cooler. They do not reach true refrigerator temps. So, just have your TA contact RCI or call customer service and they'll direct you to the proper dept. to get a med fridge.

[bambidrummer]

Per the head of housekeeping on my cruise in Feb, the refrigerators in the cabins are not really refrigerators they are more like a cooler. They do not reach true refrigerator temps. So, just have your TA contact RCI or call customer service and they'll direct you to the proper dept. to get a med fridge.

Thanks for letting me know that they are don't really keep cold. I was wondering now I know why they are all so warm in hotels.

[bambidrummer]

!!:eek:

[lady_cruiser]

A friend has a daughter who needs her diabetic meds refrigerated and she always calls ahead to make sure that the mini-fridge in her cabin is working.

[Quampapetet]

Call the special needs dept. There's a recent thread in the Disabilities section of this board that has the number and extension to call.

 

They will send you a form to fill out and fax back to them. Check off that you need a medical fridge and a Sharps container. Hopefully they will both be in your room onboard, but if not, talk to your cabin steward. (I needed a med fridge but not a Sharps container - my stuff was faxed twice many months before the cruise and then all my needs, including those two, confirmed several weeks before the cruise via e-mail - but when I got on the ship, my steward said they had me marked for a Sharps container but no fridge! When I got back to my cabin a couple hours later, the fridge was there [under the desk] and plugged in. Make sure you check the dial setting inside of it - I turned mine all the way up and that made it cold enough.)

 

Any hotel will supply a Sharps container for your needles. It is for the safety of their maids, the trash folks, etc.

[bambidrummer]

Thanks for the information.:)

[warringtonian]

You may be interested to know that up until the Seventies hardly any UK pharmacies had a fridge, and the few that did used them only for certain vaccines. Even insulin was just stored on an open shelf, often for months at a time. Obviously it was different in tropical areas, but nowadays you usually have air-conditioning so that isn't such a problem. In the late Seventies it became a professional requirement to have a fridge.

It's still a good idea to keep things cool, but I wouldn't worry too much about it.