Serenade AO, diabetic child

[cruisetek]

Hi,

 

We're going to be cruising on the Serenade to Alaska in September, and will be traveling with our 5 year old DS, who is a type 1 diabetic on an insulin pump. DH and I would like the option of having him take part in the kids' program and activities, but don't know if there will be a problem enrolling him.

 

Our plan is to only take him after checking his blood sugar, and giving him a meal or snack to do all we can to ensure he doesn't become hypoglycemic. We're pretty good at being able to tell by his numbers whether he's likely to go low or not, and can back off the insulin on his pump to guard against an issue for a couple of hours. However, while we certainly wouldn't expect the counsellors in the program to check his sugar or deal with the pump, we would need to make them aware of the sypmtoms of low blood sugar and the importance of treating it quickly. We would need to leave a juice box or other "emergency" fast acting sugar so it would be close to hand just in case. Would this be a problem?

 

Our son is very hypoglycemic-aware, which means he'll tell you if he's feeling low. While we always confirm this with a glucose check at home, if he were in the program and told a counsellor he felt low, our instruction would be for them to give him the juice without the reading while we made our way to him (do they contact you via pager, or ???) - if it turns out he wasn't actually low, we can remedy the effects of the juice by taking him back into our care and giving insulin.

 

I just don't know how all this will/should work, and would love some feedback from families that have traveled with kids with special needs. It all sounds more complicated than it really is (well, at least for the couple of hours here and there he would be in the program!) - for the most part, there shouldn't be any issue and it's more a concern of wanting to know that someone knows what to look for, and what to do if something happens. Because of the danger of low blood sugar, the primary issue is giving sugar as quickly as possible - it would be best not to wait until DH or I made our way to the club as if he's low he really does need the sugar as soon as possible. Will the counsellors work with us on this, or avoid anything at all to do with his needs?

[Onessa]

The AO staff should not have a problem dealing with this special need. Let the ship's staff know about it prior to the cruise. Be specific as to what your child's condition is and that it is a bona fide medical condition (rather than the parents who might mention as a side note on the way out that "little Janey is alergic to raisins" - which really means that if Janey eats anything with a raisin in it, she'll spit it out because she doesn't like raisins).

 

A friend and her family accompanied us on a cruise a little over a year ago. THe friend's brother (he was about 10YO) was epileptic (very well controlled) -- they worked it out with AO before they left. AO staff was all aware of the situation. The parents got a pager (even though pagers are not normally given at that age group). They had no medical emergencies (or near emergencies) so I don't know if the precautions that they had planned would have actually worked :confused: , but the staff was very upfront and professional about dealing with the situation.

 

Good luck on your trip

[sas80]

Hi,

 

We're going to be cruising on the Serenade to Alaska in September, and will be traveling with our 5 year old DS, who is a type 1 diabetic on an insulin pump. DH and I would like the option of having him take part in the kids' program and activities, but don't know if there will be a problem enrolling him.

 

Our plan is to only take him after checking his blood sugar, and giving him a meal or snack to do all we can to ensure he doesn't become hypoglycemic. We're pretty good at being able to tell by his numbers whether he's likely to go low or not, and can back off the insulin on his pump to guard against an issue for a couple of hours. However, while we certainly wouldn't expect the counsellors in the program to check his sugar or deal with the pump, we would need to make them aware of the sypmtoms of low blood sugar and the importance of treating it quickly. We would need to leave a juice box or other "emergency" fast acting sugar so it would be close to hand just in case. Would this be a problem?

 

Our son is very hypoglycemic-aware, which means he'll tell you if he's feeling low. While we always confirm this with a glucose check at home, if he were in the program and told a counsellor he felt low, our instruction would be for them to give him the juice without the reading while we made our way to him (do they contact you via pager, or ???) - if it turns out he wasn't actually low, we can remedy the effects of the juice by taking him back into our care and giving insulin.

 

I just don't know how all this will/should work, and would love some feedback from families that have traveled with kids with special needs. It all sounds more complicated than it really is (well, at least for the couple of hours here and there he would be in the program!) - for the most part, there shouldn't be any issue and it's more a concern of wanting to know that someone knows what to look for, and what to do if something happens. Because of the danger of low blood sugar, the primary issue is giving sugar as quickly as possible - it would be best not to wait until DH or I made our way to the club as if he's low he really does need the sugar as soon as possible. Will the counsellors work with us on this, or avoid anything at all to do with his needs?

 

I definitely think you should email special_needs@rccl.com and discuss this situation with them!

[Ula]

First bless your heart, my husband is type II. Type I is really serious stuff. Had a cousin with that. We have found cruise ships to be an excellent choice for diabetics.

Special needs checks if you need a sharps container. The food staff will meet with you on diet and make special things. I am sure the children's staff is also aware of how important control is.

What we do on the ship since it is a different situation is at first check levels more often. Increase from like at home three times a day to five times. You can never test to often.

You should have a wonderful time on your cruise and your son will have a grand time.

[pit NJ]

My son is type 1 as well. Diagnosed at 2 years old, he's now 7. This wednesday will be his 5th cruise. We've been on Disney, Carnival, Royal C and Norweigen with him already. What we did in all five cases was notify customer service before we boarded (Call them). They recorded his condition on our booking doc's. In all cases the cruise lines notified Medical Services on board so they were aware of a child with the condition. They also passed the info along to Hosekeeping for a sharps container and the Kid's Club coordinators as well for their awareness.

 

Don't forget to make them aware of your need for a mini refrigerator. Some lines (Not all) either don't have them in all their staterooms, or some charged a daily fee for them (I can't remembr which ones did what):confused: . We told them it's our requirement and they all aaccomodated (Keeping buckets of Ice for insulin is difficult). The one line, that charged, even waived the daily charge.:D

 

As for the dangers surounding low glucose levels, each time we signed him in we reminded the staff and reviewed his current condition. In all four of of the ones we went on, we were given pagers to keep in contact. In our experiance the staff's were all very cautious. They would alway contact us if they were doing anything related to food. They even paged us on RCL to let us know "They were making Fruit Loop necklaces and with our permission they would substitute with Cherrios".

 

They don't need the liability, so extreme caution is always the cruise lines' motto. You will appriciate the level of attention your child will get... Just discuss what it is you would like done in specific situations each time you drop your child off, they are relativly accomodating as long as it is not administering med's.

 

Good luck and enjoy... Both my wife, I and my son do!

[cruisetek]

Thank you so much for the information. pitNJ, I really appreciate your sharing your experience, especially since your son was dx around the same age as mine and is only a year and a bit older. I'll definitely call ahead and have them add some details to our reservation. :)

 

I'm very glad to know that AO can be so accommodating. I don't yet know how often DS will want to be there, but hated to think he might be prevented from going if he wanted to!

 

You've helped to set my mind at ease, so thanks again.

[Finbar127]

Sorry for the late response and I hope you see this before you leave. Our 7 years old son is a Type 1 on an insulin pump also. This December will be his 4th cruise since his DX. Last December we sailed the Serenade out of San Juan.

 

I also highly recommend you let RCCL know your son is Diabetic. They will note it in their records and the cabin and dining room staff will be aware. However they won't necessarily know how to respond. On our last cruise I pulled the waiter aside on the first night and discussed TJ's dietary needs with him. He was very accommodating.

 

The AO staff was also very accommodating on the Serenade (and the other ships we have been on as well.) They have cell phones that they usually reserve for the parents of the youngest children. Upon boarding the ship there will be AO staff to give your son his muster wrist band. Just inform them right away of your son’s condition and let them know you would like a cell phone. They should give you one no problem. That way you have instant communication with your son and the AO staff.

 

Each time we dropped TJ off at AO we would leave his test kit, glucagon and a couple of juice boxes. The staff had no problem holding on to them for us. They would not test him but they gave him juice or glucose tabs if we asked them to. If it was going to be a day where the kids would be touring the ship (The kids have a blast on Pirate Night) we would hold the kit so we could meet the counselors if TJ went low.

 

I don't remember if all the cabins on the Serenade had minifridges, but we always request one to store the insulin and have never been denied. Also if you travel with ice packs you can bring them to the purser’s desk and they will keep them frozen for you until you are ready to disembark.

 

A couple of more tips if you haven't traveled with a diabetic before; Add up the amount of supplies that you need and double them. Pack half in your carry on and half in your suitcase. That way if you lose one set of supplies you still have another.

 

If you are flying you should bring a small meal just in case you get stuck on the plane. Many airlines don't supply meals anymore. Also the carry-on restrictions are relaxed for diabetics. You are allowed to bring a reasonable amount of fluids (juice boxes, glucose gel, water, etc) onto the plane for your son. It is also a good idea to carry a letter from your Son's doctor that states he is a type I. However I have never been asked to show it to any airline security personnel.

 

Most pump manufacturers will loan you a back-up pump for your trip. That way if you have a malfunction you don't have to revert to shots. My son's pump company (Animas) provides one for free and even provides free shipping both ways.

 

You can find more diabetic travelling tips and additional links at

http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/d_0n_600.htm

 

In any case your son will love AO (my kids actually get upset when it is time to pick them up). The program is well structured, controlled and very safe. They will take good care of your son while he is there. Just speak to the AO staff during the orientation and let them know your wishes.