jaz33

Thanks for this. The last time I asked Royal Caribbean they did say they had medical fridges but only he small table top type to keep temperature sensitive medication in, such as as insulin.  Unfortunately these are not big enough to hold 14 x 2.5 litre bags of TPN.

The next time we cruise I will ask again just in case this has changed.

Thanks again

Ian

Hi

In the UK the nutrition team are able to prescribe what are commonly called ‘off the shelf’ bags. These are TPN bags that are stable at room temperature. The different components of the medication are separated into separate chambers in the bag and before using the internal seals are broken to mix the components together before infusing. It sounds more complicated than it actually is. These bags have a long shelf life (6 months +). Are these available to you?  Also, the last time I checked, Royal Caribbean don’t have medical refrigeration to store the cold bags, therefore our only option is to take the off the shelf bags. 
 

I hope this helps. 
 

regards

ian. 

Hi, I've just replied to you on my old thread regarding this.  Don't be daunted by cruising with TPN.  Yes it is a little more work and preparation but well worth it.  Email me and we can discuss it further boyes(dot)ian(at)gmail(dot)com 

I look forward to hearing from you.

Ian

On 2/5/2023 at 2:09 PM, Trixie21 said:

I know this is from several years ago and a lot has changed since then but can I ask if u managed to successfully complete a cruise while your fiancee was on TPN?

I have just posted a similar post to yours regarding my wife.

Hi, I haven't logged into Cruise Critic for quite a while but I see you only posted this on Sunday.

Yes we have done 3 cruises so far with TPN.  There cruise lines (Celebrity and Royal Caribbean) have been helpful in sorting it out and also with any accommodations we needed on board.  Are you in the UK or elsewhere in the World?  In the UK the first step for us was to inform the Nutrition Team at the Hospital that we plan to go on a cruise with the dates and number of nights.  I then contacted the Pharmacy to inform them of the same.  Once the pharmacy had the information regarding the prescription I liaised with them right up to receiving the supplies.  

We have only cruised from Southampton as this was easier than having to deal with airlines.  There is a lot of information I can give you to be honest.  If you want to let me have your email I can let you know more, but don't be daunted by it.  Yes its a little more preparation and maybe a slight inconvenience on board but it is doable.

Take care

Ian

Thanks for the quick responses. 

Apologies if this has already been asked and answered but I haven’t been able to find it on the forum. 
 

we will be on Silhouette out of Southampton on 14 May. I know that we will need a negative antigen (lateral flow) test taken no later than 2 days before boarding. What I’m unable to find out is whether the test needs to be supervised or whether it can be taken at home and the results sent to the provider via an app. This is obviously not supervised but is linked to us via passport and logging in to the app.  The unsupervised test is obviously a fair bit cheaper than the supervised test. 
 

Has anyone from the U.K. had any experience with the type of test accepted by Celebrity with a Southampton departure?

Thanks in advance

Ian

I have used the best price guarantee a few times on our May 14 cruise. The first time was a price drop of £300.  This was taken off the balance as we hadn’t paid in full at that time. The second time when they offered premium drinks and $400 obc for a little over what we originally paid so for an additional £150 we received those benefits. The third and forth time was a price drop which included the premium drinks and obc but this was after final payment so we go additional obc.  As things stand at the moment we have $1330 obc. This may change if the price continues to fall. 

2 hours ago, Bizzie07 said:

We are thinking of doing self disembarkation for the first time in September as we have an early flight from Southampton Airport.  (In the past we have used RCCL transfer).  Are there plenty of taxis around at 6.15am or would I be better booking one in advance.  Thanks

I saw a few taxis but I think they were pre booked.  It might be worth checking if Uber work in the area or finding a local firm you could call before debarkation.  

5 hour journey home but made it in one piece. We got off the ship at 6.15am with our own luggage and on the road at 6.40am. 

We we both had a great cruise, regardless of the little niggles here and there. Our favourite cruise line is still Celebrity but Royal Caribbean is up there as well. 

Those of you who are going on soon, have a great time. 

All the best

ian

Last day before home.  Plenty going on on the ship. 20C outside, sunny but blustery on the outside decks. Formal last night was ok but lacked atmosphere due to the MDR being less the half full. There was a parade and an individual birthday cake for each couple for RCCL 50th birthday.

Time to pack and get ready for the final evening.

Thanks for reading and contributing everyone.

All the best

ian  

3 minutes ago, jmnathan said:

Ah ok, sounds good. Did you add photos for your whole party via the app? I added mine but as the others weren't with me at the time I couldn't add theirs and there's no nowhere to add them via the app (seems I can add them via the website checkin though). Just wondering if lack of photo for all of us will slow things down.

I think you will need photos and set sail passes completed for everyone.  If you go to your set sail pass and then swipe left you should be able to get to the others if they are on the same booking. Alternatively complete on the website.  

Enjoy your cruise. 

9 minutes ago, loveheart said:

Thanks for your great reviews. I'm disappointed that the shows are on at 7.00pm for late diners. We used to enjoy the Diamond Club at 7.00pm before dinner then go to the late shows at 10.30pm.  How long do the shows last?

Im with you, I much prefer the later theatre time after late seating. The show lasts about 45 - 50 minutes. We managed a drink in the Diamond lounge before 8.30pm meal. 

4 minutes ago, jmnathan said:

We're on Indy at the end of July (27th) so following this with interest. 

 

We have expedited boarding and I am wondering how good it will be. We're planning to arrive around midday (driving down from the Watford area) so not sure what queues will be like at that time anyway. I ready that you get expedited boarding so long as you check in via the app. Wouldn't most people do this if offered?

 

Really excited for our first time on Indy 

When we arrived there was a sign for Pinnacle, Suite and Expedited boarding.  Go to this area and you will be asked a few questions and sent to security. Your sea pass cards will be outside your room. 

Not or sure how busy it,will be when you arrive.  

Cadiz yesterday. We like Cadiz, it is such an easy town to walk around with a decent beach and shopping/market area.

At sea today, calm seas and 20C.  Towels were on the sun beds nice and early again 😂. It always amazes me the lengths people go to to get a sun bed.  

Now that we are coming to the end of the cruise i’ll try to sum up with some tips, some of which I have already covered.

If you can, complete your sea pass info on the Royal App.  It makes boarding a lot easier.

The Windjammer can be like a cattle market at times.  If you like to eat of there, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, try to work out the quieter times for your own sanity.

Better still, use the dining room for breakfast every morning and lunch on sea days.  Buffet breakfast on deck 3 and a la carte on deck 4. 

Tender ports, see my earlier post regarding this.

Make time to see the sunsets.  They are different every evening and never fail to impress. 

The shows are mainly 7pm for late seating and 9pm for early with a few exceptions.  There have been a couple of adult comedy late shows at 10.45pm as well.

Formal on this cruise was day 3, 10, 13. 

If if you enjoy your spa treatments then wait for the discounts in the 2nd week.  The full body massage went from $169 to $99. Also, if you are Diamond and above you will get a $50 discount after day 3. 

The best tip of all, relax, enjoy and let go.  It’s your cruise and even a mediocre cruise is better than a good day at work. 

i may not have time to get on tomorrow so if I don’t thank you for following and reading.  If you have any further questions I will do my best to answer them.

bye for now

Ian 

22 hours ago, lynniemichelle said:

Hi thank you for all your updates, will be joining as you disembark, this has been very helpful....especially the ticketing for the tender!  Do you know who the cruise director is since I believe Joff Eaton will not be on this summer?

No problem. The Cruise Director is Cuddy Cudworth.  He’s been very good and does seminars throughout the cruise on ‘Monkey Mind Relaxation’. Well worth a visit. 

23 hours ago, bogofman said:

 

My theory is that since drink packages have been given (included) so a lot of people have them, the last thing that Royal would want to do is encourage  people to use them by asking if they want a drink, make it as difficult as possible to obtain a drink.

 

our next cruise on the 13th we don't have the included drinks, Booked after it was taken away, since the price was way too high before

 

we will pay as we go, and if there are no servers, will be drinking less.

 

 

 

 

I have to agree with you.

On 6/26/2019 at 11:41 AM, h20skibum said:

Did you have to put in at Gibraltar, on your way to Cadiz?  The ship’s track appears you did.

Sorry to hear about the decline in the MDR food later in your cruise.  Maybe we will be ordering the Chops filet on some of the nights with entrees we don’t care for.

 

Also, what night was seafood night in the WJ?

 Not sure whether we actually docked in Gibraltar but there was another medical emergency during the night before Cadiz so maybe. 

The cruise has has been quite eventful with a number of medical emergencies, one passenger jumping overboard and being rescued before being put off in Gibraltar. Allegedly it was because he lost $17000 in the Casino but not sure how true that is.  You know how the grapevine works on cruises. Then there was a fight among a large group of people (17 I heard) and they were also put of in Cagliari I think.

I havent seen seen the seafood night mentioned to be honest. 

Where did you find the tracker?

Cagliari yesterday.  There was a free shuttle into town for those that wanted to do their own thing.  

Unfortunately I feel that the food quality in the main dining room has deteriorated as we get to the latter end of the cruise. I had the New York Strip yesterday as there was nothing I fancied on the main menu, and although I like it medium rare , it was very tough and somewhat inedible.  To be honest the last three nights in the main dining room has lacked menu variety and imagination and also quality of food served.  It is a real shame as we enjoy our main dining room experience. 

At sea today and the sea is like a mill pond. It is warm but a little overcast.  There are two performances of Grease tonight, the first at 5.45pm and the second at 8.45pm. There will also be a matinee performance on the last sea day.

All the best

Ian

10 hours ago, tayviss said:

I was talking about the alcoholic drink cards. I know some cruises offer them 

I haven’t seen alcoholic drink cards. 

2 hours ago, tayviss said:

Hi Ian! 

 

Were drink cards being offered on your cruise? 

Do you mean the coffee drink cards?  If so, I believe they were but I don’t know the cost I’m afraid. 

3 hours ago, loveheart said:

We did Pompeii on our own. It is really easy and a lot cheaper than doing it through the ship. 

Thanks for the tip. 

Naples today. I wanted to go to Pompeii but all tours were booked so I missed out. I’ll hopefully get there next year as we will be doing a similar itinerary on Anthem. 

The port is in the city so if you just want to get off and walk then it is easy to do so.

The entertainment has been somewhat eclectic but I think that is the same for most cruises. The usual quizzes, bingo and lots of karaoke, some silent disco’s, pool parties and dance classes.  The headliner shows have been interesting.  There have been a lot of complaints about one particular show which was a comedic string quartet. As I said, eclectic. Many walked out, some stayed.  I stayed and enjoyed the originality of the performance. Apparently it won an award at Edinburgh festival. Not everyone’s taste but full credit to Royal for trying something different. 

We’ve also had a juggler, a comedy/variety entertainer a swing vocal group and the usual music/dance shows.  Tonight is a London West End singer.  It is also formal night so I’d better sign off and get spruced up and the tax on. 

All the best 

Ian. 

7 hours ago, Tntt said:

I have been looking into the independence,does the independence do the welcome balloon drop on day 1?

I don’t think so.  If they did we missed it. 

15 hours ago, loveheart said:

We were on Reflection in the Caribbean last year and Silhouette for 3 nights this May. Where are you sailing to in  September?

Azores and Canaries in September. 

4 hours ago, loveheart said:

We found the same thing on Celebrity last year. It was very strange. Lots of empty tables evegry night.

We are on Silhouette in September so we will see if it is still the same.