Refrigerated Medication

[SideShowBob729]

My wife and I will be sailing on the Noordam in June. She is a diabetic and has to take insulin, which needs to be refrigerated, every day. Will we need to bring a small cooler or is there another way it can be stored on board ship?

[LindaSSF]

Insulin may be stored at room temperature for up to 28 days after opening!

[Krazy Kruizers]

All cabins on the Noordam have mini refrigerators which keep items cool -- not cold like your refrigerator at home.

[lahlah57]

My wife and I will be sailing on the Noordam in June. She is a diabetic and has to take insulin, which needs to be refrigerated, every day. Will we need to bring a small cooler or is there another way it can be stored on board ship?

Most all ships have fridges....my insulin has been in fridges on 12 different lines and all is fine.....no cooler.

Unless its been on the SS Rowboat :D

[boone2]

As above, insulin is good at room temp for 28 days after opening. If she needs to store in a fridge and there are none in the room you can go to the medical centre and they will store it for you. You can retrieve during opening hours

 

Terry

[sail7seas]

Every cabin on Noordam has a cooler. It does not keep things really cold.

[Kamloops50]

You can ask the room steward for a bucket of ice . Then put a small amount of ice in a drinking glass . This should keep it cooler.

[dakrewser]

You can ask the room steward for a bucket of ice . Then put a small amount of ice in a drinking glass . This should keep it cooler.

 

You should never put insulin on ice.

 

The mini-fridge/cooler in your cabin should be fine but - as many have noted - today's insulin can be kept at room temp after opening (check the instructions on your bottle or its box). If you need to carry multiple bottles you can give it to the medical staff to hold and retrieve it one bottle at a time.

[Crew News]

Every cabin on Noordam has a cooler. It does not keep things really cold.

 

I have taken my infrared thermometer on three cruises and measured an average of 40 degrees at the back and 47 degrees in the door.

[Riversedge]

You can request a real refrigerator. That's what I alway do. I have to fax a form to HAL. I've had cruises where it's been free and others where it's $2.00 a day. Worth it to me because I want my insulin under my control (not in the infirmary frig) plus it keeps my soda cold as well! We usually do long cruises so it works out well. It's always in my room when I board

Edited May 24, 2016 by Riversedge

[sprockie]

I would never trust the in-cabin fridge not to freeze. True, they mostly run on the warmer side of refrigeration, but you never know. If the insulin freezes, it's definitely done.

We bring a large supply of insulin and keep it at room temperature. When we go home, we use that up first (within the 28 days). Different insulins last for different amounts of time at room temp. Some up to 42 days.

We also use a Frio bag if we're in warm temperatures and worried about the insulin getting too warm.

[take us away]

Would recommend that you have your insulin stored in the medical dept. refrigerator, which is monitored and on emergency circuits. HAL tells you that the coolers in the cabins are not guaranteed and personally, I do not trust my meds in there. The medical dept. is open every day from about 8 - 6 with time off for lunch. There is some adjustment for port days. When I have had an early tour, they have graciously opened early just so I could get my meds.

[Bobocasey]

I have cruised many different lines and have found in the past that HAL has no trouble with keeping insulin in the medical center however both Celebrity and Oceania will not keep it there, seems they are worried about cross contamination. One thing I like about HAL willing to help with this small problem.

[0bnxshs]

Would recommend that you have your insulin stored in the medical dept. refrigerator, which is monitored and on emergency circuits. HAL tells you that the coolers in the cabins are not guaranteed and personally, I do not trust my meds in there. The medical dept. is open every day from about 8 - 6 with time off for lunch. There is some adjustment for port days. When I have had an early tour, they have graciously opened early just so I could get my meds.

 

I too would recommend doing this. The medical staff was happy to keep my meds, which must be refrigerated (it's not insulin), and they showed me the process by which they monitor the temperature which was much more certain than the coolers can be. Our cooler in our cabin on Koningsdam froze water off on on over 13 days.

Edited May 24, 2016 by 0bnxshs

[jtl513]

You can request a real refrigerator. That's what I alway do. I have to fax a form to HAL. I've had cruises where it's been free and others where it's $2.00 a day.

That's true on R&S class ships, but the OP is on the Noordam. Have you ever gotten a real refrigerator on a Vista or Signature ship?

[Fouremco]

I have cruised many different lines and have found in the past that HAL has no trouble with keeping insulin in the medical center however both Celebrity and Oceania will not keep it there, seems they are worried about cross contamination. One thing I like about HAL willing to help with this small problem.

As the standard recommendation from all the insulin manufacturers is that a vial of insulin you are using can be kept at room temperature for up to 28 days, Celebrity and Oceania may simply not want to store it in their medical centres as there is no need.

[Bobocasey]

However since we usually add pre or post land package we are usually gone between 30-35 days and according to our doctor you need to take extra medicine in case of an emergency at least an extra 2 week supply ,(think of what happened when the people were stranded in Europe when the volcano erupted in Iceland or after 911.) We aren't too concerned when cruising Europe depending on the countries but China, India, and South America are a different story since some of our medicine formulas are not available in those countries. And unfortunately not all diabetic medicines are interchangeable. I bought and indoor outdoor wireless battery operated thermometer that I travel with I always check the temp in the room refrigerators since they can vary a lot and that way I can keep watch on the temps. I also travel with a small cooler that I can put ice in and then wrap the insulin up in an insulated bag and then put it in a plastic bag and then it can be placed on the ice as long as it doesn't come in contact with the ice itself it is good. When flying I have found that at most airport after you clear security you can go to a bar and ask them to fill up a zip lock bag with ice to help keep the medicine cool if the ice you left home with has melted since when you come through tsa all of the ice must be frozen solid. Here again the indoor out door thermometer helps give me peace of mind about the temps. We have flown all over the world with insulin in a cooler like this and have never had any problems. In a pinch you can actually keep your insulin like this if there is no refrigerator. Also be sure to carry a letter from your doctor stating the medical necessity for traveling with frozen ice packs, cooler, insulin,and needles and the rest of the medical supplies you need.

Also Celebrity and Oceania said they didn't want to cross contaminant their medicine in their refrigerator even though the vial of insulin I requested them to store had not been opened. So sometimes you have to think outside of the box.

Edited May 25, 2016 by Bobocasey

[take us away]

Also Celebrity and Oceania said they didn't want to cross contaminant their medicine in their refrigerator even though the vial of insulin I requested them to store had not been opened. So sometimes you have to think outside of the box.

 

wow - that almost makes no sense as most drugs are well sealed, just ask any pharmacy but company policy is company policy.

 

You do need to put your meds in a zip-lock bag with your name and cabin # for storage in the HAL refrigerator. They will also store your cold pack in the freezer (also in a zip bag). On my last cruise for the disembarkation day, they opened for an hour or so at 8 so people can retrieve their meds and cold packs.

[cb at sea]

You will have a fridge in the cabin...that's sufficient for insulin. It can be at "room temp" once opened...for about a month nowadays.

[SideShowBob729]

Thank you for all of the responses.

 

I called HAL. We do not have a refrigerator in our cabin but they said the medication can be stored in the infirmary.

[jtl513]

I called HAL. We do not have a refrigerator in our cabin but ...

Unbelievable! :eek: EVERY cabin on the Noordam DOES have a thermoelectric cooler!

.

Edited May 26, 2016 by jtl513

[catl331]

Thank you for all of the responses.

 

I called HAL. We do not have a refrigerator in our cabin but they said the medication can be stored in the infirmary.

Call again and ask if your cabin has a "mini-bar" ! ;)