Brand new diabetic on Sapphire Princess

[Alaskanb]

DH has just been diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes-- a family trait that he has avoided until age 78. Hopefully some diet tweaks and Metformin will be all that is needed before we sail on the Sapphire Princess on October 31. 

What advice do you have for cruising on Princess ships while being diabetic? 

[stoneharborlady]

3 minutes ago, Alaskanb said:

DH has just been diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes-- a family trait that he has avoided until age 78. Hopefully some diet tweaks and Metformin will be all that is needed before we sail on the Sapphire Princess on October 31. 

What advice do you have for cruising on Princess ships while being diabetic? 

As much walking and exercise as possible.  I try to eat my sweets before lunch, and nothing at all after dinner.

[CruiseVA]

If you eat in the dining room stop by there in the AM on the first day and tell them your situation. I'm Type 2 as well, but was able to revert back to pre-diabetic numbers thru diet and moderate exercise.  My wife hates how salty thee food is, when she mentioned it to the maitre'd he said we should select item's off the menu  for the next nite & they would make them with less salt.  

[Essiesmom]

It's all about portion sizes, knowing your carbs.  Same as at home.  Remember, you don't have to clean your plate.  If you have to eat an evening snack, make sure it has some protein.  Also, more exercise means you can eat a little more...  EM

[melodyina]

I cancelled our Soda and more package, as the only diet soda was Coke from the fountain dispenser.  Mocktails, etc.. are loaded with sugar.  So I ordered bottled water instead and will bring my own 'flavor enhancers' purchased from the grocery store that are sugar free. 

 

[Baystate]

My husband is a diabetic and does what he does at home and also enjoys the sugar free desserts on Princess very much

[Alaskanb]

15 minutes ago, Baystate said:

My husband is a diabetic and does what he does at home and also enjoys the sugar free desserts on Princess very much

Do you know what sweetener they use?

[Baystate]

29 minutes ago, Alaskanb said:

Do you know what sweetener they use?

I'm sorry, I don't 

[modes]

2 hours ago, Alaskanb said:

DH has just been diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes-- a family trait that he has avoided until age 78. Hopefully some diet tweaks and Metformin will be all that is needed before we sail on the Sapphire Princess on October 31. 

What advice do you have for cruising on Princess ships while being diabetic? 

He should know what he has to eat and what to avoid.

[janina]

10 hours ago, melodyina said:

I cancelled our Soda and more package, as the only diet soda was Coke from the fountain dispenser.  Mocktails, etc.. are loaded with sugar.  So I ordered bottled water instead and will bring my own 'flavor enhancers' purchased from the grocery store that are sugar free. 

 

My husband is also diabetic and we bring crystal lite to make him drinks so that he doesn't drink soda.  Works out well putting in a bottle of water:)  Also we get a needle dispenser in our room.  We don't ask for special dietary things, he just watches what he orders.  The walking also keeps his insulin levels steady.

[WatchHill]

Lots of walking is primary. Then watch the sodium, it's in just about everything from salad dressing to sauces and all meats. Sugar free does not mean carbohydrate free - you should be counting your carb intake throughout the day. Speak with your PCP and ask to meet with a diabetic nutritionist to discuss your specific needs.

 

Darcy

[NeptuneSeas]

If you haven't already done so, you can complete the form "Dietary Requests" at  Princess.com .

Go to My Account, Upcoming cruises, Manage booking, Guest check in, Accessibility  & Dietary Requests - there's a form to complete & you'll receive email acknowledgement.

 

 When you arrive in your cabin, there's a card from Maitre d' for you to take to dining room 1st night to present to the Head Waiter in your section. You can be shown the following day's menus for lunch & dinner & order ahead; items can be modified etc. Sweet potatoes are available instead of regular. For Horizons Court you can also arrange alternatives etc with Head Waiter. 

 

There is unsalted butter and sugar free jams available on request  in dining rooms & buffet. Head Waiters will organise for dining room & buffet.

 

As mentioned, request no salt or less salt, no dressings etc for your menu choices the night before. 

 

Bon Apetite & Bon Voyage

[rvmike]

Be careful with the deserts, order a sugarless one in the MDR and later saw the same in the buffet, was told it was gluten free not sugarless.

[CruiseVA]

Make sure he get's a Glucose blood testing kit, and, test strips on prescription from his Doctor. Initially my Dr wrote out the script for 1 test a day, but, after I started using it, I was doing 3/day so I could see the results of eating different things. I called him & had it changed to 3/day.  It really helps in identifying what foods cause a spike, plus if you track it you can estimate your H1AC, I mean ESTIMATE! 

There is an organization called Take Control of Your Diabetes - TCOYD - Check them out, great info, and, they have various conferences throughout the year, inexpensive, very uplifting and worth attending. 

Your local hospital may offer some classes on Diabetes as well.

[Alaskanb]

Thank you all so much --it's a steep learning curve! Upwards and onward! 

[Jeter02]

They will provide sharp containers to dispose of diabetic needles, just ask your cabin steward. There are plenty of sugar free deserts, but I would still fill out the dietary accomodations on your cruise personalizer. Let the matrid in MDR know of those same dietary needs, as they can recommend and make adjustments. Like others have mentioned, nice strolls on the promenade deck are great. I remember one time, my mom who was diabetic had such low blood sugar I would run down to a bar for a Coke and would have them add grenadine to it. They are very accommodating onboard. 

[donaldsc]

Do as you do at home - watch what you eat and test your blood sugar regularly.

 

DON

[Eagleeye]

My experience with requesting diabetic meals on cruise ships and airlines is that they have no idea what a good  diabetic diet is. They don't understand that is based on controlling the number of carbs you eat a day and less on how much sugar. Sugar is high in carbs so that is why diabetics need to avoid it. The cruise lines and airports think that diabetic diets are just low sugar. I've had them provide me a vegetarian meals and call them diabetic.  Most vegetarian meals are low in sugar, but could be very high in carbs depending what items they use. I never ask for a special diabetic diet on cruise lines or airlines. I'm much better at ordering a balanced meal with the amount of carbs I can eat. 

 

Roger

[matadams4u]

I also had the unfortunate experience of being diagnosed as pre diabetic bordering on diabetic before my last cruise and found myself trying to figure out how to make drastic lifestyle changes while being surrounded by temptation.

 

i made significant progress on the start of my recalibration on my cruise.  

 

Breakfast - three pieces of smoked salmon, egg white omelet with veggies, muesli.

 

lunch/snacks - shrimp salad or vegetable salad at IC.

 

dinner/large lunch - vegetables at the buffet and seafood - shrimp, calamari steak.

 

desert - princess does not make very appetizing sugar free deserts so I cheated but only had three.

 

main dining room - only ate there 3 times - embarkation lunch is good without desert - filet and shrimp appetizer.  Always enjoy the filet on formal nights.

 

crown - sea bass

 

other modifications - increased steps to a minimum of 6500 a day - used cross trainer in the gym.

 

WebMd offers a daily diabetes newsletter that has a lot of good information.  Weight seems to be the biggest issue in my case so I am on a pretty strict diet that has a good chance of putting the diabetes in remission.

 

i also have one glass of one on cruises but don’t drink normally and just water otherwise.  After losing about 35 pounds many of the symptoms improved dramatically.  At 45 pounds now and 30 ponds to go - 20 to a normal BMI.

 

Good luck - I found a cruise with all of the choices and activities was a great place to contemplate and experiment with lifestyle changes.

[cherrytwist]

My husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes right before our cruise earlier this year. He was worried about his blood sugar with all the eating, desserts, etc. But it turned out his numbers during the cruise were actually much lower than he expected. Apparently, all the walking and sleeping was better for his blood sugar than his usual sleep deprivation/work stress regular life. And for all the eating most of us do on a cruise, the individual portions are actually pretty small. If you get one dessert, as my husband did every night, it's actually not that much. I think it's taking multiple desserts or eating desserts multiple times a day (which is what I do) that gets you.