How to travel with diabetes?

I'm newly diagnosed with diabetes and am cruising soon. I'm hoping the helpful folks on these boards can tell me what things I should do or bring to travel safely & correctly with my testing kit (sharps, meds, etc.). I don't need insulin so won't need that. Just the testing supplies.

Do I need a doctors order to take the sharps on a plane, onto the ship, into port?

Thanks a million!

As far as the cruise goes, you can just contact the special needs department of the crusie line and have them put a shrps container in your cabin.

Candy

No but you need to tell your room steward for a sharps container, or travel with an empty small water bottle that you can keep your used testing supplies in...keep everyone safe and don't expose them to your blood, I'm sure it's safe, but they don't know that and seeing blood on things makes people very uncompfortable.

I am a diabetic and always carry my prescpitions for my sharps and insulin. I fax the ship my special needs such as a fridge for my insulin and sharp's container. That is correct some ships still do not have a fridge.

Also the Royal Caribean made me get a doctor's letter to prove I am diabetic so I could eat at 6pm. So I will never cruise with them again.

If you have to eat at the same time every day and your travel agent cannot get you a set time in the dining room.

As soon as you can the day you board reserve a dining room time and make sure they know you are a diabetic.

My biggest problem on a cruise is temptations are everywhere so I tend to eat everything and put caution to the wind.

I am still trying to recover from this and I have been off the ship since 2/18.

Also the Royal Caribean made me get a doctor's letter to prove I am diabetic so I could eat at 6pm. So I will never cruise with them again.

I'm confused why RC would make you get a letter to show you are diabetic. My husband is also diabetic but we have never needed to take a letter with us on 5 cruises. I thought 6 PM was a normal dining time on RC. Was the letter for the first night because they changed the dining time? I remember them moving the dining times back 1/2 hour on the first night to better accommodate the loading of passengers and muster drill since sailing was at 6 PM.

We usually choose the late (8:30) seating. If hubby gets hungry earlier, he will swing by the Windjammer to get a snack to tide him over. Windjammer usually has snacks until around 6:30 then closes until 7 to set up for dinner.

DIL is Type 1. We sailed RCI, SERENADE, 12/05. Had refrigerator in room, but needed to use ice bucket in addition to refrigeration to keep insulin cold enough. No problem to get sharps container. No problem flying. She was permitted 2 carryons plus her "food bag w/meds". Had lots of medical certification; was never asked to show "proof". She even walked through the security checker w/o setting it off - she wears a pump, so that was surprising. She told them ahead of time in case they wanted to wand her, but they said "try walking through and see if it sets it off". No problems at any time. When we went to the beach, she took her ice bag w/her and kept her meds in the shade and safe.... She used room service when other food venues were not available. She loved the sugar free food options and never had an issue with making correct food choices. She had a wonderful cruise but I worried every single second!

My mom is a diabetic and cannot wait unitl 8pm to have her dinner. She can eat a light snack before bed.

We will be on Carnival Glory and I asked for 6:15 seating. But i've been reading on the boards where if you don't get the seating you've asked for, the Maitre'd has been turning people down to change to earlier seating.

If you let the Maitre'd know there is a diabetic, would that help???

Anyone ever have this issue?:confused:

I would think (hope) that they would change your seating. There is also room service available 24/7, and you can carry snacks if needed?

Good luck, hope you get the seating you need.

Been diabetic for about a year. Went on the Holiday last year. Didn't need to do anything. The test supplies can be written as a prescription so insurance covers them, but they are Over The Counter supplies, so anyone can purchase them and use them.

I don't have insulin, just oral meds, and it is a good idea to take your meds in a bottle with the prescription on it. That is just sensible in case you are stopped anywhere with a "lot" of drugs.

As for a sharps container - you can get one from the ship, but I just use a plastic baggie and take them with me when I leave. Of course, I cap the lancets after use wiht the cap from the new one, so there is no exposed sharp edges. But using a bottle would be just fine as well. I put the test strips in there too... just to be safe. Don't worry about it at home, but do when I travel.

I actually carry 2 epi-pens for allergies which has made me more nervous than carrying the diabetic testing supplies. I have not been stopped by airline security, or any security for either. Was stopped due to a roll of quarters in my purse once. :-)

We have put in for early seating at the next cruise. If we don't get it, I will just adjust my schedule a little. We actually eat around 7:00 - 8:00 at home, so early is a little early and late a little late. I just try to adjust my schedule to fit the cruise. The last cruise (last summer) we had 5:45 seating and I was more new to this disease, so more nervous, but it worked out well... I just ate breakfast a little later than normal (I was on vacation), lunch a little later (around 1:00 or so instead of noon), and didn't do an afternoon snack. This worked out well for me.

I would have more problems with late seating due to eating a snack right before bed, and being used to exercising around 10 at night. THe gym was closed by then on the last cruise... so it was hard to get that nightly exercise in.

BTW - Cruising was actually pretty easy with the food. If you are used to eating on a schedule and know how many carbs you can have, it is pretty simple to order in the dining room and make it work. I had a harder time at the buffet... they had lots more carb choices than other choices. I did get laughed at (by my familY)when I ordered Sugar Free ice cream and the chocolate cake. However I could have a little of both and be ok as long as I didn't eat a lot of carbs during the main meal (the bread was the hardest thing to avoid at diner - the waiter really wanted me to have it). However, my sugar stayed good throughout and I didn't gain any weight during the cruise... I think I lost 1 pound actually so WOO HOO.

They will prepeare whole wheat buns and sweet potatoes for you if you let them know on the first night.

I really appreciated the gesture, and it continued without me asking throughout the week!

They will prepare whole wheat buns and sweet potatoes for you if you let them know on the first night. I really appreciated the gesture, and it continued without asking throughout the week!

Also, you can ask for sauces dressings to be put on the side so you control the amount. They have a nice vingartte one.

Be sure to keep a few simple sugars in port. My son (type I) dropped to 28 after swimming in Aruba and had a hard time coming back up. We had left his glucagon on the ship to protect it from heat--we'll never do that again. I also remember him being low waiting in a long line for a tender to return to the ship. He went through every sugar thing we had. Bring real soda, candy, or glucose tablets are great because they don't melt.

The poster above probably had to show proof of diabetes because early seating was full. It can be very difficult to get the seating you want (or need) sometimes.

We cruised on the Glory two years ago with my nephew who has Type I diabetes. Let them know through your agent or PVP to put it on you record. We did and they had a sharps container in the cabin when we got there and priority for dining times.

Reactivating an old thread......

I'm Type II (non-insulin dependant) diabetic who manages to keep my diabetes under control without being too rigid. My only real concern is controlling eating (a problem I had a long time ago, even as a non-diabetic cruiser).

Next summer I am taking my family (son, two daughters, one son-in-law and 1 1/2 year old grandchild) on an Alaskan Cruise (and land tour) on the Diamond Princess.

What I need most, I suspect, is help on how exhibit self-control at the dining table.... :)

I just sailed on the Star Princess to Alaska and I didn't have any trouble with the food. They give you moderate size portions( and you can ask for more) so I didn't feel like I overate. I had several salads every day and lots of fresh fruit and fish. They had sugar free delicious desserts every night as a choice.

You will probably need to decrease insulin because of getting more exercise than usual. I usually start with a 10% decrease.

I carry two doctor's letters in my travel pouch in case it would be needed. One is for all of my diabetic supplies and the other is for my pain medication. As I tend to take longer cruises,I have a large supply of meds.

I feel safe with the letters from my endocrinologist and my pain specialist as it would probably avoid difficulties. That being said I have never been asked for either one.

As far as eating goes I eat a large salad as my appetizer and have not had any difficulty even with the odd dessert.

Fran

oops, I see this is a very old post........................hope Traceybell had a great time, and hope that this info helps some other newly diagnosed nervous cruiser..........

I'm newly diagnosed with diabetes and am cruising soon. I'm hoping the helpful folks on these boards can tell me what things I should do or bring to travel safely & correctly with my testing kit (sharps, meds, etc.). I don't need insulin so won't need that. Just the testing supplies.

 

Do I need a doctors order to take the sharps on a plane, onto the ship, into port?

 

Thanks a million!

I'm a Type 2 and don't use insulin. You can carry your testing supplies with you in your carryon both on the plane and on the ship. Your diabetic supplies are medical supplies and are exempt from the TSA screening stuff. Make sure you have them all together in a ZipLoc, or at least in the same place in your bag, and tell the security people that you have them before they examine or xray your bag. You don't need a Doctor's order to carry these items. Do take a plastic bottle (I use empty water bottle) for your sharps and test strips.

On the ship, there are many choices for meals and snacks. You can balance your carbs pretty easily if you know which ingredients are your problem ones. The sugar free desserts are very good. I like the tip above about asking for whole wheat breads..............I'm going to try that on our next cruise. The breads are a great temptation for me. The Horizon Court buffet is open 24 hours a day, so you can get a snack when you want or need one.

Tip for the low blood sugar folks...................saw that a good emergency thing to carry is a tube of cake icing.. If necessary, you can squirt it into the side of your mouth and you don't have to worry about heat or cold.

Have a great cruise Traceybell !

I'm a Type 2 and don't use insulin. You can carry your testing supplies with you in your carry-on both on the plane and on the ship. Your diabetic supplies are medical supplies and are exempt from the TSA screening stuff.

Perhaps I needed to be more specific. I am an insulin dependent diabetic. With everything it is far easier to carry a letter.

I also carry large amounts of narcotic painkillers so that I have sufficient for the month I am usually gone. With those pills and the needles etc. they tend to ask more questions and often did.

Curiously, now that I carry letters from the appropriate specialists, no one has asked for any of it. Better safe than sorry.

Tip for the low blood sugar folks...................saw that a good emergency thing to carry is a tube of cake icing.. If necessary, you can squirt it into the side of your mouth and you don't have to worry about heat or cold.

DesrtDrmr, Thanks a million for the tip. I like the fact that one needn't worry about temperature during storage in my purse.

Fran

Hmmm I see it's been quite awhile since a post on this thread...hope people are still reading.

This is my first cruise (Ruby Princess - March 09) ever and I am Type 2 Insulin Dependent and on a pump. With any other trip or event, I have always been able to keep my insulin cool in a cooler in the car. I have to have insulin and extra insert kits with me in case I should disengage . In any event, I do have a small pouch that I use that can carry my insulin very well. However, my glucose meter is in it's own bag. What I'm wondering is when I go onshore and go in the water, where am I going to put all this stuff. Also, did I read where someone said that the refrigerator on board doesn't keep the insulin cool?

There has to be an easy solution to all this, so I'm hoping that others out there will have some great ideas!

Another thought: Most airport bathrooms have sharp containers on the wall where I drop off some of the used supplies that I carry. It is very convenient.

oops, I see this is a very old post........................hope Traceybell had a great time, and hope that this info helps some other newly diagnosed nervous cruiser..........

 

 

 

 

 

I'm a Type 2 and don't use insulin. You can carry your testing supplies with you in your carryon both on the plane and on the ship. Your diabetic supplies are medical supplies and are exempt from the TSA screening stuff. Make sure you have them all together in a ZipLoc, or at least in the same place in your bag, and tell the security people that you have them before they examine or xray your bag. You don't need a Doctor's order to carry these items. Do take a plastic bottle (I use empty water bottle) for your sharps and test strips.

 

On the ship, there are many choices for meals and snacks. You can balance your carbs pretty easily if you know which ingredients are your problem ones. The sugar free desserts are very good. I like the tip above about asking for whole wheat breads..............I'm going to try that on our next cruise. The breads are a great temptation for me. The Horizon Court buffet is open 24

 

hours a day, so you can get a snack when you want or need one.

Tip for the low blood sugar folks...................saw that a good emergency thing to carry is a tube of cake icing.. If necessary, you can squirt it into the side of your mouth and you don't have to worry about heat or cold.

Have a great cruise Traceybell !

That's funny about the tube of cake icing!

I was diagnosed two weeks ago that I am type 2 and have been doing great at keeping my # below 7.4.

I am also a level 2 first aid attendant at work and we use the tube of cake icing as our "glucose"!!!!!

I will have to put one in my med kit when I travel!

I am Type 2 and am also pregnant so I am on insulin for the pregnancy. I have the insulin pens (once used for the first time they do not need to be refrigerated). I plan on carrying on all of my supplies. I have a little kit that I take with me always that has my meter, my pen, a mini sharps container and pockets for alcohol wipes and misc. items. It has made things much easier.

Bring more insulin than you think you need.

Bring a carb book with you to help count carbs and figure out how much to shot.