Prescription medication

[Hienzy]

Hi Y'all, I have a quick question. Does anyone know what will suffice for proof of prescription medication(s) to board a carnival cruise without the original prescription bottles? My SO needs quite a few meds both morning and night and uses daily pill boxes. It would make it much easier to bring those than another carry on just for all the prescription bottles. Cannot find the info anywhere on the carnival site, the guest service rep I talked with on the phone suggested I call back tomorrow and ask for a different department and finally could not find a match in these forums where this has already been asked. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[VentureMan_2000]

Most of the posts I've seen on this board just bring pill boxes.

I suppose if you had Vicodin or the like, that you might want the original prescription bottle... but if it's maintenance pills like for high blood pressure, you should be good.

You are going to get some very black & white responses...  going to the brig... put in a Mexican jail for life... 😂

 

[Hienzy]

🤣 Thank you for the info, and the heads up!!

[GranysT]

I've always just used a pill box. 22 cruises with Carnival, and no problems. 

[skrufy]

I used to bring my bottles along. Have not brought them for a long time. Just a pill holder. 13 cruises on Carnival, never been questioned.

[Shipcats6]

I post this about once a year to give people something to consider.  A few years ago on our way through the airport to fly to Ft. Lauderdale for a cruise, my husband had a stroke in the airport.  The people at TSA were great and called the paramedics.  When we arrived at the hospital it was so convenient to hand the nurse the ziplock bag of his medications in the original bottles.  Much easier than me trying to remember all the correct names and dosages while under stress.

 

good news - we took our cruise a month later.

[RWolver672]

And I have posted this several times.  I bought a separate shaving kit and I take all of my scrips in their bottles in that.  You never know what might happen to delay your getting back home.  I carry it on in my carry on so that it's always with me.  Think of the Triumph where she was stuck out in the middle of the ocean for days.

[PhillyFan33579]

5 hours ago, GranysT said:

I've always just used a pill box. 22 cruises with Carnival, and no problems. 

 

My exact same experience for 31 cruises on Carnival. I put the pill box in the small carry on bag I take on the ship myself. No one has ever mentioned the pill box when going thru security. 

[HillBilly Bob]

7 hours ago, Hienzy said:

 needs quite a few meds both morning and night and uses daily pill box

I have taken my "pill box" for years now in my carry on....with my CPAP and no one has ever stopped, inspected or rejected my boarding.  Contraband, cannabinoids, aka CBD  might be a different issue.  

Edited September 18, 2019 by HillBilly Bob
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[bury me at sea]

Daily pill box is fine.  I take a separate box with enough to last for a few days in case our return is delayed.

[riffatsea]

Cruise ships do not care how you bring your medication on board.

Flying into some countries requires original bottles and copies of scrips but not just for boarding a cruise ship!

[lucy and ethel]

We have always used pill boxes and bring along a print out of your meds from your doctor or pharmacy.

 

[evandbob]

I have all my meds for my aging body woes listed on my phone.  I do not take any pain or controlled substance meds.  I count out a 10 day supply for a week's cruise, a 17 day supply for a 2 week cruise, etc.  

 

I use 1 bottle for the meds I take when waking up, and another bottle for meds I take around dinner time and nighttime.

 

I had all my meds in a shoulder bag that got stolen in Barcelona in May.  I was amazed that I could get blood pressure and AFib meds without a prescription from a local pharmacia.  Icing was that the price I paid in Spain for a full 2 or 3 month supply was less than my copay with insurance in the US!

[thesmiths]

Keep "all" your medicine with you in your carry bag.

 

 

[tonit964]

My dad takes his meds in the daily am-pm pill box and never a problem, in like 40 cruises. I have a complete list of his meds and doses with me at all times. Much easier than carrying a bunch of bottles.

[iria64]

The only time you would have to worry about medications is when flying and that would be for liquid/cream medications only. (This is within the US.  Other countries may have different rules as others have said)

Everything else can be packed in your carry on.

We use pill holders whenever we travel.  No need to bring the entire bottle but we will bring an extra 1 or 2 days worth of medication in case of delays.

 

[K&RCurt]

I bring so much medical crap with me it would make you shake your head, 2 BP meds, 3 Lipid Meds, insulin vials, insulin pump cartridges, infusion sets, insulin vials, syringes, long term insulin pen (the last 2 in case the pump dies) plus OTC allergy meds.  If I brought all the original bottles it would require a backpack all to itself!  I have all the prescriptions available on a smart phone app from my pharmacy, as well as in my ICE file on my phone and a card in my wallet.

 

The only time anyone has ever questioned any of my pile of stuff was a TSA agent in Atlanta.  He wanted to know how I liked the glucose meter I had, as he was about to purchase one himself.

[dmdiver]

I used to always put all my meds in the little daily pill box thing.  Now, I still put my non-prescription supplements and hormone tablets in that.  However, I have started bringing my blood pressure & thyroid meds in pharmacy bottles.  I got small, labeled bottles from the pharmacy and put 10-14 days worth in each bottle for travel.  This way, if there were a medical emergency, the bottles are there with the label and there is no issue with trying to identify pills. 

 

As far as anyone questioning any of my medications, that has never happened while flying or sailing.

[TNcruising02]

My husband takes several different medications daily.  When we travel, he brings two one-week cases.  So, he brings enough for 14 days.  I have a picture of his medication bottles on my phone, so we have the information should we ever need it.

[chui101]

As far as law enforcement (TSA, CBP, even local cops) goes, generally speaking, if you are transporting any drug with a DEA schedule you should always take copies of your scripts or bottles with you. Law enforcement won't care about your blood pressure pills, but if you get pulled over by a local cop with a chip on their shoulder who wants to search your car, and they find Vicodin without the script or the bottle, they can theoretically arrest you and cause a big mess until your doctor faxes over a copy of the script or whatever.

[Twintowngirl]

Any type of narcotic, I would keep in it's original bottle....anything else, I use a pill case. I keep a laminated card on the back with the name,dose etc. I don't take them off of the ship and usually pack just enough for what I will need plus 2-3 extras. Certain countries ( Cuba for sure) has big problems with people carrying prescription meds around without proof that they are the person who the drugs were intended for, even for non-narcotics.

 

Deb

[coevan]

3 hours ago, chui101 said:

As far as law enforcement (TSA, CBP, even local cops) goes, generally speaking, if you are transporting any drug with a DEA schedule you should always take copies of your scripts or bottles with you.

 

 

This has proven to be not true in a similar thread. 

[Shaded Lady]

In case it's needed in an emergency I have pictures of all my husband's prescriptions on my phone. Any time they change, I update the list. Nothing is a controlled substance but in the event that something happened to him, I'd have the whole list of everything he takes with me. I do this whether on a cruise or a land-based trip.

 

Also, as others have said, he always makes sure he has at least 2-4 days extra of all his meds, depending on the length of the trip.

[DeanDeeDee]

We actually put our pills in those weekly pill cases, and we also take pictures of our prescription bottles just in case.

[Doggielover68]

You should bring the original pill container for any controlled substances. For everything else, just bring a list and a few days of extra meds