Bringing medications aboard.

[Ikaikalani]

Long medical history requires me to take about 15 different pills a day. Am I OK putting them in a daily pill organizer or do they all have to be in the original bottles (which at this point might require their own suitcase...lol)

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Long medical history requires me to take about 15 different pills a day. Am I OK putting them in a daily pill organizer or do they all have to be in the original bottles (which at this point might require their own suitcase...lol)

Best answer to to this - it depends on what countries you will be visiting. Some countries require that all medications (especially prescription ones) be identifiable by being in the correct bottle, if you might be carrying them while onshore. Others, not so much.

When we travel, we bring all the meds (including vitamins) in properly labeled bottles, and, while onboard the ship, use our daily minders. Now, we typically travel for weeks at a time, so that works best for us.

 

[kmedina]

Like you, I take a lot of pills. I had to throw an open bottle of pills that was not in the original prescribed bottle away at customs to get back on the ship in Mexico. If you do take them out of their bottles, do NOT take all of them on the port. Only take the pills you need for the day. Thankfully, it was a short trip, and I was only without my pills for two days.

 

[lanejudy]

Anything that is a controlled substance must be in the original labeled bottle and I strongly recommend keeping it in such. Technically you should have any prescription meds in the original labeled container, however in reality it is unlikely that will be checked for boarding and many people do use daily/weekly pill minders. As PP says, if you need to take anything while off the ship in port, it is best to carry it in a properly labeled bottle -- sometimes you can ask the pharmacist for an extra label and smaller bottle.

ETA and pack your meds in a carry-on. Lost luggage occurs at times, including bags going for a swim. The last thing you want to do after boarding is get emergency refills for everything.

 

[Ikaikalani]

Thanks everyone! I just talked with a DCL CM and they said a pill organizer is fine. One thing to add: they said to be sure to bring a list/copy of all your prescriptions. If for some reason you need more, the ship Doc may be able to give you some. Also, if you fall ill and unconscious they'll have a way to know what drugs you've been taking.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thanks everyone! I just talked with a DCL CM and they said a pill organizer is fine. One thing to add: they said to be sure to bring a list/copy of all your prescriptions. If for some reason you need more, the ship Doc may be able to give you some. Also, if you fall ill and unconscious they'll have a way to know what drugs you've been taking.

Be aware that the CMs that answer the phone don't always have the correct answer.

 

[lanejudy]

I just talked with a DCL CM and they said a pill organizer is fine.

As far as DCL is concerned, that's true. By law meds should be in their labeled container. Just go into it fully informed.

(And I understand where you are coming from...we travel with a medical bag. Yes. It's an extra bag to travel with but won't count towards baggage allowance.)

 

[Cheburashka]

Long medical history requires me to take about 15 different pills a day. Am I OK putting them in a daily pill organizer or do they all have to be in the original bottles (which at this point might require their own suitcase...lol)

Yes, you're fine. I've traveled on land throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe, and have cruised to Mexico, the Bahamas and Caribbean, always travel with numerous meds & supplements in daily organizers (no way am I hauling all of those bottles around, let alone risking losing my month's supply of all of those), and have never been questioned about it at an airport, cruise port or customs.

Keep the pills you don't need immediate access to in your stateroom when you visit ports, but beyond that, it's no issue.

 

[AquaDame]

Officially (beyond Disney) medications should be in their original bottles with the prescription label on them. I've done the pill minder when traveling domestically but for international travel I take the bottles of the ones I cannot do without. Vitamins and ones where it doesn't matter if I go a few days without I just toss in a plastic baggy. To be honest I have never been stopped, and we've been to a LOT of places, but you just never know. The older I get the more risk adverse I become. At least the bottles are light!

 

[yorkieteacher]

I use a pill organizer, but I have taken a picture of all the current prescription bottles to have on my phone-

 

[mcrowder1978]

I use a pill organizer, but I have taken a picture of all the current prescription bottles to have on my phone-

I like this idea quite a bit. I am leaving for our trip tomorrow (cruise starts 2/21) and spent time yesterday sorting all of my pills out into an organizer so that I wouldn't have to bring 8 bottles with me. I hadn't thought of taking pictures of the bottles but I will tonight when I take my meds. Thankfully all of mine I take in the evening and don't need any during the day that would cause problems on port days. Only motrin/tylenol during the day depending on how active I am but that can wait until we get back on ship also.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

When traveling domestically, I have everything in our pill organizer. But for any international travel, including cruises, I bring our meds in the original bottles. Once on the ship, I load the pill organizer. Luckily, we don't have any meds that we would have to take mid-day, but if we did have to take meds off the ship at a port stop, I'd take them in the original bottles. Chances are, we wouldn't be questioned, but better safe than sorry.

 

[mullysisters]

The drugstore I use gives us a printout of all our prescriptions every time I pick up an order. It's a pain at the time, what to do with all this private info. When I go on vacation I take the most recent sheets for my meds in case I drop my pill bottle or lose my carry on. I can still get my meds if needed. Just a precaution.

 

[lanejudy]

When I go on vacation I take the most recent sheets for my meds in case I drop my pill bottle or lose my carry on. I can still get my meds if needed.

I would advise anybody cruising during the pandemic to be extra cautious of prescription meds -- particularly any that would be problematic to miss a dose (or 2 or 3). Unlike a land vacation replacing meds while on a cruise can be challenging to begin with, and during the pandemic it may be impossible. Just locally we've had to wait up to a week for even some fairly common meds to be back in-stock at the local pharmacy (currently at day 5 waiting for a refill...).

 

[JaimeInParker]

when I travel (either domestic or international) I travel with a (1) week extra of ALL MED's

 

[Ralph&Pam]

when I travel (either domestic or international) I travel with a (1) week extra of ALL MED's

As do we, ever since I ended up spending 2 days at an Orlando-area hospital starting on the second day of a week-long vacation, followed by an extended stay at a WDW resort before my strength returned so we could fly home. I had barely enough of my meds to manage without the hassle of arranging to refill prescriptions.

 

[Snowwhyt]

I have some of my pills now placed in separate smaller plastic bags. Often found in a craft store so they are smaller. As soon as I get a med home I try to lift the corners and apply to a bag. Never had any trouble since they are individual bags and have the labels on for ID.

I had once received a medication from Walgreens in that fashion and another time through Express Scripts. So must not be unlawful to dispense in that manner but I did ask to not use childproof caps at that time.

I’ve also received meds in a smaller paper envelope once from the hospital another time from the dentist with prepackaged single serving pills.

My father whom is almost 80 is a diabetic and has a transplant and his medicine bag would hardly fit in airline under seat storage.

But my next big tackle is 6 weeks of meds for a 2 week cruise and 2 weeks in Italy and 2 weeks of meds as backup.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

But my next big tackle is 6 weeks of meds for a 2 week cruise and 2 weeks in Italy and 2 weeks of meds as backup.

We have a 4 month RV trip coming up this summer. We've timed our refills so that we can get one (early) just before we leave and have extra on hand.

 

[Snowwhyt]

We have a 4 month RV trip coming up this summer. We've timed our refills so that we can get one (early) just before we leave and have extra on hand.

I have no hopes of a positive outcome here. I struggle just to not have gaps in doses right now. And I have gone 3 day to 4 weeks without right now. Insurance….ugh. But I do forget to take my pills more then I should so I sometimes have a backup that I’ll never tell them about!
Considering Mark Cuban‘s pharmacy now. The prices are amazing even if you can’t put them through the insurance company. Glad that somebody’s out there fighting this insurance garbage. Of course I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop on his plan.