New to type 1 diabetes and cruising questions

[KGmomoftwins]

Oh my mistake, he may not have DEXCOM and has another type of cgm. I’m sure some are different.

He has dexcom! And will be getting an Omni pump I think 5 that’s in 2 weeks

 

[auntlynne]

 

[ttintagel]

DH was diagnosed 3 months ago with type 1 diabetes and to be honest it is still a shock and he is starting to feel a bit better although still a little sad as it has been extremely life altering. We have a double dip on the magic booked and tbh I’m not really sure we are going to keep it even though dh says we should. My biggest question is trip insurance how does that work with type 1 diabetes as it is a pre existing condition? Recommendations of trip insurance companies you have used if someone in your party has this would be helpful. Also any other tips about cruising with type 1 would be appreciated. we have fully gone keto and not being new to dcl I’m looking at menus seeing what he can eat and not coming up with much beyond meat and veggies. Thanks so much

I've had Type 1 for 35 years, and I've never heard of a T1 only being able to eat meat and vegetables. Is it just because you're not comfortable estimating carbohydrates yet?

 

[CTDisneygal]

Thank you! So extra cgm should go in checked luggage? Super helpful info on airport. I’m worried because we booked in October (before all this) and final payment is looming so I will have to figure the insurance out. We’ve used Allianz in the past but luckily never filed a claim.

NO! Nonoe of the Diabetic stuff can go through the luggage xray.

. TSA is super accustomed to all things T1D. They'll just take the bag with the supplies as well and his pump and hand inspect it. The CGM he is wearing can go through the regular walkthrough xray. but not the full body. It sounds confusing, but we havent met a TSA person not used to it.

 

[CTDisneygal]

He has dexcom! And will be getting an Omni pump I think 5 that’s in 2 weeks

My son is switching to the Omnipod.

 

[lanejudy]

See if DCL helps with refrigeration or needle disposal through special requests.

DCL will provide a sharps container for the stateroom.

So extra cgm should go in checked luggage?

Always carry meds and supplies in a carry-on. If it's something you cannot live without, you need to make sure it goes with you and not trust it to airlines or porters or anyone else.

We have just this week slowly introduce some carbs back in but he has not done well with small amounts.

When you say "he has not done well" what exactly do you mean? That he feels physically ill or causes his BG spike? If the former, it could be how long he's been on the keto diet and his digestive system is not used to those foods - it may take time to re-introduce carbs. If the latter, that's to be expected and he will need to adjust the dose based on how many carbs he eats. Since he has largely been simply avoiding carbs by doing keto, he probably has not yet gotten familiar with estimating carbs in his food and adjusting the insulin dose accordingly. It will take time.

 

[notatallmagic]

OP - feel free to message me - my T1 was/is an athlete and needed/needs LOTS of guidance when it came to diet/nutrition because her sport (swimming) typically carb loads in HUGE ways for 4-5 hours of practice/day in season. Things she eats often - berries, Kind bars (pre-workout); homemade "breakfast cookies" (oatmeal, applesauce, peanut butter); nuts (almonds/cashews); hummos and pita chips; apples and nut butters; Chipotle (heavy on the vegies and beans; light on the rice); low carb quesadillas, eggs, lower sugar Greek yogurt - she's not much of a meat/vegies person, so she's found stuff that works. She does avoid potatoes, white stuff (rice/noodles), bananas, processed foods, red sauce pizza, and most Chinese food (loads of sugar in the sauces).

Everybody's body/needs are different, but am willing to share experiences. Is there any way you can get a nutritional consult? And not just the "don't drink sodapop and eat white bread" (eyeroll) that is typically offered, but something more tailored to your situation? In the absence of that, we do follow some message boards too - Athletic Diabetic is one; my daughter could likely recommend others.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Thank you! So extra cgm should go in checked luggage? Super helpful info on airport. I’m worried because we booked in October (before all this) and final payment is looming so I will have to figure the insurance out. We’ve used Allianz in the past but luckily never filed a claim.

No! Just like RX medication, keep all of your supplies with you in your carry-on. We put the CGM supplies in a ziplock bag to hand to TSA to do a hand check. Since the Omnipod is essentially a pump, extras need to be hand checked too!

TSA cannot make him take off any of his technology, but he may have to go through a pat down. Allow for extra time at security.

 

[Kaertos]

I'm in a very similar situation. I was diagnosed as a Type 1 (LADA) diabetic in early February, and we leave for our cruise in 2 weeks (I'm spending my 50th birthday on Castaway Cay), so it has been a rush to get everything squared away and learn what needs to be learned in a very short time.

I was Type 2 for almost 20 years (LADA works that way, acts like T2 until it doesn't) so I have done a little of everything as far as diabetes management is concerned. Diet, meds, daily insulin, multiple injections, and now I am on the Dexcom and Omnipod.

We never considered not going on the cruise. I refuse to let my life be defined by my autoimmune disease. I'll be taking as many extra pods and sensors as I can, and I'll have all my different injections and my glucometer as a back-up in case something happens. I also bought some of the over-patches to make sure my CGM and Pod stay right where they are, thank you.

KGmomoftwins, encourage your husband to go. I know the first few weeks are scary and this is absolutely life-altering stuff. Trust me, I've effectively done it twice now (the T2 diagnosis was really hard, and this recent T1 diagnosis has been a huge change). But it isn't life-ending. This is the best time in history to be diabetic with all the medicines and technology available, and there is absolutely no reason to be so scared that you avoid something you've been looking forward to.

If you have questions or you just need support, I, like many others here, am happy to help. Just drop me a message. I hope you both have an amazing time on the cruise.

 

[lanejudy]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/n...-and-cruising-questions.3912825/post-64673828

Omelets, blueberries, strawberries, a special brand of yogurt called two good and the pepridge farm whole wheat thin sliced bread in the mornings, lots of nuts, salads with protein like chicken or shrimp for lunch, and dinner is protein and veggies.

I’m looking at menus seeing what he can eat and not coming up with much beyond meat and veggies.

So he eats protein and veggies at home for dinner and that's what you are finding on the DCL menus. What else would you like to have available? Things like omelets, blueberries, strawberries or yogurt aren't on the menu but you should be able to find those items at Cabanas each morning for breakfast, probably at the MDR breakfast as well but definitely at Cabanas. I've never paid attention to the brand of bread but they do have different types of bread at the breakfast buffet as well. I think you'll also find salad, chicken and possibly shrimp at Cabanas for lunch -- possibly on the MDR lunch menu as well. Daisy De-Lites has fruit and salads, you could probably ask for a wrap fixings without the actual wrap. Salads are also on the room service menu. The MDRs always have a "plain" option for dinner -- chicken, fish, beef and ask to have the starch left off the plate. You may be able to mix-and-match veggies if the one he wants is offered with a different entree.

If he needs a specific brand of yogurt or any other item, you should probably plan to bring it onboard. Make sure that it's pre-packaged (not homemade) and unopened, and if you can find it in single serving sizes that will help in case he doesn't eat it all. Anything opened cannot be taken off the ship at the end of the cruise (such as if you take a large yogurt container onboard but he only eats half, you can't take it off again). Any snacks for port excursions should also be pre-packaged single-serving -- nuts are great for this.

I think he'll find plenty of food choices.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Just another piece of advice. If you're going to be doing beach days, you might want to look into Lexcam patches for the Dexcom and Omnipod. They will give another layer of protection and help keep the technology on through sweat, swimming and sand. You can find them on Amazon. Another reason to bring plenty of extra supplies, things may not stick as long because of activity.

 

[JBanesBunch]

My husband is going on 22 years of being T1D - he was diagnosed at age 20 - right when CGMs were becoming a thing, so we've been through shots, all types of meters and pumps, and all. We were a pair of scared college students trying to navigate a whole new world with flip phones. The pumps are life changing and soooo freeing. We've been on 3 Disney cruises (including the 14 day Panama Canal cruise) and have never had a problem.

I'll echo what everyone else says: pack extra supplies! Test strips, batteries, syringes (if still needed), extra vials of insulin, waterproofing tape (my DH has an integrated Medtronic CGM pump with sensors, so he "detaches" his "portable pancreas" as we call it to swim or shower), tubing, sites - just anything he would need to replace a whole system. If you're doing the Omnipods - then your supply list might be little bit lighter. Surprisingly, the thing that always breaks for us....the stupid belt clip for his CGM. Every time - on the airplane - it seems. Maybe we need to order a spare before we go...lol! And carry everything in your carry on just like you would with any prescriptions because you don't want your extras to not make it to port. TSA Precheck is also nice for this situation.

As far as eating, my husband eats everything - no limitations. As a T1D, you will need carbs; otherwise, your blood sugar will go low too often. Yours will learn to portion count over time, and the A1C will level off and become more controllable when you shift to the CGM because you'll have a continuous basal rate and then just need a bolus for meals. We used to drive around with a book that told us everything from restaurants (pre-nutritional info on the internet days), and now he's just like, eh - I'll just eyeball it. Then he gives himself extra insulin later if he needs it, or just eats something if he overestimated and is low. The good thing about DCL is that there is food available all the time! Always pack snacks for excursions though in case he gets low while out. We did ask our room attendant if we could have some juice left in our fridge (or we bring on like mini cokes) just in case he has a low in the middle of the night.

One of the biggest things I will tell you as a spouse of T1D is that your DH will (1) mourn his pre-T1D life for a while, especially since he had a large portion of his life "before" and (2) it's nice to just feel and do things normally again - like cruising - where you can just forget for a bit about this big new "worry" hanging over him. While a T1D diagnosis involves a lot of physical changes, the mental changes that come with it can be just as taxing. I remember my DH telling me that he was just so tired of counting things! But, it WILL get better with time and practice - and now it's just how we do life. Feel free to ask any questions!

 

[Not]

DH was diagnosed 3 months ago with type 1 diabetes and to be honest it is still a shock and he is starting to feel a bit better although still a little sad as it has been extremely life altering. We have a double dip on the magic booked and tbh I’m not really sure we are going to keep it even though dh says we should. My biggest question is trip insurance how does that work with type 1 diabetes as it is a pre existing condition? Recommendations of trip insurance companies you have used if someone in your party has this would be helpful. Also any other tips about cruising with type 1 would be appreciated. we have fully gone keto and not being new to dcl I’m looking at menus seeing what he can eat and not coming up with much beyond meat and veggies. Thanks so much

So if this helps, let Disney know medical issues. They are professionals and certainly deal with things of this nature for adults and children - and for sure the cruise would be enjoyable.

We had assigned seating next to a family of very nice folks, obviously from India and obviously vegetarian. Every evening at dinner they were served meals that were nowhere to be found on any menu. Plenty of it and all to their liking - except I think they basically got flour tortillas instead of nan bread Hey whatcha gonna do.

Disney wert to good measure for them without a hiccup and it was pre-requested, heck I kinda wish we had an Indian meal on the cruise. So point is they will certainly handle the keto T1 thing and bring you folks dedicated meals - I'm pretty darn certain. No issue I can see. In the custom menu regard I was actually very impressed.

Breakfast at Tritons or Cabanas pick what you want. Same for lunch. Food won't be an issue for sure. Insulin, storage and such - I'm sure the med station/department will accommodate you. Try to relax and just have a great time.

This was our first Disney Cruise and we would do it again.

 

[Kaertos]

So if this helps, let Disney know medical issues. They are professionals and certainly deal with things of this nature for adults and children - and for sure the cruise would be enjoyable.

We had assigned seating next to a family of very nice folks, obviously from India and obviously vegetarian. Every evening at dinner they were served meals that were nowhere to be found on any menu. Plenty of it and all to their liking - except I think they basically got flour tortillas instead of nan bread Hey whatcha gonna do.

Disney wert to good measure for them without a hiccup and it was pre-requested, heck I kinda wish we had an Indian meal on the cruise. So point is they will certainly handle the keto T1 thing and bring you folks dedicated meals - I'm pretty darn certain. No issue I can see. In the custom menu regard I was actually very impressed.

Breakfast at Tritons or Cabanas pick what you want. Same for lunch. Food won't be an issue for sure. Insulin, storage and such - I'm sure the med station/department will accommodate you. Try to relax and just have a great time.

This was our first Disney Cruise and we would do it again.

One caveat that I've read a bunch about telling them you have T1D...

Most people aren't sure what that means, and the Disney people are no exceptions. They still work off a "No sugar! Ever!" plan, so your meals / desserts may be limited. basically, what I've read here and elsewhere, is that you'll be treated like you have a "sugar allergy" which ain't the case.

I never told them when I was T2D and I don't plan on telling them I'm T1D. I like Mickey Premium Bars too much! lol

 

[KGmomoftwins]

My husband is going on 22 years of being T1D - he was diagnosed at age 20 - right when CGMs were becoming a thing, so we've been through shots, all types of meters and pumps, and all. We were a pair of scared college students trying to navigate a whole new world with flip phones. The pumps are life changing and soooo freeing. We've been on 3 Disney cruises (including the 14 day Panama Canal cruise) and have never had a problem.

I'll echo what everyone else says: pack extra supplies! Test strips, batteries, syringes (if still needed), extra vials of insulin, waterproofing tape (my DH has an integrated Medtronic CGM pump with sensors, so he "detaches" his "portable pancreas" as we call it to swim or shower), tubing, sites - just anything he would need to replace a whole system. If you're doing the Omnipods - then your supply list might be little bit lighter. Surprisingly, the thing that always breaks for us....the stupid belt clip for his CGM. Every time - on the airplane - it seems. Maybe we need to order a spare before we go...lol! And carry everything in your carry on just like you would with any prescriptions because you don't want your extras to not make it to port. TSA Precheck is also nice for this situation.

As far as eating, my husband eats everything - no limitations. As a T1D, you will need carbs; otherwise, your blood sugar will go low too often. Yours will learn to portion count over time, and the A1C will level off and become more controllable when you shift to the CGM because you'll have a continuous basal rate and then just need a bolus for meals. We used to drive around with a book that told us everything from restaurants (pre-nutritional info on the internet days), and now he's just like, eh - I'll just eyeball it. Then he gives himself extra insulin later if he needs it, or just eats something if he overestimated and is low. The good thing about DCL is that there is food available all the time! Always pack snacks for excursions though in case he gets low while out. We did ask our room attendant if we could have some juice left in our fridge (or we bring on like mini cokes) just in case he has a low in the middle of the night.

One of the biggest things I will tell you as a spouse of T1D is that your DH will (1) mourn his pre-T1D life for a while, especially since he had a large portion of his life "before" and (2) it's nice to just feel and do things normally again - like cruising - where you can just forget for a bit about this big new "worry" hanging over him. While a T1D diagnosis involves a lot of physical changes, the mental changes that come with it can be just as taxing. I remember my DH telling me that he was just so tired of counting things! But, it WILL get better with time and practice - and now it's just how we do life. Feel free to ask any questions!

This helped me so much the mourning is so true. He’s also a bit angry and the why me mode. Luckily we have only had a few lows all in the middle of the night and I gave him a glucose tab and they did the trick. Thank you so much!

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Just another piece of advice. If you're going to be doing beach days, you might want to look into Lexcam patches for the Dexcom and Omnipod. They will give another layer of protection and help keep the technology on through sweat, swimming and sand. You can find them on Amazon. Another reason to bring plenty of extra supplies, things may not stick as long because of activity.

Great advice! He has those patches. He put one on with his first cgm and goes man I don’t know if I want to always use these. We have 2 castaway days and we want to do blue lagoon dolphin swim in Nassau so I will bring them. Thank you so much for all this information it is so helpful!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

One caveat that I've read a bunch about telling them you have T1D...

Most people aren't sure what that means, and the Disney people are no exceptions. They still work off a "No sugar! Ever!" plan, so your meals / desserts may be limited. basically, what I've read here and elsewhere, is that you'll be treated like you have a "sugar allergy" which ain't the case.

I never told them when I was T2D and I don't plan on telling them I'm T1D. I like Mickey Premium Bars too much! lol

I agree!

So if this helps, let Disney know medical issues. They are professionals and certainly deal with things of this nature for adults and children - and for sure the cruise would be enjoyable.

We had assigned seating next to a family of very nice folks, obviously from India and obviously vegetarian. Every evening at dinner they were served meals that were nowhere to be found on any menu. Plenty of it and all to their liking - except I think they basically got flour tortillas instead of nan bread Hey whatcha gonna do.

Disney wert to good measure for them without a hiccup and it was pre-requested, heck I kinda wish we had an Indian meal on the cruise. So point is they will certainly handle the keto T1 thing and bring you folks dedicated meals - I'm pretty darn certain. No issue I can see. In the custom menu regard I was actually very impressed.

Breakfast at Tritons or Cabanas pick what you want. Same for lunch. Food won't be an issue for sure. Insulin, storage and such - I'm sure the med station/department will accommodate you. Try to relax and just have a great time.

This was our first Disney Cruise and we would do it again.

I don't agree. No need to tell DCL that you have type 1. There is nothing special they need to do. You don't need any special medical accommodations since you are already given a refrigerator and a sharps box. Requesting special food is fine, but its not a medical issue.

 

[RedHead0186]

One caveat that I've read a bunch about telling them you have T1D...

Most people aren't sure what that means, and the Disney people are no exceptions. They still work off a "No sugar! Ever!" plan, so your meals / desserts may be limited. basically, what I've read here and elsewhere, is that you'll be treated like you have a "sugar allergy" which ain't the case.

I never told them when I was T2D and I don't plan on telling them I'm T1D. I like Mickey Premium Bars too much! lol

I second this suggestion. My friend has a gluten intolerance (not an allergy, when she eats it she just gets GI discomfort/issues). She told our servers this night 1 and then they never let her have gluten after that. Even if she wanted to try something with gluten in it, they told her she couldn't. From what I understood/recall she was flagged in the system as 'no gluten' and they could get in trouble for serving her something with gluten in it (even if she asked for it). If she wanted something they wouldn't let her have, then one of us would order it for her.

So DCL takes food allergies/intolerances and dietary restrictions very seriously. And that's a good thing! I'm not in any way faulting our serving team; I would much rather have them take things super seriously then be super lax. We just didn't realize that mentioning something the first night would result in her not being able to order even a little bit of gluten, ever. (IIRC, this even 'followed' her when we went to Palo; when we sat down our server asked which one of us couldn't have gluten).

 

[cmph]

I second this suggestion. My friend has a gluten intolerance (not an allergy, when she eats it she just gets GI discomfort/issues). She told our servers this night 1 and then they never let her have gluten after that. Even if she wanted to try something with gluten in it, they told her she couldn't. From what I understood/recall she was flagged in the system as 'no gluten' and they could get in trouble for serving her something with gluten in it (even if she asked for it). If she wanted something they wouldn't let her have, then one of us would order it for her.

So DCL takes food allergies/intolerances and dietary restrictions very seriously. And that's a good thing! I'm not in any way faulting our serving team; I would much rather have them take things super seriously then be super lax. We just didn't realize that mentioning something the first night would result in her not being able to order even a little bit of gluten, ever. (IIRC, this even 'followed' her when we went to Palo; when we sat down our server asked which one of us couldn't have gluten).

Yeah, I made the mistake once of noting that I am lactose-intolerant. I just wanted to know when something I ordered had dairy, so I knew to take a Lactaid pill. That was SO hard to explain, and after much confusion on my server's part, I asked to have that removed from my account lol. I appreciate the serious way DCL handles dietary restrictions (DH has celiac), but I was definitely surprised that lactose-intolerance was treated in the same category as others.

we have fully gone keto and not being new to dcl I’m looking at menus seeing what he can eat and not coming up with much beyond meat and veggies. Thanks so much

I don't know anything about keto, but I just got off the Wonder and made an attempt to eat more healthfully on a cruise for the first time. Cabanas for breakfast had a variety of eggs (scrambled, fried, made-to-order omelets), plus more veggies than you would realize (sauteed spinach, asparagus, stir-fried veggies), which were a nice addition to eggs. They had Activia yogurt and pre-made little yogurt parfaits. At lunch, I had plenty of peel and eat shrimp; crab legs were available the last day. In both Cabanas and Daisy's D-lites, they had garden salads plus salads that had hard-boiled eggs and grilled chicken on them. In Daisy's, they had vinegar and oil out, if you are avoiding pre-made dressings. Some of the "theme of the day" buffet items would probably be good for your husband - like on Mexican day, they had pico, guacamole, etc. that could have been added to anything. There is definitely plenty of cheese in Cabanas all the time, plus room service. So I think there really is a ton in Cabanas to give him variety, but that's not easy to glean from the table service menus.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Yeah, I made the mistake once of noting that I am lactose-intolerant. I just wanted to know when something I ordered had dairy, so I knew to take a Lactaid pill. That was SO hard to explain, and after much confusion on my server's part, I asked to have that removed from my account lol. I appreciate the serious way DCL handles dietary restrictions (DH has celiac), but I was definitely surprised that lactose-intolerance was treated in the same category as others.

I don't know anything about keto, but I just got off the Wonder and made an attempt to eat more healthfully on a cruise for the first time. Cabanas for breakfast had a variety of eggs (scrambled, fried, made-to-order omelets), plus more veggies than you would realize (sauteed spinach, asparagus, stir-fried veggies), which were a nice addition to eggs. They had Activia yogurt and pre-made little yogurt parfaits. At lunch, I had plenty of peel and eat shrimp; crab legs were available the last day. In both Cabanas and Daisy's D-lites, they had garden salads plus salads that had hard-boiled eggs and grilled chicken on them. In Daisy's, they had vinegar and oil out, if you are avoiding pre-made dressings. Some of the "theme of the day" buffet items would probably be good for your husband - like on Mexican day, they had pico, guacamole, etc. that could have been added to anything. There is definitely plenty of cheese in Cabanas all the time, plus room service. So I think there really is a ton in Cabanas to give him variety, but that's not easy to glean from the table service menus.

We love the wonder! Last cruise we avoided cabana’s due to Covid but I think you’re right he will be able to get stuff there. Just have to be careful with sauces and dressings as you never know sugar content.