[RoboVil]

Originally Posted by mbene

Getting ready for a cruise and have been watching some YouTube videos. Some are saying security is tightening for 2026. One of the things they are commenting on is more scrutiny on prescription drugs. Some are saying they may not let people take their drugs only in pill organizers and are requiring you to have the labeled pill bottles with you. Our pills come in 90 day supply bottles and they can take up some room.

Has anyone else heard anything about this? I really don't want my prescriptions confiscated and then have to get them from the ship's pharmacy at exorbitant prices.

My first thought was is there now going to be a licensed pharmacist checking your prescriptions? You could put anything in those bottles and how could they tell?

Leaving for a cruise today. The requirement for having prescriptions in a labeled bottle is primarily an airline requirement and applies only to certain countries. If you are flying in and out of the USA then likely no problems. That being said, I saved old bottles in preparation of my trip and counted the days of each need to take. To be certain, just contact the cruise line

[Jazzman]

Originally Posted by Ginnyshe

Most important are what the prescriptions are for if there is a medical problem. I was out of town with a friend when he had a stroke. Got him to the hospital but they couldn’t tell what medications he was taking because he didn’t bring original containers.

I would suggest you tell your friend to enroll in Medic Alert. There is a fee but you can list all your meds, your past surgeries, strokes, heart issues, in fact any medical conditions. With enrollment you receive a tag which you pay for that you can wear on your wrist, around your neck, etc. like jewelry. On that tag is listed your primary medical condition along with an 800 number for physician or medical personnel to call. Well worth the money,IMO. The number can be accessed from overseas.

[retiredguy123]

The rule about prescription bottles is kind of dumb because there is no way to determine if the pills in the bottle are the same pills named on the label, unless there is a photo of the pill on the bottle. Even the same drug can come in a different color or shape.

[stone8735]

Originally Posted by mbene

Getting ready for a cruise and have been watching some YouTube videos. Some are saying security is tightening for 2026. One of the things they are commenting on is more scrutiny on prescription drugs. Some are saying they may not let people take their drugs only in pill organizers and are requiring you to have the labeled pill bottles with you. Our pills come in 90 day supply bottles and they can take up some room.

Has anyone else heard anything about this? I really don't want my prescriptions confiscated and then have to get them from the ship's pharmacy at exorbitant prices.

My first thought was is there now going to be a licensed pharmacist checking your prescriptions? You could put anything in those bottles and how could they tell?

Take a picture of each bottle

[talonip]

Your prescription drugs are not the target. We cruise all the time and constantly. I have a back pack that I carry everywhere. It has all my documents and prescription drugs. Never put those in your dockside checked bags. Always carry on the ship or airplane. They don’t have the man power to check every prescription drug bottle or 7 day pill box. They know how to screen and who to screen they are not looking at villagers over 55 and most of us are well above that age.

[shut the front door]

Originally Posted by midiwiz

this depends on the port, i had the same issue. What I found out is if you are going out of canveral and tampa you don't need the entire 'brigade' just your typical weekly dispenser. Miami on the other hand you MUST have everything, including prescription evidence, reason if you think about it - Miami is a heavy druggie port.

One other word of caution is time of year, you might need to bring everything IF the cruise is longer than your pill dispenser has room for, it's hurricane season and you could be onboard longer than expected, etc.

That's odd. I cruised out of Miami last month with my pills in a daily pill container and nothing was said.

[[email protected]]

Originally Posted by mbene

Getting ready for a cruise and have been watching some YouTube videos. Some are saying security is tightening for 2026. One of the things they are commenting on is more scrutiny on prescription drugs. Some are saying they may not let people take their drugs only in pill organizers and are requiring you to have the labeled pill bottles with you. Our pills come in 90 day supply bottles and they can take up some room.

Has anyone else heard anything about this? I really don't want my prescriptions confiscated and then have to get them from the ship's pharmacy at exorbitant prices.

My first thought was is there now going to be a licensed pharmacist checking your prescriptions? You could put anything in those bottles and how could they tell?

Get a letter from your Dr listing your medication and stating it is medically necessary. Use only your original prescription bottles. ( ask the pharmacy if they can give you smaller bottles with labels for traveling). Some countries will not allow certain medications. If you’re not going to Europe or Middle East or China, Japan. I would not worry about it. I take some controlled medicine. Never had a problem. I keep my medication in a big ziplock bag in my carry on with my name and phone number on it. PS. Do NOT allow TSA to touch your pills, they can look, but not touch.

[Villagesgal]

I keep a set of empty pill bottles because I travel a lot and I put the number of pills I need in each one plus 5 more just in case I drop one. That way I have everything labeled and only take what I need along with me. This has worked in my world travels very well.

[rsmurano]

Why would you worry about what ports you’re stopping at or countries you are visiting? Why would you take all your pills off the ship when you have a stop? No port authority is going to come on the ship to check everyone’s pills.
How about all the people that have to take syringes on board? Will the authorities look at these and think this guy is shooting up? I e been on dozens of cruises and never been an issue, I’m not sure if they would show up on the scanner.

[Runway48]

Always best to check your questions with the cruise line about your specific cruise. Do it by email or another way in which you get the answers in black and white (hardcopy or digital) in case you run into problems at check-in.

[phojo]

Just returned from a Christmas cruise out of Tampa. All they did was put our bag through an xray withouut opening it. We had prescription meds in daily containers.

[Carlsondm]

Medication bags are usually accepted. check with the cruise line. I keep a copy of the prescriptions on my phone. I keep other pills in a pill box. Never had a problem on a cruise.

[thelegges]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

The rule about prescription bottles is kind of dumb because there is no way to determine if the pills in the bottle are the same pills named on the label, unless there is a photo of the pill on the bottle. Even the same drug can come in a different color or shape.

There are multiple apps for identifying prescription drugs. Scan the pill and all the info you need is available. Used everyday by medical professionals. If a person is unconscious in their stateroom, it takes time to identify all the medications in a weekly pill container. A pharmacy med container with name, dosage, save time,