Traveling on Disney Cruise Line with Medication

It’s the rare family that doesn’t travel with at least some form of medication, be it a few tablets of Advil, your child’s decongestant, a just-in-case Epi-pen, or an entire suitcase of remedies needed to manage a complicated medical situation. When you’re traveling by car within the United States, you might think nothing of toting any of these items with you, but there are a number of issues that might impact how you travel by ocean liner carrying medication.

Prohibited Items

Before getting into any discussion of sailing on Disney Cruise Line with medication, your first stop should always be the official DCL Prohibited Items page. One of the first things you’ll notice is that there is a hard ban on onboard marijuana. This ban applies even if you’re sailing to/from locations where marijuana is legal and even if it is prescribed by a medical doctor. The full prohibition notice reads:

In accordance with United States federal regulations and local laws in the destinations where we visit, illegal narcotics/drugs, including synthetic, designer drugs and medically prescribed marijuana are prohibited on board the ships and at our island destinations, Disney Castaway Cay and Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. Additionally, all drug paraphernalia used for marijuana, cannabis and hemp is prohibited. Medically prescribed marijuana, as well as items derived from or enriched by marijuana, including items and products that contain THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and or CBD (Cannabidiol) are also prohibited.

Guests found in possession of any prohibited items on their person or in their baggage may be denied boarding and are subject to severe legal penalties. Cruise Line reserves the right to seize and secure any item deemed to be dangerous or pose a security or safety risk. Attempting to bring these items on board will also delay the delivery of luggage to your stateroom.

In short, leave your medical marijuana, THC gummies, and CBD pain ointment at home or you risk being thrown off the ship. It doesn’t matter if your doctor said it was OK, don’t bring it.

Over the Counter Medications

Let’s first look at the situation for over-the-counter (OTC) medications. OTC medications are those that you can walk into any CVS or Walgreens and buy without a prescription. Even a medium-sized drugstore or supermarket might sell a hundred or more OTC meds such as pain relievers, anti-itch creams, cough suppressants, eye drops, nasal sprays, antacids, motion sickness remediations, sleep aids, and more.

You’ll be fine bringing commonly available U.S. OTC medications onto the ship. Indeed at least one of the ship’s gift shops will sell most categories of over the counter medications. There are; however, several caveats to consider when deciding what to pack for your trip.

• Not every brand will be available. For example, the ship will typically stock only one brand of ibuprofen. Say, Advil but not Motrin. If you have a strong brand preference, bring your own.
• Not every formulation will be available. For example, they will carry Tylenol, but perhaps only tablets, not capsules. If you have a strong preference for delivery method, bring your own.
• Prices will be slightly higher on board the ship than you’ll typically find at home. Expect prices for common OTC meds to be about 20% more than you’d pay at your local Walgreens or CVS.
• The ship’s stores are often closed. The stores will be closed any time the ship is in port. On sea days, the shops are typically open from about 9:00 a.m. until about 10:00 p.m. This means that you won’t be able to buy OTC meds during some full days or during the overnight hours. You may be able to get a dose or two of something basic like ibuprofen from the guest services desk, but in general, you should plan to bring at least a small quantity of any basic OTC meds that you regularly consume.
• Some categories of OTC medication are not stocked on the ships. The main category of items the ships don’t carry is diarrhea remediation such as Immodium or Pepto Bismol. Many folks commonly get travelers’ tummy in any travel situation or when eating any unfamiliar food. If you know this is you, then come prepared and bring your own. The ships don’t carry these meds because diarrhea is a symptom of the highly contagious Norovirus, which they do NOT want on the ships. Also note that beyond cold-remedy packets of vitamin C, the ships do not carry vitamins.

While common US OTC meds are allowed ON the ships, depending on where you’re going, you might not be allowed to take them OFF the ships. If you’ll be taking your medicines with you into port, make sure to check the policies of the countries you’ll be visiting. For example, some over-the-counter medicines commonly used in the US, including Actifed, Sudafed, and Vicks inhalers, aren’t allowed into Mexico, nor are medications that contain codeine.

Also be aware that some medications that are readily available over the counter in the United States may only be available by prescription, or not at all, in another country. For example, Pepto-Bismol is banned in France and Immodium is available only by prescription.

Traveling with Prescription Medications

You should plan to carry prescription medication in its original containers, in your carry-on bag instead of checked luggage. Luggage does get lost, you should ALWAYS keep necessary medication on your person when traveling.

Some guests with complex medical conditions have questioned the need to keep medications in their original containers, saying they’d need an additional suitcase to pack all of their bottles. They prefer instead to transfer medications into handy daily-dose containers, claiming they’ve never been questioned about their meds. Honestly, over the course of dozens of cruises I’ve never been questioned either, but it takes just one challenge to derail your otherwise-relaxing vacation.

The problem you want to avoid isn’t with Disney but with the customs staffs of the countries you’re visiting and US Customs when you return: while it’s not likely, you could be asked to provide either the original containers (with your name on them) or a copy of a valid prescription, to ensure that you’re not importing illegal or non-FDAapproved drugs. The US Food and Drug Administration has a helpful video about traveling with medication.

And as with OTC medications, there may be legal restrictions on what types of prescription medications are allowed in other countries. For example, medications for attention deficit disorder, like Adderall and Ritalin, which are common in the United States may be considered illegal narcotics in Europe. Similar situations exist with pain medications such as Vicodin or Demerol and with anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax, Ativan, or Valium. When planning to take any medication (OTC or prescription) off the ship, you should always consult the port country’s official rules.

Every Disney Cruise Line stateroom is equipped with a beverage chiller. However, if you’re traveling with medication that needs to be kept frozen or at a specific low temperature, you should consult DCL’s Services for Guests with Disabilities page, the Special Services Request Form, or contact them at (800) 951-3532 to discuss your options.

Prescription Medications Available on the Ship

Every Disney Cruise Line ship has a Health Center on Deck 1. The center is staffed by a doctor and nurse who attend to medical issues for the crew and passengers. The Health Center is equipped to deal with emergency issues as well as routine travel maladies. (Note: Care provided by the DCL Health Centers is NOT free, you are required to pay for your treatment.)

The Health Center has common prescription medications on hand such as antibiotics and Epi-Pens, but they do not have the inventory to refill your existing prescriptions nor do they have stocks of niche medications. Again, if you’ve been prescribed something by your own doctor, plan to bring it with you rather than expecting that it can be replenished on the ship.

In general, I strongly suggest that you bring to the ship as much medication as you’ll need for the duration of your sailing, along with several extra days of meds in case of travel disruptions or delays. However, when spending time in port in a non-US country, you should plan to bring only as much medication as you’ll need for the day. Again, whenever possible, bring the medication’s original packaging and/or a doctor’s note or a copy of a physical prescription. While problems are unlikely, this is very much a better safe than sorry situation.