My diapered cruise experience

[FretaBWet]

Hi everyone, as promised this post will detail some of my experiences on my diapered cruise honeymoon.

The cruise was based out of Seattle WA USA and was 7 days long returning to Seattle. We decided that we didn't want to leave my diapers to chance so rather than trying to find diapers in Seattle, we would pack 30 of my Confidry 24/7's in one of our 2 suitcases. Even though there was some risk in this decision that the bag could get lost or delayed by the airline, we felt it was a low risk especially due to our flying in to Seattle one day early so a delay might not affect us.

We drove to the home of my mother in law and sister in law on Thursday afternoon as they live near the airport and could drive us to the airport in the wee hours of Friday morning so could get our flight out. They also take care of our dog when we go away. I have a large handbag in which I keep 2 spare diapers, some wipes in a zip lock sandwich bag and a couple disposal bags. I put on a fresh diaper when getting dressed plus the two spares in my bag so I was confident of getting to Seattle without any issues.

We arrived at the airport at 3 am for our 5 am flight. We had to wait until TSA opened the gates at 4 am then wail in line to get through. I saw a few people being ushered through a metal detector to the left of the naked xray scanner and I tried to go that way but a TSA officer directed me back to the scanner. When I went through the scanner I'm sure I was somewhat wet but not soaked. They flagged me for further examination. The officer said I was flagged by the machine and I leaned closer and said I am wearing a diaper quietly to her. She didn't even blink. She simply asked if I'd prefer to be examined in a private setting and I immediately said no, we can do it right here. First, she explained how she would be touching me during the pat down and where. I told her okay and she proceeded to pat my legs and crotch area down in front and then did the same from the back. Then she cleared me to proceed. I changed my diaper at our stop to get our connecting flight. This left me arriving at our hotel in the morning with 1 spare diaper in my bag. Check in wasn't until afternoon so we left our bags at the hotel and went out sightseeing. Our first stop was the weed dispensary for pre rolls and then on to the space needle.

Saturday morning we got the shuttle to the pier and went through the embarkation process to get on board. Our luggage was put through the xray machine and then delivered to the room later on in the day. We had asked the cruise line about diapers and disposal during all our planning and they said the room stewards would take care of it. We had a room steward that introduced himself and his assistant and asked if we needed our room taken care of twice a day or just once. We told him once was enough for us. I told him our one concern was that the waste basket was not big enough as I generate more on a daily basis because I wore diapers. He was very understanding and said he would take care of it. He brought us a large blue plastic trash bag each day for us and took away the bag from the previous day. It was blue and opaque so very discreet. It was a very convenient arrangement and made our cruise very enjoyable. It is normal to tip your room steward for good service and we asked a couple experienced cruisers we met what they did and they left $25 USD each so we left two fifties for them.

My full time diapers were never an issue and I have to say that without them our trip would not have been enjoyable.

On the trip through TSA in Seattle I was again flagged for secondary screening at that damn xray machine. The female TSA agent again gave me the option for a private screening which I again declined politely. Her pat down was more thorough but again I was cleared.

The only change I'd make on future trips would be packing more diapers rather than less. Our thinking was that 3 diapers per day would be safe so 3 per day X 8 days (7 cruise days plus the day early in Seattle) = 24 diapers giving us 6 extra with the 30 we packed. The reality was I arrived back with 1 diaper for the drive home from our trip. The reality is there are times on a trip where logistically you may choose to change out of a half used diaper because the shore excursion is long enough that you would need to change part way through when a fresh diaper at the start would last until you get back to your room. I gladly sacrificed a half used diaper more than once for the convenience of not having to change in the middle of something. On vacation is not the time for trying to get every last bit of use out of your diaper. Expect to use more than usual. I hope this proves useful to those considering traveling while diapered full time.

Hugs,

Freta

[Rachael-Little]

I love cruising 

[Little Sherri]

7 hours ago, FretaBWet said:

I gladly sacrificed a half used diaper more than once for the convenience of not having to change in the middle of something. On vacation is not the time for trying to get every last bit of use out of your diaper. Expect to use more than usual. I hope this proves useful to those considering traveling while diapered full time.

Very well put and entirely my experience as well. Bring more, not fewer. If I were at home and planning to spend the rest of the evening lounging on my own couch with my wife, I might very well stay in a diaper in which I'd already used 30 or 50% of the available capacity, whereas, at that same time of night, if I were contemplating going out or drinks or to a show or a casino or whatever, I would definitely put a fresh diaper on first, to stave off the possibility of having to conduct a change in a washroom, or, even worse, an unexpected leak.

My last few jaunts have been shorter in duration - 3 - 5 days - but, travelling with people who don't know I wear diapers, so I brought a supply with me, in order to avoid having to go shopping locally when I was sharing a rental car with three buddies, for example. Plus, box store & pharmacy off-the-shelf diapers usually suck. When I went to Europe before the pandemic, it was a much longer trip, but I was travelling with my wife, who knew the deal, so, I was able to plan to go shopping locally and not have to carry 2+ weeks worth of diapers across the ocean. It was still an adventure, trying to find products on the fly - luckily there is a French supermarket with a store brand tabbed diaper that was okay. I would have needed 5 a day, but they were comfortable and reasonably trustworthy if not pushed. I elected to go to the potty whenever the opportunity struck me, which allowed me to operate on about 3 diapers a day, and I wore the good ones I brought from home in bed overnight and for the first shift in the morning if they were in reasonable shape. 

On a cruise ship, though, there is no option to shop local, so, you have to pack everything in with you. Thanks for detailing what this was like!

I've been very lucky to regularly get diverted to the metal detector rather than the body scanner, but the few times I have gone through a scanner in a diaper, I think they figured it out - they didn't even ask what I had going on, they just said they needed to pat me down, and did I want to do it right away, or in private? I always elected to do it right there, on the theory that going into the special room would just be awkward and give them more time to "investigate" if they wanted to. The pat downs I've had were not intrusive, and they were quick. 

[spark]

I posted a discussion about this just a while ago, and I'm facing similar issues.   Based on your location, I'm going to assume this was an Alaskan Cruise, and I'm taking Amtrak and connecting on the Alaskan Ferry.   

My trip is 13 days.   It's a Thursday red-eye to Miami and a Wednesday flight home from Fairbanks.    A 3-diaper day for me is a heavy load, so I think I can get by with two, and I still have some level of control and could use a Pull-Up if needed.  Emotionally- underwear is no longer an option.   I've done quite a bit of thinking about it, and for me- the best option is to use an Amazon Locker box in Seattle.  Basically- I'm going to buy a package of diapers from Amazon while I'm in Miami to be delivered to a locker box in downtown Seattle, which I think will be enough to get me back home.  

I have TSA-Pre, so I don't go through the body scanner, but I've never had a wet diaper while going through the metal detector.   When I fly, I wear a Pull-Up until I clear TSA, and then immediately head to the bathroom and put a diaper over Pull-Up.    I've had no issues with that system, which is good because I just don't want the hassle.

I've been flagged twice, and both while traveling internationally with mostly damp diapers.   The first was in Paris, and I had a similarly aged female agent who gave me a knowing glance and just waived me on.   That was probably using my old white guy privilege, but I'll take it.   The second was in Doha, and it was a young guy who was very uncomfortable with the whole thing.  In my case- it was a little intrusive.  I was brought to a private area, I had to drop my pants to expose the diaper, and they gave me a pat down that would qualify as a little frisky.   I choose to stay very calm because getting upset when dealing with low-level government employees is not a good idea- especially in a foreign country.    I felt a little sorry for the poor dude who flagged me because he looked like he saw a ghost.   My guess is that it is fairly commonplace, but if you get somebody new- they might make a bigger deal than somebody who has experience manning the scanners.

[dondd]

Have only been on a cruise once, about 12 years ago or so, but would like to do it again.  This time diapered as I am 24/7. Nice to know it was manageable for you.  As I am about to turn 65 I have little concern about others outside my family discovering that I am in diapers so there is no embarrassment regarding having someone take my diaper-laden trash from my room. Not too different from staying in a hotel.  

Would you be ok with sharing which cruise line you were on?

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[FretaBWet]

@dondd I was on Holland America, cruising out of Seattle and returning to Seattle through the Inside Passage. This was our first cruise and despite all our research we still learned a couple things. At some ports our ship was at the pier while other ships had to anchor out in a harbor and ferry all the passengers going ashore on boats. On future cruises this will be something I look at carefully. The logistics of waiting in line while waiting for a spot on a boat and then having to go through the process to get back on the ship compared to just walking down the gangplanck would make a real difference in the amount of time you actually get to spend enjoying the sights. Another difference is that there are only a few cruise lines that have a federal permit to cruise through Glacier Bay. All the rest can't sail there at all. It's one of the highlights of an Alaskan cruise.  For those that know boats, the ship is equipped with efficient bow and stern side thrusters. It the dead end of the bay the entire ship came to a dead stop for photo opportunities. While the ship was there the bow thrusters were turned to starboard while the stern thrusters were turned to port. This caused the entire ship to rotate on it's midship axis in a counter clockwise motion. For those of you that don't understand, they made the entire ship spin in a circle in place and they completed two and a half revolutions so we were facing bow in when we arrived and facing bow out when we left. Every person had an opportunity for great photos no matter where you were on the ship.

Hugs,

Freta

[dondd]

@FretaBWet Thanks!  Great info!!  And that rotation sounds like an event in itself.

[rusty pins]

17 hours ago, dondd said:

Nice to know it was manageable for you.  As I am about to turn 65 I have little concern about others outside my family discovering that I am in diapers so there is no embarrassment regarding having someone take my diaper-laden trash from my room. Not too different from staying in a hotel.  

I too am 65 years old, or just about to turn 65.  I'm not incontinent but I'm just like dondd when he said, " I have little concern about others outside my family discovering that I am in diapers so there is no embarrassment regarding having someone take my diaper-laden trash from my room."  I don't flaunt it in any way and I very much doubt that people around me can tell i am wearing a diaper, but out of state where no one knows me, I wouldn't be bothered much if someone did suspect, and housekeeping removing well bagged wet diapers from my hotel room isn't a concern. 

I am taking a trip in a couple months and planning to be 24/7 the whole week, but have no concern for the TSA since I'm driving.  I'll be able to pack enough diapers in the back of my Jeep to last me the whole trip and then some.  The one thing I did discover this past weekend when I did an all day test of a TREST diaper is the need to change before my diaper gets too wet and heavy, even when it hasn't reached it's full capacity.  I had planned on a TREST diaper for my trip hoping for it to last 12 hours at least.  My test diaper lasted 9 hours before leaking and it was so heavy I couldn't keep it from almost falling around my ankles even with snug waterproof pants and a onesie. 

As Freta said, "The only change I'd make on future trips would be packing more diapers rather than less. Our thinking was that 3 diapers per day would be safe so 3 per day X 8 days (7 cruise days plus the day early in Seattle) = 24 diapers giving us 6 extra with the 30 we packed. The reality was I arrived back with 1 diaper for the drive home from our trip. The reality is there are times on a trip where logistically you may choose to change out of a half used diaper because the shore excursion is long enough that you would need to change part way through when a fresh diaper at the start would last until you get back to your room. I gladly sacrificed a half used diaper more than once for the convenience of not having to change in the middle of something. On vacation is not the time for trying to get every last bit of use out of your diaper. Expect to use more than usual". 

I mentioned in another post I wrote, just because a diaper is supposed to have a capacity of 9500ML doesn't mean that's always a good thing.  You can't walk around and go about your day when your diaper is that heavy and sagging, especially sight-seeing.  I have altered my plans to change diapers at around 6 hours rather than try and make one TREST diaper last most of the day.