Gluten free/lactose free experiences on Carnival Conquest?

My daughter has been dealing with difficult to control IBS and we have had to resort to a strict diet that is gluten free/lactose free along with some other restrictions. She mostly lives on turkey sandwiches these days. What should we know or expect on the Conquest?

Before leaving, contact the Special Needs department to let them know. Once you are on board and the dining room opens in the afternoon, stop by and talk to the hostess. They will give you the menu and you will special order dinner for that night (and each night at dinner you can put in your brunch/lunch/dinner orders for the next day). Up on Lido, find a hostess or someone in the white uniforms and they can help you.

Carnival has always been wonderful when it comes to my diet (gluten free, celiac disease, ugh). I'm sure your daughter will be fine :)

My teenage daughter has to have a gluten-free diet. She was well looked after on our cruise. The dining room staff took it very seriously and we had no issues. At dinner, she was shown the menu ahead of time for the next day, and on the rare occasion that she wanted to try something that wasn't suggested to her, our dinner waiter would warn her away if it might have gluten in it. At breakfast time, she was able to ask for GF toast. It took a while to get, so on this next cruise, I'm going see about ordering it ahead of our arrival. She doesn't care if it's cold, she just doesn't want to wait ten minutes to get it.

My daughter has been dealing with difficult to control IBS and we have had to resort to a strict diet that is gluten free/lactose free along with some other restrictions. She mostly lives on turkey sandwiches these days. What should we know or expect on the Conquest?

Your first question will need to be if the Carnival GF bread contains dairy products .If it is OK for her, then she will be able to get turkey sandwiches on GF bread at the deli. I just have to skip the bread on Carnival. I have not found a commercial product that I like that is a decent bread that is yeast, dairy and gluten free, but I make my own every week at home. Sadly, I cannot bring it on a cruise because it is not commercially prepared and packaged. At home I use Kite Hill and Follow your Heart dairy free cheeses, but cannot bring them onboard either because they have to be refrigerated.

I have been GF/CF for 10 years. I will tell you that it has been more difficult to eat dairy free on the cruise, than it is GF. Years ago a very knowledgeable hostess on the Glory ordered mousses for me made from non-dairy milks, but I have not been able to get them on any other ships. Now that the waiters are handling the orders instead of the hostesses, they are much less creative. Some of the hostesses took a huge interest in GF and got magazines and cookbooks and made suggestions to the chefs. The best was Natalya on the Glory and there was a really great hostess on the Ecstasy years ago too.

They are real big at pushing GF desserts that are loaded with dairy, such a cheesecake and creme brulee or ice creams. For that reason I end up with a fruit plate for dessert most nights. At least in the steakhouse I can get sorbet, while they only serve sherbet in the MDR, which is made with milk.

Good luck to your daughter. You may also want to consider that yeast could be a problem. Even after cutting out gluten and all dairy products, I still had issues. My doctor suggested additional testing as it is very common for those with gluten and dairy issues to also be unable to tolerate yeast. Turned out that on my bloodwork I had antibodies to brewers and bakers yeast of over 4000, which was off the charts. Once I cut out the yeast, things really settled down for me.

When we travel we take Gluten Cutter capsules with us and take them before every meal. They help in case of accidental ingestion of gluten or dairy.

My stunningly beautiful young wife also has IBS and is both gluten and dairy free. Follow the advice from iamsteph - my wife does this every cruise.

I also suggest you go to the Captain's Celebration (or whatever it is called now) on the first Cruise Elegant evening. Many of the senior officers are present before the introductions. Meet the Food Operations Manager and talk with him or her about what is going well and what is not. While Carnival does a great job with special dietary needs, the Food Operations Manager can help with any issues or gaps.

My grandson has some meals due to his allergies. We go to the Maitre D' on embarkation day and discuss his condition. His meal is taken cared of throughout the cruise.

Your first question will need to be if the Carnival GF bread contains dairy products .If it is OK for her, then she will be able to get turkey sandwiches on GF bread at the deli. I just have to skip the bread on Carnival. I have not found a commercial product that I like that is a decent bread that is yeast, dairy and gluten free, but I make my own every week at home. Sadly, I cannot bring it on a cruise because it is not commercially prepared and packaged. At home I use Kite Hill and Follow your Heart dairy free cheeses, but cannot bring them onboard either because they have to be refrigerated.

 

I have been GF/CF for 10 years. I will tell you that it has been more difficult to eat dairy free on the cruise, than it is GF. Years ago a very knowledgeable hostess on the Glory ordered mousses for me made from non-dairy milks, but I have not been able to get them on any other ships. Now that the waiters are handling the orders instead of the hostesses, they are much less creative. Some of the hostesses took a huge interest in GF and got magazines and cookbooks and made suggestions to the chefs. The best was Natalya on the Glory and there was a really great hostess on the Ecstasy years ago too.

 

They are real big at pushing GF desserts that are loaded with dairy, such a cheesecake and creme brulee or ice creams. For that reason I end up with a fruit plate for dessert most nights. At least in the steakhouse I can get sorbet, while they only serve sherbet in the MDR, which is made with milk.

 

Good luck to your daughter. You may also want to consider that yeast could be a problem. Even after cutting out gluten and all dairy products, I still had issues. My doctor suggested additional testing as it is very common for those with gluten and dairy issues to also be unable to tolerate yeast. Turned out that on my bloodwork I had antibodies to brewers and bakers yeast of over 4000, which was off the charts. Once I cut out the yeast, things really settled down for me.

 

When we travel we take Gluten Cutter capsules with us and take them before every meal. They help in case of accidental ingestion of gluten or dairy.

This is helpful info. She actually is not totally gluten/lactose free, but follows the fodmaps diet. She eats sourdough bread and cheeses that are low in lactose. We will be seeing a specialist in early July and will hopefully have the culprit more narrowed down by the time of our cruise.