Gluten issue's..............

We were on Infinity and despite all the accolades for gluten free dining......it was not impressive feasting.

1.) I tried a GF pizza (one time) and the 'crust' was nothing but crumbs. You could not use a fork or your hands to eat the pizza--it didn't hold together. I've never seen GF pizza crust that was this bad......... I tried to eat it despite the crumbs/crumbling............but that didn't work. Beware, if there are GF pigeons it would have been excellent bird food!

2.) I was initially excited to see the gluten free symbol on buffet items and other venues. Then I used the symbol. One buffet item was an oriental chicken which is usually a highly suspect item but there was the symbol..........I asked the person at the buffet and he said that if it's on the card that it's GF, then it is. I dished it up and he came back to me and said that it is NOT GF. Yet, there on the card..........it says GF. I appreciate that he checked, but it should NOT be on the sign if it is not GF. This was not the only time that something was labeled GF and then was declared that it wasn't GF! It was enough for me not to trust those food symbols anywhere on the ship.

3.) People had raved about the GF breads.........and they were good when we had the 'right' bread for the meal--these were not made on the ship, however. More than once we were presented with raisin/cinnamon GF slices at dinner. I began asking what the bread was before ordering it. One more bump in the road and GF appropriate bread types for the meal is not rocket science.

4.) On one morning I specifically asked if they had GF muffins (no one had offered them and they were not on display) however, one did show up........unfortunately, while made on the ship, it had the density missing on the pizza crust and was not enjoyable.

5.) Lastly, just for future reference......the only GF cookies we saw were macaroons--white and chocolate. That's it for GF cookie choices and they were good, but that's a lot of sweetness for a week of cruising and no other options. Bring your own cookies if you like some choices besides macaroon's after a meal or snacking.

6.) I'm sure many people who are not GF see these symbols and assume (as did I) that they are accurate and impressive, however as I found out.......they are not and it was frustrating to go in circles over what was GF. I totally get it that this is foreign territory for many folks......but if they say they have GF options and don't then it's a different ball game entirely.

If you traveled Celebrity and had a great GF experience I'm happy for you, really I am, but the accolades for GF dining did not match our experience on board.

That is truly unfortunate. Particularly that an item on the buffet was labeled GF but was not. Mistakes like that can have serious consequences.

Thanks for the heads up. We are sailing on the Summit in 10 days and my husband has Celiac disease. This is a serious disease which caused him to actually have kidney failure until he was properly diagnosed. If he ate something that included wheat he would be stuck in the room for days. We have read all the positive comments posted on CC regarding GF service and were looking forward to being pampered with GF options. We picked Agua class because of the dining in Blu option as we thought it would provide a more personal dining experience. Unfortunately, for those on a GF diet, it can become tiring to constantly remind the wait staff of your dietary restrictions. We are accustomed to quizzing the wait staff regarding the make up of dishes. Thank you for alerting us to the issues with the buffet. There are some delicious desert options that are wheat free such as the GF brownies mixes. Since 10 percent of the population has an allergy to Gluten, I would hope that Celebrity would provide a better dining experience to those cruisers. A few years ago on an Avalon River cruise, the chef actually left the ship to go get gluten free flour to make my husband fresh bread every day. The chef also prepared special deserts and would rework his recipes to serve GF meals to my husband. We so appreciated his kindness.

To the OP, that's a shame about your experience. DH and I are both gluten-sensitive, but do not have celiac. We've always had the exact opposite experience that you did. Except for the pizza, I never tried it because I didn't feel like waiting.

To the other GF readers: hope for the best, because our gluten-free experience is always very good. (and we are particular!)

Thanks for the heads up. We are sailing on the Summit in 10 days and my husband has Celiac disease. This is a serious disease which caused him to actually have kidney failure until he was properly diagnosed. If he ate something that included wheat he would be stuck in the room for days. We have read all the positive comments posted on CC regarding GF service and were looking forward to being pampered with GF options. We picked Agua class because of the dining in Blu option as we thought it would provide a more personal dining experience. Unfortunately, for those on a GF diet, it can become tiring to constantly remind the wait staff of your dietary restrictions. We are accustomed to quizzing the wait staff regarding the make up of dishes. Thank you for alerting us to the issues with the buffet. There are some delicious desert options that are wheat free such as the GF brownies mixes. Since 10 percent of the population has an allergy to Gluten, I would hope that Celebrity would provide a better dining experience to those cruisers. A few years ago on an Avalon River cruise, the chef actually left the ship to go get gluten free flour to make my husband fresh bread every day. The chef also prepared special deserts and would rework his recipes to serve GF meals to my husband. We so appreciated his kindness.

Hi, I truly hope you have a better experience than I posted. We could not let our guard down........at all, and I was a bit surprised that they didn't have the GF cookies or brownies as well---both come in prepackaged mixes and are easy to fix. Or the famous flourless chocolate cake on some lines. It could be the issue of cross contamination, but at this point I wouldn't guess what decisions are based on since things were so contradictory.

Just keep my comments in your back pocket.........I hope you have a safe eating experience and a good cruise!

So very sad to read of your dismal experience. Did you ever ask to speak with a Chef? My wife is stage 4 Celiac, meaning the lining of her stomach is just about gone. Her GF experience the last 3 years has been the flip side to yours. Except one dinner in Tuscan on the Equinox in 2014.

The GF pizza at the Lawn Club on the Reflection brought tears to her eyes, I even ate it instead of the regular I had ordered.

I so hope this was a one off experience and you will give Celebrity another try. They have done so much better than Princess did in 2012, and Royal on the Freedom in 2011.

EW

Yup, I had gone through the buffet line with a chef at a different time, but it came down to very, very few choices and that was why the GF card came in play........I pointed out some GF things on the card and he acknowledged that the item was not GF but the card stayed in place. I think they do generic cards and then put them on items made that generally fit the category......like "Oriental Chicken". I don't expect any cruise ship to do what I can do at home, but I did expect more than this. We were on Celebrity once before, but not GF at that time. There were other things on this cruise that were disconcerting, but not as threatening as the GF issues. It just seemed like the left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing........

I'm glad to hear there are better experiences............just disappointed about our's. Certainly don't want to go through this again........you know, throwing good money after bad.

To thyme2go - I'm sorry about your experience, that really sucks. I think it would have ruined my cruise if I had hadn't enjoyed my food. It's disheartening to hear that people's experiences really aren't consistent.

To Nashna - I was on the Summit a month ago in AquaClass and had a great food experience, I also have Celiac. By day 2, most of the staff at Blu seemed to know I was gluten-free and I had big breakfasts and dinners there each day so minimal eating in the buffet.

To thyme2go - I'm sorry about your experience, that really sucks. I think it would have ruined my cruise if I had hadn't enjoyed my food. It's disheartening to hear that people's experiences really aren't consistent.

 

To Nashna - I was on the Summit a month ago in AquaClass and had a great food experience, I also have Celiac. By day 2, most of the staff at Blu seemed to know I was gluten-free and I had big breakfasts and dinners there each day so minimal eating in the buffet.

k-chart - Good to hear about the experience in Blu - I'm in AquaClass in February on Reflection. Question... Were you able to get GF pancakes in Blu? I don't care if they're not the special flavors (I think vanilla and blueberry), but I do love spoiling myself with pancakes a couple of times on my cruises. Thanks!

WrittenOnYourHeart - I ordered gluten-free waffles from room service one morning and they were awful, just inedible. I think it was a room-service problem rather than a restaurant issue (there was also a dirty teabag in the bottom of my coffee carafe :eek:). The staff at Blu asked me to put in an order for pancakes or waffles the night before if I wanted them and I was never hungry enough to do it after dinner! I did love the breakfasts at Blu though.

WrittenOnYourHeart - I ordered gluten-free waffles from room service one morning and they were awful, just inedible. I think it was a room-service problem rather than a restaurant issue (there was also a dirty teabag in the bottom of my coffee carafe :eek:). The staff at Blu asked me to put in an order for pancakes or waffles the night before if I wanted them and I was never hungry enough to do it after dinner! I did love the breakfasts at Blu though.

Good to know! I'll ask when I'm on board! :) Thanks!! I have a couple of active excursions, so I'll need the fuel on those days for sure! (I didn't usually do room service even before my doctor diagnosed a gluten sensitivity, so that is probably a moot point.)

Lunch has usually been the most difficult, but I've spent 4 weeks successively a few times and survived. You can get GF toast at lunch and make your own sandwich. Lots of sandwich filling choices. With nice weather, I'll often order a sandwich or hamburger, no bread/bun, from room service and two pieces of GF toast on the side. Otherwise it gets soggy. Agree with OP, be sure to specify "no raisin bread" - not good with a cheeseburger. You can make a dandy taco salad with the chili or fajitas in the buffet. They have corn tortilla chips to crumble, too. The buffet chef would always make me a chicken breast for a salad. Other times I'd have them carve up roast beef into a salad. I love blue cheese in my salad and could usually get it by asking. I've learned always take snacks and protein bars (a just-in-case for shore excursions) along in my luggage. Crunchy things are the hardest to find, mostly taco chips or potato chips in the buffet. Pizza crusts across the fleet are 100% rice flour. Think of uncooked rice, then grind it up. Does NOT work for pizza crust - need flour mixtures that can soften. I occasionally order one and just enjoy the toppings. They have to clean an oven before they prepare GF pizza, so it takes a long time. If you want waffles or pancakes, there's no problem. Just give them a little warning. There is one waffle iron dedicated to GF. That's all I can think of.

Sorry to hear about the food mishaps, I too, have a very restrictive diet requirements and usually do my best no to rely on trying to eat things away from home or familiar environments unless I have spoken with the chef or maitre 'd... things like pizza are very rarely ordered because I understand how difficult it can be to 'duplicate' a similar experience or expectation.

I must say that the MDR and specialty restaurants have been, usually, very good at delivering to my requirements. Hit and miss sometimes, but I prepare for it.

Hopefully your next cruise X or other line will be more successful in the food department.

bon voyage

I cannot believe they are still serving the pizza crusts, cookies, muffins and waffles with the pure rice flour. I complained about the same situation 3 or 4 years ago and even wrote to the culinary team. I had hoped that over time things would improve. It doesn't sound as if there is a reason to rush back to Celebrity.

I cannot believe they are still serving the pizza crusts, cookies, muffins and waffles with the pure rice flour. I complained about the same situation 3 or 4 years ago and even wrote to the culinary team. I had hoped that over time things would improve. It doesn't sound as if there is a reason to rush back to Celebrity.

Thanks for this info....it gives us more perspective about our experience. Between our GF tale's and other experiences with food and practices in general..........we didn't see a spirit of excellence displayed on Celebrity.

I cannot believe they are still serving the pizza crusts, cookies, muffins and waffles with the pure rice flour. I complained about the same situation 3 or 4 years ago and even wrote to the culinary team. I had hoped that over time things would improve. It doesn't sound as if there is a reason to rush back to Celebrity.

As mentioned, my wife has Celiac, and the last 3 yrs on Celebrity have been better than RCCL and Princess. Stay where you are and be happy. No need to rush back the cabins will be sold no matter.

I have to eat gluten free. We were on the Equinox last year and have another cruise planned for November. The chef took me around the buffet to show me what I could eat. I was excited about the pizza, but it was horrible. I did eat all the toppings and that was yummy. We were in a suite and they brought afternoon munchies, for me they brought shrimp cocktails! We were celebrating our anniversary in one of the specialty restaurants ( think the French one). They brought out a beautiful cake and sang to us. Then they said it had gluten and took it away. They said they would bring us another one the next day which would be gluten free. Late the next afternoon they brought this huge, beautiful chocolate torte decorated beautifully! It was so good and gluten free. I also loved the gf macaroons at Cafe Al Bacio but had to complain as they were not made until Day 3 of the cruise.

Oh dear, I was a bit disappointed to read this. We have just booked Celebrity to Alaska next year.

My daughter 12, is Coeliac and if she has gluten will be terribly ill for a couple of days. We have cruised with Disney for the last 6 years and have had no problems, they are very careful, make pdelicious puddings, pizza, pancakes and cookies. However, they are considerably more expensive, so we thought we would try a different line.

Has anyone had any positive experiences, I cannot be checking and worrying at every meal, it's supposed to be a holiday and with Disney, as soon as we eat anywhere and give our cabin number, it flags up the requirement. Am I expecting too much of Celebrity? :confused:

I will reply to this thread after our August 7 th sailing. There is no excuse today to not have tasty GF options.

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k-chart - Good to hear about the experience in Blu - I'm in AquaClass in February on Reflection. Question... Were you able to get GF pancakes in Blu? I don't care if they're not the special flavors (I think vanilla and blueberry), but I do love spoiling myself with pancakes a couple of times on my cruises. Thanks!

We too, were in Aqua class and there was never any mention of GF pancakes or waffles for breakfast and I ate there at least 5 mornings. If those items are available why didn't anyone say something to me? That's just plain rude in food etiquette...... omitting this information benefits Celebrity and only adds another disappointment to my dining experience with Celebrity! :mad:

thyme - That's so frustrating - I wonder if there's variation by destination/departure location as to what's available?

K8T - there's a couple of other gluten-free/Celiac threads from the last month and several people have posted there (myself included) about positive and very positive experiences. I was a first time cruiser in June and have Celiac and I was very pleasantly surprised by the options and care taken with my gluten-free needs.

The ship departed and returned to Vancouver, BC......so not having access to GF products/ingredients wouldn't be an issue.

I will reply to this thread after our August 7 th sailing. There is no excuse today to not have tasty GF options.

 

 

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Thanks, I will look forward to hearing. Have a great cruise.

I had a similar experience on the Equinox last week. Our first day in the Oceanview café I almost took something marked gluten free - but something made me hesitate. When I asked if the item was in fact gluten free (the item had two labels - one said it was gluten free and the other said it wasn't) the person behind the counter was extremely unhelpful saying that it must be gf it was labelled. I learned after that to trust my gut instinct, and not the staff. However my situation turned out quite different - as a Maitre D' saw me walking back to my table frustrated and asked if he could help. I explained the situation and he walked me back and called the chef - turns out the signs were not correct and I could have eaten gluten on my first day.

I sailed Celebrity 5 years ago and had a very bad experience with eating gluten free - so we switched to Disney and enjoyed wonderful vacations with wonderful gf food. So I was very worried about sailing Celebrity again - I will say that Celebrity has come a LONG way over the past five years but they still have a ways to go to catch up to Disney. I agree with your review about the pizza, and it would be nice to have a gf cookie. My biggest frustration was a lack of gf buns - so no hamburgers available (even though gf burger is listed on the Mast Grill menu). But the staff were very eager to help - if you asked for assistance. The gf desserts in the dining room were amazing. I was only disappointed a few times (trying to have a hamburger with my kids, and being told they couldn't make a gf cheese soufflé). We ended up eating the majority of our meals in the dining room since they were better equipped to deal with gf food requests.

Overall I think Celebrity does a good job - but for celiac travelers like myself they still have a ways to go making sure all staff understand the implications/requirements for gf passengers.

Just back from The Summit. The quality of the Gluten Free food was hit and miss. The pizza was not edible. The regular bread was fine, the macaroons in the cafe were wonderful and the blueberry pancakes were just ok. We dined in Blu for all our breakfasts and dinners. The service and detail to keeping my husband's diet gluten free was excellent. We met several other passengers in Blu who also needed to dine GF and we compared notes on the offerings. The waitstaff were so kind and went out of their way to give us GF servings. Unfortunately, the chefs did not deliver tasty GF options. The muffins were like hockey pucks, tasteless and with a nasty consistency. The main courses were fine. However, after many years of having Celiac Disease, and eating GF, we know that Celebrity could do better. We have had excellent pizza, muffins, bread and pastries on other cruise lines. As one of the other GF diners in Blu said "can't these chefs just buy a mix"? My husband would pre-order his meals a day in advance. However, at the buffet he was on his own with few options. I would give the great service by our waiters, the lovely hostess and muffin server an A plus and the chef a D for effort.

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