mhurley142

First night we ate in Sindu after going to the restaurant to notify them in advance as advised by reception. I also visited Horizon and spoke with an office before The Chef's Table on the Sunday. There I was served Beef Wellington which I refused despite protestations that is was safe for me to eat, even after pointing out that I have Coeliac Disease and celery and fish allergies. They eventual brought me pain beef as I was told the previous day. I also asked if the bread roll provided was gluten free and was told twice it was save for me to eat, sadly it was not and I suffered from Sunday night to Thursday unable to keep anything down. I did accompany my wife to the MDR on Wednesday and asked for the gluten free cheese and biscuits pointing out my celery allergy. I hoped I might keep dry biscuits down but no chance as they served it with celery batons. Anaphylaxis could have been the result had I consumed any of the cheese and biscuits meal. Thursday I went on the Langfoss Waterfall day trip, the excursions staff had confirmed is be provided with lunch that meet my dietary needs. On arrival the caterer was not aware and P&O Cruises had not notified her. I did manage to eat the salad provided so not silk bad. That evening we went to Epicurian Restaurant and more in hope than expectation I visited on Wednesday evening to pre-order sirloin steak and was told am would be gutted free and safe for me to eat, including onion rings. I checked on arrival with the manager, had waiter and waiter but shortly after eating the onion ring the symptoms began. The restaurant manner informed me that the chef was sorry he'd given the waiter the wrong plate. I was so unwell I could not leave the cabin for the rest of the cruise. Everything seemed to casual, the staff so busy and the ingredients lists missing from menus, yes they did state gluten free and vegetarian but that was it. My concerns are the training of the staff, most I spoke with had no idea what coeliac is, I had to explain why I was not eating when accompanying my wife When are staff trained to deal with special diets? The ship's are constantly sailing with passengers on board. What are the management processes and procedures and how are they checked and by whom? Why aren't allergen lists posted next to the take away food serveries as in UK restaurants. The night before embarking I nervously ate in a chain restaurant, the manager spoke with me explained how my food would be prepared separately and my allergies where entered on a tablet device and the meals I could eat and not eat were shown. None of this on Iona. I was unwell for almost 2 weeks after the cruise requiring specially prescribed medication to stop stomach spasms and help prevent sickness.

Thank You for your comments. I avoided the Horizon buffet after looking and seeing the opportunities for cross-contamination on the first day. Labelling on all of the menus and food venues was non-existent. This meant relying upon the managers, waiters, and kitchen staff to provide you with food that contained no allergens. In my personal experience, the staff were one or all of the following insufficiently trained, did not understand your requirements, were not following procedures, working practices equated to ignoring requests or were too busy to pay attention to special dietary requests. I also heard people regularly selecting gluten-free menu options are asking for the sealed pack gluten-free cakes; I suspect this leads to complacency among staff who see special diet customers as another person wanting something different or special. At home I avoid restaurants unless I know that the chef or cook has Coeliac Disease so follows procedures to ensure a safe gluten-free meal. I have also found the local chef's training college teaches students to prepare gluten-free and allergen-free foods to meet my medical diet, their restaurant is open to the public andfor advance booking only; might be worth you investigating to see if a college in your area does the same.

Thanks to all who have commented. Please if you know others who have experienced problems ask them to share their experiences ASAP

Thanks for your comments. I suspect the problem lies with the short staff contracts not providing time to fully train staff and make them aware of the issues and dangers to life and health that can result. I'm beginning to get the feeling that management on and off the ships just simply don't care. If you are aware of others who have bad experiences please ask them to share their stories ASAP

My 3 bad experiences were in August and September 23

Thanks for your comments. When was this experience you encountered on Aurora? Was staff training or their processes for managing medical/special diets addressed by anyone at P&O Cruises on the ship or by head office?

Yes I made a complaint but the response was you left the ship and spent in the onboard shops! They entirely failed to recognise the issues and address them. I'm vertu concerned they do not understand the implications and potential harm they are exposing their customers to. Like so many other businesses they want our custom so claim they can meet our requirements but have failed to recognise the need for necessary training and process management to ensure the safety of their customers.

Yes

Thank you for your comments. My experiences were also very bad and could easily have been much much worse. Staff do not seem to have been trained, aware of needs or simply don't care. Very very concerning

Do you have Coeliac Disease and/or other medical diet requirements and were provided with gluten-containing or other allergens meals during their cruise on Iona? I'm concerned about their staff training, management processes and procedures due to my bad experiences, despite following their recommendations and advising restaurant managers and waiters before eating meals provided, during a 7-day cruise.