Soy Allergy Experiences on Allure

I need some info about how others have managed soy allergy on Allure. Have gotten tips on Gluten/ RCCL has procedures in place for gluten allergies(my problem too). But soy is in most processed foods. I know the MDR will be able to adjust (hopefully). But there are days they are not open for lunch. Traveling in a group with children, so will not do specialty dining this cruise.

I need to know is all chicken and possibly other meats sitting marinating in soy oil throughout the ship the way many places do? Does anyone know if there are any fryers where french fries are not cooked in Soy vegetable oil? How hard was it to get salad dressing not made with soy oil on the ship? It is hard to buy in the store. It is easy to make though and there are now a few specialty brands we can purchase. For many years all had to be homemade. Do they have any potato chips or tortilla chips that would be safe? At home (could read the label) but same brand on the ship might not be safe if sourced outside US. Have not seen anyone address this and how they managed. I am asking for tips and personal experiences.Hopefully this will also give others with the same issue something to refer to. Already notified special needs and know to meet with head waiter the first day. Any tips and experiences would greatly be appreciated.:confused:

I need some info about how others have managed soy allergy on Allure. Have gotten tips on Gluten/ RCCL has procedures in place for gluten allergies(my problem too). But soy is in most processed foods. I know the MDR will be able to adjust (hopefully). But there are days they are not open for lunch. Traveling in a group with children, so will not do specialty dining this cruise.

I need to know is all chicken and possibly other meats sitting marinating in soy oil throughout the ship the way many places do? Does anyone know if there are any fryers where french fries are not cooked in Soy vegetable oil? How hard was it to get salad dressing not made with soy oil on the ship? It is hard to buy in the store. It is easy to make though and there are now a few specialty brands we can purchase. For many years all had to be homemade. Do they have any potato chips or tortilla chips that would be safe? At home (could read the label) but same brand on the ship might not be safe if sourced outside US. Have not seen anyone address this and how they managed. I am asking for tips and personal experiences.Hopefully this will also give others with the same issue something to refer to. Already notified special needs and know to meet with head waiter the first day. Any tips and experiences would greatly be appreciated.:confused:

I have severe soy allergies. Most of the spray oils they use in their bakery products have soy. In each dining venue, ask to speak to the Executive Chef or Executive Sous Chef. They are happy to find or prepare food for you to eat. I react very rapidly if I have one bite of soy or cottonseed, and I feel horrible for the next several weeks. I’m an “official FDA statistic on the hazards of eating soy or cottonseed”within a couple of minutes. The chefs have been great for letting me read the containers to check the ingredients. I know the main dining room uses containers of mash potato flakes that contain cottonseed flour. Also, they oil the skins of the baked potatoes with either soy or cottonseed oil. Now in the specialty restaurants, they don’t oil the skins of the baked potatoes, and they use real baked potatoes instead of flakes. I always ask if they use margarine which has soy. We find it is easier to eat on a RCCL ship than other places. They can make salad dressings without soy or soy lecithin. On the Allure, one of the Executive Sous Chefs named BJ takes pleasure in cooking fries without soy. Whenever we see him, he asks us if we want some of his fries. It takes a little while for him to prepare them.

Please be sure and post back to let us know how it goes on your cruise as well so others who have similar issues can find what happened.

Did you see BJ just in the main dining room or MDR? Did you get a feel for any options in other venues since MDR is not open for lunch many days. Any feel for whether they marinate things like chicken in soy in advance? Sounds like soy vegetable oil might even be in things like their grilled vegetables. Was it possible to get soy free dressings in the WJ? Or will we need to request a supply of soy free dressing and carry it around the ship in small container.

Thank you for the tips and input. It is a start on preparation. I am not as sensitive as you but we find soy is harder to manage than other issues since hidden in everything. I forgot anyone uses margarine. We have no soy in the house at all. Traveling with others so want to smooth the way. Any more input and tips appreciated and I will report back how we managed both soy and other food issues on the ship.

Did you see BJ just in the main dining room or MDR? Did you get a feel for any options in other venues since MDR is not open for lunch many days. Any feel for whether they marinate things like chicken in soy in advance? Sounds like soy vegetable oil might even be in things like their grilled vegetables. Was it possible to get soy free dressings in the WJ? Or will we need to request a supply of soy free dressing and carry it around the ship in small container.

Thank you for the tips and input. It is a start on preparation. I am not as sensitive as you but we find soy is harder to manage than other issues since hidden in everything. I forgot anyone uses margarine. We have no soy in the house at all. Traveling with others so want to smooth the way. Any more input and tips appreciated and I will report back how we managed both soy and other food issues on the ship.

We were first introduced to him the first day at lunch on Deck 8. The various dining staff in the different food venues would call him. Every time we have been on the Allure, we ask if he is on the ship. He would ask us where we would eat our next meal. Even if he was working in one of the speciality restaurants, he would check on us. He would let the various chefs and wait staff know what I could eat, and what I had to avoid. I try to preorder my next meal before we leave the present restaurant. Also, they know I can’t have any seasonings or spices. All of my foods are cooked plain. We love cruising on the Allure. Hopefully, BJ hasn’t been transferred to the Symphony. The other RCCL ships do almost as good as the Allure. Remember a lot of whipped butters are mixed with margarine. They try to make my meals look appetizing.

Thanks so much for the info. I too am not as sensitive as you are. I hate really boring food but if well prepared, olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper can go a long way. Did you find that they prepared food for you in the MDR or simply told you what you could or could not have? Can you even find real butter on the ship or is it all mixed with margarine? I really am partial to fish and seafood and hope they can prepared so I can eat. Did you eat in the WJ at all? Did you have any favorites on the menu? So many items seem to be prepared with sauces where I would suspect soy is included.

Surprised they would use soy spay oil on baked goods and be difficult to find a fryer w/o soy vegetable oil in it. Soy is too common an allergen.

Thanks so much for the info. I too am not as sensitive as you are. I hate really boring food but if well prepared, olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper can go a long way. Did you find that they prepared food for you in the MDR or simply told you what you could or could not have? Can you even find real butter on the ship or is it all mixed with margarine? I really am partial to fish and seafood and hope they can prepared so I can eat. Did you eat in the WJ at all? Did you have any favorites on the menu? So many items seem to be prepared with sauces where I would suspect soy is included.

Surprised they would use soy spay oil on baked goods and be difficult to find a fryer w/o soy vegetable oil in it. Soy is too common an allergen.

Yes, I can eat in the WJ. They fix all of my foods fresh back in the galley. The chefs seem to take food allergies seriously, and they don’t want food cross contamination with serving utensils in buffet lines. I’ve seen them do this with other cruisers’ allergies. They don’t want to deal with Alphas due to food reactions in their restaurants. Remember the Oasis Class ships have very small WJ’s. On Embarkation Day, The Park Cafe (my panini’s are prepared in the toaster oven), the Solarium Cafe, and several other free venues are open for lunch. Since Johnny Rockets uses either soy or cottonseed oils, I can’t eat there. Family and friends feel I get bigger and better cuts of beef, chicken, and seafood. I eat small potions. None of my foods are boring. The chefs ask if they can use a little bit lemon juice, olive oil, canola oil, cream, or butter on my foods. I can have those. We are amazed with their creativity.

Thanks so much for the info. I too am not as sensitive as you are. I hate really boring food but if well prepared, olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper can go a long way. Did you find that they prepared food for you in the MDR or simply told you what you could or could not have? Can you even find real butter on the ship or is it all mixed with margarine? I really am partial to fish and seafood and hope they can prepared so I can eat. Did you eat in the WJ at all? Did you have any favorites on the menu? So many items seem to be prepared with sauces where I would suspect soy is included.

Surprised they would use soy spay oil on baked goods and be difficult to find a fryer w/o soy vegetable oil in it. Soy is too common an allergen.

. The chefs seem to be more concerned on what I would like to eat than what I can’t eat. If some foods are premarinated overnight, they will prepare that food for me without marination if I want. Generally it is easier for me to eat on RCCL’s ships than it is in hotels or restaurants. I don’t go hungry on the ships. Our family hopes you have a wonderful cruise.

Can you give an idea how long you would have to wait for your food to be prepared if you went to WJ? Since we are with a group DW will likely want to order for me there if have to wait for them to cook. Having some idea what to expect helps. Does that mean that in the solarium and park cafe they did not have soy in everything? I am gluten free. I still want to know which venue on the ship I can get those fries not cooked in soy oil. Did you learn if their potato chips and corn chips are safe while you were onboard? I had been warned that even if ship uses a brand that is safe for me in the US the ship could buy the same brand sourced somewhere else and they might have soy oil in ingredient list.

Can you give an idea how long you would have to wait for your food to be prepared if you went to WJ? Since we are with a group DW will likely want to order for me there if have to wait for them to cook. Having some idea what to expect helps. Does that mean that in the solarium and park cafe they did not have soy in everything? I am gluten free. I still want to know which venue on the ship I can get those fries not cooked in soy oil. Did you learn if their potato chips and corn chips are safe while you were onboard? I had been warned that even if ship uses a brand that is safe for me in the US the ship could buy the same brand sourced somewhere else and they might have soy oil in ingredient list.

You have to ask the chefs in each venue what foods you can eat. The Park Cafe uses various Frito Lays chips in individual bags. I read the list on the back of the bags to see which one I can eat. If they use another brand, I still read the bag. Unless you can get a Chef to prepare some fries in a different kind of oil, you probably won’t be able to eat any of them. One of the Chefs might be able to bake them in an oven for you. They can be made to be crispy. It is not the same preparing them in oil, but they can be tasty. It takes the WJ Chefs about 10-15 minutes to fix my meals. Do remember there are several free eating venues on the Allure. Since the WJ on the Oasis Class ships are small, they can be very crowded for every meal, and you may have to que. You can be standing in line to enter the WJ for quite awhile. We try to eat meals in the various free restaurants. Also, we try to eat when the restaurants open so the food is fresher, and it hasn’t been sitting out very long. Every dining venue has soy and non soy items. Look at RCCL’s website for dining venues on the Allure. With such a variety of dining places, it was rare we had a meal in the WJ. I like my cooked vegetables steamed without any oil. Many of my sandwiches are lettuce wrapped instead of a bun. Since the soft serve ice cream cones contain soy or cottonseed, I put my ice cream in a WJ coffee cup or a WJ bowl. If your group knows where they are planning to eat ahead of time, you can call or go to the restaurant ahead of time to let them know what you are wanting to eat. That way they have fresh things set aside for your meal. Also, we let them know what time we were planning to eat. I find it is better everyday to go to the restaurants to preorder my next meal instead of calling on the phone. If we are planning to eat somewhere more than once, I let them know what I want for my next visit to the restaurant. We try not to make it difficult for them to fix my meals. The Chefs will want your name and your stateroom number to help them prepare something delicious for you. They put it in the computer system so every cook and every server are aware of your allergies. You have to let them know you have special food needs. Then they can double check the dishes. It is still important to remind them of what you can’t eat before you order or put anything in your mouth. RCCL ships have special galley areas where they prepare foods for those that have food allergies. If you want tostada chips, bring your own big bag from home to stay safe. Same if you like a particular brand of potato chips. If we are having a meal with people we don’t know, I preorder my meal ahead of time. I ask them to tell the server to bring me a menu along with everyone else so the server can discreetly go over my choices. My salad dressings consist of olive oil and vinegar, a lemon and oil, a tomato based mixture, or a cheese based vinegar and oil (or heavy cream). A raspberry oil and vinegar dressing is yummy.

You have to ask the chefs in each venue what foods you can eat. The Park Cafe uses various Frito Lays chips in individual bags. I read the list on the back of the bags to see which one I can eat. If they use another brand, I still read the bag. Unless you can get a Chef to prepare some fries in a different kind of oil, you probably won’t be able to eat any of them. One of the Chefs might be able to bake them in an oven for you. They can be made to be crispy. It is not the same preparing them in oil, but they can be tasty. It takes the WJ Chefs about 10-15 minutes to fix my meals. Do remember there are several free eating venues on the Allure. Since the WJ on the Oasis Class ships are small, they can be very crowded for every meal, and you may have to que. You can be standing in line to enter the WJ for quite awhile. We try to eat meals in the various free restaurants. Also, we try to eat when the restaurants open so the food is fresher, and it hasn’t been sitting out very long. Every dining venue has soy and non soy items. Look at RCCL’s website for dining venues on the Allure. With such a variety of dining places, it was rare we had a meal in the WJ. I like my cooked vegetables steamed without any oil. Many of my sandwiches are lettuce wrapped instead of a bun. Since the soft serve ice cream cones contain soy or cottonseed, I put my ice cream in a WJ coffee cup or a WJ bowl. If your group knows where they are planning to eat ahead of time, you can call or go to the restaurant ahead of time to let them know what you are wanting to eat. That way they have fresh things set aside for your meal. Also, we let them know what time we were planning to eat. I find it is better everyday to go to the restaurants to preorder my next meal instead of calling on the phone. If we are planning to eat somewhere more than once, I let them know what I want for my next visit to the restaurant. We try not to make it difficult for them to fix my meals. The Chefs will want your name and your stateroom number to help them prepare something delicious for you. They put it in the computer system so every cook and every server are aware of your allergies. You have to let them know you have special food needs. Then they can double check the dishes. It is still important to remind them of what you can’t eat before you order or put anything in your mouth. RCCL ships have special galley areas where they prepare foods for those that have food allergies. If you want tostada chips, bring your own big bag from home to stay safe. Same if you like a particular brand of potato chips. If we are having a meal with people we don’t know, I preorder my meal ahead of time. I ask them to tell the server to bring me a menu along with everyone else so the server can discreetly go over my choices. My salad dressings consist of olive oil and vinegar, a lemon and oil, a tomato based mixture, or a cheese based vinegar and oil (or heavy cream). A raspberry oil and vinegar dressing is yummy.

Also, look where the chips are manufactured. Most of the Frito Lay chip bags come from Plano, TX.