Gluten free options on rhapsody

We are booked on rhapsody of the seas out of Venice for next June .

My wife has recently been diagnosed with celiac disease so must follow a strict gluten free diet.

I wondered if anyone with the same dietary issue has been on rhapsody recently and if so what were the options available in the windjammer / MDR ?

Can specific meals be requested in advance in the MDR ?

The problem is compounded by the fact that she is a "picky" eater and had quite a limited diet before the celiac diagnosis and I want to try to ensure that her cruise is not spoiled by lack of food choices.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Discuss with the Maitre D' on embarkation day her dietary needs. They will handle it.

We are booked on rhapsody of the seas out of Venice for next June .

My wife has recently been diagnosed with celiac disease so must follow a strict gluten free diet.

I wondered if anyone with the same dietary issue has been on rhapsody recently and if so what were the options available in the windjammer / MDR ?

Can specific meals be requested in advance in the MDR ?

The problem is compounded by the fact that she is a "picky" eater and had quite a limited diet before the celiac diagnosis and I want to try to ensure that her cruise is not spoiled by lack of food choices.

Contact special_needs@rccl.com and notify them of the dietary restrictions.

I only have experience on NCL, but I would avoid the Windjammer. The chefs may say it's gluten free, but you can never guarantee other guests haven't contaminated the food by sharing spoons between entrees.

What we have done for my daughter (and plan to do on our RCI cruise in March) is fill out the special needs form and be sure it's indicated on your reservation. See the restaurant manager the day you board and tell them your dining plan. Typically they will have her book her meal the day before so it's ready, or the mgr will meet her at her table for each meal. So far, we haven't had any issues at all - outside of shore excursions. If you are doing one that includes a meal, make sure to take to the shore excursion desk too. We had an instance on our last cruise where they didn't get the info from the reservation and we were left scrambling on a beach to find her something. (Luckily I had packed snacks just in case).

Good luck!

It is possible to eat gluten-free in the Windjammer. Some Royal ships have a dedicated island serving station offering only gluten-free foods. I always have the head Windjammer chef walk me around the various serving stations noting which foods are gluten-free. It is also possible to have special items, such as grilled or broiled fish prepared specially for you in the gluten-free are of the kitchen. GF morning toast and lunchtime bread can be requested. Toast is handled with gloved hands and toasted in a dedicated GF toaster. Sometimes it takes some time between ordering and receipt.

I do not expect GF accommodation on excursions and always pack GF nut or fruit bars.

I am celiac and with much diligence eat regularly in the Windjammer.

This was an interesting read:

http://realfarmacy.com/reason-toxic-wheat/

This was an interesting read:

 

http://realfarmacy.com/reason-toxic-wheat/

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

Contact special_needs@rccl.com and notify them of the dietary restrictions.

Yes, PLEASE notify them of the restrictions!! Last year on a 12-night Med cruise they started to run out of some GF things like the GF bread they usually served at dinner (which was actually good - the replacement for a night was DISGUSTING) because (I was told this by my server and the head waiter for my area in the MDR) more people were requesting/requiring gluten-free than had informed them. They try to stock according to the upcoming passenger list requests plus SOME extra in case people hadn't notified them, but apparently there were a lot of people who figured "It's more common now so they'll have enough."

We were lucky in that they were able to get more GF supplies in Venice where we overnighted as they have some cruises leaving from there so there is already a restocking option built in.

But yes, please let them know. I had only been GF for a few weeks before cruising and they made it super easy for me to stay GF throughout the cruise.

Rhapsody has a gluten free section in windjammer and gluten free menu selections. No idea if they truly are though...

Anthem had a great GF area in the back of the windjammer. They took the responsibility very seriously - no other food was in the area. They made GF crepes to order!

On Harmony this spring we were a blast. We had 1 GF, 1 severe nut allergy and 1 honey sensitivity.

The head waiter came each night with the following nights menu for them to look at and ask questions. One night was chicken cordon bleu- a favorite of my GF SIL. They made her a special gluten free portion.

The first night was BBQ ribs. The honey gal wanted those, but I had the waiter ask. The chef said yes, there was honey, but that he would make her her very own honey free version the following night- she loved it.

So yes- let them know in advance. It is in their best interest to fall all over themselves to make sure you have a great experience, and for us that's exactly what they did- even if there were some things they had to steer clear of....

I've been celiac for 4 years now, cruising is relatively easy for GF provision as you can keep the same waiter and the ship fare is easy to navigate - as has been said there will often be a GF island in the windjammer, and GF options on menus. I'll add that the best GF provision might be in the speciality restaurants - Giovani's has some brilliant GF stuff on the menu anyway, and will of course make some things GF for you too. The other superb place is Izumi, where many of the Sushi dishes will be GF naturally, and cetrainly on Anthem they had GF kikkoman Soy Sauce - my absolute best dining was in Izumi. So much so that I actually chose Rhapsody because It has an Izumi on board :D. Also if you ask at coffee shop they usually have individually wrapped stuff like GF cookies, and the pizza place had added GF Pzza in Sorrentos and salads :)

I have not sailed on that ship but as a Celiac as well I recommend your wife add it to her RC profile as well as visit the dining room upon arrival on ship to inform them of her allergy. I have noticed that the Windjammer on several ships clearly labels all the food but I always find a chef to ensure it is safe. She can also find a red coat manager in the Windjammer who can take her order for any special requests. On the Serenade the manager, always put aside hummus and cookies for me to take back to my cabin.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hi! I have been a celiac for 36 years and while I have no issues with understanding what I can eat off the menu and ordering the evening prior this is my first cruise back on RCL after about 20 years of sailing HAL. The last time I cruised RCL they provided cornbread for dinner made on board in the bakery which was subject to cross contamination. No other gf food such as pasta, muffins, bagels, cookies etc were provided. I really have been spoiled on HAL with their gf service for those who register as Celiacs as they will do pancakes, waffles, all kinds of adapted food like chicken fingers, deep fried fish and chips etc in their gf kitchen plus the other items mentioned above during meal service. My question is this - am I only going to have bread available on our Rhapsody cruise out of Venice on Nov 25th, 2018 or does RCL provide food services now similar to what HAL does in matching similar types of food items in the MDR? I generally do not eat at the buffet due to cross contamination issues and the fact that the allergen kitchen on ships serves the MDR predominantly and the food travelling up to the buffet can get cold and delayed. Many thanks for any feedback that people can provide as to the types of gf products like breakfast items found on RCL.

DH has celiac. We've been cruising Royal for 12 years, more than 20 cruises on many of the Royal ships.

The availability, awareness, and variety of foods offered has increased greatly during that time. Royal has responded to the increased request for GF foods, and has many items in MDR, specialty restaurants and Windjammer.

Recent items added included packaged Udi's hot dog and hamburger buns, pancakes or French toast in MDR, macaroons, pasta cooked to request(allow extra time), improved pizza, GF stir-fry, meat/fish/ chicken grilled on a dedicated grill and many more options.

Communication is the key in whatever venue you choose to eat--talk to a dining room manager or chef and they will absolutely work to meet your needs.

Enjoy!

Barb

We are just off rhapsody 3 weeks ago. This was our first cruise since my wife was diagnosed with celiac disease . We were a bit apprehensive since she is quite picky anyway and were concerned she would struggle to find anything to eat!

We need not have worried - she was treated like royalty!

I emailed the special needs department about 4 weeks in advance to let them know about this.

On boarding we went to the MDR and talked to the head waiter.

We had the same table , waiters and head waiter each night.

We were given the next nights menu at the end of each meal and my wife chose what she wanted and they adapted it to be GF and had it ready the next evening. If there was nothing on the menu she wanted she just told them what she fancied and they made it. Sometimes took a little longer but no big deal . They made some surprise GF desserts for her to try a couple of nights. In the windjammer there is a GF section. If you want something special ask for the head chef (Desmond) and he will make sure you have what you want. We ordered pancakes at breakfast , fries and pizza at lunch etc.

The key is communication with the head waiters and chefs.

We ended up having a fantastic cruise with some great food and the best team of waiters and staff we have yet come across - this is our 6th cruise with RCI.

Hope you have a great time!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Tell your wife to find the head chef in the Windjammer on the first day. Become his buddy, seriously. She can discuss what she likes and he will take care of her for all meals in the windjammer. She should find the headwaiter in dining room as well. Stay away from the buffers as others use them and cause cross contamination. Don’t forget to tip those who go out of the way to ensure she is taken care of.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums