soymilk? infant

[azndo4life]

I am traveling on Liberty of the Seas this summer and have family members who are allergic to milk. Doe RCL have soy milk on board?

 

Also we have an infant traveling with us...any advice?

[Sue L]

Contact special needs at special_needs@rccl.com note the _ between special and needs.

 

You will need to bring all food, diapers etc for the baby or they now offer prepurchase of these items. How old is the baby? will they need a pack and play or bed? You should go on the family board for a ton of tips and specifics.

[azndo4life]

i will contact them..thank you..what is included in the pack and play? and do i just call them ahead of time?

[lisaf1]

I used a their pack and play a few years ago when my dd was only 18 months old.( She is now 5.) They use regular sheets and fold them up to fit. You may want to bring a few sheets that fit pack and plays. You definitely want to bring your own blanket. They don't have small blankets and the ones for the regular beds are much to big and heavy to use for an infant.

 

You do need to notify them in advance that you will need a pack and play

 

Lisa

[Sue L]

i will contact them..thank you..what is included in the pack and play? and do i just call them ahead of time?

 

 

when you book you can notify them, the special needs email is for the allergy to milk. How old is the baby?

[azndo4life]

when you book you can notify them, the special needs email is for the allergy to milk. How old is the baby?

 

She will be 19 months in august

[Sue L]

She will be 19 months in august

 

 

You may want to see if you can find a pack and play in the store to see if she will be comfortable in it.

[wrp96]

Definitely let Special Needs know about the milk allergy.

 

They usually have soy milk available onboard but it sometime it can take some searching to find. In the dining room, the first night make sure to let your waiter and assistant waiter know about the milk allergy. If you are wanting the soy milk with the meal, make sure to let the assistant waiter know as soon as you sit down so he can go searching for it. Same thing if you eat breakfast in the dining room, let the assistant waiter know as soon as you sit down so he can immediately go and look for it.

 

In the Windjammer, you should look for a supervisor or manager to ask about the soy milk as they don't keep it sitting out.

[Missa]

In 2007, my 12 month old son was (still is) very allergic to milk. We had Silk soymilk delivered to our room from room service every morning (the the in-room fridge are not very cold, didn't know if it was safe to keep it from spoiling overnight). Silk Soymilk was availbable upon request. Never had to search for wait staff to make my request, they were always giving him much attention (cruise staff LOVE childern).

 

Fill out the specail needs form, and check-in with your matre D when boarding (before attending dinner), go over what your child typically eats for meals, and they will have everything you need.

 

My son also has EE and has allergies to wheat, egg, potato & corn. We are used to is and have found many things he can eat (basically an Atkins diet, no carbs or starches, lol), and had no need to take any special food with us. There are plenty of small cereal boxes in the Windjammer that you can easily have on your body when your child has an "un-timely" hunger and needs snacking, they do love their snacking :D

 

That same sailing, we had an oddly shaped interior room (not like their typical set ups, more narrow rather then deep, twin bads together up against one wall, ship-provided-graco-pack-n-play between the beds and opposite wall (nightands were unassecible at that point), and 4 yo dd above us on a pullman, funtimes, hehe. When my son woke early in the mornings, I just left the room with him and we hung out in the nearest public area, which happened to be the C&A lounge on Granduer, we'd stare out the window, watch the stats on the TV, look down the stairwell glass. All while Dh and dd slept in a bit longer. Yes, it was best to let the two most cranky family members get their full rest, otherwise, i would pay, LMBO ;)

 

Take a lightweight stroller. My son adapted to napping where we were on the boat via stroller. Espcially if we planned the day at the pool. Once he was tired enough, daddy or I would take a quick stroll with the stroller, he'd have no choice but be out, (he was so active, it didn't matter where he was to him where normally at home he can't nap anywhere but in his crib), i would return to the pool, umbrella of stroller covering him by my lounge chair, and I enjoyed some peace int eh sun too. Then dh & I could switch off and play with dd in the pool, instead of feeling caged in your stateroom mid-day.

After dinner, did the same thing. Walk the promenade untill his feet were exhausted, then he'd sit in the stroller and volia, he was out cold, so much so we were able to watch some of the theater shows from the very back, by the entry door. If he fell asleep to noise, continued noise levels weren't gonna disturb him.

 

Enjoy your trip :)

[cantw8togo]

Definitely let Special Needs know about the milk allergy.

 

In the Windjammer, you should look for a supervisor or manager to ask about the soy milk as they don't keep it sitting out.

 

In the Windjammer, you need to speak to a Souschef, they are the ones wearing a white chef's jacket with blue trim (not to be confused with others who wear a white chef's jacket with a blue neck kerchief). They will be able to tell you what is dairy free and what can be quickly altered to become dairy free, such as the steamed vegetables that are usually served with butter.

 

If your family member's allergy is life threatening, then you may want to only dine in the MDR where the kitchen can control cross contamination. They have a separate kitchen to prepare special meals. In the Windjammer, they make efforts to accommodate allergies but they can't guarantee cross contamination.

 

As already stated, they do stock soymilk and the margarine and the sourdough buns are dairy free (much of the other bread does contain dairy). I hope your family members like jello and fruit plates, as the selection of dairy free desserts is nil; although Ben & Jerry's, if onboard your ship, do stock great dairy free sorbets for a fee. The sorbet's in the MDR are technically sherberts as they do contain dairy. If they have a sweet tooth, you may want to bring along some suitable treats. In the MDR, they will show you the menu for the next night so that you can preorder your meal. If your plans change and you decide to dine elsewhere, just let them know as soon as possible.

 

Hope this helps and if you have any other questions, just ask.

 

N.

[4NJCruisers]

Thank you for all the helpful information. I have received the special needs form but have not filled it out yet. My DD is allergic to milk. We will be driving to port and was wondering, if I bring a few containers of sorbet will they be able to keep in the MDR freezer for me or can I just request it and they will get it for me? I do not think that our room has a refrigerator.

[Missa]

Thank you for all the helpful information. I have received the special needs form but have not filled it out yet. My DD is allergic to milk. We will be driving to port and was wondering, if I bring a few containers of sorbet will they be able to keep in the MDR freezer for me or can I just request it and they will get it for me? I do not think that our room has a refrigerator.

 

They should have no problem keeping it in the MDR for you. You room's fridge is not very cold, just keeps mini bar items slightly coller then room temp.

 

they also sould not keep you from bringing it on board, if they give you trouble, show them your dd's epipen (does she have one), if not, just saying food allergy should be enough

 

i have found that their is always a confusion of what kind of sorbets or diary-free or not. i would only trust your own. Other then that, they will prepare your child's food separately, not to cross contaminate.

[4NJCruisers]

Missa, Thanks for the info. I will make a copy of the special needs form just in case they question me.

[cantw8togo]

Thank you for all the helpful information. I have received the special needs form but have not filled it out yet. My DD is allergic to milk. We will be driving to port and was wondering, if I bring a few containers of sorbet will they be able to keep in the MDR freezer for me or can I just request it and they will get it for me? I do not think that our room has a refrigerator.

 

While they should be able to store it in the freezer, I would try to double check this before you bring it on board. There is nothing like trying to scarf down a couple of containers of sorbet before they melt because they can't/won't honour this request. Technically, you are only allowed to bring nonperishable food items on board. The following is from their website.

 

Guests may not bring on board any food items other than baby food and/or dry, nonperishable snack items (cookies, crackers, chips, energy bars, etc).

 

N.

[gerif]

Thank you for all the helpful information. I have received the special needs form but have not filled it out yet. My DD is allergic to milk. We will be driving to port and was wondering, if I bring a few containers of sorbet will they be able to keep in the MDR freezer for me or can I just request it and they will get it for me? I do not think that our room has a refrigerator.

 

I don't think I would count on being able to store personal items in the ship's freezer. Definitely check with special needs and GET IT IN WRITING if they say yes. There may be a contamination issue. Do they have a Ben & Jerry's on your ship? You can purchase sorbet there.