SEVERE Shellfish Allergy...what can be done?!

[angelsbaby1]

I am severly allergic to shellfish. I had not had a problem in the past until we went on the Celebrity Solstice in November, 2008! Now I am a little nervous when I cruise.

 

The incident: This was an inaugural sailing. We had an aft balcony on this huge, beautiful ship. As a perk on the first day, they brought canapes to the cabin while we were out exploring the ship (no ports on inaugural). We returned, thankful for the snack (they looked really good). Knowing that I am allergic to shellfish my DP called guest services to perhaps ask the chef what the ingredients were in the canapes. The guest services attendant called back to our cabin advising us that the ingredients consisted of salmon, cream cheese & spices...and NO SHELLFISH. I had no problem with that since I am not allergic to salmon or other fish, ONLY shellfish! Well after eating one (and they were pretty small), I immediately started having an allergic reaction :eek:! It was very scary and my partner was FURIOUS! Anyway, after rushing to the medical facility (which seemed very far from our cabin), having an IV and a few breathing treatments, I was fine (although I had to keep the IV port in my arm for the entire next day "just in case").

 

After that incident, the entire staff was very attentive! Especially the wait staff...including the Maitre D'! He came to our table every night to make sure that I was ok. They even knew me in the buffet. They sort of "followed" me around making sure that I knew which items contained shellfish :confused: which was embarrassing but pretty funny to me (I know the things I can or cannot eat)!

 

Ok (after all of that, :rolleyes: lol!) here are my questions! DP has already notified Princess about my allergy and they said they would send us a confirmation prior to our sail date in June. My question is what will they do once I am onboard? Has anyone ever experienced this? Any advice/thoughts would be appreciated!

 

Thanks,

 

Angel :)

[tequilasunrise]

Honestly, the only thing you really can do it eat things that are obviously not shellfish. But, I think it's unlikely there will be hidden shellfish in many things--it's a delicacy so they proudly announce it. But avoid fish soup stocks and such just in case. And think about exposure to shrimp juices on appetizer trays that contain more than one item.

 

Hopefully you are not so sensitive that airborne particles cause a reaction. That would make cruising nearly impossible. :( Hope it works out for you.

[uppitycats]

I am severly allergic to shellfish. I had not had a problem in the past until we went on the Celebrity Solstice in November, 2008! Now I am a little nervous when I cruise.

 

The incident: This was an inaugural sailing. We had an aft balcony on this huge, beautiful ship. As a perk on the first day, they brought canapes to the cabin while we were out exploring the ship (no ports on inaugural). We returned, thankful for the snack (they looked really good). Knowing that I am allergic to shellfish my DP called guest services to perhaps ask the chef what the ingredients were in the canapes. The guest services attendant called back to our cabin advising us that the ingredients consisted of salmon, cream cheese & spices...and NO SHELLFISH. I had no problem with that since I am not allergic to salmon or other fish, ONLY shellfish! Well after eating one (and they were pretty small), I immediately started having an allergic reaction :eek:! It was very scary and my partner was FURIOUS! Anyway, after rushing to the medical facility (which seemed very far from our cabin), having an IV and a few breathing treatments, I was fine (although I had to keep the IV port in my arm for the entire next day "just in case").

 

After that incident, the entire staff was very attentive! Especially the wait staff...including the Maitre D'! He came to our table every night to make sure that I was ok. They even knew me in the buffet. They sort of "followed" me around making sure that I knew which items contained shellfish :confused: which was embarrassing but pretty funny to me (I know the things I can or cannot eat)!

 

Ok (after all of that, :rolleyes: lol!) here are my questions! DP has already notified Princess about my allergy and they said they would send us a confirmation prior to our sail date in June. My question is what will they do once I am onboard? Has anyone ever experienced this? Any advice/thoughts would be appreciated!

 

Thanks,

 

Angel :)

 

You need to sit down with the chef on the first day and make it quite clear what your allergies are. He (or she) will go through the menu for the main dining room with you, indicating what you might be able to eat or not eat, and what he could adapt so you could eat. Sometimes they'll do the same with the buffet, but not always. He'll do this each day.

 

You likely will be asked to primarily eat in the main dining room, although if you want to eat in a specialty restaurant, you'd have to do the same thing -- meet with the chef to go over what is on the menu.

 

Be aware that there is a chance of cross-contamination -- someone handles shellfish, then serves dinner, and there is shellfish on his hands and then on your plate, for example. Perhaps that is what happened with the dish you got. Or perhaps the cream cheese was "softened" with a bit of broth in which shellfish had been cooked. If the KNOW that you're severely allergic from the start, they'll make sure that YOUR portion is indeed free of shellfish.

 

You should always be prepared, though, for accidents to happen -- and bring along whatever meds you might need to counter an allergic reaction. With 2000+ people on the ship, lobster (shellfish) being a popular meal, it's hard to avoid something that ubiquitous!

[4cats4me]

Do you travel with an Epi Pen just in case?

I have an allergy to lobster but not to shrimp or crab, and you can't always

tell which dishes will have shellfish contained in them.

One time at the buffet I was going to get some pasta. It just looked like

regular past, i.e., tomato sauce, and then I noticed some meat in it

and decided to ask the chef what kind of meat was contained within it,

and he told me, "Lobster."

So, who would have guessed they'd put lobster in the pasta at a daytime

buffet?

 

Good luck to you

[angelsbaby1]

Honestly, the only thing you really can do it eat things that are obviously not shellfish. But, I think it's unlikely there will be hidden shellfish in many things--it's a delicacy so they proudly announce it. But avoid fish soup stocks and such just in case. And think about exposure to shrimp juices on appetizer trays that contain more than one item.

 

Hopefully you are not so sensitive that airborne particles cause a reaction. That would make cruising nearly impossible. :( Hope it works out for you.

 

Thanks Tequilasunrise!

I am very careful to eat only things that I KNOW do not contain shellfish. If I don't recognize something I will always ask and even then (after this incident), I am still careful and only take tiny bites until I see that there will be no reaction. No...airborne particles do not bother me at all (DP loves shellfish and occasionally cooks it at home). The only thing I have had to worry about is cross contamination (I think that's what it's called :confused:) like when fish is fried in the same oil with shrimp. I have experienced that before but usually all I get is a scratchy throat. :p

Angel :)

[caribill]

You need to sit down with the chef on the first day and make it quite clear what your allergies are.

 

No, you meet with your headwaiter or Matre d' the first day, not the chef.

 

The headwaiter will meet with you each evening and bring you dining room menus for B,L, and D to go over.

 

If you are using anytime dining, stick with one of the anytime rooms so that you can have the same headwaiter each day.

 

If you use the buffet you need to be extra careful as some foods that cointain no shellfish may have been on preparation tables that once did.

[angelsbaby1]

Do you travel with an Epi Pen just in case?

I have an allergy to lobster but not to shrimp or crab, and you can't always

tell which dishes will have shellfish contained in them.

One time at the buffet I was going to get some pasta. It just looked like

regular past, i.e., tomato sauce, and then I noticed some meat in it

and decided to ask the chef what kind of meat was contained within it,

and he told me, "Lobster."

So, who would have guessed they'd put lobster in the pasta at a daytime

buffet?

 

I do now! LOL! :p

[angelsbaby1]

No, you meet with your headwaiter or Matre d' the first day, not the chef.

 

The headwaiter will meet with you each evening and bring you dining room menus for B,L, and D to go over.

 

If you are using anytime dining, stick with one of the anytime rooms so that you can have the same headwaiter each day.

 

If you use the buffet you need to be extra careful as some foods that cointain no shellfish may have been on preparation tables that once did.

 

Great advice...thanks Caribill! :)

[VibeGuy]

I also have an allergy to crustaceans, and sail frequently. I haven't had a problem with "hidden" shellfish onboard, although I do avoid deep fried foods in the Horizon Court due to the near-constant presence of fried shrimp and the issue that it takes a certain exposure to heat and time to make the oil safe again. If I want fries or onion rings, I hit the grill outside.

 

In my conversation with the executive chef on Sapphire, the look of horror on his face when I asked about the use of flavor bases indicated to me that they're unlikely to spike a soup with crustacean-shell-derived flavor agents, which have been "gotcha" points for me in the past. I do avoid anything that says "seafood" rather than "fish", though - I can't recall the specific items, but there are a few dishes on the MDR dinner menus that are clearly made with shrimp stock. Having done the Chef's Table and galley tours, I'm extremely comfortably with the sanitary practices of Princess and feel like they use a number of precautions to avoid cross-contaimination - for example, each individual entree is run at a specific station in the galley- if the choices are beef, chicken, veal, finfish and crustaceans, they're all being cooked on separate grills/ranges/etc, an excellent way to isolate allergenic foods from others. The Maitre d'Hotel, Jacques Gennai, went out of his way to accomodate me, btw, for the Chef's Table, which turned out to be entirely safe from the dreaded nasties.

 

Personally, I don't have an issue with canape trays and such, as the amount of delivered allergen is so tiny that I don't react from a shrimp touching a quiche, for example.

 

Sadly, we avoid Sabatinis as so many of the courses contain shellfish and I am worried about "wet" cross-contamination (ie, from a saute pan or tongs being reused and getting a healthier dose of allergen) as I've never seen the galley or the precautions they take.

 

Bon Voyage!

[Crzn-Life]

We were on the CB with our daugher who all is allergic to shellfish. She didn't tell the headwaiter even though it clearly states on the menu that if you have any allergies tell the headwaiter before ordering. She was naive enough to think that if no shellfish were listed in the ingredients on the menu, she would be safe. Bad, bad, bad and boy did she ever hear about from the headwaiter later.

 

After she had a reaction, she was never allowed to order without talking to our headwaiter. He greeted her at the table, personally bringing the menu, making specific recommendations and very closely watching out for her. He informed all of the other headwaiters as well as the maitre d' so she was taken care of actually to the point of hovering. She actually got so much attention we felt we were dining with a celebrity!

 

Talk to the maitre d' and headwaiter the first day before ordering anything. Also feel free to ask to speak with the chef if that will give you more confidence. They will definitely take care of you.

[buddy&bella]

i love this web site!!i didn't know you should tell the head waiter if you are allergic to some foods. i am allergic to all shellfish. so i will be sure to let them know. thanks so much for this information!!judy:o

[angelsbaby1]

i love this web site!! i didn't know you should tell the head waiter if you are allergic to some foods. i am allergic to all shellfish. so i will be sure to let them know. thanks so much for this information!!judy:o

 

I love Cruise Critic too! This site has made me a more informed and educated cruiser/traveler! If I have any questions or concerns about ANYTHING related to my cruise vacation, I always ask here FIRST! :p I can always count on my savvy CC followers to help. Then, if necessary, I will follow up with the appropriate person/people!

I'm glad that my thread/posts have helped you!

Happy sailing!

Angel :)

[Toto2Kansas]

The one tip I can give you so this will not happen again is to never eat mystery foods (even if you call down for the ingredients) that are delivered to your stateroom. There is a lot of cross contamination that can occur. This also goes for the buffet, I would totally stay away from it for this severe of an allergy. Even though the cruise ship might not have put shell fish in something, on a buffet, it could end up there from another passenger. (you know how some go through that buffet like their house is on fire and they are starving half to death). If such a small amount can do this, it just isn't worth taking the chance again.

Stick with the Main Dining rooms and talk to your waiter, head waiter and Maitre d' (even reminding them occasionally if something looks suspicious on a night they are serving shellfish).

It would be easy enough to not order the foods you are allergic to, but that cross contamination for foods not prepared specifically for you can be a nitemare. Best of luck and I hope you enjoy your next Princess cruise. :)

[Alli Cruiser]

Angel,

 

Aside from the recommendations posted above regarding food preparation and speaking to the staff. I would carry a back up Epi pen in case one gets damaged lost etc...Also, they aren't supposed to be exposed to extreme heat as it supposedly affects the efficacy of the medication.

 

Secondly, I would have a medical alert bracelet or necklace on at all times indicating your allergy in case you and your partner are not together and you have a reaction. Not to sound alarmist...but you do want to take some practical steps so you can maximize your enjoyment without (as much) worry.

 

Best regards,

 

Linda

[Cruisin' Chick]

Do you travel with an Epi Pen just in case?

I have an allergy to lobster but not to shrimp or crab, and you can't always

tell which dishes will have shellfish contained in them.

One time at the buffet I was going to get some pasta. It just looked like

regular past, i.e., tomato sauce, and then I noticed some meat in it

and decided to ask the chef what kind of meat was contained within it,

and he told me, "Lobster."

So, who would have guessed they'd put lobster in the pasta at a daytime

buffet?

 

Good luck to you

 

No, you meet with your headwaiter or Matre d' the first day, not the chef.

 

The headwaiter will meet with you each evening and bring you dining room menus for B,L, and D to go over.

 

If you are using anytime dining, stick with one of the anytime rooms so that you can have the same headwaiter each day.

 

If you use the buffet you need to be extra careful as some foods that cointain no shellfish may have been on preparation tables that once did.

 

As Caribill suggests, talk to the headwaiter or Matre'd. It's their job to make sure your dining experience is pleasurable and without drama.

 

Since I don't eat fish at all, I usually don't have a problem. But once I took some stirfry at the Horizon Court, sat down and realized there were little pink things mixed in. Had to toss it and get something else. I did write on my comment card that the items in the Horizon should be better labelled as some people do have severe allergies to shrimp, peanuts, etc.

 

The only time I had a noticeable reaction was at a Taste Of event. Felt my throat closing up, took an antihistamine and then returned to the booth serving the chicken I had (figured it wasn't the dessert causing the reaction). Sure enough, the chicken was in a serving tray along with shrimp. So now I try to check out serving trays (when not at a restaurant, of course) where serving utensils and food may be mixed. (I sometimes feel like an egg roll when getting my daughter some Panda Express, but they often keep the fried shrimp in the same tray)

[angelsbaby1]

Angel,

 

Aside from the recommendations posted above regarding food preparation and speaking to the staff. I would carry a back up Epi pen in case one gets damaged lost etc...Also, they aren't supposed to be exposed to extreme heat as it supposedly affects the efficacy of the medication.

 

Linda

 

 

Thanks Linda, for the valuable information! I didn't know that the Epi pen was not supposed to be exposed to extreme heat (which will happen in the caribbean :eek:). I will definitely carry an extra one and avoid leaving it in my bag (i.e. at the beach, etc). Hopefully, I won't need to use it, but it's better to be safe!

 

My partner & I are rarely not together (especially while eating :p), but you make a good point. I will check into getting some sort of "alert" bracelet.

 

Happy cruising everyone!

 

Angel :)

[katisdale]

I would second the recommendation to avoid the buffet. I think the staff is good about avoiding cross contamination but not your fellow cruisers. I have many times noticed someone using the tongs or spoon on one item and then using that same serving utensil for another dish. Then of course they return the utensil to the original dish.