Gluten Free on Coral Princess to Alaska

[fireflymd]

One member of our party has Celiac Disease. I have noted it on our preference form and have already faxed a notice to Princess as instructed. Do you normally receive any type of reply after sending the fax?

 

For those of you who have eaten gluten-free on the Coral Princess:

 

Do you know what brand of rolls, bread, pancakes, muffins etc. they used?

 

Does Princess come us with alternative sauces (using cornstarch, for example), or are the sauces just left off the meal?

 

We plan on bringing the Udi's Dinner Rolls (these are great if you haven't tried them yet); as well as Udi's bread for sandwiches.

 

I will pack Ziploc bags for our excursions when we need to pack our own sandwiches.

 

I am less concerned with eating on the ship than I am with travelling by rail or going on excursions. I am planning to bring KIND bars for snacks/meal replacement if needed. I'm trying to find out if we ask for sandwiches to be made for a packed lunch, what kind of bread will they use?

 

I have already contacted our Whales, Bears & Glaciers excursion company and they have noted they will provide a sandwich sans bread so that we may add GF bread when we get there.

 

Of course I will contact Princess as well. I would love to hear the experiences from other celiacs who have travelled on the Coral Princess.

[chrysalis]

You will not be able to pack lunches for excursions because the food will be loaded in Canada on the ship and can't be taken ashore in the USA.

 

Princess makes its own bread and roll, etc on board.

[Kamloops50]

My DW wife has to be Gluten Free . She found on our last cruise that Princess has become very in tune with different allergies that passengers have . The buffet they try to mark what is glutten free .For breakfast my DW was able to get gluten free toast . At lunch/dinner in the buffet they have a list of Gluten free , sugar free and lactose free deserts. In the MDR they aren't as good indicating gluten free , here common sense rules with food choices.

[SissyG]

I have celiac disease and have found that Princess is very involved in making sure my food is prepared properly.

 

WE always introduce ourselves to the Maitre'd at the beginning of the cruise and let him know I need a gluten free diet. I have usually received a letter in response to letting Princess know ahead of time and I show this letter. Every night the head waiter will bring the following nights menu to you in the dining room and help you select what is already gluten free or what can be prepared gluten free. They go out of their way to adapt the recipes and even take special requests.

 

The previous poster is correct you will not be allowed to take off any food from the ship except food that is already packaged such as Like bars. But I have found in the past few years a much greater awareness about GF and I have not found this to be a problem worldwide.

 

ON the room service menu I have actually requested gluten free bread and gluten free cereal and also have asked for the breakfast sandwich to be made with gf bread and have always had success.

 

 

One other little tip..I always bring a couple of my Canyon Bakehouse hamburger rolls with me so I can enjoy a nice big burger out on deck at the grill...

 

Sissy

[fireflymd]

My DW wife has to be Gluten Free . She found on our last cruise that Princess has become very in tune with different allergies that passengers have . The buffet they try to mark what is glutten free .For breakfast my DW was able to get gluten free toast . At lunch/dinner in the buffet they have a list of Gluten free , sugar free and lactose free deserts. In the MDR they aren't as good indicating gluten free , here common sense rules with food choices.

 

I have celiac disease and have found that Princess is very involved in making sure my food is prepared properly.

 

WE always introduce ourselves to the Maitre'd at the beginning of the cruise and let him know I need a gluten free diet. I have usually received a letter in response to letting Princess know ahead of time and I show this letter. Every night the head waiter will bring the following nights menu to you in the dining room and help you select what is already gluten free or what can be prepared gluten free. They go out of their way to adapt the recipes and even take special requests.

 

The previous poster is correct you will not be allowed to take off any food from the ship except food that is already packaged such as Like bars. But I have found in the past few years a much greater awareness about GF and I have not found this to be a problem worldwide.

 

ON the room service menu I have actually requested gluten free bread and gluten free cereal and also have asked for the breakfast sandwich to be made with gf bread and have always had success.

 

 

One other little tip..I always bring a couple of my Canyon Bakehouse hamburger rolls with me so I can enjoy a nice big burger out on deck at the grill...

 

Sissy

 

 

It is interesting that on this forum I can only multi-quote 2 people!

 

Thanks for responding. Do either of you know which brands were used on board? There are some brands of GF that are quite good (like Udi's), and others that are quite bad. Perhaps I just need to contact Princess directly but I'm concerned that the operators don't know what brands are carried on the ships.

 

We will be doing the land tour before the cruise:

 

Would we be able to get a sandwich made before a land tour excursion where we are leaving one of the Princess lodges and going to an excursion? (For example, we will be taking the bus tour through Denali park one day, and on another day we will be hiking all day in Denali park.)

[fireflymd]

You will not be able to pack lunches for excursions because the food will be loaded in Canada on the ship and can't be taken ashore in the USA.

 

Princess makes its own bread and roll, etc on board.

 

Thank you for providing this information--I did not realize we could not take packed lunches off the cruise ship.

 

Our cruise begins in Anchorage (we are doing the land tour first, then going south from Anchorage to Vancouver)--does this still hold true?

[Kamloops50]

It is interesting that on this forum I can only multi-quote 2 people!

 

Thanks for responding. Do either of you know which brands were used on board? There are some brands of GF that are quite good (like Udi's), and others that are quite bad. Perhaps I just need to contact Princess directly but I'm concerned that the operators don't know what brands are carried on the ships.

 

We will be doing the land tour before the cruise:

 

Would we be able to get a sandwich made before a land tour excursion where we are leaving one of the Princess lodges and going to an excursion? (For example, we will be taking the bus tour through Denali park one day, and on another day we will be hiking all day in Denali park.)

 

The ships make all their own bread including the GF bread.

[Kamloops50]

Thank you for providing this information--I did not realize we could not take packed lunches off the cruise ship.

 

Our cruise begins in Anchorage (we are doing the land tour first, then going south from Anchorage to Vancouver)--does this still hold true?

 

Yes that rule also applies to ships leaving southbound towards Vancouver . The ships stock with supplies in Vancouver . They take enough on board for 14 days . Whittier isn't really equipped to handle the restocking of the ship. Because they travel in international waters for part of the cruise , your not allowed to take any fresh food (ie sandwiches or fruit ) ashore in Alaska.

[Arwen]

One member of our party has Celiac Disease. I have noted it on our preference form and have already faxed a notice to Princess as instructed. Do you normally receive any type of reply after sending the fax?

 

For those of you who have eaten gluten-free on the Coral Princess:

 

Do you know what brand of rolls, bread, pancakes, muffins etc. they used?

 

Does Princess come us with alternative sauces (using cornstarch, for example), or are the sauces just left off the meal?

 

We plan on bringing the Udi's Dinner Rolls (these are great if you haven't tried them yet); as well as Udi's bread for sandwiches.

 

I will pack Ziploc bags for our excursions when we need to pack our own sandwiches.

 

I am less concerned with eating on the ship than I am with travelling by rail or going on excursions. I am planning to bring KIND bars for snacks/meal replacement if needed. I'm trying to find out if we ask for sandwiches to be made for a packed lunch, what kind of bread will they use?

 

I have already contacted our Whales, Bears & Glaciers excursion company and they have noted they will provide a sandwich sans bread so that we may add GF bread when we get there.

 

Of course I will contact Princess as well. I would love to hear the experiences from other celiacs who have travelled on the Coral Princess.

 

You will have no trouble with dinners. I have not been on the Coral Princess. When booking, Princess will note the GF food need. That being said, I have sailed 13 times over the past nine years, three different cruise lines, HAL, Celebrity, and Princess (two most recent cruises).

 

I suggest that you bring GF cereal, cookies, or other goodies. In the "old" days, the cruise lines were beyond generous with GF goody choices. Like all cutbacks, I have found on a longer cruise with HAL and the most recent on the Princess Diamond that the GF experience was "meh". On the Diamond, in Horizon, they do have GF cereal, rice krispies, I had to ask for it...that was fine, but the Horizon "manager" had to go and get it. It took about five to seven minutes to wait for her return with the cereal in a bowl for me. Make sure you find the cold milk because I poured some from a pitcher near the cereals and it was warmed milk :-) I also requested a gf muffin for breakfast one morning in Horizon and that took a looooong time to get, too. The muffins were very dry and not worth it (the toasted, buttered bread is pretty good).

 

If you want pancakes, I would recommend taking a bag of Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix (or your favorite) along. Most of the gf goods (except for the sweet cakes, and other gf desserts in Horizon during lunch and sometimes dinner) are just so-so. Also, the gf desserts, at least on the Sapphire and the Diamond are next to the gluten desserts in the dessert case.

 

As you may already know, service for a gf breakfast is much better in the MDR's.

 

My dinners were fine. I had two fabulous dinners on formal night. The other dinners, the chef made no special effort to do anything beyond serving what I call "plain". Sauces were watery (o.k.) but in the past I have had other cruise Chefs go out of their way with substitutions to make a GF meal that was really quite good. No special desserts that I could find for dessert after dinner, (but then all of the cruises have cut back on this). I usually ordered ice cream or creme brulee.

 

That being said, it sounds like you have done an excellent job of planning.

 

I was told on the Sapphire Princess last March, (one week Mexico) that I could order Pizza (Pizza area is near the pool?) but that I needed to place my order 24 hrs ahead of time.

 

The GF experience isn't as special as it was nine to eight years ago, but we all know that the cruise lines are adjusting to the new economic realities. Still, the quality of the GF experience varies from ship to ship.

[Pia1913]

Just off the Coral November 11th and noticed that in HC there were always desserts marked Gluten Free.

[Budget Queen]

With your LAND touring, I suggest you get into Anchorage at least a day ahead of your cruisetour, and purchase and bring with you what you will need for the length of your land tour. Princess lodges are NOT going to have a big variety of your food restrictions, and you probably are going to be paying a lot more than you would be used to. Especially without your own transportation, you especailly won't have a lot of options, if you are the Denali Princess and/or McKinley Princess.

 

In Anchorage, do your shopping at Walmart, Carr's(Safeway), or Fred Meyer. All of these will have a full selection available of your food items. BUT, this location is going to be your ONLY option at these prices and selections.

 

You maybe can do some "preordering" from the lodges, but I would give them at least a month's notice, and then keep checking every week. You have no idea- they can't just run out and get them for you. Closest "full service" is hours away, which they aren't going to do.

 

As I have mentioned previous, you need to pack/purchase and take with you, twice what you think you will need, in my opinion.

[fireflymd]

The ships make all their own bread including the GF bread.

 

It is unlikely their bread will be better than Udi's so I will take note and bring bread and rolls on board.

 

Yes that rule also applies to ships leaving southbound towards Vancouver . The ships stock with supplies in Vancouver . They take enough on board for 14 days . Whittier isn't really equipped to handle the restocking of the ship. Because they travel in international waters for part of the cruise , your not allowed to take any fresh food (ie sandwiches or fruit ) ashore in Alaska.

 

Thank you so much for this information--I will not have to worry about getting a GF sandwich--we'll just bring bars/snacks to our excursions.

[fireflymd]

You will have no trouble with dinners. I have not been on the Coral Princess. When booking, Princess will note the GF food need. That being said, I have sailed 13 times over the past nine years, three different cruise lines, HAL, Celebrity, and Princess (two most recent cruises).

 

I suggest that you bring GF cereal, cookies, or other goodies. In the "old" days, the cruise lines were beyond generous with GF goody choices. Like all cutbacks, I have found on a longer cruise with HAL and the most recent on the Princess Diamond that the GF experience was "meh". On the Diamond, in Horizon, they do have GF cereal, rice krispies, I had to ask for it...that was fine, but the Horizon "manager" had to go and get it. It took about five to seven minutes to wait for her return with the cereal in a bowl for me. Make sure you find the cold milk because I poured some from a pitcher near the cereals and it was warmed milk :-) I also requested a gf muffin for breakfast one morning in Horizon and that took a looooong time to get, too. The muffins were very dry and not worth it (the toasted, buttered bread is pretty good).

 

If you want pancakes, I would recommend taking a bag of Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix (or your favorite) along. Most of the gf goods (except for the sweet cakes, and other gf desserts in Horizon during lunch and sometimes dinner) are just so-so. Also, the gf desserts, at least on the Sapphire and the Diamond are next to the gluten desserts in the dessert case.

 

As you may already know, service for a gf breakfast is much better in the MDR's.

 

My dinners were fine. I had two fabulous dinners on formal night. The other dinners, the chef made no special effort to do anything beyond serving what I call "plain". Sauces were watery (o.k.) but in the past I have had other cruise Chefs go out of their way with substitutions to make a GF meal that was really quite good. No special desserts that I could find for dessert after dinner, (but then all of the cruises have cut back on this). I usually ordered ice cream or creme brulee.

 

That being said, it sounds like you have done an excellent job of planning.

 

I was told on the Sapphire Princess last March, (one week Mexico) that I could order Pizza (Pizza area is near the pool?) but that I needed to place my order 24 hrs ahead of time.

 

The GF experience isn't as special as it was nine to eight years ago, but we all know that the cruise lines are adjusting to the new economic realities. Still, the quality of the GF experience varies from ship to ship.

 

 

I really appreciate your response. This is kind of what I anticipated, even without the GF issue. We love the Pamela's pancakes, so if they were willing to make them even once, that would be great. As long as they have bacon for breakfast, we'll be just fine!

[fireflymd]

Just off the Coral November 11th and noticed that in HC there were always desserts marked Gluten Free.

 

Good to know, thanks. I'll still bring GF cookies just in case. And as long as they serve ice cream, we should be fine.

 

With your LAND touring, I suggest you get into Anchorage at least a day ahead of your cruisetour, and purchase and bring with you what you will need for the length of your land tour. Princess lodges are NOT going to have a big variety of your food restrictions, and you probably are going to be paying a lot more than you would be used to. Especially without your own transportation, you especailly won't have a lot of options, if you are the Denali Princess and/or McKinley Princess.

 

In Anchorage, do your shopping at Walmart, Carr's(Safeway), or Fred Meyer. All of these will have a full selection available of your food items. BUT, this location is going to be your ONLY option at these prices and selections.

 

You maybe can do some "preordering" from the lodges, but I would give them at least a month's notice, and then keep checking every week. You have no idea- they can't just run out and get them for you. Closest "full service" is hours away, which they aren't going to do.

 

As I have mentioned previous, you need to pack/purchase and take with you, twice what you think you will need, in my opinion.

 

Instead of shopping in Anchorage we will be bringing Udi's bread and dinner rolls from home, as well as GF cookies and then the awesome Kind bars. If we were able to purchase a "sandwich" from the lodge to bring on an excursion, we would just request the meat and use our own bread anyway. I appreciate the advice on bringing more than what we think we'll need.

[Pia1913]

Good to know, thanks. I'll still bring GF cookies just in case. And as long as they serve ice cream, we should be fine.

 

.

 

Sorry. No ice cream in HC on the Coral. Never once in our 14 days aboard.

[fireflymd]

Sorry. No ice cream in HC on the Coral. Never once in our 14 days aboard.

 

Is HC the buffet Horizon Court? I'm pretty sure there is ice cream on the ship, because I have read reviews about soft serve ice cream onboard.

[Pia1913]

Is HC the buffet Horizon Court? I'm pretty sure there is ice cream on the ship, because I have read reviews about soft serve ice cream onboard.

 

Soft serve is at the ice cream bar, not in Horizon Ct. It's a separate area out near the pool.

[Arwen]

Is HC the buffet Horizon Court? I'm pretty sure there is ice cream on the ship, because I have read reviews about soft serve ice cream onboard.

 

Yes, soft serve outside the HC. But they serve it only in an ice cream cone. No bowls there, though they say that they make sundaes :rolleyes: I guess they mean ice cream cone sundaes :confused:

 

I have brought my own bowl out of the HC and taken it over there to get some. Of course, you know the whole routine about clean scooper, clean water....sigh because of cross contamination issues.:)

[fireflymd]

Yes, soft serve outside the HC. But they serve it only in an ice cream cone. No bowls there, though they say that they make sundaes :rolleyes: I guess they mean ice cream cone sundaes :confused:

 

I have brought my own bowl out of the HC and taken it over there to get some. Of course, you know the whole routine about clean scooper, clean water....sigh because of cross contamination issues.:)

 

Yes, I have read we can take a bowl out of the dining area for the ice cream. It seems ridiculous to me that they only serve it in a cone. Yeah, the cross contamination thing is such a hassle. (I'm just grateful it's not an allergy issue where I have to worry about anaphylaxis.)

 

And I just realized that while I can pack a suitcase with bread, rolls, and chocolate chip cookies, I won't have access to a freezer to keep everything fresh. There's always a wrinkle! I'll just have to hope the bread and rolls survive the trip.

[Pia1913]

Yes, I have read we can take a bowl out of the dining area for the ice cream. It seems ridiculous to me that they only serve it in a cone. Yeah, the cross contamination thing is such a hassle. (I'm just grateful it's not an allergy issue where I have to worry about anaphylaxis.)

 

And I just realized that while I can pack a suitcase with bread, rolls, and chocolate chip cookies, I won't have access to a freezer to keep everything fresh. There's always a wrinkle! I'll just have to hope the bread and rolls survive the trip.

 

Not every ship and not every server will accept a bowl or cup from HC. It all depends when and who's on duty.

[Budget Queen]

Yes, I have read we can take a bowl out of the dining area for the ice cream. It seems ridiculous to me that they only serve it in a cone. Yeah, the cross contamination thing is such a hassle. (I'm just grateful it's not an allergy issue where I have to worry about anaphylaxis.)

 

And I just realized that while I can pack a suitcase with bread, rolls, and chocolate chip cookies, I won't have access to a freezer to keep everything fresh. There's always a wrinkle! I'll just have to hope the bread and rolls survive the trip.

 

I will still suggest, you consider shopping in Anchorage. :)

[Arwen]

Not every ship and not every server will accept a bowl or cup from HC. It all depends when and who's on duty.

 

Yup, I really do like Princess....and we are booked for the one week Mexico cruise on the Sapphire Princess that departs on Jan. 12th. I am a "defector" from HAL,....well at least for the past year. It really is irritating that ice cream has to be such an issue. On the Mexico cruise last year I was able to get ice cream in a bowl. Hello Princess Execs???? Are you reading. There are many of us who cannot have a cone, like wheat allergies, etc.

 

Perhaps, it is an issue of Princess being afraid of liability if someone gets really sick from cross contamination or has a severe wheat allergy reaction. If so, could they at least stock ice cream bars that folks like me can purchase. I know that I would have easily purchased quite of few Eskimo type ice creams if offered on our recent 16 day Asia cruise on the Diamond. Personally, I have no problem being charged for this. You have to pay for coke, and alcohol and it would have really "improved" my cruise experience:D

[fireflymd]

I will still suggest, you consider shopping in Anchorage. :)

 

Which stores in Anchorage stock Udi's?

[Budget Queen]

Which stores in Anchorage stock Udi's?

 

I mentioned, looking at Carrs (Safeway), Fred Meyer and Walmart. All have huge full service stores in Anchorage. contact them directly perhaps?

[Debbie4994]

Yes, soft serve outside the HC. But they serve it only in an ice cream cone. No bowls there, though they say that they make sundaes :rolleyes: I guess they mean ice cream cone sundaes :confused:

 

I have brought my own bowl out of the HC and taken it over there to get some. Of course, you know the whole routine about clean scooper, clean water....sigh because of cross contamination issues.:)

 

They had paper cups & spoons available for ice cream on the Island or you could bring your own glass or bowl.