Gluten free Celebrity Reflection

[Snowescapee]

We returned from Silhoutte on Sunday and all in all I was impressed with Celebrities handling of allergy requests. There are definately a few areas that they need to address but overall it was a good experience. The menus with the allergy symbols were helpful and the waiters appeared to know the ingredients inside out of what was served. We had no issues eating in the specialty restaurants as well. The only place we couldn't eat was The Porch.

 

I know my allergies were listed on our reservation as each time we were greeted by our waiter he was able to rhyme off my allergies.

[maritimer2]

I am loving all of the positive feedback since I started this post. In time, I am confident cruising is going to be the best place for those of us with allergies. Now if we could just get the all inclusives and hometown restaurants to do the same.:)

[dkcmb1981]

I was limited with selections with the gluten, egg, dairy and shellfish allergies but my DH had gluten free French toast in the MDR and gluten free pizza in the buffet. The French toast was requested one day in advance in the MDR and the Pizza one day in advance at the buffet. He didn't particular care for the pizza crust though. He could of had the pancakes if he wanted. I never heard of any gluten free hotdog or hamburg buns on this trip.

 

We were also offered gluten free bread with every meal. This was store bought and they provided the list of ingredients at the beginning of the cruise. I prefer the UDI brand bread but it has egg so I can't have it.

 

We also brought on our own Almond Milk (Earth's Own tetra pack size) and Organic Ville salad dressing. Our waiter offered the kitchen to store it for us so we labelled everthing and he brought to the table each meal. It was really great that I did not have to carry it from the cabin each time.:)

 

The menus were indeed allergy friendly to a point. They clearly indicated which were gluten free and dairy and a couple of others I can't recall right now. There has been discussions about labelling the buffet similarly in the future. Fingers are crossed for improvements in the buffet delivery. Especially the beautiful Sea day brunch, that would be amaizing........:D

 

I too need to eat GF due to Celiac here is part of one of the responses I got :

 

 

We have received your notice regarding your food needs and will forward the

information to the ship. We do not have a separate gluten free menu. Instead, we

prefer to customize the existing menus on board, which gives you more freedom of

choice while still catering to your individual needs. Any item on our menus can

be modified so as to minimize or remove the ingredients that may be harmful. By

speaking with your head waiter in the dining room your needs will be

communicated to the galley and an open line of communication will be established

among everyone concerned.

 

And here is another:

 

Thank you for contacting us. We bake our own gluten free bread onboard everyday.

We can prepare rolls if you like but unfortunately we do not have gluten free

pancakes. Please refrain to eat at the buffet area since we cannot control cross

contamination there. If you would like you can speak with the restaurant

manager, but we recommend you eat at the dining room.

 

We will be on the Summit. We cruised with another cruise line and found that room service worked well especially for breakfast. Is the main dining room open for breakfast or lunch ? what kinds of things are offered for room service at lunch time?

 

BTW - I would definitely support the idea of having UDI products on board...they are the best IMO.

[bakcd]

I too need to eat GF due to Celiac here is part of one of the responses I got :

 

 

We have received your notice regarding your food needs and will forward the

information to the ship. We do not have a separate gluten free menu. Instead, we

prefer to customize the existing menus on board, which gives you more freedom of

choice while still catering to your individual needs. Any item on our menus can

be modified so as to minimize or remove the ingredients that may be harmful. By

speaking with your head waiter in the dining room your needs will be

communicated to the galley and an open line of communication will be established

among everyone concerned.

 

And here is another:

 

Thank you for contacting us. We bake our own gluten free bread onboard everyday.

We can prepare rolls if you like but unfortunately we do not have gluten free

pancakes. Please refrain to eat at the buffet area since we cannot control cross

contamination there. If you would like you can speak with the restaurant

manager, but we recommend you eat at the dining room.

 

We will be on the Summit. We cruised with another cruise line and found that room service worked well especially for breakfast. Is the main dining room open for breakfast or lunch ? what kinds of things are offered for room service at lunch time?

 

BTW - I would definitely support the idea of having UDI products on board...they are the best IMO.[/

 

On our November cruise aboard the Equinox, bread in the Lido came froma Food For Life bag. Although I never saw the bag inthe dining room, I believe the same bread was served at dinner. I do wish the would carry one of the newer varieties that are so much better. I haven't seen fresh baked bread on the last 5 or 6 cruises.

[NSWP]

G'day fellow Celiacs, (we spell it coeliac) How can one avoid the buffet and its alleged cross contamination re gluten as Celebrity says you should do? The MDR is not open on port days right?

 

I am a medically diagnosed Coeliac, but you have to risk some things and the buffet is one. Just use commonsense guys. I like the idea of menu items at dinner being marked GF though. If they can mark those menus why not mark breakfast and lunch menus too? Just a thought. On Aracdia last year the tucker was full of gluten at lunch, all that English food, pies, fish and chips etc. I ate Salads for lunch every day, good for me I suppose. I just hope on Solstice next week they have the alcoholic apple cider - Strongbow or similar, as that is my GF drink these days, plus muchas vino of course.

Edited March 2, 2013 by NSWP

[bakcd]

G'day fellow Celiacs, (we spell it coeliac) How can one avoid the buffet and its alleged cross contamination re gluten as Celebrity says you should do? The MDR is not open on port days right?

 

I am a medically diagnosed Coeliac, but you have to risk some things and the buffet is one. Just use commonsense guys. I like the idea of menu items at dinner being marked GF though. If they can mark those menus why not mark breakfast and lunch menus too? Just a thought. On Aracdia last year the tucker was full of gluten at lunch, all that English food, pies, fish and chips etc. I ate Salads for lunch every day, good for me I suppose. I just hope on Solstice next week they have the alcoholic apple cider - Strongbow or similar, as that is my GF drink these days, plus muchas vino of course.

 

I find that. It is possible to do breakfast and lunch in the Lido although the choices may become boring on a 14 day sailing. It is nice to have gf crepes in Bistro on 5 occasionally.

I'll pass on the cider but do hope to see gf beer in the future. In the meantime, I'll enjoy muchas vino. I have not gained weight on the last four 14 day sailings.l

[goofysmom99]

I think I read on here or the RCCL board that someone had a gf beer. Believe it was Red Bridge (Anheiser Busch product). I certainly hope so. I would love to have a gf beer with a gf pizza that I didn't make myself, and make believe it tastes good, no matter how crummy it is. I just want to relive my youth! :D

[LodgeLady]

Is Redbridge beer offered on the Constellation? I didn't see it mentioned onthe drink package descriptions. I have a feeling its not.

[dkcmb1981]

Ohhh , it would be great idf they had redbridge or another gluten free beer on the summit !!! Does any one know?

[dkcmb1981]

G'day fellow Celiacs, (we spell it coeliac) How can one avoid the buffet and its alleged cross contamination re gluten as Celebrity says you should do? The MDR is not open on port days right?

 

I am a medically diagnosed Coeliac, but you have to risk some things and the buffet is one. Just use commonsense guys. I like the idea of menu items at dinner being marked GF though. If they can mark those menus why not mark breakfast and lunch menus too? Just a thought. On Aracdia last year the tucker was full of gluten at lunch, all that English food, pies, fish and chips etc. I ate Salads for lunch every day, good for me I suppose. I just hope on Solstice next week they have the alcoholic apple cider - Strongbow or similar, as that is my GF drink these days, plus muchas vino of course.

 

 

 

Room service worked great for me ... it felt safer

[maritimer2]

Here is a list of Cider beers Celebrity has on there ships for 2012. I found this on another thread. Not sure which are gluten free, does anyone know for sure?

 

Ciders & Perry

Strongbow

{ Hard Cider } England| 275 ml 5

Magner’s

{ Hard Cider } Ireland| 11.2 oz 8

Woodchuck Amber

{ Hard Cider } Vermont| 12 oz 7

Woodchuck Pear

{ Perry Cider } Vermont| 12 oz 7

[LRene]

It looks like some of them are for sure. The Woodchucks in particular. Here's a link ( if it will post) where you can look some of them up. I've never tried any of them. Do they taste like beer?

 

http://www.glutenista.com/gluten-free-beer-list.html

 

One other thi g to note, the French fries at the grill were GF. They seemed coated so I had a chef check them. Also, they have GF bread at the buffet for toast and will toast it in a separate toaster if you ask.

Edited March 3, 2013 by LRene

[LodgeLady]

Does anyone know if Celebrity carries Red Bridge beer ( it is GF) ?

[Purplsmurf]

Does anyone know if Celebrity carries Red Bridge beer ( it is GF) ?

 

I just got off of the summit last week and unfortunately they do not have Redbridge. I didn't even see the woodchuck cider but then again I didn't ask.

 

I was happy with their menu specifying gf items. Made things so much easier!!

 

They did offer GF bread at dinner. It was ok, but I brought my own loaf of Udi's and ate that instead!

[Xcitdcruiser]

I am loving all of the positive feedback since I started this post. In time, I am confident cruising is going to be the best place for those of us with allergies. Now if we could just get the all inclusives and hometown restaurants to do the same.:)

 

Hello,

I too am unable to eat gluten, diary & egg - i was wondering what options you had for brekkie - i find that is the most difficult meal to be accomodated for.

 

And vegan desserts..mmm... did you have to pre-order these or are they available each night?

[NSWP]

As a Coeliac, I drink cider, just off Solstice and they had Strongbow on board. All ciders are GF, no wheat or barley. Regarding Redbridge GF Beer, not available on ships, but on Princess I ordered a case be put on for me at Fort Lauderdale a couple of years ago - Coral Princess - Panama Canal, FL to LA. Of course I paid for it. I reckon Celebrity would do that fo you if you E mailed their head office.

[maritimer2]

Hello,

I too am unable to eat gluten, diary & egg - i was wondering what options you had for brekkie - i find that is the most difficult meal to be accomodated for.

 

And vegan desserts..mmm... did you have to pre-order these or are they available each night?

 

I agree breakfast for us is surely a challenge everywhere you go. Even at home I mostly eat leftovers from the night before.

 

We started our day with mostly meat/vegetables and lots of fruit that we pre-ordered. I did try the bacon with no side affects but I am still not sure about that one. I eat gluten free bacon when I am home. Some days I ate "only oats" with almond milk which I carried on board. Also, I brought on several almond yogurts, Larabars and earth balance. I found small packettes of almond butter and coconut oil at the whole foods store too.

 

The vegan deserts were minimal but tasted wonderful. I think we had maybe 3 different ones, chocolate mousse, apple crisp and I can't remember the other. I would have had the chocolate mouse everynight. :D We suggested they use coconut milk as the main substitute and that made the difference. On the reflection we did ask them to make us desert as well. It was always a surprise!

[Xcitdcruiser]

I agree breakfast for us is surely a challenge everywhere you go. Even at home I mostly eat leftovers from the night before.

 

We started our day with mostly meat/vegetables and lots of fruit that we pre-ordered. I did try the bacon with no side affects but I am still not sure about that one. I eat gluten free bacon when I am home. Some days I ate "only oats" with almond milk which I carried on board. Also, I brought on several almond yogurts, Larabars and earth balance. I found small packettes of almond butter and coconut oil at the whole foods store too.

 

The vegan deserts were minimal but tasted wonderful. I think we had maybe 3 different ones, chocolate mousse, apple crisp and I can't remember the other. I would have had the chocolate mouse everynight. :D We suggested they use coconut milk as the main substitute and that made the difference. On the reflection we did ask them to make us desert as well. It was always a surprise!

 

Thank you so much for replying! I truly hate breakfast. But i love desserts :)

We are sailing on the Summit & have access to Blu, so hopefully they will take care of me. The ultimate dream? Raw desserts ...mmmm!!

[AmberCascades]

We are sailing on the Century to Alaska in August. This is the reply I got from Celebrity just minutes ago. They didn't address my question about bringing GF beer on board. I'm guessing that's a no. :) I guess we'll have to make room in our suitcases for some GF food.

 

"Hello,

We do not have a separate gluten free menu. Instead, we prefer to customize the existing menus on board, which gives him more freedom of choice while still catering to his individual needs. Any item on our menus can be modified so as to minimize or remove the ingredients that may be harmful. By speaking with your head waiter in the dining room his needs will be communicated to the galley and an open line of communication will be established among everyone concerned.

Once on board please meet with one of the Restaurant Managers and the Oceanview Cafe Manager to review the menus and identify those items that need to be modified or avoided. They will be happy to assist him and will forward his concerns and needs to the galley. All items prepared for guests with food allergies are handled separate from the main food production. Please note that if he choose to go into the other restaurants other than the Main Dining Room please meet with the Manager for that particular restaurant to go over the food items with him regarding his food allergies before eating. Guests are allowed to bring on their own supply of dry, nonperishable food items such as cookies, crackers, chips, energy bars, etc. They may also bring on their own individual packets of salad dressings. Guests may not bring on board any potentially hazardous food items. (Items that require refrigeration, freezing, reheating, or storage by the galley).

Best regards,

Access Staff

GM"

[Sabbycat]

If you book via a travel agent, would you also get notification from X that they had received your dietary needs like the emails indicated in this thread? Would the online booking show it when logging into to My Celebrity?

[bakcd]

As a Coeliac, I drink cider, just off Solstice and they had Strongbow on board. All ciders are GF, no wheat or barley. Regarding Redbridge GF Beer, not available on ships, but on Princess I ordered a case be put on for me at Fort Lauderdale a couple of years ago - Coral Princess - Panama Canal, FL to LA. Of course I paid for it. I reckon Celebrity would do that fo you if you E mailed their head office.

 

I was on the Infinity in May and they had Estrella Damn gf beer in Michael's Club. They also had the ciders.

[mommamd]

Just got back from Reflection, no cider at the bars that I asked, maybe just at Michael's? We got a gluten free cake made up one night for my parents anniversary, it was a sponge cake with chocolate filling and pretty delicious. I am recently this year gluten intolerant. The desserts are not labeled, only the appetizers and entrees, so the desserts are up to the waiter to find out for you. The breading on the frog's legs and meat chops are gluten free according to the head chef I interviewed. Some nut and rice blend I believe but I can't remember exactly. No gluten free hamburger buns at the Mast Grill. I was told to get some GF bread at the buffet and bring it back, "as if". So I ate a bunless burger like I usually do anyway. Being my first GF cruise - it was pretty good all in all. I wish I knew about the GF pasta, but then I don't really eat much pasta lately anyway. I adopted a Paleo diet earlier this year and felt much better without the bread and pasta. Of course, there was no way I was going Paleo in the Med!! I did not gain any lbs this cruise either but am very happy about that!!

If you are going to Capri, the Caffee Augustus on the main pier has GF food, BTW.

 

The waiters are pretty good at the specialty restaurants as well - Murano waiter was especially careful to let me know what had gluten in it. The buffet is always tricky as people contaminate things for you. One time I dropped a sausage and some lady picked it off the floor for me, really? What was I going to do with a dirty pork link? Yuck. I hope she didn't put it back, she didn't speak English.

[bakcd]

The Estrella Damn was only in Michael's Club thus only available when They were open. Must be the same for ciders.

[gfcruising]

I have sailed on Carnival, NCL, RCCL and Celebrity. I feel that RCCL and Celebrity were the best as far as the Gluten Free diet - especially Celebrity. You need to let Celebrity know you need a GF diet. On the day of your arrival make sure you see the Maitre'd to confirm. At dinner the first night make sure your waiter is aware of your diet. You will get the menu for the next day every evening. They do their best to make you something similar to what is on the menu for everyone... I NEVER have had a problem with Celebrity and have cruised with them over 10 times....:)

[maritimer2]

I have sailed on Carnival, NCL, RCCL and Celebrity. I feel that RCCL and Celebrity were the best as far as the Gluten Free diet - especially Celebrity. You need to let Celebrity know you need a GF diet. On the day of your arrival make sure you see the Maitre'd to confirm. At dinner the first night make sure your waiter is aware of your diet. You will get the menu for the next day every evening. They do their best to make you something similar to what is on the menu for everyone... I NEVER have had a problem with Celebrity and have cruised with them over 10 times....:)

 

Thanks for your input. I think we should keep this thread going as the gluten allergy is more common than ever and passengers travelling away from home need to feel that they can trust to eat safely and enjoy cruising. ;)