Riviera - very pleased with gluten free dining

[babysteps]

On a thread a while back I think I promised an update on the current practice for gluten free diners, here it is :)

 

Just got back home after 'Mosaic Masterpiece' Sep 19-29 2013 on Riviera. We had a wonderful time! O fed me cleanly the entire cruise, I am pretty sensitive and had no signs of getting glutened. Yay, and thank you O! Apologies for the length of the post, hopefully the level of detail will be of help.

 

My TA confirmed with O that I am gluten-free well ahead of time.

 

Each night the menu was left outside our room with the selections for 2 nights ahead (Monday night delivery=Wednesday's menu). The menu had my room number on it and came in an envelope with my name and return instructions. I circled whatever I thought I would like to have and returned it (on Riviera, to the dining reservations desk or the GDR) by 10am the next morning (Tuesday in this example). For nights without specialty restaurant reservations, I was given the GDR menu.

 

When I arrived at dinner, I let our waiter know I had pre-selected a gluten free meal when he or she brought the menus to our table. The waiter retrieved my order (which had been entered into a system & printed out) and brought it to review with me.

 

If you want something different than you pre-ordered, you can request it at this time but the waiter will have to double check with the kitchen (some gf preparations take longer to arrange than others; some items may not be available gf). If there are any issues with not being able to get a pre-selected item gluten free, this is when you have a chance to select something else (this happened only once in our eight non-Terraces dinners).

 

Usually the bread folks do not know that you are gluten free the first time that they visit your table. Just tell them :) They will offer to get you gf bread if you like (I usually skipped the gf bread out of habit - but tried once and DH who can eat gluten agreed that O gf bread is pretty good for gf bread).

 

At Terraces, the first time I visited, I asked a buffet server about gluten free and they will had Chef Lin take me on a tour and describe what was and wasn't gf. Each subsequent meal in Terraces I would find Chef Lin and he gave me a quick update - he was great!! Typically the roast stations will have at least one gf choice but sometimes there may be no sauces that are gf (maybe 1 in 4 times??). The sushi is at least sometimes gf; there is also sashimi which was always gf. The category least likely to have gf selections seemed to be the warm appetizers at dinner. Don't assume the pasta station is off-limits, there is typically a risotto choice that can often (always? I asked twice and each time it could) be made gf.

 

At Waves, for lunch I got a burger with no bun & no fries, that worked fine for me (I told the person taking the order "I'm gluten free, I would like my burger with no bun and no fries, just coleslaw"). Not sure if the french fries are gf or not, if you are a french fry person it is worth asking (iirc in 2012 they were not gf).

 

The first night on board we were at Polo, a reservation made that same day - I simply explained I was gluten free and the waiter double-checked my order with the kitchen. Same process for GDR breakfast (and I assume lunch, we weren't there at lunch) and a last-minute Privee meal that we were lucky to join friends for.

 

GDR breakfast, not sure whether there are gf pancakes or waffle choices - I ordered eggs twice and lamb chops once. I assume you can get gf cereal in the GDR, since it was offered to me in Terraces (where I was usually getting, you guessed it, eggs).

 

We did not try La Reserve, although everyone we talked to who did eat there loved it (we were part of a wine and food group with enough special meals already!).

 

We did an O culinary tour in Casablanca, I checked with Chef Noelle at the beginning & she outlined what I could & could not eat. The format of the culinary activities may not easily accommodate substitutions, so choose carefully - I wouldn't suggest sea-day pasta making ;) We had a great time on the tour and in class!

[sparty1]

Interesting:-) Hope you don't mind my adding my "2 cents worth": We were on this same cruise, and also did not have issues with GF, except for cereal in Terraces. We were told by the Maitre'd that none had been supplied for this ship(even though we had requested it months before, as we had requested and received on the Marina)), but she took it upon herself to purchase cereal at the next port-of-call so that my Celiac husband could have it for the rest of the cruise! She definitely made him feel special:-) He was also able to have GF pancakes and waffles(just had to request them a day ahead of time) We also were pleased with the way the staff handled this special diet request.

 

On a thread a while back I think I promised an update on the current practice for gluten free diners, here it is :)

 

Just got back home after 'Mosaic Masterpiece' Sep 19-29 2013 on Riviera. We had a wonderful time! O fed me cleanly the entire cruise, I am pretty sensitive and had no signs of getting glutened. Yay, and thank you O! Apologies for the length of the post, hopefully the level of detail will be of help.

 

My TA confirmed with O that I am gluten-free well ahead of time.

 

Each night the menu was left outside our room with the selections for 2 nights ahead (Monday night delivery=Wednesday's menu). The menu had my room number on it and came in an envelope with my name and return instructions. I circled whatever I thought I would like to have and returned it (on Riviera, to the dining reservations desk or the GDR) by 10am the next morning (Tuesday in this example). For nights without specialty restaurant reservations, I was given the GDR menu.

 

When I arrived at dinner, I let our waiter know I had pre-selected a gluten free meal when he or she brought the menus to our table. The waiter retrieved my order (which had been entered into a system & printed out) and brought it to review with me.

 

If you want something different than you pre-ordered, you can request it at this time but the waiter will have to double check with the kitchen (some gf preparations take longer to arrange than others; some items may not be available gf). If there are any issues with not being able to get a pre-selected item gluten free, this is when you have a chance to select something else (this happened only once in our eight non-Terraces dinners).

 

Usually the bread folks do not know that you are gluten free the first time that they visit your table. Just tell them :) They will offer to get you gf bread if you like (I usually skipped the gf bread out of habit - but tried once and DH who can eat gluten agreed that O gf bread is pretty good for gf bread).

 

At Terraces, the first time I visited, I asked a buffet server about gluten free and they will had Chef Lin take me on a tour and describe what was and wasn't gf. Each subsequent meal in Terraces I would find Chef Lin and he gave me a quick update - he was great!! Typically the roast stations will have at least one gf choice but sometimes there may be no sauces that are gf (maybe 1 in 4 times??). The sushi is at least sometimes gf; there is also sashimi which was always gf. The category least likely to have gf selections seemed to be the warm appetizers at dinner. Don't assume the pasta station is off-limits, there is typically a risotto choice that can often (always? I asked twice and each time it could) be made gf.

 

At Waves, for lunch I got a burger with no bun & no fries, that worked fine for me (I told the person taking the order "I'm gluten free, I would like my burger with no bun and no fries, just coleslaw"). Not sure if the french fries are gf or not, if you are a french fry person it is worth asking (iirc in 2012 they were not gf).

 

The first night on board we were at Polo, a reservation made that same day - I simply explained I was gluten free and the waiter double-checked my order with the kitchen. Same process for GDR breakfast (and I assume lunch, we weren't there at lunch) and a last-minute Privee meal that we were lucky to join friends for.

 

GDR breakfast, not sure whether there are gf pancakes or waffle choices - I ordered eggs twice and lamb chops once. I assume you can get gf cereal in the GDR, since it was offered to me in Terraces (where I was usually getting, you guessed it, eggs).

 

We did not try La Reserve, although everyone we talked to who did eat there loved it (we were part of a wine and food group with enough special meals already!).

 

We did an O culinary tour in Casablanca, I checked with Chef Noelle at the beginning & she outlined what I could & could not eat. The format of the culinary activities may not easily accommodate substitutions, so choose carefully - I wouldn't suggest sea-day pasta making ;) We had a great time on the tour and in class!

[traveler916]

Both of the above posts show how O really really does their best to accommodate their guests. Kudos for a job well done!

 

gary

[babysteps]

she took it upon herself to purchase cereal at the next port-of-call so that my Celiac husband could have it for the rest of the cruise! She definitely made him feel special:-)

 

Don't mind at all! Glad to know about the pancakes & waffles.

 

O definitely makes us feel secure on the gluten front :)

 

Now I know why they wanted to offer me cereal :) I was in search of a banana at the time (successful search - the bananas were behind the cereal display in Terraces). Was likely day 4 or 5 of the cruise.

[sparty1]

Lol on the cereal. They must have felt good about increasing the variety after their cereal purchase:-) Husband said the waffles and pancakes were good. Agree that O does make you feel secure about the gf choices. That's good management(so many service employees aren't careful becuz they think it's basically a choice with no harm done if they make a mistake) They don't realize if one has Celiac, it can cause severe reactions that can't be reversed! (we had a Chef once that made fun of my husband's GF request, and told one of his staff to just 'make my husband wait, and he'll get hungry enough to eat something else!" What the chef wasn't aware of, is that we understood the language he was speaking!

 

Don't mind at all! Glad to know about the pancakes & waffles.

 

O definitely makes us feel secure on the gluten front :)

 

Now I know why they wanted to offer me cereal :) I was in search of a banana at the time (successful search - the bananas were behind the cereal display in Terraces). Was likely day 4 or 5 of the cruise.

[specialdiet]

Glad you had a good experience. I think it really comes down to individual staff members, not so much the cruise line as a whole.

 

While the one cruise we did on Oceania was relatively "safe" food-wise (a couple of errors, all of which we caught), I have to say I wasn't otherwise impressed. The approach to the various dietary restrictions my wife and I have was to just keep removing things from the dish until it complied. Which made for a number of very small and extremely bland meals, unfortunately.

[Paulchili]

Glad you had a good experience. I think it really comes down to individual staff members, not so much the cruise line as a whole.

 

While the one cruise we did on Oceania was relatively "safe" food-wise (a couple of errors, all of which we caught), I have to say I wasn't otherwise impressed. The approach to the various dietary restrictions my wife and I have was to just keep removing things from the dish until it complied. Which made for a number of very small and extremely bland meals, unfortunately.

 

It sounds like it would not be easy to get it right for the two of you all the time due to the number of limitations and restrictions (no disrespect intended).

Did any other cruise line do a better job of it for you? Perhaps others in similar situation can benefit from this information.

[specialdiet]

It sounds like it would not be easy to get it right for the two of you all the time due to the number of limitations and restrictions (no disrespect intended). Did any other cruise line do a better job of it for you? Perhaps others in similar situation can benefit from this information.

 

As I said, I firmly believe it's really more about individual staff members than what cruise line. We've had both excellent and terrible experiences onboard the same sailing on various different lines.

 

When I was doing research about experiences with cruise lines and special diets, that really came through. You always read about "XYZ line" does gluten free fantastic, followed by posts about how they screwed it up terribly for someone else. People make way too big a deal about individual lines in this regard, when for the most part that isn't the determining factor.

 

Our particular diets aren't too bad for the type of food they have on cruise ships actually. For me, vegan meals with a possible substitution of a gluten free item for e.g. a pasta (readily available nowadays) works well. My wife eats meat, which simplifies things a bit. Sauces are the main thing they have to watch for with her. Soy is an issue with most pre-packaged foods, but that's much less an issue with the kind of things they serve on ships. We've never found it more of a challenge than it would be cruising with any other special diet.

[babysteps]

Glad you had a good experience. I think it really comes down to individual staff members, not so much the cruise line as a whole.

 

While the one cruise we did on Oceania was relatively "safe" food-wise (a couple of errors, all of which we caught), I have to say I wasn't otherwise impressed. The approach to the various dietary restrictions my wife and I have was to just keep removing things from the dish until it complied. Which made for a number of very small and extremely bland meals, unfortunately.

 

I was lucky to have a chance to talk to the executive chef on Riviera about their procedures. They do have procedures in place in the kitchen (separate prep area, specific recipes, tracking system) and dining areas (server confirms pre-selections, identifies my plate as gf on delivery) that (for me) seemed to work quite well across many staff members - as long as I declined the initial offer of regular bread ;)

 

It does make sense to me that a combination of dietary restrictions makes it *much* trickier for the diner to stay safe, as has been your experience. From what I understood, there are specific gf *or* diabetic *or* (insert a food restriction O describes as standard) recipes. I can guess that if you start combining such restrictions, it becomes much trickier in part because there may not be a set recipe for that particular combination of restrictions and in part because O's procedure is set up for O's list of dietary restrictions (not combinations thereof or additional issues).

 

Maybe someday O will use icons for the major food allergens and food restrictions on their 'homework' menus - to show which items may be prepared without said items. Then we could circle (cross out?) the verboten icons when we select the food item. That would take a lot more time and effort on O's part, at least to set up...but we can dream :) Until then, compared to 'regular' vacations where I get to explain my restriction at each and every meal, O seems like a pretty safe alternative!

[specialdiet]

I was lucky to have a chance to talk to the executive chef on Riviera about their procedures. They do have procedures in place in the kitchen (separate prep area, specific recipes, tracking system) and dining areas (...)

 

It does make sense to me that a combination of dietary restrictions makes it *much* trickier for the diner to stay safe, as has been your experience. From what I understood, there are specific gf *or* diabetic *or* (insert a food restriction O describes as standard) recipes.

 

Yes, most of the cruise lines have essentially similar procedures and practices in place.

 

The multiple allergen thing complicates it somewhat, but (and less so for the MDR) some staff are a little less fluent in even individual allergens than others. Or worse, some think they know and are wrong. But that's to be expected, as there are a lot of things to remember.

 

 

Maybe someday O will use icons for the major food allergens and food restrictions on their 'homework' menus - to show which items may be prepared without said items....

 

Given the variety of allergens and weird/wacky combinations, that might be tough. What we did is on every menu wrote at the top exactly what our allergens were. Sure they had a record of this already, but redundancy doesn't hurt in this area!

 

Actually, that is one area that O differs, in that on most of the other lines you discuss the menu with the Maitre d' at end of previous night and order at that point, rather than filling it out and returning it. There are tradeoffs either way, but I personally prefer O's way of doing it, though it may just be a bit of OCPD coming out!

 

Until then, compared to 'regular' vacations where I get to explain my restriction at each and every meal, O seems like a pretty safe alternative!

 

That sums up exactly the reason my wife and I do cruise vacations!

[LHT28]

Yes, most of the cruise lines have essentially similar procedures and practices in place.

 

The multiple allergen thing complicates it somewhat, but (and less so for the MDR) some staff are a little less fluent in even individual allergens than others. Or worse, some think they know and are wrong. But that's to be expected, as there are a lot of things to remember.

 

 

Could you not meet with the head chef & discuss your options?

 

I only have 1 issue & get the menu the night before

I note on the top of the menu the offending ingredient ;)

check off what I want the next day for my meal crossing out things I do not like in the dish & all is well

 

My sister who has multiple food allergies always meets with the head chef on her cruises (not Oceania yet) & if she goes to the buffet they walk her through what she can & cannot have

 

I guess it is not as simple with multiple allergies

 

Lyn

[specialdiet]

Could you not meet with the head chef & discuss your options?

 

I only have 1 issue & get the menu the night before

I note on the top of the menu the offending ingredient ;)

check off what I want the next day for my meal crossing out things I do not like in the dish & all is well

 

My sister who has multiple food allergies always meets with the head chef on her cruises (not Oceania yet) & if she goes to the buffet they walk her through what she can & cannot have

 

I guess it is not as simple with multiple allergies

 

 

Hi Lyn,

 

I have full confidence once things are in the hands of the more senior culinary staff. It's the getting there and back that sometimes introduces issues, as some less senior galley and dining staff don't always share the same knowledge or attention to detail.

 

While I know the procedures and also most of the common mistakes to be on the lookout for (I recently wrote an ebook on the topic), I'm just trying to raise the point that there are some unavoidable weak links in the system, on any cruise line, and that things don't always work out quite as well as people would like.

 

The multiple allergies thing is the source of very few of the problems, in practice.

[LHT28]

Hi Lyn,

 

I have full confidence once things are in the hands of the more senior culinary staff. It's the getting there and back that sometimes introduces issues, as some less senior galley and dining staff don't always share the same knowledge or attention to detail.

 

 

If it is noted in your file well in advance it should not be that much of a problem I would think but as I say I only have one offending ingredient at the present time

 

An acquaintance of ours has a large selection of food she cannot eat

She has a printed cards made up listing all the things she cannot have

 

When she dines out she asks the card to past on to the the chef & gives them a main choice of what she would like EG fish & lets the Chef do his magic & hope that it does not kill her

I am not sure I would be that trusting in her situation;)

 

Well I do hope you next cruise will be much better for your allergy situation

 

Lyn