Gluten Free Dining

[MS52]

My DD has celiacs and must eat Gluten Free. She has always sailed on RC and they take very good care of her. She's looking at going with us on a NCL cruise and I was curious as to what your experience was if you must eat GF.

 

I told her I would check on the NCL board since it's a wealth of information. Thanks!!

[SissasMomE]

My DD has celiacs and must eat Gluten Free. She has always sailed on RC and they take very good care of her. She's looking at going with us on a NCL cruise and I was curious as to what your experience was if you must eat GF.

 

I told her I would check on the NCL board since it's a wealth of information. Thanks!!

 

Send an email to the access desk, with your name and reservation number, and make sure they know the issue. accessdesk@ncl.com

[MS52]

I will be sure to do that. Thanks for the info.

 

Has anyone had experience (good or bad) with eating GF on Norwegian?

[time2cruise1]

I will be sure to do that. Thanks for the info.

 

Has anyone had experience (good or bad) with eating GF on Norwegian?

 

I have cruised with my DIL and she had no issues on 3 different cruises. As pointed out contact the access desk and contact the restaurant manager when you board the ship. If you let them know in advance where you will be dining in addition to making sure they serve only the gluten dishes but will make sure there are additional options available like gluten free breads.

[Nauga146]

We sailed on Epic the beginning of March. I have to be both gluten free and dairy free. NCL was very helpful. We went to Wasabi for sushi and they brought out the tamari to show me the bottle. The only place I had a little problem was at Shanghai's. It was my own fault for not thinking things through. I didn't get any contaminated food, but my options were VERY limited. This trip with NCL was second only to my time in India for attentiveness to my dietary needs. Hope that info helps!

[SissasMomE]

I will be sure to do that. Thanks for the info.

 

Has anyone had experience (good or bad) with eating GF on Norwegian?

 

Yes - I had no issues at all on our Getaway cruise. They called me on day 1 and asked me to come to the dining room to plan my meal for the night. After that, they took my order at dinner every night for the following day. I ate everything anyone else ate - they just prepared it gluten free for me. The bread is homemade - it's not that cardboard crap you buy in a store. It was SO good!

[thirdeastshak3]

Make sure to call NCL at least 60 days ahead of time and let them know. On our cruise last year NCl was very catering to my wife's gluten free needs. They will provide you with information each meal as to what can and can't be ordered gluten free. We were even introducted to the head matre 'd our first evening on board and he remembered us from then on and always came to our table to inform her of items that could be done gluten free. We were very impressed with NCL regarding this.

[chickenfarmer64]

Wow, great thread! Thanks for posting this. I am gluten free and dairy free and am headed to the Getaway for a :)cruise on May 24th. I was worried about maintaining my gluten free and dairy free status. I emailed the folks at the address you provided and hope this helps make my cruise easier. You guys are great!

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[Orleanscruiser]

My DD has celiacs and must eat Gluten Free. She has always sailed on RC and they take very good care of her. She's looking at going with us on a NCL cruise and I was curious as to what your experience was if you must eat GF.

 

I told her I would check on the NCL board since it's a wealth of information. Thanks!!

 

REFER TO THE FOLLOWING FROM NCL

 

http://www.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising

[MS52]

Thanks....this is exactly the information that I needed. I know what their web page says but in theory, things may not be that way. Not every restaurant takes GF issues seriously. It 's good to know that NCL does. Sounds like the procedure is very similar to RCL.

 

I'll be sure to email 60 days ahead and follow up when we board.

 

Cruise critic is such a wealth of information.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Lady Double D]

I was on the NCL Jewel in October & had the best food & service that I have ever experienced & I have cruised 20 times. I am GF, dairy free & sensitive or allergic to many other foods. I have a list printed out in many languages that I provide 60 days beforehand & once I am on the ship. I was introduced to their special waitress for special dietary needs on the first night. When I arrived at the dining room every night, that waitress was called on her ship phone to tell her that I had arrived & where I would be sitting. At the beginning of each meal when others were looking at the evening's menu, I was provided by her the next evening's menu & we would discuss what I would have the following night. I was provided with her name & ship phone number so I could also contact her at other meal times if needed. I took my list with me at all times & this made it so much easier for everyone. I believe they even provided my list to the chef for his use for the entire cruise. I was always served my food at the same time as the rest of the table by this special waitress. I was thrilled with the service & the food. The only night that the food was not as good nor the service not as prompt was the evening that people could eat with the officers, but 1 out of 7 nights was acceptable to me. I did not get sick once. This cruise was my best eating experience of any of my cruises. Bravo to NCL.

[TravelJoe]

I was on the NCL Jewel in October & had the best food & service that I have ever experienced & I have cruised 20 times. I am GF, dairy free & sensitive or allergic to many other foods. I have a list printed out in many languages that I provide 60 days beforehand & once I am on the ship. I was introduced to their special waitress for special dietary needs on the first night. When I arrived at the dining room every night, that waitress was called on her ship phone to tell her that I had arrived & where I would be sitting. At the beginning of each meal when others were looking at the evening's menu, I was provided by her the next evening's menu & we would discuss what I would have the following night. I was provided with her name & ship phone number so I could also contact her at other meal times if needed. I took my list with me at all times & this made it so much easier for everyone. I believe they even provided my list to the chef for his use for the entire cruise. I was always served my food at the same time as the rest of the table by this special waitress. I was thrilled with the service & the food. The only night that the food was not as good nor the service not as prompt was the evening that people could eat with the officers, but 1 out of 7 nights was acceptable to me. I did not get sick once. This cruise was my best eating experience of any of my cruises. Bravo to NCL.

 

Agree with the previous posts with regard to the accommodations made for my daughter when we cruised last year. She was able to pre-order the next night's meal, regardless of where we ate (main dining room as well as specialty) -- we avoided the buffets as you never know where the servicing utensils have been.

 

What really impressed us was the awareness of cross-contamination. I had an order of home-fries with my breakfast (potatoes/onions/peppers) and my daughter asked the waiter for an order of them as well. He was happy to comply and came back about 2 minutes later and asked if she was the one with the gluten allergy. When she acknowledged that she was, he commented that he recommended she not get an order as the home-fries are cooked on the same grill as the french toast and pancakes, and they can't guarantee that there wouldn't be any residual batter on that part of the grill. Wow!

 

It's one thing to have a knowledge of the allergy, but the whole cross contamination thing is a level I never expected.