Gluten free options

[believer33323]

What options if any does RCCL offer in the way of gluten free meals, breads etc.

Have recently been put on a gluten free diet and going on FOS the end of the month.

I hate to go without that delicious breads they serve at MDR at dinnertime. :(

Edited October 7, 2014 by believer33323

[dadroy]

Contact the Maitre D' when you board. Explain you want gluten free. They will provide a menu for you to order for dinner that evening. Then each evening at dinner you get tomorrows menu and make your selections. They will really work with you.

 

Flame me if you want, but nothing tastes good that is gluten free.:(

 

Also use search for gluten, there are probably a couple hundred fresh threads on the subject.

Edited October 7, 2014 by dadroy
spelling

[DebJ14]

Contact the Maitre D' when you board. Explain you want gluten free. They will provide a menu for you to order for dinner that evening. Then each evening at dinner you get tomorrows menu and make your selections. They will really work with you.

 

Flame me if you want, but nothing tastes good that is gluten free.:(

 

Also use search for gluten, there are probably a couple hundred fresh threads on the subject.

 

The first night can be an issue since you don't order in advance. Also, you need to mark it on the reservation or have your TA do it and contact special needs in advance. The menus in the MDR have a little wheat symbol on the dishes that can be prepared GF.

 

They knew we were all GF (genetic problem)and brought the GF bread to the table. We went over what could be GF the first night with the waiter and thought all was well. Within 45 minutes of finishing dinner I was doubled over with stomach cramps and had my first migraine in 7.5 years thanks to the Gluten in the meal. I was up sick the entire first night. I was the only one who ordered that entree. I still felt horrible the first sea day and it totally ruined my day in Cozumel as I was still too sick to eat or drink anything and Mexican is my favorite.

 

I never returned to the MDR. I had much better luck getting GF meals in Giovanni's Table, Chops and Sabor (on the Navigator). They do have a GF dessert and GF bread upon request up in the Lido too. First time I ever had a problem on a cruise ship since I was diagnosed in Jan 2007.

Edited October 8, 2014 by DebJ14

[cb at sea]

Actually, call the "special needs" dept. BEFORE your cruise, so they'll be sure to have what you need!

Then, once on the ship, they do a fine job of making sure you have good stuff to munch on!

[believer33323]

I am still waiting on my blood tests to confirm my diagnoses but I've had issues for years and since going on a GF diet 90% of my symptoms are gone. Trouble is I love bread. I too as someone suggested is to bring along my own GF bread to dinners. Fortunately I do not have Celiac Disease but a lower than normal tolerance for gluten it seems, so if they (or I) eat something with gluten it won't be the end of the world.

Thanks everyone for your reply's:)

[NorbertsNiece]

The best experience I had dining GF was on Freedom. The MDR chef was awesome..... I documented the whole experience in my blog.

 

Email special_needs@rccl.com

 

They had muffins, pizza, pasta, cupcakes, French toast, pancakes on top of what is on the menu. You need to ask.

 

From my mobile so apologies for predictive text

[Mommy oooo]

My 10 year old DD has Celiac. We will be on the Independence in Februray ( we have been away from RCCL for 5 years, we have sailed NCL the last 5). NCL was fantastic with the gluten free dining for her. I'm hoping RCCL will be just as good. Now my question is what did people do for lunch on embarkation day? The buffet is NOT an option for her as it is way to risky for her (3 years later we are still trying to get her numbers down, she was at 36 2 weeks ago, still better than her start of greater than 160)

 

I think I heard that Giovanni's table is open on embarkation day for lunch? This will be one thing I will miss about NCL, the main dining room was open for lunch on embarkation day.

[believer33323]

My 10 year old DD has Celiac. We will be on the Independence in Februray ( we have been away from RCCL for 5 years, we have sailed NCL the last 5). NCL was fantastic with the gluten free dining for her. I'm hoping RCCL will be just as good. Now my question is what did people do for lunch on embarkation day? The buffet is NOT an option for her as it is way to risky for her (3 years later we are still trying to get her numbers down, she was at 36 2 weeks ago, still better than her start of greater than 160)

 

I think I heard that Giovanni's table is open on embarkation day for lunch? This will be one thing I will miss about NCL, the main dining room was open for lunch on embarkation day.

 

Take a look at #6 posting. Go down to the blog they spoke of on the freedom.

[rummenroman]

The new MDR menus have options that are GF or can easily be prepared GF listed right on the menu. You no longer have to order the night before, at least our last 3 cruises didn't require night before ordering.

 

My partner is the GF. He says the bread is okay when toasted. Without it being toasted he refuses to eat it.

[ksuds]

Emailing the special needs department won't help. Tried it. We eat GF because my partner developed an allergy several months ago. When we got on the ship, we pre ordered our GF meals to allow the chef extra time to prepare them. On formal night we had to argue with our waiter as the beef tenderloin had gravy on it. Normally the GF option does not have gravy on it. He swore to us that it was GF. Guess what.....it wasn't.

 

So be aware that even though you are doing everything you can on the front end, they could still mess up and give you gluten.

 

Breads- on the ship we were on, they only had 2 choices. One was absolutely horrible. The other "white" bread wasn't too bad. We had it with our eggs for breakfast. No muffins or pizza were offered as options.

Edited October 9, 2014 by ksuds

[SRV FAN]

I am still waiting on my blood tests to confirm my diagnoses but I've had issues for years and since going on a GF diet 90% of my symptoms are gone. Trouble is I love bread. I too as someone suggested is to bring along my own GF bread to dinners. Fortunately I do not have Celiac Disease but a lower than normal tolerance for gluten it seems, so if they (or I) eat something with gluten it won't be the end of the world.

 

Thanks everyone for your reply's:)

 

 

I am in the same boat.... But for 4 years now. It won't kill me, but sure can kill the fun the next day or two. DOH! Anyway, sailed several times & they bend over backward to accomodate us Gluten "sensitive" folks. Just tell the maitre'd and you waiter. They will bring you the menu for the following night so you are ahead of the game each night. As for the buffet.... They DO have GF breads & pastas.. Just gotta ask for it & wait for them to prepare the pasta. I pretty much KNOW what I can & cannot eat by looking at it... ie: no gravies, no sauces.... You can always ask the head guy (sorry don't know his title) in the buffet if something is GF if you aren't sure.... They DO have my GF status in my profile, so they are aware.... No worries... Just be careful!

 

 

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[EdandMary]

We were on the Freedom last February and I am also Gluten Intolerant. The menu shows the gluten free offerings, and this is happening all over the RCL fleet. If you have a C&A number, you can go on the RCL website and log in to your reservation and under cruising preferences, you can list yourself as gluten sensitive. It also is a good idea to send a message to the specialneeds department along with your cruise information so they can pass it along to the ship. I always go to the dining room after I board the ship and chat with the Maitre-di to assure that I am listed as gluten sensitive. The windjammer is subject to cross contamination, and depending on your tolerance level can be an issue, but I have never had a problem. They have gluten free buns on request for hamburgers and hot dogs. You can also catch a chef with a white hat and ask him what items are safe to eat. Common sense is the best approach. The Sorento pizza has gluten free pizzas that are baked on request that are in my opinion, better than the regular offerings, and they can put any topping you desire on it. There is also gluten free beer at the pub. Have a fun voyage.

[Mommy oooo]

Doesn't help my daughter out since she is only 10, but it is good to know that they have gluten free beer on board, which I have tried and some are pretty good.

 

We were on the Freedom last February and I am also Gluten Intolerant. The menu shows the gluten free offerings, and this is happening all over the RCL fleet. If you have a C&A number, you can go on the RCL website and log in to your reservation and under cruising preferences, you can list yourself as gluten sensitive. It also is a good idea to send a message to the specialneeds department along with your cruise information so they can pass it along to the ship. I always go to the dining room after I board the ship and chat with the Maitre-di to assure that I am listed as gluten sensitive. The windjammer is subject to cross contamination, and depending on your tolerance level can be an issue, but I have never had a problem. They have gluten free buns on request for hamburgers and hot dogs. You can also catch a chef with a white hat and ask him what items are safe to eat. Common sense is the best approach. The Sorento pizza has gluten free pizzas that are baked on request that are in my opinion, better than the regular offerings, and they can put any topping you desire on it. There is also gluten free beer at the pub. Have a fun voyage.

[time2cruisex2]

We were on Freedom in May. Hands down they had the best gluten free bread I have ever had. Be cautious of the food the serve. Our server the first night in the main dining room did not understand what gluten free was all about. After that our new serving team went out of their way to be sure everything was safe. Just speak up and they will take care of everything for you. Best French toast ever!