Gluten-free cruising on the Freedom - REVIEW

[Betsynh]

I’ve been gluten-free for four years due a wheat allergy, and am always a little hesitant preparing for a cruise because I hate feeling “high maintenance”. Having just gotten off Freedom (Eastern 4/19), I can honestly say that RCCL has continued to improve the quality and availability of its GF dining options.

We picked Main Dining Room 1st seating, as I prefer to have consistent waiters who know in advance that I’m GF. Randy, our head waiter, was fantastic and went out of his way to make sure I had everything I needed. Given that the dessert options didn’t meet my chocoholic needs, I jokingly begged Randy to ask the chef to make me a flourless chocolate cake. Much to my delight, the last three nights of the cruise I had amazing flourless chocolate cake (which my tablemates said was even better than their menu dessert).

 

For the Coco Cay stop, I shared my concerns about the island buffet with Randy in advance, and he told me to locate the larger of the two dining areas and ask for “Ian”. They specially prepared ribs and a burger to ensure they were gluten-free. I’ve never found a normal sized GF burger roll, even on land, so sliced off about an inch of the top part of the roll so I could eat it the burger comfortably.

 

For MDR breakfast, Randy was also present and special-ordered GF French toast and strawberries. In the Windjammer, they had an area where I could ask for either GF pancakes or French toast, but the food was way better in the MDR. There’s also a section of the WJ with GF rice, veggies and a few other hot foods, but I didn’t try them. The fruit options were plentiful, so there was always something good to eat.

 

Sorrento’s, the pizza place on the Promenade, offered GF pizza crust topped with their usual offerings. It only took 6 minutes to heat. They also had romaine lettuce and cold grilled veggies with balsamic vinegar, so you could make a decent lunch out of it.

 

My favorite meal was at Chops. Again the wait staff was extremely helpful and the fact that the side dishes were served family style wasn’t an issue -- they just told me which ones to avoid. We also had one lunch at Sabor’s. It was more stressful because I had difficulty understanding the waiter, and had to watch my friends dig into the non-GF calamari, which is a favorite of mine.

 

All in all, I continue to be impressed with how well Royal Caribbean supported my dietary needs and will definitely sail them again. This is one of the many reasons that cruising remains my favorite vacation option!

[Cruisin' Along]

Thank you for sharing this. My daughter needs GF due to allergies and will be happy to hear about your experience. We just booked our first RCI cruise yesterday and already can't wait even though it's not until next fall!

[SnorkelBoy]

I’ve been gluten-free for four years due a wheat allergy, and am always a little hesitant preparing for a cruise because I hate feeling “high maintenance”. Having just gotten off Freedom (Eastern 4/19), I can honestly say that RCCL has continued to improve the quality and availability of its GF dining options.

We picked Main Dining Room 1st seating, as I prefer to have consistent waiters who know in advance that I’m GF. Randy, our head waiter, was fantastic and went out of his way to make sure I had everything I needed. Given that the dessert options didn’t meet my chocoholic needs, I jokingly begged Randy to ask the chef to make me a flourless chocolate cake. Much to my delight, the last three nights of the cruise I had amazing flourless chocolate cake (which my tablemates said was even better than their menu dessert).

 

For the Coco Cay stop, I shared my concerns about the island buffet with Randy in advance, and he told me to locate the larger of the two dining areas and ask for “Ian”. They specially prepared ribs and a burger to ensure they were gluten-free. I’ve never found a normal sized GF burger roll, even on land, so sliced off about an inch of the top part of the roll so I could eat it the burger comfortably.

 

For MDR breakfast, Randy was also present and special-ordered GF French toast and strawberries. In the Windjammer, they had an area where I could ask for either GF pancakes or French toast, but the food was way better in the MDR. There’s also a section of the WJ with GF rice, veggies and a few other hot foods, but I didn’t try them. The fruit options were plentiful, so there was always something good to eat.

 

Sorrento’s, the pizza place on the Promenade, offered GF pizza crust topped with their usual offerings. It only took 6 minutes to heat. They also had romaine lettuce and cold grilled veggies with balsamic vinegar, so you could make a decent lunch out of it.

 

My favorite meal was at Chops. Again the wait staff was extremely helpful and the fact that the side dishes were served family style wasn’t an issue -- they just told me which ones to avoid. We also had one lunch at Sabor’s. It was more stressful because I had difficulty understanding the waiter, and had to watch my friends dig into the non-GF calamari, which is a favorite of mine.

 

All in all, I continue to be impressed with how well Royal Caribbean supported my dietary needs and will definitely sail them again. This is one of the many reasons that cruising remains my favorite vacation option!

 

I've been wondering how to handle a gluten free diet in the specialty restuarants, we have experience in the main dining room. Did you go to the specialty restaurant the day before or just discuss with the waiter when you showed up for your reservation?

 

Thanks Dave

[Betsynh]

I've been wondering how to handle a gluten free diet in the specialty restuarants, we have experience in the main dining room. Did you go to the specialty restaurant the day before or just discuss with the waiter when you showed up for your reservation?

 

Thanks Dave

 

Hi Dave,

I told my MDR head waiter the night before that I would not be there the following night because we were in Chops. He had me pre-order the FOLLOWING night (night after Chops) during that dinner time... he also told me that everything in Chops was made to order, so it wouldn't be a problem to just let them know when I got there.

 

Since Chops was right near the WJ, I did stop in during the day to let the staff know. I don't think it was necessary, but always better to be safe than sorry.

 

I didn't mention earlier that they always brought GF bread, as well... one a white bread, the other had some kind of seeds in it.

[SnorkelBoy]

Hi Dave,

I told my MDR head waiter the night before that I would not be there the following night because we were in Chops. He had me pre-order the FOLLOWING night (night after Chops) during that dinner time... he also told me that everything in Chops was made to order, so it wouldn't be a problem to just let them know when I got there.

 

Since Chops was right near the WJ, I did stop in during the day to let the staff know. I don't think it was necessary, but always better to be safe than sorry.

 

I didn't mention earlier that they always brought GF bread, as well... one a white bread, the other had some kind of seeds in it.

 

Thanks Betsy we probably would have forgotten to preorder in the MDR for the night following the specialty restaurant.