special diet

[Watson's aunt]

Hi

 

does HAL at meals do anything for people who are gluten free (medical reasons?

 

thanks

 

Mary

[3rdGenCunarder]

Yes, they do gluten-free. As with other special diets, you pre-order the night before.

 

Several years ago a woman at our table in open dining the first night needed a gluten-free diet. We learned more than we needed to know about her gluten-free diet... One of her concerns, understandably, was how her special meal would "find" her in open dining. That's why they ask for your cabin number. Special diet, that open bottle of wine, it all manages to "find" you. So at the end of the meal, one of the managers came to the table with the next night's choices and helped her see what was available for her.

 

I don't know if you can do it through the website, but maybe calling is better. You should let HAL know in advance if someone in your party will need a gluten-free diet.

Edited November 6, 2016 by 3rdGenCunarder

[easyboy]

They will handle your special diet needs. You can discuss this with the Maitre D' or head waiter when you board.

[ozscotart]

I am going on the Oosterdam shortly, I notified HAL in the booking and received a form to fill out with my preferences for gf products, bread, muffins etc. I was on Norwegian Jade last year and returned in better condition than when I left home, I just told the waiters I was gf and df, I asked for gf breakfast, no issues. I didn't have to book anything ahead. I haven't been on HAL since my condition worsened, so am not sure about it. Some people in my Facebook group report problems on HAL probably due to cc. I don't have major problems with cc, so am hoping (and expecting) it will go well. We were on Oosterdam a couple of years ago and loved it.

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

According to HAL's sight, you are suppose to advise them 60 days before you sail of any special diets that you need. Then once on the ship, you talk with the dining room manager.

 

Each evening you will get the next evening's menu of gf meals and you select what you want.

[take us away]

Just let HAL know ahead of sailing and also know you can get gluten-free food in the Lido. Often there are signs by the appropriate food (would guess when they know there are gluten-free passengers) or there is a sign to ask about gluten-free food. The supervisors (in white shirts) will be able to direct you to the best choice for suggestions or which chef will be able to help.

[summersigh]

OP ....

Wasn't sure about answering because I didn't get 2 of the key acronyms you used:

I just told the waiters I was gf and df,

report problems on HAL probably due to cc.

[ozscotart]

I am not the op, sorry using terms widely used by coeliac in the U.K. Gf = gluten free, df dairy free, cc cross contamination (gluten being found in food you ordered due to poor handling).

 

 

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[Watson's aunt]

hi

 

Thank you. I am worried about the cross contamination. I am new at this. But I know if I order a piece of free GF (No bread crumbs) if it is cook beside a piece of fish with bread crumbs on it is contaminated. Same as any other meal.

 

Mary

[momatibm]

we boarded without notifyng HAL earlier because out TA said to do it on board. Do we did and from the first nite they mADE sure she was taken car of.

[ozscotart]

I think it is very difficult to avoid cc on cruise ships, kitchens are tiny. In the U.K. restaurants that are certified by the Coeliac Society either have separate kitchens or preparation areas or their handling is gf sensitive. Their staff have special training. I had a tour of the galley on one of the HAL ships years ago, it was tiny given the number of meals involved. I think that aside from doing the usual things such as reminding waiters we need gf food for health reasons, we just need to exercise common sense : I wouldn't order pasta as they would probably cook it in the same water, I wouldn't order fried foods for the same reason . Unless I could get an assurance they were cooked separately. Actually I quite like the buffet as I can have a look and make up my own mind. Not talking of cruise ships now but I do find waiters often have very inaccurate ideas of what is gf and what is not. Unfortunately so do kitchen staff quite often , I was in a cafe the other day where evidently the 'chef' had told the waitress that I couldn't have the nachos I usually have as they had maize in them !

 

 

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[Wendy-Europe]

HAL has glutenfree items at the Lido buffet too, clearly marked at a separate corner and sealed to avoid crosscontamination.

[OlsSalt]

Matter of trade-offs. The more special diets HAL now accommodates, fewer standard traditional offerings they can also provide. There are only so many staffers and only so much prep space available.

 

Requiring "C-C" proof preparation spaces out of the older ship kitchens may well be impossible but a consideration that could be now built into the newer ships - that might make this a reason to pick one ship over another.

 

I am thinking of the special segregated section now for G-F items on the Lido buffet - was that where they used to make custom sandwiches? Did the array to special "milks" take up the space where there used to be fresh squeezed orange juice.

 

I like a lot of the recent changes and the variety of new offerings HAL has been providing -even for those who do not have dietary retractions. The sushi and plate presentation now is really good. The new "grains" salads. The full extent of the new salad bar offerings.

 

We thought the grab and go sandwiches were nearly perfect - only one "soggy" one we grabbed later in the lunch hours - the tomato had leaked through and soaked part of the bread. But that space too had to be taken way from something else. Like the more extensive relish-appetizer-anti-pasto section?

[sayaguru]

My friend has to have gluten free food. In her experience HAL was the worst of all the cruiselines. Yes you can speak to the waiter etc and they will organise food.

At the buffet she waited a LONG time for gluten free pasta or pizza.

On other cruiselines they have gluten free options on the menu. HAL does not list this, meaning you have to pre order every day, every meal.

 

On my recent Celebrity cruise all food choices on the menu had logo's which specified, gluten free, vegetarian, sugar free etc. Which meant people (in most instances) could just choose from the menu).

I don't see why HAL can't do that.

[OlsSalt]

On our recent cruise, HAL had food identity labels on the main dining room menus - for all sorts of things, including GF.

 

If you google "gluten free cruising' there are entries giving Carnival Cruise Line ships high marks. Sometimes a cruise line cannot be all things to all people. Best to go with those that others recommend, if you have been unhappy with HAL.

[ozscotart]

I don't mind making my own choices if the restaurant can tell me what is actually in the food, the problem today is so much food is processed elsewhere that they can't. That is why law exists to protect us so that the cruise line (in Europe) must be able to tell us what ingredients are in the meal.

 

 

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[ozscotart]

To update people on gluten free issues following our cruise on the Oosterdam: they definitely did not have any labels on the main menu in the Mdr indicating gluten free lactose free or anything at all. The waiters were uncertain as to what was in menu items. We gave up on the mdr after the first night, I lacked confidence that they would not make a major mistake that would end up in my being in serious pain for days. I used the Lido, the staff there were fairly helpful and knowledgeable but it was not fun. On the first night I could only have one starter, scallops, quite nice and one main salmon also quite nice but not exactly exciting. No dessert other than melon. This took 150 minutes (two and a half hours). They said that I should chose items for the following night, I did not given the wait and also the fact that they put a gluten dish in front of me, fortunately not one I had ordered but how would I know if I had ordered one the same as other folk ? When we went to the mariners brunch there was only one dish I could have, the waiters said that I needed to have notified them the day before, I was quite confused about this as I had notified them on booking and also six weeks before with a detailed form ! This was typical of the attitude of mdr staff, quite rude really. Eating in the mdr became quite an unpleasant experience, on the plus side I lost weight as there were no desserts for me, I had had some expectations of nice food, it turned out not to be so. I really cannot recommend HAL for people with serious food allergies or other serious medical conditions. We met a man in a bar with major blood pressure problems who had been given caffeinated coffee instead of decaf, he questioned the steward several times and was assured it was decaf, it turned out not be so so when he had see the doctor with serious blood pressure.