Gluten Free Question

[kruisey]

Since my last cruise I became Gluten Free.......no more hundreds of bottles Tums.....or reflex attacks in the middle of the nite now.

On board I know with arrangements one is looked after in main dining room but was wondering on shore excursion half day tours returning to ship MDR closed.Lunch served in 'The Court' on those days.What is the procedure for folks like me? Also if one took an all day Shore Excursion which includes a meal.?

Want to get this sorted out before I board in April.

How have other GF folks managed?........Kruisey.:)

[kruisey]

Since my last cruise I became Gluten Free.......no more hundreds of bottles Tums.....or reflex attacks in the middle of the nite now.

On board I know with arrangements one is looked after in main dining room but was wondering on shore excursion half day tours returning to ship MDR closed.Lunch served in 'The Court' on those days.What is the procedure for folks like me? Also if one took an all day Shore Excursion which includes a meal.?

Want to get this sorted out before I board in April.

How have other GF folks managed?........Kruisey.:)

It is not Reflex .It should have been REFLUX.

[sayaguru]

There will be gluten free options at the buffet.

 

For a tour just let them know beforehand and they should provide something.

[SadieN]

Need to be proactive. For shore bring some sort of prepackaged foods you can eat.

[skynight]

In the buffet there are gluten free options. Best to ask for a tour by the head buffet chef where they will point out gluten free options. There are also a few selections in the International Cafe, marked gluten free.

[kruisey]

In the buffet there are gluten free options. Best to ask for a tour by the head buffet chef where they will point out gluten free options. There are also a few selections in the International Cafe, marked gluten free.

 

That is great if there are choices in International Cafe I go there every day on sea days for my latte.:)

[3kidsncats]

You will need to be, potentially, VERY proactive in getting the dining arrangements made. I was repeatedly put off, never met the head waiter or maitre'd -- the waiter tried to get them over to me a few times, but was refused. I'm low carb due to diabetes, so need reduced gluten as part of my diet.

 

Fortunately, I had mostly helpful waiters (two were rude -- rolled eyes when I mentioned having dietary restrictions, or telling me what I could and could not eat after I placed my order). Because I can just work around the carbs for many things, I gave up on trying to use their diet assistance protocol. Less stress to just order something extra to make up for whatever was in my entree that I couldn't eat. But for anyone needing full gluten free, that isn't an option. Hopefully you get a good head waiter who takes it seriously.

[kruisey]

You will need to be, potentially, VERY proactive in getting the dining arrangements made. I was repeatedly put off, never met the head waiter or maitre'd -- the waiter tried to get them over to me a few times, but was refused. I'm low carb due to diabetes, so need reduced gluten as part of my diet.

 

Fortunately, I had mostly helpful waiters (two were rude -- rolled eyes when I mentioned having dietary restrictions, or telling me what I could and could not eat after I placed my order). Because I can just work around the carbs for many things, I gave up on trying to use their diet assistance protocol. Less stress to just order something extra to make up for whatever was in my entree that I couldn't eat. But for anyone needing full gluten free, that isn't an option. Hopefully you get a good head waiter who takes it seriously.

I have informed Princess in advance and will see Maitre'D when boarding.Sorry you had a bad experience.A also am low salt so in the past it was honored.Have been informed they have gluten free bread and from information gathered from Princess should have no problem.Did you have Traditional Dining? With TD the head waiter and table waiters know their passengers and the menu for the next day dinner is shown then they take ones order.

Actually very surprised you had such a problem if you had already seen Maitre'd when you boarded.If at any time one gets no results one can then step up and see 'Hotel Manager 'which you can request to see privately at pursers desk. :)

[3kidsncats]

I have informed Princess in advance and will see Maitre'D when boarding.Sorry you had a bad experience.A also am low salt so in the past it was honored.Have been informed they have gluten free bread and from information gathered from Princess should have no problem.Did you have Traditional Dining? With TD the head waiter and table waiters know their passengers and the menu for the next day dinner is shown then they take ones order.

Actually very surprised you had such a problem if you had already seen Maitre'd when you boarded.If at any time one gets no results one can then step up and see 'Hotel Manager 'which you can request to see privately at pursers desk. :)

 

I did make arrangements way in advance, but did not meet with the HW or Maitre'd ever, although I tried to several times. I was on anytime dining, but that shouldn't matter. I asked if it would be easier to get a standing reservation and waiter (so basically switch to TD) and was told "NO". I would review the following night's menu and place my order with appropriate substitutions. (Simple ones, like send grilled veggies instead of rice or potatoes) Then the next evening they would bring my previously ordered food, without the substitutions. And then I would have to wait (while my blood sugar starts plummeting) while it was prepared. And then be told by the waiter that he is sorry for the delay, but it wasn't prepared in advance, as if I hadn't given them proper notice. Even though I "ordered" it 24 hours in advance.

 

On my birthday they brought me cake, which I can't eat. And suggested creme brûlée as a substitution when I asked what was in the dessert he had brought--and argued with me when I said I couldn't eat creme brûlée because it would spike my BG.

 

It was just strange, and disconnected. My UBD meals arrived perfectly, with all pre-arranged substitutions, so someone on the dining staff gets it. But I think the current Ruby HW and/or Maitre'd don't -- and one never knows which they are going to get -- the staff that does a top notch job, or the ones that don't. I could have gone further up the chain of command, but opted not to, because I realized I could just order an extra salad or appetizer to suit, and not touch the carbs on the entree plate. I didn't need the aggravation of spending even more time on my vacation, tracking down someone higher up. If I had to have 100% gluten free, I would have had to make a different choice, but the choice I made was doable for me.

[kruisey]

I did make arrangements way in advance, but did not meet with the HW or Maitre'd ever, although I tried to several times. I was on anytime dining, but that shouldn't matter. I asked if it would be easier to get a standing reservation and waiter (so basically switch to TD) and was told "NO". I would review the following night's menu and place my order with appropriate substitutions. (Simple ones, like send grilled veggies instead of rice or potatoes) Then the next evening they would bring my previously ordered food, without the substitutions. And then I would have to wait (while my blood sugar starts plummeting) while it was prepared. And then be told by the waiter that he is sorry for the delay, but it wasn't prepared in advance, as if I hadn't given them proper notice. Even though I "ordered" it 24 hours in advance.

 

On my birthday they brought me cake, which I can't eat. And suggested creme brûlée as a substitution when I asked what was in the dessert he had brought--and argued with me when I said I couldn't eat creme brûlée because it would spike my BG.

 

It was just strange, and disconnected. My UBD meals arrived perfectly, with all pre-arranged substitutions, so someone on the dining staff gets it. But I think the current Ruby HW and/or Maitre'd don't -- and one never knows which they are going to get -- the staff that does a top notch job, or the ones that don't. I could have gone further up the chain of command, but opted not to, because I realized I could just order an extra salad or appetizer to suit, and not touch the carbs on the entree plate. I didn't need the aggravation of spending even more time on my vacation, tracking down someone higher up. If I had to have 100% gluten free, I would have had to make a different choice, but the choice I made was doable for me.

The Maitre'D is always available for a couple of hours to everyone afternoon of boarding.There is always a big line up for him.Feel to be fair to Princess if one does have dietary restrictions it is better to have Traditional Dining were one has same Head Waiter and waiters each nite.That is just my personal opinion feel it makes it easier when they know one.:)

[NorbertsNiece]

Boarding Crown Princess on Wednesday. Being proactive is the most important advice you will get. For instance....is powdered chocolate used? Some brands contain 'cereal' as does soy sauce etc. I had an 'attack' yesterday on pre cruise tour. My fault. Not sure how much I can tolerate. Follow the blog in my sig below. Good luck!

[silver wedding]

The Maitre'D is always available for a couple of hours to everyone afternoon of boarding.There is always a big line up for him.Feel to be fair to Princess if one does have dietary restrictions it is better to have Traditional Dining were one has same Head Waiter and waiters each nite.That is just my personal opinion feel it makes it easier when they know one.:)

 

You get the same head waiter taking your order when you do anytime dining. They come to your table and take your order I have now done anytime 4 times and it is now my preferred option.

[3kidsncats]

The Maitre'D is always available for a couple of hours to everyone afternoon of boarding.There is always a big line up for him.Feel to be fair to Princess if one does have dietary restrictions it is better to have Traditional Dining were one has same Head Waiter and waiters each nite.That is just my personal opinion feel it makes it easier when they know one.:)

 

Well, to be fair to me, the Maitre'd or head waiter should have been available one of the 4-5 times I tried -- including embarkation day lunch. TD isn't the best way for me to enjoy my vacation and the protocol is offered for both ATD and TD, so to be fair to passengers, Princess should implement it as they say they are going to. i think it is important for future passengers to know ahead of time, that they may or may not get much assistance with dietary needs.

[Nashna]

I'm sorry your experience was less than stellar. My husband must stick to a GF diet. He has Celiac Disease and will become very ill if he has any gluten. We are sailing in Club Class in March on the Regal. While on a previous cruise sailing in Agua Class on Celebrity, we were impressed by the personal service we received in the dining room. From recent reports on Princess Club Class dining, we expect to have a similar experience on the Regal. After our sailing, I'll be sure to report how well Princess handles special dietary needs in Club Class.

[3kidsncats]

I'm sorry your experience was less than stellar. My husband must stick to a GF diet. He has Celiac Disease and will become very ill if he has any gluten. We are sailing in Club Class in March on the Regal. While on a previous cruise sailing in Agua Class on Celebrity, we were impressed by the personal service we received in the dining room. From recent reports on Princess Club Class dining, we expect to have a similar experience on the Regal. After our sailing, I'll be sure to report how well Princess handles special dietary needs in Club Class.

 

I've heard good things about how Princess handles this, generally speaking. I really think the issue on my cruise was staff related, not necessarily across the company. I noticed someone mentioning a few weeks ago that they had an issue with a HW on the Ruby. Don't recall exactly what, but I suspect it was the same HW on my sailing.

 

Most of the waiters were really nice about it, and made a good effort to get what i needed-- some were exceptional. But the 100% GF need is a very different situation. You really have to have stringent attention paid to the meals. And that's basically all I was trying to convey -- for anyone in that situation, be prepared to be proactive or even pushy.

[ProfTW]

I could have gone further up the chain of command, but opted not to, because I realized I could just order an extra salad or appetizer to suit, and not touch the carbs on the entree plate. I didn't need the aggravation of spending even more time on my vacation, tracking down someone higher up. If I had to have 100% gluten free, I would have had to make a different choice, but the choice I made was doable for me.

 

We too had a similar issue on the Caribbean Princess last summer (2016). I usually post a review on CC regarding how well my son's allergy was taken care of. In this case, I have been resisting in that Princess did not do a great job. I notice that often when one is critical of how well a cruise line (not just Princess) accommodates a food allergy then one gets one of three types of responses: 1) thanks for the info 2) You should have.... (fill in the blank with either contacted Princess ahead of time, contacted the Hotel Manager, etc...) or 3) some either passive or overtly aggressive version of "why should you/your child get "special" treatment" or "maybe you shouldn't cruise" .

 

That said, I have been feeling somewhat guilty for not reporting our experience so here it is. I have found that the CC community members have been a great help to us in planning and feel that

 

We were on a 12 night British Isles cruise on the CB (July 2016). As we have always in the past, we contacted Princess explaining that our 12 year old son has a severe peanut/tree nut allergy and that even minute cross contact with the allergen could be life threatening. We "ask" whether my son's food can be prepared separately in order to avoid cross contact with the caveat that if not, we are okay not sailing. As usual, we get the response back from the Princess Access Office that they have been in contact with the ship and there should be no problem accommodating my son in the MDR but to avoid the lido buffet.

 

When we boarded, we went to lunch in the MDR and the headwaiter made arrangements for my son to have a safe lunch. At fixed early TD dinner that evening, we met our waiters and headwaiter who were great. The headwaiter arranged for a safe meal that evening but mentioned that no dessert could be guaranteed as nut free. This is what we were expecting based on our previous experience, especially regarding desserts. In terms of arranging meals for the following day, the headwaiter provided us with the dinner menu and told us that he would arrange for a nut free dessert (Chef's choice) every evening.

 

The next night, formal night, my son was served his starters and entrees and when it came time for dessert, the headwaiter came by and asked my son what he wanted off the menu. When we reminded him about our agreement regarding the special standing order for desserts, he told us he was going to speak with the Chef. Desserts are particularly problematic for cross contact with nuts as so many desserts use nuts.

 

When the headwaiter returned, he told us the only safe item was the Bananas Foster being prepared table side (actually in a central station in the dining room). We said okay, that would work.

 

However, my wife and son went over to the station and spoke with the headwaiter plating the Bananas Foster and right beside it was a massive plate of slivered almonds. When my wife explained about my son's allergy the headwaiter emphatically said that the bananas foster would be the worst because inevitably there were slivered almonds all over the place including the bowl of bananas.

 

We spoke with our headwaiter and basically were told that's all the Chef was willing to do.

 

Obviously, this made us concerned about all of our food. Was our food being prepared separately as was indicated by the Access Office? I went to seek out the Maitre'd and explained our situation.

 

He asked me what we would like. I said, all we wanted was for my son to eat safely and to follow the process that was agreed to by the Access Office and that we had experienced on past cruises - that my son's food be prepared separately (see my previous Princess posts). The Maitre'd said, no problem and that he would speak with the Chef personally. The next day, he met us at our table and said that he has arranged with the Chef and that my son's food would be prepared separately.

 

So far so good and we thought that the kitchen was following the agreed upon process. On the second last day of the cruise we went to lunch at the dining room. We gave our cabin number and the waiter (all the waiters were fabulous by the way) found my son's pre-ordered lunch. However, we heard him say to the assistant waiter that the Chef says my son's items don't have nuts so just pick it up regularly (ie don't worry about a special order). However, there were menu items with nuts including a salad. My son ordered a plain lettuce salad that inevitably would have been prepared in the same area. This set off alarm bells for me.

 

That evening for dinner I watched the meals being delivered to our table as well as tables around us. My son ordered pasta as did 3 or 4 people around us. The assistant waiter brought all the pasta orders together with none being indicated as prepared separately (usually a paper attached to the cover or a separate colored cover). When I asked whether the item was the special order, the waiter said, the "Chef says it is fine".

 

Once again, all the waiters were fabulous and could only do what the Chef indicated. Since there was only one more night left on the cruise I decided not to pursue it further. One pleasant surprise was that we found a fabulous sous Chef in the Lido that would go into the back and prepare/plate safe food for our son so many of our meals were there.

 

Not sure what the issue was whether the Chef was not following the processes set out by the company or if it is entirely up to the Chef's discretion on each ship. I have spoken with Princess Chef's in the past (usually thanking them for providing my son a safe meal) and they have told me that there is a separate allergen prep area on most ships. This included the Grand so I assume the CB has one as well. After the cruise, I contacted Princess with my feedback questioning them what is the company process for preparing allergen safe foods. I received a form response saying that my feedback was valuable and they would forward to the correct department.

 

Do not get me wrong, Princess is a very good cruise line. However, based on our experience last summer (both on the ship and afterwards) we do not feel comfortable sailing on the line with our son. If they cannot accommodate, I get that. Just state that you can't when the access office is contacted. We may try Princess again with Club Class dining with the hopes that the added service levels would get better accommodation. However, at this point we have had better experiences with other cruise lines. The main reason we cruise is to be able to travel the world with my son's allergies. If a cruise line cannot consistently provide him safe foods, it makes sense we look elsewhere.

 

Food allergies are on the rise especially among younger people. As cruise lines go for a younger demographic those lines that figure out how to accommodate genuine allergies should have a competitive advantage.

 

I hope our experience helps others. Please let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

Off to don my flame retardant gear!:D

[lolane1]

Last summer I was taken care of so well on the Royal, I was amazed. I am gluten free, vegan, and have a shelfish allergy. I also have to eat low protein. Dietary restrictions are to protect my kidneys. Only the shellfish allergy is potentially life threatening.

 

I notified Princess online long before sailing. I did TD. The head waiter came to my table first night with a menu to order for the next night. If there wasn't anything I liked that fit my restrictions, I could ask for just about anything. They cooked to order. They do have gluten free pasta. And because I adore Indian food, I had many delicious curries. (wonderfully anti-inflammatory) Plates full. You couldn't possibly eat everything they brought. There are many Indian selections in the buffet.

 

Because gluten, for me, isn't life threatening, (but suspect in the immune disorder I have) I very occasionally veer off. Well, they would not let me for love nor money. LOL. I had to have a table mate order me a french onion soup one night and sneak a taste because of the bread in it. It was delish but God forbid they saw me. LOL! Honestly, they aimed to please and I appreciated it immensely.

 

For breakfast at the buffet, I had a difficult time. They had oatmeal but it is not the gluten free kind which would be important if you had celiac. While oatmeal does not contain gluten, it is subject to cross contamination where packaged. That isn't a problem for me. They also had delicious sliced roasted potatoes with rosemary and some sort of green beans which may sound odd for breakfast but was very tasty and worked for me.

 

They do have gluten free pizza that you have to order in advance but I heard it was not good. :( I didn't bother. And there is always guacamole and chips if you can find them. I think it was out late afternoon in the buffet many days.

 

I did not book any tours that served lunches for obvious reasons.

 

Bottom line, I felt well cared for and catered to. And I never starved!!!!!!