Gf-what is there to eat?

[GinnyHoppa811]

I'm looking into an Alaskan cruise with my family. It would be our first cruise. I've seen numerous threads on who to call ahead of time but not much on what kind of things are available to eat outside of possible frozen toast and buns. What are your favorites to eat on the ship? Are there deserts or snack options that couldn't be called "hippie food"? We'll have two picky kids with us plus will be with another family with young kids so we'll likely stick to the most family friendly options but I have no idea what those are at this point. I don't like to go anywhere without seeing menus and planning ahead so any details or resources you can offer would be extremely helpful.

 

 

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[triptolemus]

Try searching the forum for dining and menus. Look at "Review" threads with pics.. .lots of menus posted and pictures of food, dining venues, etc. Go to NCL.com and explore What's On Board to get an idea of the restaurants and dining options.

 

I don't know what hippie food is, sorry. Unless you're talking about edible marijuana or something.

[GinnyHoppa811]

I found the ncl site extremely hard to navigate but I'll keep looking. I'm on my phone now so I'll try on a laptop later.

 

Hippie food is my mental designation for the usual gf snack offerings in public venues. It invariably trends towards health food nuts and far from the junk food end of the scale. Kind bars are almost universally the first option.

 

 

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[ozscotart]

Most cruise lines will do some desserts and cakes that are gf, you may need to order them in advance. It depends on whether your kids are coeliac or whether gf is a preference. The sort of snacks you are referring to, aren't really available on cruise ships. I do generally take a supply of 'hippy snacks' myself for shore excursions. You can get pizza, pasta and various baked goods of varying quality. If they come out of the freezer or a packet they'll be ok, but if they are made by the crew they may not be good (not talking about NCL here). Gf being a specialist baking skill. If your kids are also df then you are best organising each meal ahead of time, I don't bother doing this but generally go without dessert. I would take lots of suitable snacks with you.

[ExpatBride]

Are there deserts or snack options that couldn't be called "hippie food"?

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As someone who actually enjoys so-called "hippie food" I can tell you that you don't have to worry. I WISH I could find some of that onboard, but NCL caters to the tastes of the majority and I'm clearly in the minority.

[Gatorj]

If you have food allergies or other medical dietary requirements, NCL will gladly work to create a dining experience for you. On a recent cruise on the Jewel this topic was asked of the Hotel Director and Head Chef, and they responded that they have special kitchens and chefs on every NCL ship where they prepare meals for those who cannot eat the regular food. If they know you're coming, they will happily work with you.

[FloridaCrazy]

We recently returned from our first NCL cruise (we were on the Dawn) and found that NCL did a good job with my wife's Gluten allergy. Once onboard we went to the main dining room and spoke with them there and we were all set from there. Mr Q would meet with my wife and show her tomorrows menu (dinner and/or lunch) and would take her order. She sometimes changed her mind and they would accommodate her changes. The Bimini grill had fries that they cook in a dedicated fryer so she could have that as a snack. O'Sheehans didn't have much but we expected that. We avoided the buffet. Even if they show you things there that are gluten free there's a high risk of cross contamination from other cruisers behaviors. She perhaps had more snack items available on RCL or Princess but NCL did a great job....we were impressed. We did not feel the need to even try a specialty restaurant.

[GinnyHoppa811]

Thanks everyone, this is really helpful. We may be putting off a cruise for a while for kid reasons but I feel much better about the food options when we do go.

 

 

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