Gluten Free on Cruise

[Taxman2001]

My daughter is 6 and has celiac disease. We will be going on our first disney cruise in December 2018 on the Magic.

 

Does anyone know if they have gluten free ice cream or cookies or gluten free mickey bars?

 

Thanks!!

[Shmoo here]

My daughter is 6 and has celiac disease. We will be going on our first disney cruise in December 2018 on the Magic.

 

Does anyone know if they have gluten free ice cream or cookies or gluten free mickey bars?

 

Thanks!!

It's my understanding that the Mickey bars are gluten free.

 

Be sure to have the condition noted on your reservation, so that DCL can have the proper ingredients onboard for your cruise. Often there are people who go gluten free and, since it's not an allergy, don't bother to note it, causing a drain on the supplies necessary.

[moki'smommy]

They have an assortment of gluten free foods on board and will talk to you and your daughter about what she likes and even prepare special dishes for her (time providing). Aa Shmoo said, note it on your reservation. While they normally carry a certain amount of gluten free food, they will stock more if they are aware of a number of guests needing it. This will also alert your serving team in advance so that everything can be ready for you. When you board, there will be a buffet lunch being served. Mention the need for gluten free to the person at the podium and a head server or chef will walk the buffet line with you indicating which foods are "safe" and/or obtaining others as needed. Once you get to the first dinner, everything will be smooth sailing.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Definitely make sure you have it noted on your reservation! :) I was on a RCCL cruise last summer where they ran out of some of the regular GF stuff (like the bread that was edible) because while they will stock a *little* more for just in case, there were (per my server AND the head server for my section) a LOT more people who said they needed to eat gluten-free than had reported it in advance because they assumed "it's more common so they'll be ok". Fortunately we had an overnight in Venice where RCCL does embark some ships, so they were able to contact their suppliers and restock. But notifying them in advance is the best way to ensure the best possible experience.

 

I was on the Magic in Feb - my first DCL cruise since being gluten-free - and had a great experience. They can make GF chicken fingers and fries - I think they had GF buns for burgers, but I didn't get any of those. If you go to the buffet, let them know and they'll get someone to walk her through the buffet. If you're not comfortable getting things off the buffet, they should be able to make up a plate for her from things that have not been out on the buffet (that's where they made me my chicken fingers and fries). After the first night, she'll be able to order her dinner the night before.

 

If you're planning to do breakfast in the MDR, I was able to get GF Mickey Waffles and GF chocolate chip pancakes. Not positive you can get THOSE in the buffet, but they do have GF donuts (Knickinick or however it's spelled).

 

The hard ice cream is generally GF - obviously not cookies and cream flavors or similar as the cookies, etc. aren't gluten-free - as are Mickey bars. I don't really do soft serve, so I don't know about that. Ditto on cookies - I don't really eat them, so I don't know, but I've heard reports that they do.

[k-chart]

I have Celiac and will be on my first cruise in January 2018 - I'll be sure to report back on Cruise Critic. I enjoy the kinnickinnick donuts - I'll be eating those every morning! I went on my first ever cruise last year on Celebrity and I was amazed at how good the food was and how easy it was to eat gluten-free on board. I just contacted Disney a couple of weeks ago to put in my request and got this back:

Your need to have gluten free meals has been noted on your reservation.

 

Disney Cruise Line is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable

experience for all of our Guests. So that we may provide proper

attention and accommodation for your dietary needs, we encourage you to

dine in the full-service dining rooms for all meals and, most

importantly, to discuss your dietary needs with your Head Server prior

to ordering. Due to limited galley space and preparation areas, special

dietary requests may not be accommodated in quick-service food locations

or through room service.

 

Please note that Disney Cruise Line will use reasonable efforts to

prevent introducing an allergen of concern into the food, by paying

close attention during our sourcing, preparation and handling processes.

However, it is ultimately up to the Guest to use discretion to make

informed choices when ordering food items.

 

Disney Cruise Line cannot guarantee that allergens have not been

introduced during another stage of the food-chain process or—even

inadvertently—during preparation. We do not have separate kitchens to

prepare allergen-free items or separate dining areas for Guests with

allergies or intolerances.

 

On your date of sailing, please visit the embarkation dining session,

which will take place during boarding hours. Dining representatives will

be on hand to assist with your dietary requests.

 

Additionally, Guests are permitted to bring pre-packaged snack items

onboard. These items must be government approved food items in their

sealed original packaging. Due to food safety regulations, we are unable

to provide preparation or kitchen storage for personal food or beverage

items.

 

If you have additional questions, please contact our Special Services

team with your inquiry and all of your contact information, by e-mail at

SpecialServices@disneycruise.com, or by calling 407-566-3602.

[moki'smommy]

THanks for posting the official response. As with most things, it is basically but not totally accurate. It represents the appropriate legal response from DCL.

 

The chef will do special preparations of things on the menu or of favorite items provided that they have the time to do so. They will often have you look at the next night's menu an evening in advance so that they can prepare a gluten free version of whatever your choice might be. They can't promise this--there are lots of people on board and they can't do special preparations for everyone. But they DO try.

[alaska_planner]

we just sailed on the disney dream last weekend...

i was able to order a gluten free pizza at the pool deck pizza place....

i went up to the server there and asked if they perhaps had gluten free pizza...

she called over the guy in charge who wrote down the order..

it's prepared in a special gluten free kitchen (to avoid contamination) and was brought to my table on deck...

 

the pizza was the best i've ever had...seriously....even compared to 'real' pizza i used to be able to eat!!

 

.

[sarahsema]

We cruised on the Fantasy last year (and are going again in December) with two kids with Celiac. It was MAGIC!!!!

I don't think I ate our first few meals because I was in awe and in tears watching my kids have every option they've never had and be treated so well.

My few pieces of wisdom that I will do differently this time...

1. Be sure to eat in the dining room available for lunch the first day and find your serving team. They will allow you to pre-order even your first dinner!!!

Every day after that we could pre-order at dinner for the entire day after. However, my daughter quickly learned that the fun chefs at the grill we're happily able to make her anything she wanted at any time too!!! And that "chefs special" for dessert was better than what she could dream up. :)

2. I don't know about your ship but there was one night on ours in animators that the kids got "decorate your own cupcake". They didn't have an option for my two for that and my number 3 got it. It was awesome. I will be calling ahead this time to make sure they have it ready gf.

3. Be sure to go to the main dining rooms for breakfast the days you are getting off the boat. Your amazing staff will shower you with pre-packaged stuff that you can take off the ship. We had so much we brought most of it home!!!

 

And enjoy!!! There are few times asa Celiac parent that you can watch them indulge and not worry. Disney magic makes that happen all week long. ❤️

 

And yes, the Mickey bars are safe and amazing, and there are more ice creams, cookies and brownies than you can imagine!!!

And donuts, muffins, and more!!!!

 

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[Taxman2001]

Thank you all for the replies! My kids are getting excited the cruise even though it is in December 2018. Glad to hear that there will be GF food available that she will eat, as she is a very picky eater.