Who do I contact about food allergies?

[eileen226]

Sailing on Symphony in February and our future son in law is allergic to milk products (our daughter is pescatarian, but no issues with dairy).  Who should we contact about the food allergy and is that something we do prior to sailing or when we arrive onboard?

As always, appreciate everyone’s assistance.

[dst]

I usually inform the agent when I book and its also in my profile with RCCL. Once on board, to be safe, I also let the concierge  and the waiters know

 

[cb at sea]

Every cruise line has a "special needs" dept.....call the toll-free number and tell them of your issues.  They're pretty good with allergies.

 

[Clarea]

43 minutes ago, eileen226 said:

Sailing on Symphony in February and our future son in law is allergic to milk products (our daughter is pescatarian, but no issues with dairy).  Who should we contact about the food allergy and is that something we do prior to sailing or when we arrive onboard?

As always, appreciate everyone’s assistance.

 

Send an email to special_needs@rccl.com.

[Grenouille21]

3 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Send an email to special_needs@rccl.com.

 

Yes, do this.  They will send you an automated reply, and then a more detailed reply as well.  Include your reservation number, the allergy, and the name of the person with the allergy.  

 

Symphony has a dedicated prep area for allergies.  They will advise you to head to the Main Dining Room upon boarding to discuss the allergy, schedule reserved dining vs. My Time, talk to a manager at the buffet and they will make a special meal, and advise any specialty restaurants of the allergy ASAP so they can prepare a safe meal.  

 

We are sailing with a tree nut allergy, and this was what we were told.  Just make sure you email them and give them enough time to note your reservation.  

[Seazond]

Just back from a five night on Brilliance.  I did as suggested, emailed the special_needs@rccl.com.  I got a response that I would need to inform the maitre d and our server.  I did so, but still I felt the need to ask about each item.  Once I even ordered something in a cream sauce ( undisclosed by description) and our waiter never said a word.  When it was presented I then said I was not able to eat it and he said he'd get me something else.  After that night, I felt MUCH better about saying to the waiter that I would eat what he chose for me, knowing my needs.  I was not disappointed after that one meal!  

 

Just to be clear, allergy info is not listed in the menu, nor sometimes within a description of an item.  There is no separate menu for food exclusions.  I chose to eat a vegan diet, and have a dairy allergy. I was under the impression there would be an alternate menu provided.  There was not.  Our waiter would personally speak to the chef and come with my meals.  I did not make any requests nor was I given a choice.  For me, that was perfectly fine. I had risotto, lentils, and pasta dishes.  One night I did ask for a plate of the roasted veggies, and he brought them right over.  On the last night I got a glimpse of what he went through for me, as he said he'd got something special, and went to the kitchen three times and three times my meal was wrong!   My table mates were getting surf and turf, and he served me veggies and rice stir fry that looked superb! Well worth the wait.

 

Anyway, sorry for the long post, just wanted to ensure you had the proper expectation.  With an allergy, you may need to ask daily about ingredients just to make sure your meals are safe for yiu.