Liberty tips for those traveling with people with ARFID or just picky eaters

[RedheadMom18]

We went on Liberty of the Seas last month and I wanted to leave a post for anyone who searches for food information if traveling with someone with ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder) or just picky eating.

Our 16-year-old son has ARFID and has only eaten pizza with cheese only (no sauce) for years. He made the decision to try the normal pizza with sauce at Sorrento's on the cruise and loved it! One day he ate nine slices! The pressure was off ... we told him it was a good time to try it again with sauce, since it was free and we didn't care if it didn't work out. It's a relatively thin crust pizza with sauce that's not too spicy and nothing on the cheese like parsley or chive accents to discourage someone with ARFID. It's very generic pizza and not likely to be vetoed. Pepperoni isn't particularly spicy.

The grilled cheese in the dining room is normal, too. Nothing green on top, no pickles, etc. Toasted medium. Very friendly for those with ARFID. French fries received a thumbs up.

Windjammer Cafe regularly has plain pasta (tube shape) with sauces on the side you can add. Be warned, though, that there are random carrots mixed in with the pasta. I'd offer to get the pasta for someone with ARFID so they don't see you picking out the pasta without veggies on them. The buffet has plenty of plain rolls, cheese cubes and fruits at lunch and dinner. There's always a salad bar. Burgers and hot dogs were also offered regularly and not doctored up. At breakfast, there's a great selection of foods, like French toast, waffles, pancakes (plain and with bananas), bacon, plain scrambled eggs, yogurts and cereal, so chances are your ARFID traveler will find something on their safe food list. Our son ate a big plate of bacon and fit in with all of the other travelers, ha ha!

Hope this helps! I could find very few menu specifics before we traveled and just hoped for the best with our son.