Gluten Free - "off the menu" items you'd recommend

[lawyerboy5555]

What are the best “off the menu” gluten free entrees or desserts that you’ve had the MDR or a specialty restaurant make for you?  Curious what all they can do besides the few “official” Gluten free items on the nightly menus as there are not many official ones on the menu itself.  Be specific please!  I truly appreciate it!

[CruiseMelissa]

Unfortunately, I have to answer this in the eyes of my daughter, who has celiac and was 6 and 7 on our 2 Grandeur cruises 🙂.  In Windjammer, they've made her grilled cheese, hot dogs, fries, pizza, pancakes, french toast, and bagels.  On our cruise last year they had a delicious gf chocolate layer cake that showed up at both the MDR and WJ.  In the MDR for dinner she's had pasta, steak, shrimp, grilled cheese, fruit soups, ice cream and the chocolate cake I've already mentioned.  I'm sure those with more adult tastebuds will have more creative ideas but I'll say she's been pretty happy with these choices!

[alevyinroc]

On her last cruise, the MDR staff brought my daughter (8 years old) pasta w/ bolognese sauce from Jamie Oliver's every night for the second half of our cruise after we went to the specialty restaurant and she got hooked on it.

 

OTOH, the MDR's GF french toast the first morning was made with GF rye bread and...it just didn't cut it.

[CruisinCrow]

13 hours ago, CruiseMelissa said:

Unfortunately, I have to answer this in the eyes of my daughter, who has celiac and was 6 and 7 on our 2 Grandeur cruises 🙂.  In Windjammer, they've made her grilled cheese, hot dogs, fries, pizza, pancakes, french toast, and bagels.  On our cruise last year they had a delicious gf chocolate layer cake that showed up at both the MDR and WJ.  In the MDR for dinner she's had pasta, steak, shrimp, grilled cheese, fruit soups, ice cream and the chocolate cake I've already mentioned.  I'm sure those with more adult tastebuds will have more creative ideas but I'll say she's been pretty happy with these choices!

 

Where did you get the gf French toast?  We'll be on Grandeur soon and I miss French toast.  Did you have to ask for the chocolate cake?  

[CruiseMelissa]

4 hours ago, CruisinCrow said:

 

Where did you get the gf French toast?  We'll be on Grandeur soon and I miss French toast.  Did you have to ask for the chocolate cake?  

Both WJ and MDR had the French Toast.  In WJ, ask one of the head waiters to help you out (the ones dressed like officers), they'll fetch you anything you ask for that they can make.  The chocolate cake showed up on the buffet one day (we asked for fresh from the back) and then our water in the MDR asked her if she wanted chocolate cake and it was the same cake which was fine with her.  The previous year there was no cake, but she was happy with ice cream and Udi's snickerdoodle cookies.

[CruisinCrow]

3 minutes ago, CruiseMelissa said:

Both WJ and MDR had the French Toast.  In WJ, ask one of the head waiters to help you out (the ones dressed like officers), they'll fetch you anything you ask for that they can make.  The chocolate cake showed up on the buffet one day (we asked for fresh from the back) and then our water in the MDR asked her if she wanted chocolate cake and it was the same cake which was fine with her.  The previous year there was no cake, but she was happy with ice cream and Udi's snickerdoodle cookies.

 

I get kind of tired of ice cream and creme brulee.   I hope they have the chocolate cake!

[CruiseMelissa]

4 minutes ago, CruisinCrow said:

 

I get kind of tired of ice cream and creme brulee.   I hope they have the chocolate cake!

Oh I understand!  Here's a picture of the cake, I forgot she had it at Giovanni's too, it seemed to show up everywhere! 

[CruisinCrow]

4 minutes ago, CruiseMelissa said:

Oh I understand!  Here's a picture of the cake, I forgot she had it at Giovanni's too, it seemed to show up everywhere! 

 

Yum!

 

[Daized]

I've just posted a review of speciality dining GF on Navigator with unlimited dining 🙂 just incase anyone is interested.  Now then,  I've found that off the menu stuff varies hugely from ship to ship. I've asked similar questions and the best answers of great service nearly always come from those with children.  Sadly I don't think they are always as accommodating to us grown up cruisers.  Sometimes they are... but not always.  I have had brilliant gf freshly made pancakes at breakfast.  They were a little too lovely and I put on lots of weight that cruise 🙂

 

Some other gf goodies are gf udi's bagels that they would toast for me in the WJ at breakfast.  And also gf snickerdoodle soft cookies are available strictly on request at cafe promenade.

 

Must say I totally agree with the poster about creme brulee and the main dining room menu being bland and repetitive.  That's why I loved trying out the Unlimited Dining Package - my experience is that generally any gf request is much more likely to be met in speciality dining than main dining.  Yes,  it costs more but I see it as not really much more than a drink package if you like a drink 🙂

 

Daisy xx

[CruisinWithMySweetie]

On 5/15/2019 at 8:59 PM, CruiseMelissa said:

Unfortunately, I have to answer this in the eyes of my daughter, who has celiac and was 6 and 7 on our 2 Grandeur cruises 🙂.  In Windjammer, they've made her grilled cheese, hot dogs, fries, pizza, pancakes, french toast, and bagels.  On our cruise last year they had a delicious gf chocolate layer cake that showed up at both the MDR and WJ.  In the MDR for dinner she's had pasta, steak, shrimp, grilled cheese, fruit soups, ice cream and the chocolate cake I've already mentioned.  I'm sure those with more adult tastebuds will have more creative ideas but I'll say she's been pretty happy with these choices!

CruiseMelissa - could you please help me understand more on how GF food is done in the Windjammer?  My 3yo would be interested in those same kid-friendly foods you mentioned (grilled cheese, pizza, etc).  The Windjammer is usually pretty chaotic when we are there.  Where do you go to find someone in charge that can take a GF request, is the GF food made-to-order, do they bring the GF food to your table?

[CruiseMelissa]

On 5/17/2019 at 9:06 PM, CruisinWithMySweetie said:

CruiseMelissa - could you please help me understand more on how GF food is done in the Windjammer?  My 3yo would be interested in those same kid-friendly foods you mentioned (grilled cheese, pizza, etc).  The Windjammer is usually pretty chaotic when we are there.  Where do you go to find someone in charge that can take a GF request, is the GF food made-to-order, do they bring the GF food to your table?

 

In the WJ look for the staff dressed up as officers, they're usually walking around making sure everything is running well 🙂 they're the ones to go to to ask for special food.  We'll find them, tell them our order and show them where we're sitting.  They'll come find you and deliver your safe food to you.  Going into our first cruise I didn't think the buffet would even be an option for us but it became our go-to for breakfast and lunch!