Cruising with a unique food allergy situation

[Donald]

On 12/23/2019 at 4:33 AM, ryansox said:

So my girlfriend and I are looking to do a cruise. She really wants to, but I'm afraid food is going to be a big issue. We thought just a small 1 or 2 night cruise would be a good starting point unless certain cruise lines accommodate better. Basically she can eat her gluten free oatmeal and fruit for breakfast. Grilled chicken without anything added would be the safest for lunch and dinner. She's gluten, dairy, soy, nut, pretty much everything free. She cannot eat Seafood or Red Meat. She can safely eat Mexican food like chicken tacos with corn tortillas. Basically I'm wondering what is the best cruise line for people with allergies and do they allow you to bring some of your own food on, like oatmeal. 

You maybe surprised to learn that your girlfriend’s allergy situation is not so unique. On just about any cruise ship that carries North Americans, nearly 50% of the passengers have special diets - some far more specialized than hers. To complicate it further, many passengers change their diets mid-cruise, completely confusing the staff.

Giving the cruise line advance notice will help. Speaking with the F&B Director on Day One will help even more.

Please advise your girlfriend, who seemingly cannot eat most human foods, that complaining about lack of food variety will not help.

[calliopecruiser]

6 hours ago, Donald said:

nearly 50% of the passengers have special diets

Passengers having "special diets" is very different than passengers having food allergies........just a quibble about the uselessness of that statistic (conflating allergies with other reasons for dietary restrictions is a pet peeve of mine).  However, I agree with you that complaining about the lack of variety is kind of a non-starter.

 

[ducklite]

3 hours ago, calliopecruiser said:

Passengers having "special diets" is very different than passengers having food allergies........just a quibble about the uselessness of that statistic (conflating allergies with other reasons for dietary restrictions is a pet peeve of mine).  However, I agree with you that complaining about the lack of variety is kind of a non-starter.

 

So grateful to you for posting this!  

 

My biggest pet peeve are the people who are not Celiac yet insist on gluten free.  I have two friends who have Celiac disease.  One of them will actually end up in hospital if she has gluten, her disease is that bad.  I have numerous friends who have jumped on the gluten free train because some "Influencer" said it's bad for them.  Ugh.

 

I have to carry an Epi-Pen.  That should be enough to prove that I have food allergies, not lifestyle choices.

 

That said, I do understand people who make the choice to eat vegan or vegetarian, and I respect that choice.  Typically those people are pretty easy to please and open to whatever chef decides to create for them that night.  😊

[mjkacmom]

31 minutes ago, ducklite said:

So grateful to you for posting this!  

 

My biggest pet peeve are the people who are not Celiac yet insist on gluten free.  I have two friends who have Celiac disease.  One of them will actually end up in hospital if she has gluten, her disease is that bad.  I have numerous friends who have jumped on the gluten free train because some "Influencer" said it's bad for them.  Ugh.

 

I have to carry an Epi-Pen.  That should be enough to prove that I have food allergies, not lifestyle choices.

 

That said, I do understand people who make the choice to eat vegan or vegetarian, and I respect that choice.  Typically those people are pretty easy to please and open to whatever chef decides to create for them that night.  😊

My daughter was diagnosed with celiac 10 years ago at the age of 6, I’m SO grateful for the gluten free trend, there are SO many more food options at a much lower cost, even eating out! 

[ducklite]

8 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

My daughter was diagnosed with celiac 10 years ago at the age of 6, I’m SO grateful for the gluten free trend, there are SO many more food options at a much lower cost, even eating out! 

I can see your point, but on the other hand the drama queens who are not celiac but choose a GF lifestyle diminish the severity of the disease in the eyes of most people.  It's the same thing as service dogs versus handbag "emotional support" pooches being claimed as service dogs.  It makes it harder for people who have an actual service dog to be accommodated.  

[mjkacmom]

1 hour ago, ducklite said:

I can see your point, but on the other hand the drama queens who are not celiac but choose a GF lifestyle diminish the severity of the disease in the eyes of most people.  It's the same thing as service dogs versus handbag "emotional support" pooches being claimed as service dogs.  It makes it harder for people who have an actual service dog to be accommodated.  

I get what you are saying, Dd knows she has to let servers know she has celiac, there have been times when she didn’t and was served something she couldn’t eat (like a flour tortilla that fortunately looked a little different than the corn one next to it, the waitress apologized but said she didn’t realize she had celiac or else she would’ve been much more careful if Dd had said so). However, food options are a million times better now!

[flyingron]

 

[ducklite]

5 hours ago, flyingron said:

 

If that is intended towards me, jokes on you, as I've clearly stated I eat gluten.

[calliopecruiser]

7 hours ago, ducklite said:

That said, I do understand people who make the choice to eat vegan or vegetarian, and I respect that choice.

And I also respect the choices of people who've chosen not to eat dairy, or root vegetables, or white bread.......as long as they admit it's a preferential choice and not an allergy.  Saying "I don't eat root vegetables, they don't agree with my digestive system" is a legitimate choice, but it's not an allergy (or even a religious belief).