Gluten Free

[jillgunter]

I have seen a sample menu for Rhapsody of the Seas. Wasn’t very good options on menu for GF. Will they make things special or should I plan on weight loss?! TIA 

[wolfcathorse]

43 minutes ago, jillgunter said:

I have seen a sample menu for Rhapsody of the Seas. Wasn’t very good options on menu for GF. Will they make things special or should I plan on weight loss?! TIA 

my DH has celiac, if we eat in the MDR you're supposed to select your meal for the next day so they will make it GF. We found that to be a PITA so we just eat in WJ. Some ships have a separate food island labeled GF, mostly you need to know what you can eat. On Allure, anywhere we ate he had to ask for GF bread (and it was the best GF bread he's ever had!).

[WildWillyReturns]

My wife is GF and has had good experiences in the main dinning room on the RC cruises we have been on.

 

On the Harmony of the Seas out of Ft Lauderdale we let the head and assistant waiters know on the first night. From then on at the end of each dinner they would let my wife see the following day's dinner menu and she could pick any of the options and they would make them GF. At first we wondered how faithful they would be about the preparation but after a week my wife had no stomach issues so their process worked well for her.

 

On a Freedom of the Seas cruise out of Puerto Rico I read on this forum somewhere you could email the dinning staff ahead of time for GF request. I can't remember the email but its probably on the RC website. I emailed RC and they forwarded on the request to the ship staff. The ship dinning staff sent us the first night menu so my wife could pick out ahead of time and then followed the same process as our previous cruise (sneak peak at the following day's menu after each dinner). On the first night our head waiter on the Freedom cruise had no idea about the pre-set GF meal or what we were talking about so she ordered something else. Shortly after that the pre-picked option showed up. A little confusing to start but still worked out well. No issues that week either.

 

Overall I think Royal Caribbean does a great job on this if you let them know ahead of time. I also tip extra when they get it right because I like to encourage the dinning room staff that put in the extra effort to accommodate special dietary needs.

 

[psujmatt]

I don’t have a severe allergy but found the main dining room staff to be excellent at accommodating food sensitivities.  The ordering ahead isn’t the most convenient but often the chef will even come up with special things that aren’t quite on the menu.  

[emory2001]

Royal Caribbean has been great when my GF son is cruising with me. There are a number of things you can do, and we do all of them:

 

1. Email special_needs@rccl.com ahead of time to let them know of the need.

2. First day on board, before dinner, go visit the maitre d' at the main dining room. You'll have the opportunity to review the first night's menu and go ahead and order. In addition to GF labeled meals, to the extent possible they will modify other meals if that's what you really want.

3. Then advise your waiters at dinner. They have GF bread service available, and our waiters have always been very courteous and accommodating. Personal preference, we've never found it to be inconvenient to order the next night's meal for my son each night. At the end of the meal each night, the waiter brings out the next night's menu, and he decides what he wants (and we get a preview!).

4. You can also meet with the manager of the Windjammer for advice on GF safe options there.

[TwinMamainMN]

Ditto emory. Also, my son wanted pasta in the MDR but didn't see it on the GF offerings. We asked our head waiter, he said he would check. The maitre'D came over to chat with us, quickly approved the request and it was done. My son had amazing GF pasta with marinara sauce and grilled chicken the next evening. He raved about it. Also, many of the regular options were already GF or easily adjusted. My 10 year old son ate like a king with lobster, French onion soup, steak and more. He had lots of safe and delicious food and never complained.

[CatLadyFemme]

Also echoing folks. I have Celiac AND am vegetarian which makes things extra complicated, but you can check out my reviews and see that I have always been well fed. The key is that you don't HAVE to order exactly off the menu. If you know you'd like something that isn't listed as GF, you can ask for some changes (like a different sauce with GF pasta, or vegetables prepared differently with your steak). In fact, I found that often my meals were fresher or more customized than my dining companions, which was nice. Definitely ask for things you want; I love cold soups, and they have mostly taken them off the menus. However, I always tell my HW that day 1, and usually get 1 cold soup, a salad or app of some sort, a GF customized meal, and then a mediocre dessert (this is the biggest issue for GF stuff). In WJ, if they don't have a designated GF section, you can ask them to pull fresh stuff from the back, or make something for you up there as well too.

 

Good luck and enjoy!

[MalteseMama2]

I am GF due to a gluten allergy. I’ve had wonderful experiences on board. I can’t comment on MD meals because we stopped eating there several years ago, before my diagnosis. We usually eat in a specialty restaurant, Coastal Kitchen when it’s available or WJ. I’ve found in WJ it never hurts to ask if something can be made GF. I’ve been told by servers they can make pancakes, toast, many other things for me. Sorrento’s can make pizza for you with limited topping choices.