HAL and Celiac disease (gluten free)

[LawDog61]

How is HAL for dealing with the gluten free requirements of celiac positive passengers?  Thanks for any info.

[grsnovi]

Although not Celiac, our experience with gluten intolerance on HAL has been really good. Simply inform the dining room host that you are Celiac, and you will be presented with a menu for the next day's meals and they will ensure that your selection is GF. There are GF selections in the Lido. It used to be that you needed to inform HAL of your special requirements months prior to sailing but that isn't an issue these days.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It is not a problem just have your TA tell them 60 days before the cruise..

[leerathje]

We cruised on the Koningsdam in January of 2019 with my brother, who has Celiacs.  We let them know when we booked our cruise, and then when we got on board, we went to the MDR for lunch and he introduced himself, as that is where we planned on eating most evenings.

 

Even though we had anytime dining, there was no problem for his meals.   At the end of our dinner he would be brought a menu for the next night, and he would pre-order for the next day. You can also make reservations for the MDR (I think it's up to 3 nights?) and that might help you, as they would know when you are arriving for dinner.

 

He ate at the Tamarind, and there was absolutely no problem whatsoever.  They said they didn't even need him to introduce himself the day before, so we ordered off the menu and they knew exactly what was gluten free and what wasn't.

 

He also ate at the Lido, again, great selection for him.  Among the many things he could eat, they have a great salad station! They even have gluten free desserts!

 

Let me know if you have other questions. I'm sure I can get you the answer.

 

L.

 

[ger_77]

44 minutes ago, leerathje said:

He also ate at the Lido, again, great selection for him.  Among the many things he could eat, they have a great salad station! 

 

That's one of the things we really miss - heading over to the salad station at lunch and having a made to order salad meal.  Can't wait till we get to do that again!

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

[LawDog61]

Thank you everyone for your helpful answers.  I am new to the Celiac world.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

I’m also celiac, and HAL is great. You’re best off with assigned dining so you have the same waiter every night. The first night, order GF items off the menu, and tell your waiter you need a gluten free diet. They will bring you a copy of the next days menu with dessert. Make your selections, and the galley will make you a gluten free version of your choices. From then on, they will bring you the next days menu every night automatically. They will even bring you a small basket of GF bread at the table. 
If you make a reservation for specialty dining, let them know in advance.
The Lido has a lot of gluten free choices, including baked goods and pasta. You can get burgers and hot dogs at the Dive Inn with gluten free buns. They are very familiar with gluten free substitutions, and extremely accommodating.

[pschweig]

I would like to add one thing to everyone’s comments to also reassure you from someone who also must eat GF. 
 

We were able to tour the kitchen on a ship tour of the Zuiderdam on our last cruise. Knowing that I required a GF diet, we were shown the designated kitchen area where the food allergy diets were prepared. My order for dinner was hanging on a clip. we were told that there were kitchen staff designated to only prepare the food allergy meals. BTW, there were a lot of yellow pieces of paper representing food allergy orders clipped there! 

 

I feel 100% safe on HAL ships and have never had a reaction to the food I have been served. 

[LawDog61]

Thanks everyone, very helpful.

[Maggiemimi]

On 6/20/2021 at 3:52 AM, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

I’m also celiac, and HAL is great. You’re best off with assigned dining so you have the same waiter every night. The first night, order GF items off the menu, and tell your waiter you need a gluten free diet. They will bring you a copy of the next days menu with dessert. Make your selections, and the galley will make you a gluten free version of your choices. From then on, they will bring you the next days menu every night automatically. They will even bring you a small basket of GF bread at the table. 
If you make a reservation for specialty dining, let them know in advance.
The Lido has a lot of gluten free choices, including baked goods and pasta. You can get burgers and hot dogs at the Dive Inn with gluten free buns. They are very familiar with gluten free substitutions, and extremely accommodating.

So glad to hear about gluten free buns - heard the burgers and hot dogs were great and thought I might have to miss out. 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

They also have cheese ...