Celiac Disease (Gluten Free)

[fetzablu63]

Just booked the Emerald Princess and wondering whom do I contact to request a Gluten Free Diet for my wife? Is there a phone number to call or an email address to add the request? Thank You....

[Waynetor]

I'm not aware of any way to pre book special meals.

 

The standard is to go to the dining room that is open when embarking and talk to the head person there.  They will help with that nights menu.  For each night one of the head waiters will bring the next nights menu to you and you can order what you want and it will be prepared special for you considering your special needs( gluten, salt free etc).   

 

Some items may be marked gluten free in the buffet but I am not aware of any way to pre-book meals there.  

[LawDog61]

Agree  with Waynetor.  You need to pre-order the night before.  You will become good friends with the manager, who will bring you next day menus for dinner, and if a sea day…lunch.   They will specially prepare meals for you and you may end up eating better than the general population. BTW, the GF bread is really good when toasted.
 

The buffet is a bit more tricky.  You need to get hold of a chef (tall white hat) who will show you what is safe.  Chiefs are easy to find on the Royal class ships but on the Grand class ships (like Emerald) they are not so visible as I think the kitchen is one deck down.  Do NOT take the word of the guy working behind the counter- you need the a chef.  
 

A couple of hints ( but always verify).  The soups are almost always GF, as is most of the Indian dishes.   The International Cafe always has one GF desert also.
 

Breakfast  in the buffet is also a bit of a challenge.  About the only thing I like that’s safe is bacon and eggs.  That  Gets a little old after a few days.   I am bring some GF cold cereal with me when I board Emerald this Sunday.   The do have some good GF muffins for breakfast……

 

Specialty restrauants will take good care of you.   Just be sure to tell them.

 

You need to be proactive and careful, but you will find everyone very willing to help.  I actually feel much safer on ship than when I am navigating restrauants on land.  
 

I hope this helps and good luck.

Edited August 2, 2023 by LawDog61

[LawDog61]

One follow up thought.  First time I thought I needed to be same dinning room, same table every night but you just give them your cabin number when ordering.  The next night- can be a different dinning room, you tell the your  cabin # and they have your order.  It works well.

[disneyochem]

Great information given by previous posters.

Your wife can also indicate on the Medallion app that she has a wheat allergy. (Yes, I know it’s not an allergy—I have celiac as well.). That notation then comes up at every dining venue that scans her medallion.

 

I also bring breakfast (gf granola, cereal) and snack (gf crackers, cookies) food every trip.  As noted, I get tired of eating eggs every morning.  My favorite gf breakfast is from the International cafe:  gf granola added to the Greek yogurt and a slice of fresh pineapple!

Edited August 2, 2023 by disneyochem

[beg3yrs]

You can

1 hour ago, Waynetor said:

I'm not aware of any way to pre book special meals.

It's not really pre-booking but if on the Cruise Personalizer you select the Cruise Check-In tab you are taken to a page that lists each guest on the booking. Inside each guest's "box" there's a link to "Dietary Requests". You can select the "No wheat" option from there and there's another box where you can specify that the guest is Celiac and not only no wheat but no rye, barley or spelt.

 

My wife has celiac too and has never had a problem with being GF on the ship. The MDR staff is especially helpful, bringing the next day's menus to allow pre-ordering. Seems they can make almost any meal gluten-free with the advance notice!

[charliedalrymple]

9 hours ago, beg3yrs said:

It's not really pre-booking but if on the Cruise Personalizer you select the Cruise Check-In tab you are taken to a page that lists each guest on the booking. 

 

My wife has celiac too and has never had a problem with being GF on the ship. The MDR staff is especially helpful, bringing the next day's menus to allow pre-ordering. Seems they can make almost any meal gluten-free with the advance notice!

 

I always note at booking that I am celiac, but I don't think that message ever gets to the people who serve you. As people have said, the best bet is to let the Maitre d know, as well as your server. I have also been brought the next day's menu the day before to pre-order, and that's really helpful.

 

I haven't cruised since COVID, but back in the good old days of set dinner times and the same server, it was never an issue. The waiters knew my issues and were always ready to advise me (and occasionally steer me away from things I tried to order that seemed GF but weren't).  Alas, that level of personalised MDR service may be gone with the advent of anytime dining.

[Ladyshopper23]

Some good advice on here.

A few other random bits:

The buffet may or may not have allergen labels. We found Sky Princess did, Crown Princess didn't. As others have said, any chef with a tall hat will be able to walk you round, tell you what's safe, and get you fresh servings from the kitchen to avoid cross contamination.

Make sure you speak to the Maitre d' / head server. They will bring you the menus at dinner time to order for the following day. You can also ask for the lunch menu if the main dining room is going to be open, and also breakfast, and you can pre-order those things. You can get GF french toast and GF pancakes at breakfast (we were originally told we didn't need to pre-order, then when we turned up were told it would be easier if we did. Left hand/right hand etc etc!).

If they're serving afternoon tea in the main dining room and you think you might want to go, again mention it to the head server the evening before and they'll make sure you're well catered for.

The GF bread on Princess ships leaves a lot to be desired. Toasted it's edible, as sandwiches for afternoon tea it's not. I just ate the fillings!

Going back to pre-ordering, the head server will be able to tell you if dishes can be changed to make them gluten free. Don't be afraid to ask. Also, if you don't see anything suitable or nothing you like, ask for something else. They will happily make you anything as long as they've got the 24 hours notice. Also, the gluten free desserts are usually rubbish. 'Chef's surprise' is common, which normally turns out to be some kind of fruit based thing, panna cotta or creme brulee. I don't like any of those things, so ask for something chocolate based (as I do like this!). We've also had gluten free pecan pie, cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake etc.

We never eat from the poolside grill place as can't be sure that the fries or other food aren't contaminated. Don't assume that the french fries in the buffet are GF either, they might have been cooked in a fryer with other gluten containing food.

 

If there is a pizza place onboard (either at the pool or a sit down one) then both should be able to do GF pizza. It's made from scratch away from the others, so should be safe from cross contamination. Princess GF pizza is really nice.

 

The more questions you ask, the better experience you will receive. It shouldn't be this way, but it is. Cruise lines (not just Princess) are never forthcoming about what gluten free stuff they can offer. I really wish that would change.

If you want some more ideas, and to see photos of menus, food etc, then if you click on my profile you'll find a link to my GF travel blog. I don't have our Crown cruise written up, but I do have 2 on Sky Princess (one was a short 3 night cruise, the other 2 weeks), so it will give you some idea of what to expect.

 

[beg3yrs]

7 hours ago, Ladyshopper23 said:

The GF bread on Princess ships leaves a lot to be desired. Toasted it's edible, as sandwiches for afternoon tea it's not. I just ate the fillings!
....
We never eat from the poolside grill place as can't be sure that the fries or other food aren't contaminated. Don't assume that the french fries in the buffet are GF either, they might have been cooked in a fryer with other gluten containing food.

...

DW agrees wholeheartedly with you about the GF bread. Toasted (both sides of course - you have to check) it's edible.

 

As far as the poolside grill goes, DW always checks about the fryer oil there. She's not a trusting soul as the consequences of being mis-led are so severe. Anyway she will run it all the way up to the Executive Chef about the poolside grill fryer and every time she is assured in no uncertain terms that nothing but french fries goes in that oil. I suppose that's good because she'll chow down on the fries there and has never had a reaction (it's almost instantaneous). She doesn't however get fries anywhere else on board whether it's the MDR, buffet or room service.

 

Also while at the grill she will watch her order (bunless burger - GF buns are bad too) and make sure the part of the grill where her patty is cooked is cleaned ahead of time and she'll call them out if it isn't. After all, they heat the regular buns on that same grill.

[Ladyshopper23]

13 hours ago, beg3yrs said:

DW agrees wholeheartedly with you about the GF bread. Toasted (both sides of course - you have to check) it's edible.

 

As far as the poolside grill goes, DW always checks about the fryer oil there. She's not a trusting soul as the consequences of being mis-led are so severe. Anyway she will run it all the way up to the Executive Chef about the poolside grill fryer and every time she is assured in no uncertain terms that nothing but french fries goes in that oil. I suppose that's good because she'll chow down on the fries there and has never had a reaction (it's almost instantaneous). She doesn't however get fries anywhere else on board whether it's the MDR, buffet or room service.

 

Also while at the grill she will watch her order (bunless burger - GF buns are bad too) and make sure the part of the grill where her patty is cooked is cleaned ahead of time and she'll call them out if it isn't. After all, they heat the regular buns on that same grill.

That's good to know about the poolside grill. I'm definitely going to investigate more on our next Princess cruise, as would be great to have another quick eats option.

[MikeyBoy1978]

On 8/1/2023 at 4:10 PM, fetzablu63 said:

Just booked the Emerald Princess and wondering whom do I contact to request a Gluten Free Diet for my wife? Is there a phone number to call or an email address to add the request? Thank You....

Trust we have sailed 4 lines now and princess is the best. Sometimes I wanted to eat my wife’s GF meal it looked so damn good!

 

make a note in your reservation and go see to your MDR on embarkation and let them know they got you!!!

[NavyVeteran]

My SIL is gluten free and has never had a problem on Princess.

Make sure to place your orders in the MDR with the head waiter the day before. The waiters are not trained to handle allergies - the head waiters are. The head waiter will know what items are gluten free and what items can be made gluten free with the advance notice. For example, they may need to leave a sauce off. Or they will make a different sauce without the flour (probably not as thick).

My SIL does not have celiac - she just needs to eat gluten free to avoid some digestive issues. A little bit of cross contamination would not hurt her. However, it may be a problem for you. The gluten free meals in the MDR are prepared without cross contamination. Although the gluten free items in the buffet may have been prepared correctly, you cannot trust anything on the buffet tables. Passengers will often use utensils from one item to serve another one - leading to cross contamination. If this could be a problem for you, then ask the buffet supervisor or chef to prepare your plate in the kitchen where you don't have to worry about passenger cross contamination.

[fetzablu63]

Thank you!

[Pickels]

On 8/1/2023 at 6:10 PM, fetzablu63 said:

Just booked the Emerald Princess and wondering whom do I contact to request a Gluten Free Diet for my wife? Is there a phone number to call or an email address to add the request? Thank You....

Not sure of a phone call option but, you can go into your reservation and access: 

Dine How You Want

• Customize your food and drink orders.
• Share any dietary preferences in your OceanReady® profile.
• Choose your dining pace in your profile.

 

Also, make sure you talk with the Mari'd first night and tell him/her your dietary needs.  I have done this on several cruises and they will bring you the next night's dinner menu and you can specify your needs. 

[NavyVeteran]

1 hour ago, Pickels said:

Not sure of a phone call option but, you can go into your reservation and access: 

Dine How You Want

• Customize your food and drink orders.
• Share any dietary preferences in your OceanReady® profile.
• Choose your dining pace in your profile.

 

Also, make sure you talk with the Mari'd first night and tell him/her your dietary needs.  I have done this on several cruises and they will bring you the next night's dinner menu and you can specify your needs. 

You don't need to talk with the maître d'. You need to talk with a head waiter. Any head waiter is trained to handle dietary restrictions. (I'm not sure what title they use for the maître d' and head waiters now.) The head waiter is the one who will meet with you each evening for you to order the next day's meals.

[Pickels]

1 hour ago, NavyVeteran said:

You don't need to talk with the maître d'. You need to talk with a head waiter. Any head waiter is trained to handle dietary restrictions. (I'm not sure what title they use for the maître d' and head waiters now.) The head waiter is the one who will meet with you each evening for you to order the next day's meals.

Head Waiter/Maitre D whatever works is fine; during our cruises since 2003 we've always seeked out the maitre'd first; true on some occasions, he would refer us to the head waiter.  As I now (correctly ) recall, the maitre'd was to reserve a certain table and the head waiter was for dietary concerns.  thanks for the clarification!  I stand corrected. 

[moodyb1]

They have GF muffins in the buffet in the morning that are pretty good. If you don't see them out, go to the kitchen and ask anyone for one.

On the newer ships, I have found them in a rotating display next to the specialty coffee place. I think this is an awkward place to have them, because you have to wait in line with all the people who are ordering coffees, when all I wanted was a muffin! When I was on the Discovery last year, I complained to the chef about this situation and he said he would move the muffins to another location, but during the rest of the cruise it never happened. 

I agree that the bread tastes like cardboard! I bring Schar breadsticks and Graham crackers, along with other GF snacks. 

 

Arlene 

[NavyVeteran]

At breakfast each morning (at Sabatini's), they brought SIL a tray with a selection of gluten-free pastries each morning to choose from. She said some of them were very good.

[ghgeckos]

My spouse is Gluten Free and our son has Celiac and we have sailed with Princess numerous times. W prefer having the same waiters each night and ask the dining room hostess if we can get an assigned seat for our whole cruise in one section of the dining room. This allows us to get to know our waiters and makes us easy to find each night when they bring the following nights menu. In my families opinion most of the GF pastries aren’t very good and one can only eat so much Crème  brûlée. One cruise we were blessed to have Princess’s head Pastry chef on board and he made the best GF desserts my family has every tasted.