Process of requesting special dietary needs

[DrSea]

I am traveling with guests whom I think may benefit from special dietary needs requests. I have many questions. 

 

1. What is the process like booking and getting the meals in the MDR? 

2. Can we do flexible dining or is it fixed dining only? 

3. Do you have to come in at an assigned time? And what if you miss it? 

4. What if there is an issue with the food, like a hair in it or the waiter drops it? Do you have to wait a long time for them to cook the food again?

5. Does the food feel like it's been sitting out to long? (Food is cold when it should be hot or dry from sitting under the heat lamp too long) 

6. What if the menu changes and your requested food is no longer available? Or are you likely to still get your order? 

7. For people with diabetes, is it a separate menu in the MDR? 

8. Can you do reduced sodium instead of no sodium? 

9. What about breakfast lunch and dinner in the buffet? How does that work? 

10. Can special food requests for the platinum lounge be placed? 

 

Thanks in advance.

[NavyVeteran]

Before the cruise: Log in to your cruise on the Cruise Personalizer. Select "Check-in" on the top of the page. Under Guest Check-in Status for the specific passenger, select "Dietary Requests". Fill in the information and then select "SEND DIETARY RESTRICTION".

 

When you are on the ship, speak to a head waiter at your first lunch or dinner in the MDR. Explain your dietary restrictions to him. You will not order from a waiter - you will order from a head waiter. Each evening, the head waiter will come to you with the next day's dinner menu (and lunch menu if it's a sea day). You will place the order with him. The head waiters are trained to deal with dietary restrictions - they waiters aren't. The head waiter will tell you what you can order that fits your specific restrictions. Since you are ordering a day in advance, they will be able to modify some items to fit. For example, a sauce that is not gluten-free can be modified to be gluten-free - it will not have the same consistency and possibly not quite the same taste. 

 

You can eat any time in any MDR dining room. You can make reservations or just show up like anyone else. Even though you can eat in any dining room, I recommend you always eat in the same one for dinner. That way, you can work with the same head waiter every day to place your order. It is not important to get the same waiter, as long as you tell the waiter that you ordered in advance with the head waiter.

 

They don't normally work with separate menus, since many items on the menu can be modified with the advance notice.

 

If you are eating breakfast in the MDR, order from the head waiter. Lunch in the MDR on sea days is ordered in advance like dinner.

 

I don't recommend the buffet unless the MDR isn't available. If in the buffet, ask to speak with the manager or chef. Don't rely on labels on the buffet. Don't rely on just any server. They will know what fits within your restrictions. Depending on your restrictions, there may be a problem with cross-contamination in the buffet, since passengers may switch serving utensils from one item to another. If your restriction is serious enough that cross-contamination would be a problem, they can serve your plate from the kitchen avoiding any.

 

If you are going to eat in a specialty restaurant, tell your head waiter the day before when he comes for your order. Go to the specialty restaurant the day before to speak with the head waiter there about your dietary restrictions. They can work better with the advance notice. Also you will tell the MDR head waiter where you will be eating, since you won't be placing an MDR order for that day - he may also offer to speak to the specialty restaurant head waiter. If you do eat dinner in a specialty restaurant, don't forget to go by the MDR that evening to place your next day's orders with the head waiter.

 

I don't have any experience with special orders for the platinum/elite/suite lounger. I recommend asking your MDR head waiter for advice on this.

 

Neither DW or I have dietary restrictions. However, I have traveled with a sister-in-law who requires gluten-free. My comments are based on her experiences and on observing others at my table with dietary restrictions.

Edited September 13, 2023 by NavyVeteran

[cr8tiv1]

4 hours ago, DrSea said:

I am traveling with guests whom I think may benefit from special dietary needs requests. I have many questions. 

 

 

4. What if there is an issue with the food, like a hair in it or the waiter drops it? Do you have to wait a long time for them to cook the food again?

5. Does the food feel like it's been sitting out to long? (Food is cold when it should be hot or dry from sitting under the heat lamp too long) 

6. What if the menu changes and your requested food is no longer available? Or are you likely to still get your order? 

 

8. Can you do reduced sodium instead of no sodium? 

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I have seen a dish with three lobsters dropped.  It was quickly replace in Reserve Dining.  That may not happen in the MDR, IDK.  In one of our Meet and Greets, the DRO mentioned that Princess does not plate ahead of time.  Each plate is created when ordered.  I also heard that Reserve Dining gets head of the line privileges.  I have never had to return a dish because there was a hair in it.

 

Princess MDR has never "run out of food".  You will always get your first choice of dish.  

 

I do a low/reduced sodium diet when on the ship.  My sauces are modified and always served on the side.  I have to "beg" for cheese on my Caesar salad and French onion soup.  Your Assistant Manager (Head Waiter) will accommodate your meals.  If you have a really good one, he/she can actually create something special for you, if the ingredients are in the store.  

 

 

[cnd crsr]

Navy Veteran has given a very good explanation of how to handle any dietary concerns.

 

I have had over 50 cruises with Princess and have never had a problem being looked after by the Head Waiter. They will go out of their way to assist with any necessary changes. We usually eat in the same dining room but often have different wait staff and this is never a problem. For the Specialty dining room, I always go the day  before to look at the menu & speak with the  Head Waiter. Enjoy your cruise!

[travelin.sisters]

a couple of points that haven't been covered (2 of us travel with food restrictions d/t allergies, one is common [shellfish] & one is more unusual [peppers]) 

• although I always do the dietary restrictions ahead, only once has it made a difference & the headwaiter came to find us...but it is easy to ask at the first meal & get help
• some ships/headwaiters (they are actually now called restaurant managers, I think--I have trouble with the renaming of all the staff keeping track) do this really, really well but others you will have to remind the waiter to get them for you each night, others have found us even in the buffet when they are doing a shift there & helped...they will write out your order for the next day on a little slip of paper & then when you come to order the next day tell (or remind) the waiter that you have preordered & they will get it (usually they will bring you menus for lunch (if it will be a sea day) & dinner for the next day
• an advantage of eating at the same time/place each day is by the second day your waiter/jr waiter will remember & watch for your dietary restrictions & make sure the process works more smoothly for you
• depending on your dietary needs they have separate kitchens for various concerns (allergies/gluten) so there is little risk of cross contamination, that being said we have received a pepper as a garnish on our pepper free dish
• there is no separate diabetic menu as many diabetics eat any foods & adjust medications for carbs eaten...there are sugar free desserts on most, if not all, menus & in the venues
• at the buffet, you would want one of the "tall hat" guys (I don't know their titles, but they wear the very tall chef hats) to help you find foods that are ok...they can be either really helpful or not depending   

[BamaVol]

12 hours ago, DrSea said:

I am traveling with guests whom I think may benefit from special dietary needs requests. I have many questions. 

 

1. What is the process like booking and getting the meals in the MDR? 

2. Can we do flexible dining or is it fixed dining only? 

3. Do you have to come in at an assigned time? And what if you miss it? 

4. What if there is an issue with the food, like a hair in it or the waiter drops it? Do you have to wait a long time for them to cook the food again?

5. Does the food feel like it's been sitting out to long? (Food is cold when it should be hot or dry from sitting under the heat lamp too long) 

6. What if the menu changes and your requested food is no longer available? Or are you likely to still get your order? 

7. For people with diabetes, is it a separate menu in the MDR? 

8. Can you do reduced sodium instead of no sodium? 

9. What about breakfast lunch and dinner in the buffet? How does that work? 

10. Can special food requests for the platinum lounge be placed? 

 

Thanks in advance.

 I am disembarking this morning from my second Princess cruise. I am lactose intolerant and deal with it by avoiding all dairy while sailing. The process has differed slightly between ships. On the Caribbean Princess I was given a card to present to my waiter. On Sapphire, I just mentioned my restrictions to the waiter on the first night. In both cases, they brought a manager to my table to work with me. 
 

I stick to a single dining room and a consistent time. But that’s not a requirement. I order my food the night before. Nothing I chose was ever turned down. However, my food sometimes looked different from the same dish my wife ordered. 
 

only once was a mistake made. An assistant waiter put cheese on my pasta. I signaled to the waiter and it was corrected instantly. 
 

my food has always been fresh and at the correct temperature. 
 

in the buffet, I ask for a cook (tall hat) to show me what I cannot eat. Never an issue.