NCL & Nut allergies

[h_toronto]

Hi all and Happy Monday! We are taking our first NCL cruise during the March Break. (7 day Caribbean). Our son has a peanut and tree nut allergy. We've submitted the accessibility form.  I wanted to get some more information; however, if anyone here has the same situation.

 

a) We have taken Disney cruises before, and for the buffets (for example) a Chef will come out and walk us through the buffet to point out what is safe, and what is not. Does NCL do this?

b) Sit down dinners were not an issue and he was able to pre-select - from reading some comments on here, it appears NCL does the same?

c) Desserts - do they also provide/offer safe desserts? Desserts are always the #1 issue for nut allergies, but we want to make sure our son can enjoy as well.

d) Soft serve - he always loved the soft serve machine on the ship and it was safe. Anyone know if it is safe on NCL? (seems to me these are usually all powder based with no 'real' ingredients...but fine with me if he can have it! 😆)

e) Excursions - anyone have advice on this one? Should we take food off the ship with us that we know is safe?

 

Thanks for any input that you may have. Navigating the food allergy situation is always stressful, so any advance planning/managing expectations that we can do in advance helps so much. 

[ggTexasGal]

You might want to check this out (fill-out and submit to NCL)!!!

https://www.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising#advnoti

[h_toronto]

Thank you! We did already fill out and submit that form, but I was hoping to get first hand experience and advice from cruisers 🙂

[www3traveler]

I would suggest that soon after boarding, you go to the Restaurant Reservations Desk in the Atrium (next to The Guest Desk) and talk with them.  They can make arrangements for you to talk with someone.

 

The information you have provided will be encoded into his Key Card.  So every time he swipes his card at a restaurant, they will have his information.  Staff   is very good at accommodating food issues of all kinds.

 

You would have to ask onboard about the ice cream and being able to take food off ship.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[mjkacmom]

36 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

I would suggest that soon after boarding, you go to the Restaurant Reservations Desk in the Atrium (next to The Guest Desk) and talk with them.  They can make arrangements for you to talk with someone.

 

The information you have provided will be encoded into his Key Card.  So every time he swipes his card at a restaurant, they will have his information.  Staff   is very good at accommodating food issues of all kinds.

 

You would have to ask onboard about the ice cream and being able to take food off ship.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

They won’t need to do that, if they go to a MDR for lunch that person should come to their table to discuss options. My celiac daughter ordered breakfast and dinner the night before, before heading out to eat she’d call and say where and when she was dining and her meal would show up, even at the buffet. Since you can’t take food that isn’t factory sealed off of the ship we’d bring some from home. Four different NCL ships, worked great each time.

[pfanny37]

My son has severe peanut and tree nut allergies.  He will be taking his 4th NCL cruise this July.  We always have our TA contact them prior to boarding.  We also check in with the place where you can make specialty reservations after boarding.  We've been told to stay away from the buffet, so he doesn't eat there (other than the ice cream without a cone).  You can either meet with a concierge each day and plan out the meals, or just alert your waiter when ordering.  They will bring them to you no matter where the rest of the family eats including specialty restaurants.  We are always asked who has the allergy when we check in to the main dining hall, and we make the staff aware.  They have been AWESOME!  Desserts are obviously problematic, but we have had great waiters who will have the chef making something special.  If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

[detroitlions]

My son has a peanut, tree nut and egg allergy . We have been on many cruises and many with NCL. We always fill out the form. And like others have said you can tell them what he wants the day before and also they prepare his food separately. He is a adult now but he asks in the buffet and tells them his allergies. He can eat all the meats the pizza and the burgers and dogs. He stays away from all the saucy type stuff and the things he has never had. 1 time we went to Tepenyaki on the getaway and they brought him 2 fillets since he could not eat anything from the grill he loved it and his food defiantly looked better than ours. The specialty restaurants seemed easier to eat at same day with out a day heads up.

[h_toronto]

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond, everyone. That's very helpful and definitely makes me feel more at ease!

[Ellis1138]

I can add to this, as well. The important thing is to fill out the Access Desk form in advance, giving them time to prepare and expect you.  I also let them know I'm bringing epi-pens along.

 

After doing your muster drill check in on embarkation day, head to the restaurant that's open (MDR) or if you can't find it, to guest services. Either a maitre d', assistance maitre d' or the restaurant manager will come to consult with you. As said, the buffet will be Allergy Roulette, but they will know what things do or don't have which ingredients. They can't vouch for the pre-made stuff they get at the ports. But anything that they make from scratch, they know the ingredients.

 

What I really like about NCL is if I want something that would normally contain my allergens, they will make a version for me that doesn't contain it. 

 

As for the Order the Day Before vs Just Tell the Waiter When you Get There, I find it way easier to look at the menus a day ahead and pick what I want. On my last sailing, they assigned me my own table and my own waiter, so that I wouldn't have to keep explaining every time I sat down.

 

I've seen the soft serve carton and it's all chemical, but definitely doublecheck. Just in case. They will most likely be able to make nut-free and non-contaminated desserts. 

 

I can't help with excursions. My answer has just been to not eat, even when I was a child. I bring some electrolyte tabs and a bottle of water with me. Be careful of coconuts in the Caribbean ports.

 

Good luck and let us know how it went!