Special dietary requirements page on Cunard website

[bluemarble]

I received the usual "Let your Cunard adventure begin" email from Cunard today for a booking on QM2 I made a few days ago. It has the usual content except for one new section I haven't seen before in these emails. That's an "Allergy and dietary needs" section with a link to this "More information" page on the Cunard website.

 

https://www.cunard.com/en-us/food-allergy-and-dietary-requirements

 

This page may have been around for a while but I haven't noticed it before. At least I haven't noticed a page about special dietary requirements with this much detail before. There are a couple items on this page which which stood out when I read them. Those are procedures we've not experienced in the past with regard to our food allergy requirements. Here are the procedures listed on that page which are new to us.

 

1. "Upon embarking on your ship, you’ll be contacted by the Head Waiter (they will call your stateroom or meet you in the main dining room) to welcome you on board, explain how to order your food, and ensure your allergy or dietary information was captured correctly during booking."

 

We've never been contacted ahead of our first dinner in the Britannia Restaurant before. We always notify the Maitre 'd or Head Waiter upon entering the restaurant the first evening and he takes down all the details of our food allergies as if they were all new to him. I suppose that's what they mean by the alternative of the Head Waiter meeting you in the main dining room. Has anyone with food allergies received a call in your stateroom about that on embarkation day? If so, were you in Britannia or the Grills?

 

2. "Lunch and dinner for your first day on board will be pre-ordered by the chef on your behalf to ensure your dietary requirements are met. We'll let you know which restaurant to go to on the day."

 

In the past, we've always had lunch in Kings Court on embarkation day and made sure we have something basic that we know won't be an issue or else ask the staff there if we have any questions about a specific item. Perhaps this pre-ordered lunch procedure only applies to Grills guests since the Britannia restaurant isn't open for lunch on embarkation day. For dinner, we've always ordered something off the regular dinner menu and the staff made sure what we have ordered won't be an issue. Has anyone with food allergies experienced this procedure where your meals were pre-ordered for you on embarkation day? And what's up with "We'll let you know which restaurant to go to on the day."?

 

I don't want to give the impression I think either of these items I've mentioned here which are new to us are a big deal at all. They are not. I'm just posting this to make others with food allergies aware of this "Special dietary requirements" page if you haven't seen it yet. And I'm just curious to learn if any of you with food allergies have seen these procedures which are new to us in action for a Britannia booking. Perhaps this is one of those cases where what the website says differs from the actual procedures on board the ship.

[Jack E Dawson]

Bluemarble,

We just returned (via the QM2) last month from a week in London and a week in the Cotswold region. At every place that we ate, whether it was a Pub, Sidewalk Cafe or Fine Dining, the waiter always greeted us with the question about our food allergies. The wording was always the same. I  wonder if the restaurant industry in the UK is under some new requirement and Cunard has picked it up?

Jack

[Jules.]

We don’t have allergies but my husband eats a vegan diet. We had informed Cunard about this using the pre-voyage form but sadly none of the information was passed over from shore to sea. 
We dined in Britannia so our first meal onboard was at dinner time. My husband told the waiter of his dietary requirements and to our dismay there had been no prior accommodation made. My husband only had the choice of two salads from the menu, one to be served without the cheese. He ate both salads and was still hungry so we went to Kings Court and they had no vegan mains, only a choice of two chocolate desserts. 
During each dinner my husband  did get the menus to choose his food the following day, which included the Princess Grill vegan menu which he worked his way through during the week. 
Half-way through the cruise we brought this to the attention of the pursers office who gave him a pen and paper to write down his complaint and also told him  that he was not the only person to have complained about the vegan food during the voyage. In the end we did not have the energy to write a complaint, however I have just completed the Cunard email survey and included our disappointment the lack of vegan food in the feedback. 
 

[bluemarble]

30 minutes ago, Jules. said:

We don’t have allergies but my husband eats a vegan diet. We had informed Cunard about this using the pre-voyage form but sadly none of the information was passed over from shore to sea.

 

We always call Cunard Customer Service to notify them of our dietary requirements for each of our bookings. We follow that up with an email to "cunardonboardservices" as requested by Cunard Customer Service to provide them with all the details as well. We get a response to that email stating "Your bookings have been noted for (your) allergies and a report will go to the appropriate ship staff to advise."

 

Sadly, we've had the same experience that the on board staff doesn't seem to know about our food allergies. Not sure if they don't check their records or if they never receive the promised notifications. But it always seems to take them by surprise when we inform the staff at each different restaurant we visit (Britannia, Kings Court Alternative and Verandah) that we have food allergies. They write down our food allergies as if it were new information. Cunard could do better in that regard and we have discussed that with the on board staff.

[Chart Room Princess]

We always notify our Cunard cruise specialist of my mother’s food allergies. It is always noted on our booking summary. However when we notify our dining steward on the first evening they are never aware and notify the head waiter who always stops by with the next evening’s menu. I have never seen the special dietary requirements page before either.

[bluemarble]

I just received a much more detailed response than usual to the email I submitted to "cunardonboardservices" only a few hours ago to notify them of our allergies for our latest booking on QM2 as well as another booking we made on Queen Anne a while ago. I used to get just the one line response I posted in my previous reply on this thread. Here is that more detailed email response I received today.

 

"Good day

 

Thank you for submitting your dietary request.

 

At Cunard, we prioritize the well-being and satisfaction of our guests, and your specific dietary requirements have been promptly communicated to our ship's staff, including the maître d' and head chef. Please rest assured that we take all dietary requests seriously and are committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable dining experience for you.

 

For guests with allergies, we implement rigorous measures to guarantee their safety and comfort. This includes assigning a dedicated waiter, preparing meals in a separate area of the kitchen under the supervision of a different chef, and utilizing a separate entrance for our wait staff. These precautions are meticulously followed to minimize any risk of cross-contamination and to provide you with peace of mind throughout your journey with us.

 

We deeply appreciate the trust you've placed in Cunard for your voyage experience. It is our utmost pleasure to welcome you aboard our newest ship Queen Anne as well the beautiful Queen Mary II and to ensure that your dietary needs are met to the highest standard.

 

Should you have any further inquiries or require additional assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us. We're here to make your journey with us as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

 

Wishing You Well,

 

(name redacted)

Cunard Customer Service

24305 Town Center Dr., #130

Santa Clarita, CA 91355

CUNARDONBOARDSERVICES@CUNARD.COM"

[exlondoner]

This looks as if they may have had a near catastrophe recently.