food allergies on Explorer

[leximom]

I have a nut allergy (all nuts especially peanuts) and my daughter is lactose/soy intolerant.

I know I have to make my travel agent aware. Just wondering if anyone traveled on the Explorer with food allergies and are they good to deal with them. I know Disney is a pleasure.

 

Also for my daughter she usually drinks lactose free milk, she cannot tolerate soy. Does anyone know what milk substitute they offer?

[JanineM]

From the website:

Q: What type of special meals does Royal Caribbean offer?

 

A: We make every effort to accommodate our guests' dietary requirements whenever possible. We can accommodate dietary needs such as:

 

Food allergies Gluten-free Kosher Low-fat Low-sodium

 

Vegetarian Meals (including Indian-style vegetarian) are available on all menus in the Dining Room and Windjammer Cafe every day. Guests do not need to make a special request for these meals.

 

Lactose-free/soy milk, Ensure, and kosher meals are available no extra charge. All you have to do is notify us at least 45 days prior to sailing (90 days for European/South American Itineraries).

 

Kosher for Passover meal requests MUST be received 90 days in advance in order to be accommodated.

 

Contact your travel agent or Certified Vacation Planner and request that the remark be noted in your reservation details. If you made your reservation online at royalcaribbean.com you may add your request to the "update personal information." section. You may also send an e-mail request to special_needs@rccl.com; please include in the e-mail the guests' names, booking number, ship name and sail date. E-mails will receive an automated response. We kindly ask that guests do not call Royal Caribbean International suppliers with specific questions.

 

Special meal requests that are received less than 45 days of sailing (90 days for European/South American itineraries) are dependent on the ship's product availability. We will try to accommodate to the best of our ability.

 

Please note: Baby food is available via our Gifts and Gear page via our Babies To Go program and infant formula is not provided on board.

 

Guests may not bring on board any food items other than baby food and/or dry, nonperishable snack items (cookies, crackers, chips, energy bars, etc).

 

I have shellfish allergies. Be sure to e-mail in advance. When you go to the dining room on the 1st night, speak to the maitre d' (or asst.), the waiter & assistant waiter. Tell them about the allergies. They should be aware.

 

I have had very good "luck" in the dining room with staff being careful. HOWEVER - it is imperative that you are very diligent. It is easy for there to be a mistake, especially if there are other servers assisting. If in doubt, don't eat and ask! I always bring benadryl, and on lobster night we actually avoid the dining room completely.

 

The buffet is a different beast. Ask a uniformed officer for assistant as there may be ingredients that are not apparent.

 

That said, I've only had one minor reaction in 9 cruises. Just keep your eyes open.