Eating gluten-free on Celebrity- please share!

[RedSox5]

Hi-

 

I have found a great deal of helpful information on the boards about eating gluten free while cruising, and particularly while cruising on a Celebrity ship. This will be my 8th cruise, but my first since finding out that I must eat a gluten-free diet.

 

I know the general information- that the cruise line prepares special gluten-free meals in the dining room, but that at the buffet I'm on my own and must pick and choose carefully (which I'm ok with).

 

Just wondering if anyone that has to eat gluten free has any recent experiences on Celebrity and can offer me greater detail about your specific experience? I suppose I'm just curious in general what it's like. ;)

 

Thanks in advance!

[Host Anne]

RedSox5 ~ While I'm not gluten-free, we do travel quite a bit with a good friend who is. Also, our daughter has recently developed a dairy allergy so we are very aware of how important it is to take food allergies very serious.

 

Celebrity has always done a fantastic job with our friend who must eat gluten free. In the main dining room, the maitre 'd visits our table at the end of the evening with the menu for the next day. He reviews everything with our friend and customizes a menu for him. Our friend has been very happy with the personalized service Celebrity provides to him with his allergy.

 

Be sure to speak with your maitre 'd upon arrival in the dining room at the outset of your cruise. Also, if you are sailing on a Solstice-class ship and dine in the specialty restuarants, I'm creatin they will be happy to accommodate you as well. Be sure to have your travel agent note your gluten free requirement in your reservation record.

 

Have a fantastic cruise!

[RedSox5]

Thanks, Anne. Celebrity is already aware of my gluten-free requirement and I plan on speaking with the maitre'd when we get on board.

 

Thanks for the piece of mind ;)

[bigreckster]

My wife needs a gluten free diet and we have always found Celebrity to be most accomodating (we're CC Elite with 30+ cruises under our belt and just did Summit in Jan. to the Carib.). Yes, your first stop once on board should be to see the m'D. (he's usually set up in the Rendezvous Lounge) and he will see that you are attended to by the asst. M'D. in your section. You'll get the menu for the following night at each dinnertime and can choose from it...some items are just not doable, but most things they can make special for you. They'll also have gluten-free bread at each meal...a real treat that my wife savors! Our M'D. even followed-up on us in the specialty restaurant both nights we ate there to be sure everything was prepared gluten-free for her. Relax and have a great cruise!:)

[deb18]

Hi. I have eaten gluten free on celebrity on numerous occassions. some of it has been great, some not so great. The waiter came by each night for me to pre-order, which was nice. I would not always get what I ordered and some was tasteless and inedible, some was scrumptious and wonderful. One cruise the waiter always surprised me with a dessert, one cruise the waiter never asked me about dessert and I would rarely get one. Often I was served 20-30 minutes after everyone else ( I always told people not to wait). I always asked for bread toasted, as it often came out cold and icee. I know this sounds bad, but I have also had some wonderful dishes, found the lamb to be great and I usually dont like lamb. Also, you often need to specifiy if you want a starch, (ie rice, potatoes) as the descriptions from the menu may include it but they do not when they make it.

 

Alot of it depended on the particular waiter. I have come to believe that next time I eat in MDR I will order 2 entrees (not because of hunger, but because I want to make sure there is something I like that I can eat despite asking for it). The waiter said that gf food is made with the specialty diets (ie. low sodium) and are done individually. I often found the beef overcooked. On the buffet when I had questions they would often get someone to help guide my choices. I have not asked for gf bread on the buffet but have read there is some for sandwhiches etc.

 

At the formal tea, there was little for me to eat. But the tea was good. I did not starve by any streach of the imagination, but at times was not satisfied. Next cruise I am going to try Blu to see if that is better. I was able to get a bunless burger, hot dog, tacos, nachos, grilled chicken at the grill which was nice. Hope this helps. It takes some people (like me) to figure this thing out ( the gf diet) but it is coming along. Good luck. It really was not as bad as it sounds, except for having all the other diners at the table served 20 to 30 minutes before me, that was awkward. It happened more often than not on a couple of my cruises (but have not cruise for over 1 year, shucks)

[Kan't Wait]

Deb 18....

When you said that you had hot dogs were you able to see if they were actually gluten free? I have found that a lot of processed items have some sort of gluten in them. It would be a nice option.

Also were you able to have any french fries? Or could you tell that the fryer was used for other items? I am extremely cautious of cross contamination.

 

Also were you able to enjoy breakfast and lunch in the MDR and get help with the gluten free?

 

Thanks for you help,

[Azulann]

My friend must eat gluten free. Our waiter on the Century went thru the menu each night and told her what was gluten free. It helped with the different soups. she never got sick. The gulten free bread was nice. Her food always came when the rest of our talble got served. MOast nights she got her entree first. The best thing was the bartendar who found a vodka that was made from potatoes., so she could have a cocktail when she wanted to!!:)

[Snorkel2Much]

Hi. I have eaten gluten free on celebrity on numerous occassions. some of it has been great, some not so great. The waiter came by each night for me to pre-order, which was nice. I would not always get what I ordered and some was tasteless and inedible, some was scrumptious and wonderful. One cruise the waiter always surprised me with a dessert, one cruise the waiter never asked me about dessert and I would rarely get one. Often I was served 20-30 minutes after everyone else ( I always told people not to wait). I always asked for bread toasted, as it often came out cold and icee. I know this sounds bad, but I have also had some wonderful dishes, found the lamb to be great and I usually dont like lamb. Also, you often need to specifiy if you want a starch, (ie rice, potatoes) as the descriptions from the menu may include it but they do not when they make it.

 

Alot of it depended on the particular waiter. I have come to believe that next time I eat in MDR I will order 2 entrees (not because of hunger, but because I want to make sure there is something I like that I can eat despite asking for it). The waiter said that gf food is made with the specialty diets (ie. low sodium) and are done individually. I often found the beef overcooked. On the buffet when I had questions they would often get someone to help guide my choices. I have not asked for gf bread on the buffet but have read there is some for sandwhiches etc.

 

At the formal tea, there was little for me to eat. But the tea was good. I did not starve by any streach of the imagination, but at times was not satisfied. Next cruise I am going to try Blu to see if that is better. I was able to get a bunless burger, hot dog, tacos, nachos, grilled chicken at the grill which was nice. Hope this helps. It takes some people (like me) to figure this thing out ( the gf diet) but it is coming along. Good luck. It really was not as bad as it sounds, except for having all the other diners at the table served 20 to 30 minutes before me, that was awkward. It happened more often than not on a couple of my cruises (but have not cruise for over 1 year, shucks)

If you tried both options, have you noticed a service difference between fixed dining and select dining? Mrs. S2M is on a gluten free diet and we have chosen the fixed-time dining in the hopes that it will minimize service issues. Thanks.

[Craig_K]

My son and I both have Celiac and were recently on a Royal Caribbean cruise. My advice, regardless of the cruise line, is make good friends with your HEAD WAITER in the dining room. If you let the cruise line know of your restriction when you booked, the head waiter will certainly be aware of your needs. I also found that the same head waiter was wonderful at coordinating GF breakfast for us each morning and any other requests we had. The maitre'd did not do anything to help. It was all the head waiter.

 

I suggest you give your head waiter a very generous tip AT THE BEGINNING of the cruise. We just told him thank you very much in advance, we know it is a lot of extra work, and we really appreciate your help for us. Maybe it was not exactly necessary, but I can tell you for sure that our particular head waiter absolutely made our cruise the wonderful experience it was for us and my kids.

 

Lunch was not quite as easy, but once we found a few workable options, we pretty much stuck with the same thing each day to keep it simple.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions. I know my experience was based on RCCL, but I am sure it must be similar to Celebrity as well. I'm reading this board however since we will be on the Summit next February.

[deb18]

Deb 18....

When you said that you had hot dogs were you able to see if they were actually gluten free? I have found that a lot of processed items have some sort of gluten in them. It would be a nice option.

Also were you able to have any french fries? Or could you tell that the fryer was used for other items? I am extremely cautious of cross contamination.

 

Also were you able to enjoy breakfast and lunch in the MDR and get help with the gluten free?

 

Thanks for you help' date='[/quote']

Hi I just assumed they were as I was told they were all beef. I had the nachos as they were corn and had no wheat when I asked. I do not remember the french fries though.

 

I did not do select dining as they did not have it then, only traditional. this time I am definately going to speak with the head waiter in blu and let him know.

[Kan't Wait]

Hi I just assumed they were as I was told they were all beef. I had the nachos as they were corn and had no wheat when I asked. I do not remember the french fries though.

 

I did not do select dining as they did not have it then, only traditional. this time I am definately going to speak with the head waiter in blu and let him know.

 

Thanks Deb

[deb18]

If the celebrity higher ups ( administrative types) are out there reading this I have had an idea since the last cruise. If they can label the common allergens in their buffets (ie. things like wheat, rye, barley, soy, nuts, fish, seafood, corn etc. ) when they list what the food is (they can use symbols and have the legend in the daily or posted at the buffet) than that would cut down on people asking the servers what is in the food and help prevent problems with people who have different sensitivites. Just a thought. Celebrity, are you listening? I hope I am making myself clear. Some people don't like to bother those who are working to ask and may accidentally eat the wrong thing (like I did yesterday. Went to a restaurent that has a gluten free menu, forgot to look at it, ordered cheese fries, today I have a migraine, went on the website to find out it is not gluten free. Sometimes I need that to prove to myself I need to stay away from it as I have never been tested but discovered it own my own). deb

[Kan't Wait]

If the celebrity higher ups ( administrative types) are out there reading this I have had an idea since the last cruise. If they can label the common allergens in their buffets (ie. things like wheat, rye, barley, soy, nuts, fish, seafood, corn etc. ) when they list what the food is (they can use symbols and have the legend in the daily or posted at the buffet) than that would cut down on people asking the servers what is in the food and help prevent problems with people who have different sensitivites. Just a thought. Celebrity, are you listening? I hope I am making myself clear. Some people don't like to bother those who are working to ask and may accidentally eat the wrong thing (like I did yesterday. Went to a restaurent that has a gluten free menu, forgot to look at it, ordered cheese fries, today I have a migraine, went on the website to find out it is not gluten free. Sometimes I need that to prove to myself I need to stay away from it as I have never been tested but discovered it own my own). deb

 

I discovered my allergy too; most doctors are useless. Ever since I figured out my problem I feel so much better and have less "issues" :eek:.

 

I bet that the fries and the cheese were okay...it was just the fryer. That is why I asked you earlier about the fries. If only we could have our own fryers. The contamination factor is hard for people to grasp. I hope you feel better.

[RedSox5]

My son and I both have Celiac and were recently on a Royal Caribbean cruise. My advice, regardless of the cruise line, is make good friends with your HEAD WAITER in the dining room. If you let the cruise line know of your restriction when you booked, the head waiter will certainly be aware of your needs. I also found that the same head waiter was wonderful at coordinating GF breakfast for us each morning and any other requests we had. The maitre'd did not do anything to help. It was all the head waiter.

 

I suggest you give your head waiter a very generous tip AT THE BEGINNING of the cruise. We just told him thank you very much in advance, we know it is a lot of extra work, and we really appreciate your help for us. Maybe it was not exactly necessary, but I can tell you for sure that our particular head waiter absolutely made our cruise the wonderful experience it was for us and my kids.

 

Lunch was not quite as easy, but once we found a few workable options, we pretty much stuck with the same thing each day to keep it simple.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions. I know my experience was based on RCCL, but I am sure it must be similar to Celebrity as well. I'm reading this board however since we will be on the Summit next February.

 

You said lunch was not as easy, but you found options- can you share what some of those options were? ;)

[RedSox5]

If the celebrity higher ups ( administrative types) are out there reading this I have had an idea since the last cruise. If they can label the common allergens in their buffets (ie. things like wheat, rye, barley, soy, nuts, fish, seafood, corn etc. ) when they list what the food is (they can use symbols and have the legend in the daily or posted at the buffet) than that would cut down on people asking the servers what is in the food and help prevent problems with people who have different sensitivites. Just a thought. Celebrity, are you listening? I hope I am making myself clear. Some people don't like to bother those who are working to ask and may accidentally eat the wrong thing (like I did yesterday. Went to a restaurent that has a gluten free menu, forgot to look at it, ordered cheese fries, today I have a migraine, went on the website to find out it is not gluten free. Sometimes I need that to prove to myself I need to stay away from it as I have never been tested but discovered it own my own). deb

 

I like that idea- a small symbol so it wouldn't be "annoying" to other guests (I can hear it now:mad:) would be perfect. That's a great idea!! :D

[deb18]

I like that idea- a small symbol so it wouldn't be "annoying" to other guests (I can hear it now:mad:) would be perfect. That's a great idea!! :D

 

Thanks.

 

Someone asked about lunch. We almost always ate @ the buffet. Salads were great. (croutonless of course). And I was told dressings were gluten free. But stayed away from asain ones due to soy sauce. Which often contains wheat. I had asked the servers @the buffet what was gluten free &they would often get the chef 2 direct me. The indianfood was often gluten free. I would go to the pasta station @ times & get everything butthe pasta like a primavera without pasta but would skip the whitesauces as they may have flour. There were a few times when not much was available or appetizing on the hot side but I always enjoyed a big salad cesear style with lots of shrimp. I haveread on the boards that someone had crepes made for them gluten free @bistro on five but I have not been on S class ships yet. Just don't be afraid to ask for things. Sorry about the typos. This was done on my iPod

[RedSox5]

Thanks.

 

Someone asked about lunch. We almost always ate @ the buffet. Salads were great. (croutonless of course). And I was told dressings were gluten free. But stayed away from asain ones due to soy sauce. Which often contains wheat. I had asked the servers @the buffet what was gluten free &they would often get the chef 2 direct me. The indianfood was often gluten free. I would go to the pasta station @ times & get everything butthe pasta like a primavera without pasta but would skip the whitesauces as they may have flour. There were a few times when not much was available or appetizing on the hot side but I always enjoyed a big salad cesear style with lots of shrimp. I haveread on the boards that someone had crepes made for them gluten free @bistro on five but I have not been on S class ships yet. Just don't be afraid to ask for things. Sorry about the typos. This was done on my iPod

 

Thanks! So you were told that all of the salad dressings were gluten free? I'm SO nervous about getting sick while on vacation! :(

[RedSox5]

Sorry, guys... I have another question! :rolleyes:

 

Anyone know if the fried items are ok to eat (french fries, for example)? I know they aren't fried in their own separate oil, but did anyone have any issues with this?

[Craig_K]

We were told to stay away from the fries. Some had a crispy coating on them and yes, they share common oil and utensils as chicken nuggets many times.

[RedSox5]

Thanks, Craig.

 

I'm getting so worried about the cruise! We always eat breakfast and lunch at the buffet, and since this is my first cruise since being gluten-free, I'm really worried about it. I'm nervous that there won't be enough food that I KNOW is safe that I can eat! :(

[Craig_K]

Hey RedSox5. Don't worry, YOU ARE GOING ON A CRUISE! I was the same way a few months back before my cruise, worrying about dealing with my son's Celiac (and I was just also diagnosed a month ago). I can honestly tell you that there was no need to worry, everything went better than expected, and we had a great time. No lables to read, nothing to cook, no shopping to do, etc. They took care of everything for us better than we could have hoped for.

 

As I said before, befriend your HEAD WAITER. Tip them well and be very gracious. They have the ability to help you a lot and take away your worries. We always spoke to the Head Waiter during dinner about our meal plans for the next day and then they would coordinate and make sure we were taken care of. For example, they would make sure we had GF breakfast in the dining room, or even to coordinate a GF breakfast and a "regular" breakfast to be delivered to our room together. And they always took and arranged our next night's dinner for us in advance (GF bread each night, dessert, etc.)

 

I know you said you like the buffets for breakfast and lunch, but I would recommend that you are open to other options if possible. I was also a buffet person before Celiac, but this last cruise we really enjoyed being served breakfast in the dining room. Sit down, order, and get served what you want. No lines to wait in, no trays to carry, etc. Very relaxing. And the dining room staff always knew to expect us and thus had GF pancakes for my son each morning!

 

I found that the staff at the buffets was not of the same calibur as that of the dining room and I was not comfortable enough to risk eating there. There was also the possibility of cross-contamination with utensils. For lunch once we found a carry-out salad option at one of the other restaurants, we kept it simple and stuck with that each day. We just made sure to get dressing that came in packets. We carried out and ate at the pool

 

Let me know if I can help in any way. I know what you are going through.

[Kan't Wait]

Craig K- thanks for your post. I am Celiac and our upcoming cruise will be our first since finding out.

 

We like the dining room for all meals and I am really glad that you posted that information. I was worried that the only meal covered would be dinner. I am pretty good at choosing the right things but the cross contamination is something that can't be known until it's too late. I still have a hard time getting family and friends to understand the dangers of cc.

 

Thanks again,

[RedSox5]

Hey RedSox5. Don't worry, YOU ARE GOING ON A CRUISE! I was the same way a few months back before my cruise, worrying about dealing with my son's Celiac (and I was just also diagnosed a month ago). I can honestly tell you that there was no need to worry, everything went better than expected, and we had a great time. No lables to read, nothing to cook, no shopping to do, etc. They took care of everything for us better than we could have hoped for.

 

As I said before, befriend your HEAD WAITER. Tip them well and be very gracious. They have the ability to help you a lot and take away your worries. We always spoke to the Head Waiter during dinner about our meal plans for the next day and then they would coordinate and make sure we were taken care of. For example, they would make sure we had GF breakfast in the dining room, or even to coordinate a GF breakfast and a "regular" breakfast to be delivered to our room together. And they always took and arranged our next night's dinner for us in advance (GF bread each night, dessert, etc.)

 

I know you said you like the buffets for breakfast and lunch, but I would recommend that you are open to other options if possible. I was also a buffet person before Celiac, but this last cruise we really enjoyed being served breakfast in the dining room. Sit down, order, and get served what you want. No lines to wait in, no trays to carry, etc. Very relaxing. And the dining room staff always knew to expect us and thus had GF pancakes for my son each morning!

 

I found that the staff at the buffets was not of the same calibur as that of the dining room and I was not comfortable enough to risk eating there. There was also the possibility of cross-contamination with utensils. For lunch once we found a carry-out salad option at one of the other restaurants, we kept it simple and stuck with that each day. We just made sure to get dressing that came in packets. We carried out and ate at the pool

 

Let me know if I can help in any way. I know what you are going through.

 

Craig- As far as breakfast or lunch in the dining room, isn't it open seating (that's what I've always experienced in the past at breakfast/lunch.)? If so, am I going to have to go into the whole "I can't have gluten" thing each meal?? :( If not, how will they know? Is my photo in the back with a big sign that says "do not serve this passenger gluten!" :eek: (just kidding!!;):D)

 

Sorry for all the questions- I appreciate your help very much!

[Craig_K]

Yes it is open seating. Everything went very smoothly. When I sat down, I told them I had an allergy and asked to see a manager. The manager was aware of everything because our head waiter told him the night before when we talked about it. And the kitchen was already prepared for it. Everything was taken care of very smoothly and easily. No issues whatsoever. My son got his GF pancakes, and the rest of us go whatever else we ordered off the menu. No problems, very enjoyable. All serverd together without much wait.

 

I don't know exactly how it is all communicated, but it works. In fact, one morning we missed breakfast and that night at dinner our head waiter asked us what happened. So they must all communicate well. He offered then to us that if we think we might miss breakfast, that he would have it delivered from room service if we wanted. That worked well also.

 

Like I said at the beginning. This was all handled and coordinated by our head waiter. They are your key contact. Treat them well and they will be good to you. (At least ours was.) Every night at dinner, talk with them to plan your next day's meals and they will do the rest.

[RedSox5]

Yes it is open seating. Everything went very smoothly. When I sat down, I told them I had an allergy and asked to see a manager. The manager was aware of everything because our head waiter told him the night before when we talked about it. And the kitchen was already prepared for it. Everything was taken care of very smoothly and easily. No issues whatsoever. My son got his GF pancakes, and the rest of us go whatever else we ordered off the menu. No problems, very enjoyable. All serverd together without much wait.

 

I don't know exactly how it is all communicated, but it works. In fact, one morning we missed breakfast and that night at dinner our head waiter asked us what happened. So they must all communicate well. He offered then to us that if we think we might miss breakfast, that he would have it delivered from room service if we wanted. That worked well also.

 

Like I said at the beginning. This was all handled and coordinated by our head waiter. They are your key contact. Treat them well and they will be good to you. (At least ours was.) Every night at dinner, talk with them to plan your next day's meals and they will do the rest.

 

Thanks for your responses, Craig. I am still fairly new to this whole gluten-free world, and I have this huge hesitation about being a pain in the neck. I know that I just need to get over it so that I can fully enjoy my week, but I hate calling attention to myself/my food allergy. As I said, I know I just need to suck it up so that I can enjoy my meals! Thanks so much for your help- I'm sure I'll be just fine! ;)