Gluten Free Diet on board Celebrity

[WorldCupFan]

Does anyone out there have any experience to how Celebrity caters to different dietary needs. Such as gluten free diet requirement. Would BLU accomidate those needs better then the other dining rooms. Should one with special dietary needs bring there own food. Appreciate any help with this question. Thanx in advance.

[We're The Groupnors]

My best friend has Celiac Disease, and has cruised with us twice on Celebrity. Both times they took very good care of her; here's how she prepared for the cruise, and how she and the staff dealt with her needs on board:

 

Prior to sailing (about 90 days out), she advised the cruise line of her sail date and her specific dietary needs. We also took traditional dining so that she would have the same section head waiter and waiter/assistant for the whole cruise.

 

Once on board she went to see the Maitre d' on the first day, who introduced her to the head waiter for our section. The section head waiter went over the menu for the evening with her, and then came to our table with the next night's menu each night prior to the end of dinner so that she could make her selection for the next evening. In many cases they were able to make specific dishes gluten free, rather than her having to choose a meal from the menu that was already gluten free (including gluten free pasta, gluten free bread for the table, etc.). She also requested gluten free ice cream the first night; they made two flavours of her choice, which she enjoyed for the rest of the cruise.

 

We were also booked into the specialty restaurant one evening, and in that instance our section waiter communicated with the specialty restaurant Maitre d' to explain her needs. Her choices were a little more limited (simply because the menu is smaller), but she found plenty to choose from and really enjoyed the meal.

 

We ate lunch at the buffet most days, and she had no problem with the roasted meats, salads, etc. Breakfasts were always either room service or dining room, and she had no problems. The one morning she went to the buffet she got eggs to order at the omelette station.

 

Have a great cruise!

[LAH718]

Does anyone out there have any experience to how Celebrity caters to different dietary needs. Such as gluten free diet requirement. Would BLU accomidate those needs better then the other dining rooms. Should one with special dietary needs bring there own food. Appreciate any help with this question. Thanx in advance.

 

When we toured the galley on the Mercury last Thanksgiving we were told all the bread was made on board except the gluten free bread. So, accommodations are made for different types of dietary needs. There were also may sugar-free items on the menu and at the afternoon ice cream station.

 

Linda

[snickers09]

My husband and I were on the Constellation in July. The Maitre d' or the head waiter would discuss the next day's menu with me to see what I wanted for dinner. Almost everything I wanted could be prepared gluten free. The MDR had gluten free pasta but I brought my favorite brand from home and the kitchen prepared it for me whenever I wanted it. I also brought gluten free pancake mix and the Maitre d' let the kitchen know the night before that I wanted it in the morning. I was able to have pancakes in the buffet or the MDR.

 

I was able to enjoy gluten free crepes in The Bistro on 5. I don't know what ship you will be on but the Bistro is not to be missed.

 

Next cruise I plan on bringing rolls. Schar carries several types that are delicious and travel well. Hope this helps!!

[Pandot]

My sister also has Celiac Disease and loves cruising, particularly RCCL and Celebrity because they take such good care of her. She has always let the special needs person know 60 days before her cruise, confirms it the week before and meets with the Maitre'D sometime before the first dinner. She has always had a lot of options (not as many as we do but more than in the mainstream), loves the bread on the ship (as much as you can love GF bread and can eat anywhere just by letting them know of her concerns.

 

Communicate and it will be great!

[Solstice23]

Of all my Aunts 30 plus cruises other then Silver sea and Regent only Celebrity has taken care of her gluten Free needs compared to others. Princess was awful for her, as was RCCL in ways.

 

Let them know before you go and then speak with your maitre D the first day before dinner. this always helps...

[WorldCupFan]

Very helpful advise. My wife and I are planing our second cruise and first one with celebrity. Our first cruise was five years ago aboard the Costa Magica. We are booked on the Equinox for the east bound transatlantic in May 2011. We were a little leary about being out at sea for 14 days with little variations to the gluten free diet. Thank you very much for all your advise.

[Craig_K]

I am bringing up an old thread, but am looking for some specifics on Celebrity (Solstice) GF if possible.

 

I know the drill for the main dining room and buffets. We have done that before and have no problems with that. Breakfast and dinner are no problem for us.

 

But what about the availability of GF snacks throughout the day or a casual lunch by the pool or a quick, late night snack?

 

For example what about:

-ice cream by the pool grill (soft serve or hard scooped GF?)

-french fries at the pool grill (GF or fried in the same oil as chicken nuggets?)

-a plain hamburger okay or a salad available by the pool?

-what about a late evening snack? Are there options for a quick "take-out" from one of the cafe's on the entertainment deck?

 

Any feedback you can offer is really appreciated. We found in the past the main dining room and buffet service very accommodating. Our biggest problem on another cruise was those times later in the night, post theater but before bed for a quick snack.

[everbell]

I can only speak for the Millie. We had ice cream at the buffet almost every day ... it was the scoop out kind, not soft-serve ... I didn't see soft-serve anywhere else, but then I didn't look.

 

Hubby (who is celiac) had burgers (w/o the bun) and other grilled meats (except chicken wings) from the pool-side grill. I think the fries were coated so no go there. They also had tortilla chips that he seemed to be okay with.

 

He was spoiled rotten at the MDR and buffet (always got his GF bread before anyone else got their's). He also got a unique dessert every night at the MDR.

 

Snacks ... hmm ... now there's a problem. We brought GF pretzels, cookies and energy bars for him, since we weren't sure what would be available. I'm early to bed, so he would wander out -- I think most often he would have a specialty coffee if he had a hankering for something late night.

Edited September 30, 2010 by everbell

[moomoosmom]

My experience has been with Mercury and Glaxay but both were fabulous.

 

The GF bread was brought out in copious quantities and my kids decided it was THE bread to eat.

 

I was given the menu the night before and asked to pick. One night, pecan pie was on the menu and I asked for it just to see what they would do. No prob. I was given my own pie with a nut crust. Same for cheesecake. I was brought a WHOLE plain cheese cake. It totally thrilled our dinner mates because they loved plain cheese cake. They even made me a GF gravy for my turkey christmas diner.

[TravelKnitter]

I'm giving this thread a bump because I'd like to know if anyone would care to report on their gluten free experiences on Solstice in, say, 2014 and 2015. Has the gluten free dining improved?

 

Also, which is better for gluten free dining: The main dining room or Aqua Class Blu?

 

Cookies? Pizza? Ice cream served from ice cream stand without cross contamination? Decent sauces? Something for dessert other than ice cream, sorbet, or creme brulee? CHOCOLATE? Decent rice breading? Gluten free bagels? Gluten free sandwiches that actually taste good and don't fall apart? No need to worry about cross contamination in the specialty restaurants? A staff that really understands the buffet, and are they willing to bring food from the back kitchen to avoid cross-contamination?

 

I'm a foodie, and I'm taking my first Celebrity Solstice cruise in 2016. I'm really hoping I will be able to feel as though I can eat the same as everyone else and without issue.

 

I travel a lot and have done a few cruises -- I know all about how gluten-free works. What I want to know is: Has gluten free gotten better and more user friendly on Celebrity Solstice, and if yes, in what ways?

 

Thank you everyone!

[PoppyandNana]

I'm giving this thread a bump because I'd like to know if anyone would care to report on their gluten free experiences on Solstice in, say, 2014 and 2015. Has the gluten free dining improved?

 

Also, which is better for gluten free dining: The main dining room or Aqua Class Blu?

 

Cookies? Pizza? Ice cream served from ice cream stand without cross contamination? Decent sauces? Something for dessert other than ice cream, sorbet, or creme brulee? CHOCOLATE? Decent rice breading? Gluten free bagels? Gluten free sandwiches that actually taste good and don't fall apart? No need to worry about cross contamination in the specialty restaurants? A staff that really understands the buffet, and are they willing to bring food from the back kitchen to avoid cross-contamination?

 

I'm a foodie, and I'm taking my first Celebrity Solstice cruise in 2016. I'm really hoping I will be able to feel as though I can eat the same as everyone else and without issue.

 

I travel a lot and have done a few cruises -- I know all about how gluten-free works. What I want to know is: Has gluten free gotten better and more user friendly on Celebrity Solstice, and if yes, in what ways?

 

Thank you everyone!

 

My wife has celiac's disease. We are able get gluten free pizza, pancakes and pasta. Every night at dinner she got four slices of delicious raised bread. The dinner menu clearly shows which entrees are gluten free

Edited July 2, 2015 by PoppyandNana

[ClaudiaB]

They get thousands of Celiacs every year and they are well equipped. Blu and the MDR. They'll also walk you through the buffet and you can talk to the chef there. You might want to talk to the maitre d' in Blu and eat at about the same time every night and they'll make sure you have the same wait staff. I'm pretty sure I heard that there are dedicated gf places in the kitchen. It's too big a deal for many many people that they'd really have to.

 

Our daughter has Celiacs and I have seen in the Mast Grill where they grill the meat on the same flat top as sometimes toasting the buns. That wouldn't work for her at all. Cross contamination will be the biggest concern, as it probably is for you everywhere. I've seen a salad brought to my daughter with croutons, she mentioned it and they said just pick them off. NO. She can't just pick them off, the salad is already ruined for her. So not everyone gets it but you are probably used to that.

 

I've heard the pizza is great in the Oceanview buffet.

 

Snacks during the day? The ice creams should be - just ask, fruit --- there is so much food on board that we really don't ever snack during the day so I'm not up to date on snacks. I usually grab an apple mid afternoon--- You could bring some gf bars individually wrapped. My daughter brought those to Disney World last year.

 

By the way, I've never seen such amazing service for special needs eating as I did at Disney World.

[Craig_K]

We have done Solstice, Reflection and Summit over the past few years. My son and I are both Celiac. (My son also has a nut allergy.)

 

Overall we are very happy with the GF handling and options. As can be expected sometimes things are better than others and with the number of people onboard you cannot expect it to be perfect. You must alway assess the risks as you normally would going out to eat at home. A few times we did see things labeled as GF that clearly were not.

 

Main dining room and specialty restaurants have always been pretty much spot on to handle this. After the first night once you establish a relationship with your serving staff they are really on top of everything. Giving you the menu for next night meal in advance so they can order a special meal ticket (prepared in allergy designated area of kitchen we are told). For specialty restaurants I always stopped by the day before just to introduce myself and notify them of the allergies. Sometimes we would pick our meals there in advance so they could make special preparations.

 

We have found the Aqua Spa cafe to be very good for casual meals also. Many items are labeled as GF already. Oceanview buffet of course is quite a bit more risky, but a chef is usually available to walk through it with you.

 

Every once and a while we would find some GF cookies at Cafe al Bacio. Pizza was absolutely the worst GF thing we have ever had but everyone has their own opinion. We made arrangements at the Oceanview Cafe and the manager there told us they would have GF pizza dough available if we wanted it. Sometimes we would get lucky and they would offer french fries in fresh, uncontaminated oil. (Some fries were not GF with a "coating", but others were just sliced potato wedges.) Breakfast staff in Oceanview was always able to toast GF bread in a supposed GF toaster in back.

 

No GF bagels. Soft-serve was good, but we did take our chance at hard scooped also with clean scooper with no problems. Same risk you would have at ice cream shop at home.

 

In general, ask a lot of questions and get to know the servers and managers the first day. From then on, you will quickly learn what is good and get into a pretty good GF routine I am sure.

 

Most importantly, be gracious and appreciative of the extra time it takes to assist you with the GF issue considering the number of other guests also. No system is perfect. Some kindness and understanding goes a long way with this. (I am always amazed the number of rude guests I see!)

[wallie5446]

I'm giving this thread a bump because I'd like to know if anyone would care to report on their gluten free experiences on Solstice in, say, 2014 and 2015. Has the gluten free dining improved?

 

Also, which is better for gluten free dining: The main dining room or Aqua Class Blu?

 

Cookies? Pizza? Ice cream served from ice cream stand without cross contamination? Decent sauces? Something for dessert other than ice cream, sorbet, or creme brulee? CHOCOLATE? Decent rice breading? Gluten free bagels? Gluten free sandwiches that actually taste good and don't fall apart? No need to worry about cross contamination in the specialty restaurants? A staff that really understands the buffet, and are they willing to bring food from the back kitchen to avoid cross-contamination?

 

I'm a foodie, and I'm taking my first Celebrity Solstice cruise in 2016. I'm really hoping I will be able to feel as though I can eat the same as everyone else and without issue.

 

I travel a lot and have done a few cruises -- I know all about how gluten-free works. What I want to know is: Has gluten free gotten better and more user friendly on Celebrity Solstice, and if yes, in what ways?

 

Thank you everyone!

 

Are you Celiac or just doing the diet?

[schlimazel_traveler]

On the Summit a month ago, there was a GF cookie option (coconut macaroon) each day at Cafe al Bacio.

[eolsen2002]

I'm giving this thread a bump because I'd like to know if anyone would care to report on their gluten free experiences on Solstice in, say, 2014 and 2015. Has the gluten free dining improved?

 

Also, which is better for gluten free dining: The main dining room or Aqua Class Blu?

 

Cookies? Pizza? Ice cream served from ice cream stand without cross contamination? Decent sauces? Something for dessert other than ice cream, sorbet, or creme brulee? CHOCOLATE? Decent rice breading? Gluten free bagels? Gluten free sandwiches that actually taste good and don't fall apart? No need to worry about cross contamination in the specialty restaurants? A staff that really understands the buffet, and are they willing to bring food from the back kitchen to avoid cross-contamination?

 

I'm a foodie, and I'm taking my first Celebrity Solstice cruise in 2016. I'm really hoping I will be able to feel as though I can eat the same as everyone else and without issue.

 

I travel a lot and have done a few cruises -- I know all about how gluten-free works. What I want to know is: Has gluten free gotten better and more user friendly on Celebrity Solstice, and if yes, in what ways?

 

Thank you everyone!

TravelKnitter - I think I know the answer by now, based on your many (helpful) posts about gluten-free options on Crystal Cruises, but was hoping to hear the latest from you. My wife essentially NEVER eats out/travels due to gluten-free issues and cross-contamination. Are you confident that with proper notice, traveling with Crystal Cruises would be do-able for her? We are considering an Alaska trip on Crystal Serenity in July.

Thanks!

[Celebrity Cruises]

Does anyone out there have any experience to how Celebrity caters to different dietary needs. Such as gluten free diet requirement. Would BLU accomidate those needs better then the other dining rooms. Should one with special dietary needs bring there own food. Appreciate any help with this question. Thanx in advance.

 

We can accommodate most special dietary requirements in our main dining room where there is a greater degree of control over the production and service of special meals. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the Specialty Restaurants' galleys, we cannot customize the offerings in these locations.

 

Please contact our Access Department at (866) 592-7225 for further assistance.

[chamima]

TravelKnitter - I think I know the answer by now, based on your many (helpful) posts about gluten-free options on Crystal Cruises, but was hoping to hear the latest from you. My wife essentially NEVER eats out/travels due to gluten-free issues and cross-contamination. Are you confident that with proper notice, traveling with Crystal Cruises would be do-able for her? We are considering an Alaska trip on Crystal Serenity in July.

Thanks!

 

I don't know if this will help you but I have a granddaughter with Celiac who gets very sick from even the slightest cross contamination.

She and her parents just returned from 7 days on the Disney Fantasy and she not only was healthy the entire time but said they made her MANY amazing dishes she hasn't been able to eat in years!

Disney has a totally separate kitchen for gluten free and I think they sail to Alaska.

Edited February 2, 2016 by chamima

[TravelKnitter]

TravelKnitter - I think I know the answer by now, based on your many (helpful) posts about gluten-free options on Crystal Cruises, but was hoping to hear the latest from you. My wife essentially NEVER eats out/travels due to gluten-free issues and cross-contamination. Are you confident that with proper notice, traveling with Crystal Cruises would be do-able for her? We are considering an Alaska trip on Crystal Serenity in July.

Thanks!

 

Elosen,

 

My deepest apology for not answering you sooner. I only just saw your post today. Did you take your Alaska trip?

[TravelKnitter]

We can accommodate most special dietary requirements in our main dining room where there is a greater degree of control over the production and service of special meals. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the Specialty Restaurants' galleys, we cannot customize the offerings in these locations.

 

Please contact our Access Department at (866) 592-7225 for further assistance.

 

Celebrity Cruises,

 

Onboard the Summit in October, I was able to dine in Blu, Qsine, and Tuscan Grille without issue. They took great care of me. Have things changed since you posted your reply?

 

I certainly hope Eclipse (my next cruise) will do as good of a job as Summit, and that I'll be able to dine in Blu and the specialty restaurants without worry.

 

It's nice to see Celebrity commenting here. Thank you so much!