MAASDAM MDR Incident - Excerpt from my Cruise Log

[durangoscots]

I feel very fortunate to be old enough to predate peanut allergies . They were unheard of in my youth and much of my adult life . Wonder what caused the peanuts to turn on us ?

 

I am in my 70's and one of my dearest friends died as a young man from a peanut allergy. They have been around for a long time.

Susan

[styles27]

Peanut allergies seem to be in a class of their own and truly have to be taken seriously in professional kitchens. I have the experience of an acquaintance falling violently ill from a peanut allergy, not because of what she ordered, but because her dinner was contaminated in the kitchen. When I say violently ill, I mean we are all happy she is live.

 

Everyone has to take this seriously, from the pax who should advise HAL of their allergies, to DR staff who should be able to respond to questions respecting this potentially life threatening problem, to kitchen staff who must be careful to separate dishes out perfectly.

 

Rather than try to establish blame to discover who to shoot on this one, we should see this as a wake-up call to become more alert.

 

This is a good news story - no one fell ill.

 

Smooth sailing...

 

I agree.

 

I make and sell custom designed and made from scratch wedding and special occasion cakes. If a potential client comes to me with peanut, nut, gluten or dairy allergies I politely steer them to a baker who specializes in baking for people with food allergies as I use all of these things in my kitchen.

I simply will not risk the chance that cross contamination could occur and potentially make somebody ill or God forbid worse.

 

I'm actually quite surprised that HAL would even take the chance in accomodating anyone with a severe food allergy. Cross contamination in a kitchen that size is more likely to happen than it is in a small residential or restaurant kitchen on land. I wouldn't take the chance.

 

I realize some people's allergies are worse than others but if a food could potentially kill someone all bets are off for me.

 

I think a "if you have any food allergies please alert our dining room manager before ordering" would be all that needs to be added to their menu. BUT the MDR manager needs to be properly trained in what a food allergy actually is for this to be successful.

[Labmom3]

I was told that there is a special chef/area for food allergies to ensure no cross contamination occurs. On all cruise website there is an area which tells you how to notify the cruise ship prior to sailing. My daughter's allergy is severe and even her allergist recommends cruising as a way she can enjoy vacation and stay safe from her allergens. A friend with a shrimp allergy also had very good experiences on cruises. You just need to take all necessary precautions and make sure to be very assertive, as in all medical cases you are your best advocate.

[Typhoon1]

We have no food allergies. I always take a glance at the following evenings menu.

[jcrandle]

This is stupid. I have never seen a menu that lists possible ingredients that someone might be allergic.

 

Your allergy and your responsibility to order stuff that is OK with you.

 

Would you go with a warning that on the menu to be aware that some people could be allergic to some ingredient and that the food and is prepared in an environment that could cause cross contamination. Would that be OK with you?

It may seem stupid to you, but we have so many friends who have food allergies that when we take a dish to a pot luck dinner, we print the recipe and place it in front of the item so that anyone who has difficulties with the ingredients is forewarned.

[Seago2]

I wish this had been about water pouring from the pool into the dining room.

 

How did that happen, Brian?:eek:

[MilliesMom]

I was told that there is a special chef/area for food allergies to ensure no cross contamination occurs. On all cruise website there is an area which tells you how to notify the cruise ship prior to sailing. My daughter's allergy is severe and even her allergist recommends cruising as a way she can enjoy vacation and stay safe from her allergens. A friend with a shrimp allergy also had very good experiences on cruises. You just need to take all necessary precautions and make sure to be very assertive, as in all medical cases you are your best advocate.

 

Once I notified them in writing of my allergies, this is what I received in return:

 

"Thank you for notifying Access & Compliance of your special dietary arrangements for the above referenced sailing. The Westerdam and the medical department have advised us that the ship should be able to accommodate your food allergies. Please contact the Dining Room Manager upon boarding to advise him or her of your special dietary needs.

Please note that since meals are prepared in mass quantities on board the ship, it is possible for foods restricted from your diet to come in contact with your meal during preparation. As such, Holland America Line cannot guarantee that you will not come in contact with the items listed on your SRI form while on board. If you require additional information or you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the Access & Compliance Department at 800-547-8493 or e-mail us at HALW_Access@hollandamerica.com.

Please accept our best wishes for a most enjoyable cruise aboard the Westerdam "

[Wakepatrol]

It is disappointing, at the very least, to read that HAL does not pay attention to food allergies.

 

Even for our small, 13 room B & B, I was required last year to do an on-line course in food allergies. It's become huge...and there's really no excuse for a cruise line to not be "on top of things". I would think HAL, as well as other cruise lines, would make this a part of their training.

 

 

HAL caters to the masses. The masses don't have peanut allergies

[sail7seas]

I was told that there is a special chef/area for food allergies to ensure no cross contamination occurs. On all cruise website there is an area which tells you how to notify the cruise ship prior to sailing. My daughter's allergy is severe and even her allergist recommends cruising as a way she can enjoy vacation and stay safe from her allergens. A friend with a shrimp allergy also had very good experiences on cruises. You just need to take all necessary precautions and make sure to be very assertive, as in all medical cases you are your best advocate.

 

 

I wonder about special chef/area for food allergies in the galley.

How do they separate into special areas food safe for those with peanut allergy, from food safe for those with wheat allergy, from food safe for those with soy allergy, from food safe for those with seafood allergy, from food safe for those with dairy allergy etc?

 

How they do all that and still feed 1,800 + or - guests everyday is amazing. I have even more respect for the cruise ship Chefs.

 

[Cqis]

I developed a seafood allergy a few years ago. On our last cruise I replied to the allergy notation on one of the forms. The first night in the MDR our waiter remarked " I notice that you are allergic to seafood." It became a joke as MSO ordered something with seafood every night. I am sorry to hear that anyone had a problem. I do believe that HAL wants to keep their customers and will take every step to keep them safe. I LOVE SEAFOOD , but alas no more for me. Woe is me.

[whogo]

I was asked to take the following excerpt from my cruise log and post it into it's own thread here. It got a little lost in that thread and due to the potential for illness, it should be seen by as many people who may have severe food allergies as possible.

 

Thanks for the warning, Spire.

[NoobCruise]

I wonder about special chef/area for food allergies in the galley.

How do they separate into special areas food safe for those with peanut allergy, from food safe for those with wheat allergy, from food safe for those with soy allergy, from food safe for those with seafood allergy, from food safe for those with dairy allergy etc?

 

How they do all that and still feed 1,800 + or - guests everyday is amazing. I have even more respect for the cruise ship Chefs.

 

 

I was wondering the exact same thing.

[bepsf]

I wish this had been about water pouring from the pool into the dining room.

 

How did that happen, Brian?:eek:

 

I heard that a few years back, there was an incident aboard one of the S-Class ships (I think it was Ryndam - but could have been Veendam) where the aft swimming pool began draining into the MDR...

...evidently there was a flaw in the pool lining which lead to a hole in the steel tank which resulted in the deluge.

Can you imagine if that had happened during dinner?

:eek:

[Sbilko]

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming... “WOOHOO!!! What a ride!”

 

I love the above quote!!!!:D

 

"It is better a short life in the saddle, then a long one by the Fire";)

[styles27]

Once I notified them in writing of my allergies, this is what I received in return:

 

"Thank you for notifying Access & Compliance of your special dietary arrangements for the above referenced sailing. The Westerdam and the medical department have advised us that the ship should be able to accommodate your food allergies. Please contact the Dining Room Manager upon boarding to advise him or her of your special dietary needs.

 

Please note that since meals are prepared in mass quantities on board the ship, it is possible for foods restricted from your diet to come in contact with your meal during preparation. As such, Holland America Line cannot guarantee that you will not come in contact with the items listed on your SRI form while on board. If you require additional information or you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the Access & Compliance Department at 800-547-8493 or e-mail us at HALW_Access@hollandamerica.com.

 

Please accept our best wishes for a most enjoyable cruise aboard the Westerdam "

 

The above that I've highlighted in bold is what I would expect to hear from any cruiseline.

 

It would be silly for them to say that they "guarantee there will be no cross contamination" because they prepare the food in a separate area of their kitchen.

NOBODY can guarantee such a thing...lawyers could have a field day with that if someone were to become ill or worse from an allergic reaction to food.

 

If I had a food allergy so severe that it could kill me if I ate a certain food...I certainly wouldn't trust my food prep to the masses that work in a cruiseship's kitchen. That is nothing to fool around with.

[Jacqueline]

I really do not see this as an incident.

Move on.

Thai sauce has peanuts, wow newsflash.

[world~citizen]

I really do not see this as an incident.

Move on.

Thai sauce has peanuts, wow newsflash.

 

It was an incident averted, a good reminder to advise HAL in advance of food sensitivities or issues.

 

Smooth sailing...

[world~citizen]

...If I had a food allergy so severe that it could kill me if I ate a certain food...I certainly wouldn't trust my food prep to the masses that work in a cruiseship's kitchen. That is nothing to fool around with.

 

Couldn't agree more. That is what people with food allergies put up with. Now that there are epinephrine sticks I think they can dine a little more at ease.

[fatcat04]

We have no food allergies thankfully but I do know that when we go to Disney, when making a reservation they specifically ask if anyone in your party has any food allergies and mark that on your reservation. Once again your check in host/ess at the restaurant asks this same question, regardless of venue or restaurant style (even buffet). It might be a good idea for any dining reservations onboard to include this information as a list attached to your stateroom number and for the check in host to mark these on your table slip and to pass this onto your server so they may consult with you privately as to any possible menu conflicts prior to ordering. In the end, as the consumer, it is our responsibility BUT the staff should be as informed as possible to any problem ingredients PRIOR to the scheduled meal time to better serve their guests and prevent anyone from being accidentally harmed.