Has anyone ever requested Gluten Free Meals onboard?

[Ykgorbie]

Awaiting biopsy and blood work results to see if I have Celiac's....have been eating gluten free for just over a week now anyway, and cannot believe how much better I am feeling. Anyway, was wondering if anyone has any experience with requesting gluten free meals in the MDR ?

Thanks in advance !

[cruznlobo]

I personally have not, but we have a friend that cruises with us every year and she requests gluten free meals.

Every night before we left the dining room, the maitre'd or his assistant would come to her and find out what she needed for the following night.

She honestly did not have any problems finding gluten free meals all day long.

[ooulio]

I have Celiac. They are one of the best lines for this kind of food. YOu have to send your papers in before you leave saying you need gluten free. They are great. The new Italian called Cucina Capitano. (spelled wrong ) is wonderful. I ate there on the Magic this past Feb. Food was delicious. They also make a gf macaroni and cheese that is the best I have ever eaten. They will have no problems in the dining room. Buffet is kind of hard depending on what they like. YOu can also have them make an omlette with no problems . Tons of other stuff and fruits too. You can also eat in dining room and request it nite before. gf french toast that is pretty good.

[wannago35]

Although looks like you're cruising the Liberty, read this thread earlier from a guest on the Dream. his kids have Celiac and his family seemed really happy with the gluten free options available on board. I'm assuming all Carnival ships can produce similar results, check out the thread if nothing else it might give you some tips on who or what to ask for/do.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1655308&highlight=dream+gluten

[NJDeb2]

Glad to hear that is making you feel better!!! My daughter now 24 has needed gluten free since she was 4. Carnival does an excellent job. The first time we did contact them before hand to let them know. Since then we have gone to the maitre'd during the first day and let him know. By dinner that night there is gluten free bread waiting for her. Every night someone will come to your table with the menu for the next day. They will allow you to order things that are not on the menu. They will make special pasta dishes also. At the pizza area if you give them notice they will make a gluten free pizza for you. If you eat breakfast in the dining room they will make waffles and pancakes. You will not go hungry!!! It is one of the reasons we always sail Carnival now.

 

They also made a special birthday cake for her...topped with chocolate dipped strawberries. Was beautiful!

[Herfnerd]

Contact Special Needs prior to your cruise and then make sure you notify the maitre 'd once on board

 

While I don't have any dietary needs, Carnival is good about those that do

[*source*]

They will allow you to order things that are not on the menu. They will make special pasta dishes also. At the pizza area if you give them notice they will make a gluten free pizza for you. If you eat breakfast in the dining room they will make waffles and pancakes. You will not go hungry!!! It is one of the reasons we always sail Carnival now.

 

They also made a special birthday cake for her...topped with chocolate dipped strawberries. Was beautiful!

 

Wow - this sounds absolutely AMAZING!!!

Especially the GF waffles and pancakes - I've cruised with RCCL since being GF and I only got the bread option at meals at night. I just chose the grilled chicken or steak with veg each night... One night they did have a nice dessert for me but Carnival sound awesome :)

[D4]

I've been gluten-free for 4+ years. I agree with the other posts.

 

But nobody mentioned the best thing yet --- they can make chocolate melting cake for you! Of course you can't have it the first night (because you haven't preordered that dinner), but you can have it every night after that. It is delicious!

 

On our last cruise (which was a few weeks ago), I got creme brulee the first night and then both deserts every following night. I was making up for not getting desert at lunchtime.

 

How long until your cruise? It can be overwhelming when you start eating gluten free. It may take a while before you know what you can and can't eat. I still find lunch time a bit depressing as I wander around the Lido buffet areas.

 

I highly recommend the "Living Without" magazine.

[Ykgorbie]

I've been gluten-free for 4+ years. I agree with the other posts.

 

But nobody mentioned the best thing yet --- they can make chocolate melting cake for you! Of course you can't have it the first night (because you haven't preordered that dinner), but you can have it every night after that. It is delicious!

 

On our last cruise (which was a few weeks ago), I got creme brulee the first night and then both deserts every following night. I was making up for not getting desert at lunchtime.

 

How long until your cruise? It can be overwhelming when you start eating gluten free. It may take a while before you know what you can and can't eat. I still find lunch time a bit depressing as I wander around the Lido buffet areas.

 

I highly recommend the "Living Without" magazine.

 

Thank you everyone for your help.

And yes, D4m it is overwhelming. It's only been 10 days, so I'm still very much learning. But wow, do I ever feel better - I am blown away by the difference. Now to only find some bread I like. I did find some bisquit mix that, if I put enough spices in, taste not too bad. Can't seem to find any bread I'm crazy over though. It helps I guess that I like veggies, salad and fruit, so it will just be an adjustment that will take some time.

[Cruisegirl6]

they make gluten free chocolate melting cake nice!!

 

 

I generally not ask for gluten free items this is why I am asking whether they have meat carvings, veggies and potato dishes, if I stick with that I not need any special services. But its great hearing that Carnival acknowledges our problem and able to accomodate us!!

[LHP]

I have a friend who has a restricted diet and has cruised with Carnival many times.

 

Her best advice is to put as many people between you and the food as possible.

(since folks are human and can make mistakes)

 

She contacts the special needs department....then once she arrives on the ship has a chat with the Maitre d'....the Ass't Maitre d'.... once at the table she talks with ALL of her wait staff.....

 

She has the Lido host or hostess assist her with meals when the Main Dining Room is not open.

[najnelle]

I was diagnosed Celiac almost 7 years ago. I have had wonderful experiences on my cruises. The dining room staff is very helpful. Good luck to you. My "issues" are under control most of the time with careful attention to my diet. It can be done. The two places that have been most helpful and knowledgeable about gluten free diets have been : Carnival Cruise Lines and Disneyland.

[Cruisegirl6]

I have never requested gluten free but do need to follow that diet stricly.

 

I was diagnosed with celiac and never requested gluten free diet. My RCI crises I never would think of mentioning as the buffets all had so many choices of different types of meat carvings, steaks, vegetables and potato dishes, so much for me to choose from. In the MDR I ate the very same way and always had gluten free bread and some type of special made gluten free cake for dessert. :)

 

On my last carnival cruise it was horrible in the buffets, the foods were fried using fillers/breakcrumbs such as the chicken nuggets...there was hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches all which need bread...gluten! There was only one hot dish usually a seafood dish and I not eat fish which pretty much left me next to nothing just the salad bar. There was no soup or meat carvings! At times I would go to the deli and explain I not want to waste the bread to just give me the meat and asked for double meat as I cannot have gluten but they remained to give me the same amount of slices they put in a sandwich, not much to eat all all when your not eating bread with it. I have been at that time on 44/45 cruises in my life that had to be the first and only cruise to this date that I actually lost weight and I don't need to loose weight lol

 

I soooo glad to hear that now they take this issue into concern. Can anybody tell me what they offer now in the lunch buffets (beside salads) do they have meat carvings (going on the Dream, I realize they have taco bar which I hope tacos are made out of corn not wheat, they have pasta bar thats out for me as well as mongolian wok as their sauces/gravies contain gluten).

 

If they have assortment of vegetables and meat and potatoes I am a happy woman. :)

[jburk]

My ds follows a gluten/caisen (dairy) free diet. We just got off the magic yesterday and he ate like a king.

 

I called ahead of time special needs dept and was told to visit w/hostess on our first night. I still met w/ md once we boarded and he told me the same thing.

 

First night choices are limited...after that...no problems. My son ate warm choc melting cake, creme brulee, ice cream. The hostess also went over lido foods with me as well but she did tell me the mdr is the safest place to eat.

 

Ds ended up bringing his own cereal so he had that for bfast for 7 days but they did have gf pancakes, waffles.

Lunch he usually got a hamburger patty, ff, salad, fruit, jello. The meats from the carving board on buffet are gf but ds never ate there. They also had him a gf pizza at pizza station but he never had time to visit it. They also had gf pasta at magic's italian rest which he enjoyed.

 

I was worried he wouldnt have enough to eat and packed him tons of food from home. That food came back with us.

[InsideCruiser]

Every night someone will come to your table with the menu for the next day. They will allow you to order things that are not on the menu. They will make special pasta dishes also. At the pizza area if you give them notice they will make a gluten free pizza for you. If you eat breakfast in the dining room they will make waffles and pancakes. You will not go hungry!!! It is one of the reasons we always sail Carnival now.

 

Very excited for my kids to hear about the breakfast, pasta, and pizza options. Thank you Carnival!

 

Will the MDR work with Anytime dining or do we need to switch to fixed time?

[D4]

Very excited for my kids to hear about the breakfast, pasta, and pizza options. Thank you Carnival!

 

Will the MDR work with Anytime dining or do we need to switch to fixed time?

 

You can do anytime, but I choose to have fixed time so I have the same wait staff each night. IMO, that helps reduce the chance of being given the wrong food.

[Cruisegirl6]

Im so glad to hear that Carnival is addressing gluten free items I so happy, honestly I think Carnival is doing a better job than other cruise lines regarding this issue. :)

[D4]

Im so glad to hear that Carnival is addressing gluten free items I so happy, honestly I think Carnival is doing a better job than other cruise lines regarding this issue. :)

 

I've cruised gluten free on Carnival, Princess, and Celebrity. My experiences on each line were very similar, except I can get g-f cookies every afternoon on Princess. I love that!

[Sailor2Cruiser]

Awaiting biopsy and blood work results to see if I have Celiac's....have been eating gluten free for just over a week now anyway, and cannot believe how much better I am feeling. Anyway, was wondering if anyone has any experience with requesting gluten free meals in the MDR ?

Thanks in advance !

 

When I was on the Carnival Glory this past October, I noticed one of the dining room staff members going over to a table near us each evening. Curiosity got the better of me and one night I asked what her job was. In essence she was the special dietary needs coordinator. At the time I thought how interesting. Now that my son is dating a girl that is gluten free, I am glad I asked.

 

Mike

[InsideCruiser]

You can do anytime, but I choose to have fixed time so I have the same wait staff each night. IMO, that helps reduce the chance of being given the wrong food.

 

If we do anytime, would we tell her each evening what time we would dine the next evening?

 

Or could we just show up anytime and then ask them to prepare the meal that we pre-ordered the previous evening?

[CKEA_Cruising_Family]

I have celiac disease and requested gluten free on my cruise last week. It was my first cruise since my diagnosis so I was nervous. The first night I was given some limited choices and after that the hostess would come by each evening and let me order for the next day. I chose set time dining as well but I did pre-order lunch a couple days and just showed up and they printed out my pre-order and it didn't seem to take too long so I'm sure anytime dining would work.

 

I didn't like the bread so I didn't try the pancakes or french toast. The pasta was very good and I was pleased with my other food choices. The buffet was a bit hard to navigate but it does have an extensive salad bar - unfortunately none of the salad dressings were marked so I had to stick with oil and vinegar. I also risked it and tried out some of the Indian dishes just asked which of the ones had flour in the sauce knowing that I could get gluten by accident. We ate most breakfasts at the buffet and I'd get a made-to-order omelet and fruit and sometimes bacon. I wasn't sure what they put in the potatoes so I didn't try them.

 

You won't go hungry!!

[Ykgorbie]

I have celiac disease and requested gluten free on my cruise last week. It was my first cruise since my diagnosis so I was nervous. The first night I was given some limited choices and after that the hostess would come by each evening and let me order for the next day. I chose set time dining as well but I did pre-order lunch a couple days and just showed up and they printed out my pre-order and it didn't seem to take too long so I'm sure anytime dining would work.

 

I didn't like the bread so I didn't try the pancakes or french toast. The pasta was very good and I was pleased with my other food choices. The buffet was a bit hard to navigate but it does have an extensive salad bar - unfortunately none of the salad dressings were marked so I had to stick with oil and vinegar. I also risked it and tried out some of the Indian dishes just asked which of the ones had flour in the sauce knowing that I could get gluten by accident. We ate most breakfasts at the buffet and I'd get a made-to-order omelet and fruit and sometimes bacon. I wasn't sure what they put in the potatoes so I didn't try them.

 

You won't go hungry!!

 

Thank you so very much for reporting back after your cruise - I appreciate it ! This is still very much a learning process for me and it's comforting to know that I will be able to eat gluten free on the ship. I may even see if I can find some g.f. salad dressing in Miami that I can buy and bring on the ship to use on salad from the Lido. By the way, what did you do about eating while onshore/in port?

 

Hope you had a great cruise ! Thanks again.

[InsideCruiser]

I have celiac disease and requested gluten free on my cruise last week. It was my first cruise since my diagnosis so I was nervous. The first night I was given some limited choices and after that the hostess would come by each evening and let me order for the next day. I chose set time dining as well but I did pre-order lunch a couple days and just showed up and they printed out my pre-order and it didn't seem to take too long so I'm sure anytime dining would work.

 

I didn't like the bread so I didn't try the pancakes or french toast. The pasta was very good and I was pleased with my other food choices. The buffet was a bit hard to navigate but it does have an extensive salad bar - unfortunately none of the salad dressings were marked so I had to stick with oil and vinegar. I also risked it and tried out some of the Indian dishes just asked which of the ones had flour in the sauce knowing that I could get gluten by accident. We ate most breakfasts at the buffet and I'd get a made-to-order omelet and fruit and sometimes bacon. I wasn't sure what they put in the potatoes so I didn't try them.

 

You won't go hungry!!

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

We are currently booked in Anytime and I think we're going to keep it that way.

 

Can you tell me more about pre-ordering lunch? Can you do that with MDR breakfast as well?

 

Who prints the order? Is it the maitre d? And then you give it to your server? Or do you inform the waitstaff that you pre-ordered and then they print something?

 

Thanks Again,

IC

[Jpod]

Thank you everyone for your help.

And yes, D4m it is overwhelming. It's only been 10 days, so I'm still very much learning. But wow, do I ever feel better - I am blown away by the difference. Now to only find some bread I like. I did find some bisquit mix that, if I put enough spices in, taste not too bad. Can't seem to find any bread I'm crazy over though. It helps I guess that I like veggies, salad and fruit, so it will just be an adjustment that will take some time.

I was recently diagnosed with celiac disease and dreaded the new diet. My father has had it for over 20 years and I learned early on that gluten free bread products just don't compare to the real stuff. I have just discovered Udi's bread. Their white sandwich, and multigrain sandwich breads taste very close to a decent bakery bread when they are toasted. There is a nutty, yeasty taste and smell that really help me feel I'm eating real bread.

 

We're cruising in 16 days and I'm taking a loaf with me just in case the gluten free bread on board tastes like cardboard. :eek:

[chasinraynbowz]

I was recently diagnosed with celiac disease and dreaded the new diet. My father has had it for over 20 years and I learned early on that gluten free bread products just don't compare to the real stuff. I have just discovered Udi's bread. Their white sandwich, and multigrain sandwich breads taste very close to a decent bakery bread when they are toasted. There is a nutty, yeasty taste and smell that really help me feel I'm eating real bread.

 

We're cruising in 16 days and I'm taking a loaf with me just in case the gluten free bread on board tastes like cardboard. :eek:

 

 

I love your "widget"!! I used one when I quit and it was great to watch those numbers add up! Congrats!!!