Food allergies

[bearbear2]

Hi. We are going on our cruise in march. Just wanted to find out how they deal with major food allergies. My son is two and can't eat much variety. Am I able to bring stuff on board for him? He only drinks white grape juice and can eat fruit, veggies and canned beans.

Thanks in advance for any responses

 

Cindy

[spookwife]

you need to contact the cruise ship ahead of time to request special dietary needs. some cannot be accommodated. you will not be able to bring aboard any food that requires preparation or reheating. prepackaged snacks are fine.

 

you will probably need to bring your own juice, I have never grape juice, white or otherwise available. cut up veggies and fruits should be zero problem for the dining room to handle.

 

the green beans are definitely fresh. have never seen baked beans. as for other types, again you need to ask the dietary needs folks. bulk beans could either be canned or dry( things like white, pinto, etc)

[smaverick]

RCCL is great at accommodating dietary restrictions which is why our family uses them exclusively. Check out the following page to see what info you need to send RCCL in advance: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqSubjectName=Health+%26+Safety&faqId=322&faqSubjectId=335&faqType=faq

 

Usually they require 30-45 days notice to fulfill dietary restriction requests.

[samj80]

Hi. We are going on our cruise in march. Just wanted to find out how they deal with major food allergies. My son is two and can't eat much variety. Am I able to bring stuff on board for him? He only drinks white grape juice and can eat fruit, veggies and canned beans.

 

My wife has good allergies. So we've dealt with this kinda of situation several times. There is no method to contract the ship. If you call the toll-free number

they will update your son's cruising profile with his allergies.

[bearbear2]

Thank you for all the responses. He is allergic to milk, wheat, soy, eggs, chicken,rice, peanuts and tree nuts. I'm going to call on Monday.

[cb at sea]

Do contact the "Special needs" dept. prior to sailing...they do a GREAT job with allergies and such!

[Langley Cruisers]

He is allergic to milk, wheat, soy, eggs, chicken,rice, peanuts and tree nuts. I'm going to call on Monday.

 

bearbear2, may I ask what he eats for protein? Seriously asking. Gosh, you must have quite a time with him. :( You and he will be taken care of though, not to worry. I hope you have a fabulous cruise. :)

[bearbear2]

bearbear2, may I ask what he eats for protein? Seriously asking. Gosh, you must have quite a time with him. :( You and he will be taken care of though, not to worry. I hope you have a fabulous cruise. :)

 

He is on Elecare jr for nutrition. He also eats lots of beans like pinto, red, kidney, and some others. He will eat a whole can for dinner. They aren't even heated too much either. It has been very difficult. He is going to do a food challenge with rice I hope before we go on the cruise. We did go to Disney and they were amazing with his allergies.

[sandy toes]

Have a little one in our family group with allergies. The special needs dept was wonderful in Dec when we cruised. Make sure you put allergies in writing not just a phone call. Also, when on ship, visit the dining room that 1st day and hand a copy of email to them with your requests. Also, when calling/emailing contact the medical dept and then visit the medical dept the 1st day. Give them a copy of the email request. Bring your own epi pens and have a back up set (I am sure you do but with 28 yrs of practice have to say that). The dining room will treat you great!!! I would use caution in the WJ as people not staff can use tongs on 2 or 3 different items and that could be dangerous. Feel free to bring a rolling carry on packed with any special items you think you may need. Last cruise most of the things brought along, were taken home as the ship provided such great food items. (As for beans, they have some great black bean items that they made special and I tasted 2, very good!).

[Pete B]

Hi,

 

I don't have any allergies myself but we cruised on Jewel last year and I was talking with a man who did. He had nothing but praise for the way in which RC accommodated his problem. As long as they are aware, it should be fine

[rumnic5]

You must have a real challenge on your hands keeping him away from all those foods. I have allergies as does my son. I was impressed with the staff on Royal Caribbean in regards to our food. Often they would cook meals just for us that weren't even on the menu, not just remove things we couldn't eat. My son really like one of the soups and it was made just for our family on a few occasions. Often they would give us our meal and bring out an "experiment" meal as well. On some nights we were so full that we rolled out of the dining room. The menu was given to us the night before so we could choose what we wanted and if nothing was appropriate then we could choose something they could make for us. You won't be disappointed if you pre warn them. Enjoy your cruise.:)

[Nami]

I also have some food allergies. I sent e-mail to Royal Caribbean before the cruise on Allure of the Seas and I got very friendly answer, where they asked me to contact onboard the Maitre'D on MDR or Restaurant Manager on the other restaurants.

 

Fist day onboard I met the Maitre'D to review the menus and identify those items that need to be modified or avoided. She was very happy to assist me. She also told me, that all items prepared for guests with food allergies are handled separate from the main food production.

 

We ate at MDR every evening. And every evening the Maitre'D gave me the next day’s menu. So I choose a day before what I want to eat next day and they made for me my special dinner. That works so good that we didn’t want to eat dinner anywhere else.

[foxesden1]

Are doing a back 2 back starting Monday. My daughter is Unablr to eat dairy, wheat (gluten), soy, corn, sugar, fruits, peanuts, legumes and Nightshades. ( limited tomato/eggs). And ANA to shellfish. She is suffering from a leaky gut, so we have a lot going on right now.

 

my only concerns are port days and lunch. The dining rooms should be fine.

 

I am also worried the bacon will be sugared cured, so I have no idea what she will be able to eat for breakfast.

[foxesden1]

Whoops! I meant to say I will update when I get back!

[schlimazel_traveler]

We found it easier to get allergy information in the MDR than at other venues. The head waiter carried a card with a grid listing every item on the menu checking off whether it contained any of the common allergens. However, this wasn't usually shown to us unless we asked, and usually only after we'd ordered! They didn't have such a card at lunch, though.

 

My daughter's only allergy is peanuts, and she was able to eat just about anything in the MDR. She didn't trust baked goods elsewhere (she never does).

[bearbear2]

We just changed from my time dining to a seating so we would have the same staff every night. It may be easier.

[bearbear2]

Called yesterday and sent an email today about my sons diet. So far everyone has been so nice. I hope I don't have to bring everything for him to eat.

Wish me luck!

[NorbertsNiece]

We just changed from my time dining to a seating so we would have the same staff every night. It may be easier.

 

I think your confidence in being in the same place each night will help you feel less stressed however I have always sat with the same waiters in MTD. By dining at the time that suits me I can fit in any other events in the evening or during the day without the pressure of attending the dining room at a specified time. I dine with Gluten Intolerance.

[Missus Makkem]

We just changed from my time dining to a seating so we would have the same staff every night. It may be easier.

we recently cruised with a friend who has an allergy problem and we did MTD, had the same waiters every night but it was our head waiter that dealt with our friend and he was there every night to help her .

We thought we got a better service than we would have in the main dining room.

[bearbear2]

They got back to me yesterday. They have some things fory son but I will have to bring some food for him to eat and his juice. I'm very impressed with how quick they got back to me.

[Emmysmomma9]

I can'thelp with all your child's allergies, but for nut-allergic people I can share this. We sailed 3 yrs ago on Serenade. My daughter is allergic to all nuts. We told the travel agent early on, and met with the maitre 'd on the ship. It is a great idea to eat at the same table, same time every night. We were able to get the next day's menu and review w the maitre'd. If my dgtr wanted a dish that wasn't safe, they would make a safe version for her. We were greeted at each dinner with our favorite nut-free cheese platter and drinks and the maitre'd was always at our table. My daughter was thrilled to be able to eat the amazing meals especially the desserts which she can rarely eat at home unless I make them. She still talks about the coconut cake and so we are going on another cruise this spring! We always spoke to someone in the Windjammer, but I wasn't as comfortable there as in the MDR because of the buffet exposure. Excursions were challenging too, but we took lots of snack bars, just in case. I hope this time is just as good.

[Got clams?]

Just returned from RCC in Dec. with my child with a severe food allergy. We felt that the cruise line did a decent job but there is room for improvement and there are restrictions. As others mentioned, MDR was generally fine and we ate there for most meals. Also the Adventure Camp staff was used to hosting kids with allergies and allowed no food in the facility. However, they are not allowed to administer an epi-pen in case of an emergency.

 

We felt that the staff in all venues were not consistently trained in handling requests on ingredients. Response varied by server/venue. At Sorrento's, the server had no idea and the cook had to call a central manager. In contrast, the Johnny Rockets manager was on top of things and went out of her way to accommodate us with a hamburger roll from the central kitchen. It all ended up fine and most people were very nice and tried hard but it was not straightforward.

[NorbertsNiece]

Just returned from RCC in Dec. with my child with a severe food allergy. We felt that the cruise line did a decent job but there is room for improvement and there are restrictions. As others mentioned, MDR was generally fine and we ate there for most meals. Also the Adventure Camp staff was used to hosting kids with allergies and allowed no food in the facility. However, they are not allowed to administer an epi-pen in case of an emergency.

 

We felt that the staff in all venues were not consistently trained in handling requests on ingredients. Response varied by server/venue. At Sorrento's, the server had no idea and the cook had to call a central manager. In contrast, the Johnny Rockets manager was on top of things and went out of her way to accommodate us with a hamburger roll from the central kitchen. It all ended up fine and most people were very nice and tried hard but it was not straightforward.

 

Which ship was this?

[Got clams?]

Independence of the Seas

[NorbertsNiece]

Independence of the Seas

 

Seems like spreading the word is taking its time.