Gluten Free on Royal

[Yankee Doodle]

We are taking a family cruise on the Explorer in November. My Grandson, (8) was just recently diagnosed with Celiac disease.

 

I know that the MDR now has gluten free meals listed on the menu, but how do I know if the Windjammer, Johnny Rockets and the Barbecue at Labadee have any non gluten choices.

 

I've also read that I have to notify RCL of his special dietary needs. Do I do this through my travel agent, or RCL directly. Anyone else we have to notify when we are on board?

 

Thanks!

 

Nancy

[srvdmy4usn]

I dont have the answers for you, I am sure someone will chime in. But, check out this review. It is not complete yet, but very informative on how things work with food allergies.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1772543

 

The writer appears to be very helpful with answers to specific questions also

[akcruz]

Also check out Norbert's Neice's thread on her Adventure B2B. She has a lot in there about eating gluten free.

[NorbertsNiece]

Will reply at length when I get home.

:)

[Yankee Doodle]

Thanks to all of you for your replies. Looking forward toany additional information that might be offered!

[DebJ14]

We cruised GF on the Mariner in January. You need to notify your TA so he/she can note no gluten on the booking AND send an e-mail to special needs. They will send back a confirming e-mail with instructions that you can bring on unopened packages of commercial GF foods. They cannot require refrigeration or be opened before boarding.

 

The Maitre'd and head waiters both got involved in our dinners because our waitress had no clue. She was brand new and had a very poor command of English. Even though there were symbols on the menu indicating that the dish could be made GF, there were several things they wouldn't allow us to order in the MDR, which was disappointing. Be prepared to wait the first night for your GF entree or just order something that is naturally GF. We tried to get the Maitre'd to take our order for dinner as soon as we boarded, but he refused. Then the head waiter chastised us for not ordering earlier in the day. Go figure!

 

If your grandson likes cereal by all means bring a box of his favorite GF cereal and take it in a baggy to the MDR or Lido. Eggs are easy, but make sure they use fresh eggs. Do not eat the eggs on the buffet and specify FRESH eggs if ordering scrambled in any of the venues. The MDR will do GF pancakes for them too.

 

The GF bread was much improved and seemed to be a multi-seed variety.

 

I would take a package of GF hamburger or hot dog buns if your grandson likes hamburgers and hot dogs.

 

We were in a suite so we could have breakfast and lunch daily at CHOPS. The staff there was wonderful in making sure everything we ordered was GF. We also had good luck there at dinner and at the Wine Tasting Dinner. They went out of their way to provide delicious meals. We also had a great GF experience at Giovanni's Table and they only had to make minor modifications. We didn't have any of the pasta dishes, however. Special thanks to Jonathan, Agustino and Mark in the specialty restaurants on the Mariner!

 

Our grandsons are 6 and 8 and are both Celiac too. They were diagnosed when the oldest was 3 and the youngest was almost 2. He was sick pretty much from the get go as soon as he started to eat solid food. Our son was tested after I was diagnosed and came back positive. His wife was in total denial, but she is what they call a "Super Celiac." The kids got tested right away after their parents were diagnosed. The kids always ask if something has Gluten in it BEFORE they will eat anything.

 

When we cruise with them we arrive armed with a suitcase full of pre-package GF food so they can feel "normal." We bring GF cereal, ice cream cones, pretzels, cookies, crackers, hamburger and hot dog buns. We also bring a box of small Ziplock bags and send them to the kids program with a snack. We coordinate it with the staff and try to send something similar to what they are serving each day so they are not the odd balls.

 

I have to be honest and say that Carnival did a much better job at GF, especially for the kids. The chef made our grandkids GF cupcakes to take to Camp Carnival on the day the kids were decorating cupcakes. He also made them special GF pizzas in the MDR at lunch and muffins at breakfast. Carnival also provided a wider range of GF desserts for the kids. Both of our grandsons are allergic to dairy and the chef made them something GF and dairy free every day in the MDR. The hostesses on Carnival seemed to be much more knowledgeable about GF than anyone we found on RCI and they took great pains to provide everyone with a great dining experience in the MDR and the Steakhouse.

 

Our entire family is Celiac (DH and I, DIL, both sons and both grandsons) which makes sense since it is a genetic disease. You might want to get tested. We had several in the family sure they didn't have it, yet they turned out to have the most severe intestinal damage, although they had no symptoms. It is a very sneaky genetic disorder.

 

My son and his family are sailing Carnival in August and chose it over other lines because of the GF issue.

[NorbertsNiece]

Home now.

 

Here's a previous response I posted :

 

Hi.

 

I'm a GF cruiser.

 

Drop special_needs@rccl.com an email with a heads up that you are coming. Also advise your TA to have it noted on your reservation or if you book with RCCL let them know directly.

 

After boarding have a quick word with MDR Maitre d' too.

 

Breakfast : In the MDR (Main Dining Room) they can prepare GF pancakes and French Toast. They also have GF bread which can be toasted on request. They also have little muffins which are great for taking out on excursions for a snack! If you go to the WindJammer (Buffet) they will toast bread for you.

 

It is well worth the time on your first day to have a chat with a chef in WJ and have him/her point out the options for you.

 

Sea day lunchtime in the MDR is awesome as they build salads to order.... can highly recommend the chicken sliders from the A La Carte menu!! The MDR is only open for lunch on a sea day.

 

Dinner time : highly recommend the BBB on the new menu for dessert. They have various breads which appear in the evening and it's always a delicious surprise.

 

Johnny Rockets / Portofino / Chops : give them a heads up if you plan to dine there..... 24 hours ideally.....

 

I have been told that you can get GF pizza in the Cafe Promenade but did not get the chance to try it!!

 

Happy to answer questions.

 

Added : In the MDR in the evenings the menus clearly show the options that can be prepared GF. They are different each night. There are pics in the blog in my sig below for the B2B.

[island lady]

We are just off the Jewel last Saturday. My sister was with us and has Celiacs also, she did not have any trouble finding gluten free items. She sure did not go hungry! You will find many choices, no worries...so enjoy your cruise! :)

[MS52]

My daughter has celiacs and cruised with us last year on the Enchantment. She filled out the special needs form before she went. Met with the head waiter in the Main Dining Room and was very proactive. The staff in the Main Dining Room was wonderful. She ate most of her meals in there and never had a problem.

 

She did go to the WindJammer and spoke to one of the chefs. He said they could not guarantee that foods were gluten free. (Someone can easily dip a spoon from croutons into the tomatoes - you get the idea). She preferred his honestly over blowing smoke.

 

On CocoCay, they were the least helpful. Said no, there's nothing you can eat here that's safe (I think the same problem as above - double dippers).

 

Although the week wasn't perfect, she was never dosed with gluten and I give them very, very high marks in this area.

[sunnysavannah]

One of our friends that are traveling with us on their very first cruise in the fall is GF. Fortunately, she isn't sensitive to cross contamination and isn't a fussy person anyway. She has always eaten a very low carb diet anyway.

However, I'm reading everything I can to make it easy for her on the cruise! Overplanner here...:rolleyes:

Do you think that Coco Cay would be a nightmare for her? I'm sure she'll focus on fruits and veggies. I think I remember seeing bananas over there! At least they are in their own "wrapper" lol.

I'll mention bringing some snacks in her beach bag.