Special Diet/Allergies and RCCL: Will I Be Able To Eat?

[Grenouille21]

Hello. I am vegan and gluten-free. This is not an optional "fun" diet, this is how I must eat. My daughter has allergies to shellfish, coconut, and tree nuts. We sailed on Disney and they were fabulous, and took very good care of us. We ate like royalty. Is RCCL the same?

 

I've asked similar questions before, and have been told things like "Talk to dining services when you board" or "Note it on your reservation" but neither of those answers are terribly reassuring. We traveled to Mexico where I had previously been assured of the same thing ("Oh, just tell them ahead of time and you will be fine!!!") and I literally cried through most meals because all I could eat were chips and guacamole and fruit, and I was pretty sure the chips were cross-contaminated with gluten. And the guacamole was really bad, too. We had one head server who would make a plate of plain steamed vegetables for me, but that was it. I was so hungry and sad on that vacation, and I don't want to deal with that again. We had a similar experience on a cruise excursion at Atlantis, where literally all I could eat was plain salad, a bag of chips, or fries cooked in special oil.

 

I don't want to pay for another vacation where I can't eat.

 

So please, tell me about your experiences as a vegan/gluten-free passenger on RCCL, or tell me about your friend/family member who traveled as a vegan/gluten-free passenger. Help me be OK with this cruise line!!!

[Clarea]

You need to contact the Special Needs department at [noparse]special_needs@rccl.com[/noparse].

[FTLcruisers]

we were on a 14 day cruise with someone who was gluten-free. she got tired of eating something (I can't remember but want to say some sort of bread) that they were serving her every night. She talked to the head waiter who actually got the chef to come out and talk to her. He made some changes to the item and she was much happier with her meals after that. So, yes, they will try to accommodate your restrictions as best as they can.

 

Marianne

[Ourusualbeach]

First off as Bob stated call or e mail special needs.

 

My wife has a dairy allergy so she is faced with many of the challenges to her diet that you are.

 

Overall we have found RCI to be outstanding in dealing with her allergy. Yes there have been ups and downs but overall more ups.

 

Having taken a kitchen tour I know that there is a separate area for Gluten free preparation. Gluten free breads are also made on the ship.

 

At dinner the Head waiter will stop by at the end of the meal with the next nights menu and you will be able to choose then. They will let you know which selections can be modified to suit your needs.

 

In my wife's case with the dairy allergy what we found was that in the MDR it is mostly just removing the sauces from the meals. If this is important make sure you ask to have a vegan sauce made for you. It can easily be done but they are not always proactive on this. If you find something that you really like then let them know as most times they can make it available for you daily. My wife does this with her desserts as there are only a few without dairy.

 

The specialty restaurants are absolutely the best in being able to modify the menu and rally create something special for you.

 

For the buffet in the Windjammer make sure you get one of the chefs to walk you through it and let you know what is OK for you to have. Do not rely on the wait staff for this advice as I have found that they did not have the proper information.

 

I'm sure that you will enjoy your cruise.

[NorbertsNiece]

To add to the advice already given if dining in a specialty restaurant you do need to give them notice that you are coming (I would suggest 24 hours minimum). In the Main Dining Room your waiter should give you the menu for the subsequent night so that you can select what you would like and that can be prepared specifically for you. Whilst I have much experience of dining GF on Royal I have none of dining Vegan.

 

You do need to be pro-active on board and ask to speak to the head chef at each dining venue. In the WindJammer they will walk you around and tell you what you can eat. They CAN make dishes especially for you there. Take advice only from a chef and not from a server.

 

On a sea day you can lunch in the Main Dining Room. Again you can see the menu the day before and select from that.

 

You don't say how old your daughter is. Assuming she is a child here is a copy of the children's menu though she can choose from the regular menu too.

 

Edited April 27, 2014 by NorbertsNiece

[Paulxyz2004]

As you had such a great experience on Disney, I would recommend you sail on Disney again. With your severe dietary restrictions it will be hard for anyone to accomodate you and once you have had an excellent experience elsewhere it will be hard for others to match.

[sunset08]

We just returned home from Independence of the Seas. I am gluten free and found the food options were wonderful.

 

We did alert them ahead of time. The menu depicts different symbols to represent who can eat each meal depending on allergies.

 

We only ate in the main dinning room, room service, and Johnny Rockets.

I was also able to eat GF Udi's cookies at Cafe Promonade and GF pizza at Sorrentos.

 

Each day our waiter brought me the dinner menu for the next evening so I could preorder my meals. I had some of the most delicious GF meals and I felt the variety was great. Normally my options when we go out is salad. At breakfast or lunch in the dinning room he personally insured my meals were GF. I think he went above and beyond. They make delicious gf free breads, bagels, and deserts on board as well.

 

I would suggest avoiding the buffets unless you are able to preorder food. The day we were in labadee we had a large breakfast and ate granola bars we brought with us. When we returned to the ship I ordered room service. Room service wait is normally 40 to 50 minutes. You could always order ahead as long as you brought ziplock bags or Rubbermaid to go. I will do this next time.

 

Enjoy! Make sure at lunch and breakfast you tell your waiters immediately so they can alert kitchen and bring you gf bread.

[NorbertsNiece]

Just wanted to add that an item may have the GF sign next to it on the menu but that does not mean it IS GF. It just means it can be prepared GF to order.

[TheresaK]

I have LOTS of diet restrictions and have sailed on several different cruise lines and never had a problem. In fact, they all bent over backward to accomodate me. I haven't sailed on RCL yet (will sail on Vision March 2015) but I am sure it will be fine.

[tidygirl]

We just got off the Jewell and was talking to a man that had a 13 year old son that had level 5 peanut allergies, the boy got frustrated with how little he could eat so they went to the windjammer and talked to the chef and he took the boy under his wing and made him special dishes all week. The dad said his boy had better meals than him! He was impressed and very happy for his son!

[tidygirl]

We just got off the Jewell and was talking to a man that had a 13 year old son that had level 5 peanut allergies, the boy got frustrated with how little he could eat so they went to the windjammer and talked to the chef and he took the boy under his wing and made him special dishes all week. The dad said his boy had better meals than him! He was impressed and very happy for his son!

[Grenouille21]

Thank you to those who have shared your experiences. It sounds like they can plan ahead, like Disney, if you know where/when you will be dining the following night? And possibly during the day as well?

 

Buffets are typically a no for me, as I'm usually only able to have fruit and/or non-mixed salad. That's partly what I was wondering about, I guess I figure dinner would be fine but what about breakfast and lunch?

 

As far as specialty dining, I can't have anything by Udi's as it all has egg. Most GF pizza dough has egg, most GF bread has egg as well. I've found GF pasta in some restaurants, anyone know if they have that on RCCL?

 

On Disney I could eat or modify food from 2 or 3 of the menus (it was a 4 night cruise), I am just worried because I'm not sure I saw anything modifyable on RCCL's menus. It looks like the vegetarian entrees are typically pasta, and unless they can make it with GF pasta that won't work, or Indian food, which I do not like, or they rely heavily on dough/bread/cheese, which won't work. Will they make something completely different that isn't on the menu?

 

Sorry for all of the questions, just want to know what to expect if we decide to explore RCCL. Thanks!

[LindaO]

What did you do prior to your Disney Cruise? Were you this concerned before that Disney Cruise? Did you just board and hope for the best... or did you pre-plan. RCI will do both... but when you board you should make requests at the main dining room when you can have an appointment with the dining manager(s). I'm not sure why you think RCI will not be as accommodating as Disney. We just got off a cruise on the Freedom and 2 people at our table had special needs.. with special diets and the staff did a wonderful job. These cruisers were very happy with the selections and attention to their diets. I also have a sever allergy to seafood and the staff has always been very attentive to make sure I was not served anything that could cause a problem. Good luck...

Edited April 28, 2014 by LindaO

[Grenouille21]

What did you do prior to your Disney Cruise? Were you this concerned before that Disney Cruise? Did you just board and hope for the best... or did you pre-plan. RCI will do both... but when you board you should make requests at the main dining room when you can have an appointment with the dining manager(s). I'm not sure why you think RCI will not be as accommodating as Disney. We just got off a cruise on the Freedom and 2 people at our table had special needs.. with special diets and the staff did a wonderful job. These cruisers were very happy with the selections and attention to their diets. I also have a sever allergy to seafood and the staff has always been very attentive to make sure I was not served anything that could cause a problem. Good luck...

 

Before we cruised on Disney I read reviews from vegan and gluten-free people who had been on Disney Cruises. I read the multiple discussions about how Disney handles food allergies and special diets. I tried to do the same with Royal, but it has been a mixed bag. Mostly people who are allergic to one thing, or people who have had a bad experience and didn't eat much. I have not found any discussions or reviews from people who are vegan.

 

Most people just seem to say "It will be fine, I am allergic to peanuts and I had plenty to eat!!!" But it isn't NEARLY the same. Someone who is *only* gluten-free can eat all the meat they want. It is easy to accommodate a GF diet. But if you don't eat meat, or dairy, or egg, or gluten, it gets really challenging.

 

I have found a few restaurants here in downtown Chicago that can easily accommodate my dining needs, and have found others on vacations in various places (by trial and error) that have accommodated me as well. But I have found MANY more where no one knows what "vegan" means. Where even after I explain it in the simplest terms "I don't eat meat, dairy, or egg" they say "So fish is OK then?" or offer me cheese lasagna.

 

That's why I am asking. I am doing what I have to do before I go anywhere: figuring out whether I will be able to eat.

 

I will keep searching for reviews from vegans, at least that might give me some idea of whether they can adjust their menu items or make food that is not on the menu. Thanks.

[LindaO]

Before we cruised on Disney I read reviews from vegan and gluten-free people who had been on Disney Cruises. I read the multiple discussions about how Disney handles food allergies and special diets. I tried to do the same with Royal, but it has been a mixed bag. Mostly people who are allergic to one thing, or people who have had a bad experience and didn't eat much. I have not found any discussions or reviews from people who are vegan.

 

Most people just seem to say "It will be fine, I am allergic to peanuts and I had plenty to eat!!!" But it isn't NEARLY the same. Someone who is *only* gluten-free can eat all the meat they want. It is easy to accommodate a GF diet. But if you don't eat meat, or dairy, or egg, or gluten, it gets really challenging.

 

I have found a few restaurants here in downtown Chicago that can easily accommodate my dining needs, and have found others on vacations in various places (by trial and error) that have accommodated me as well. But I have found MANY more where no one knows what "vegan" means. Where even after I explain it in the simplest terms "I don't eat meat, dairy, or egg" they say "So fish is OK then?" or offer me cheese lasagna.

 

That's why I am asking. I am doing what I have to do before I go anywhere: figuring out whether I will be able to eat.

 

I will keep searching for reviews from vegans, at least that might give me some idea of whether they can adjust their menu items or make food that is not on the menu. Thanks.

 

I have found that people will post complaints and 'bad' experiences in greater proportion to 'good' experiences. With that said I can that the staff will do their best to accommodate you. Our wait staff has always been aware of my seafood allergy and that I can eat no seafood, and have never had trouble finding a good variety of foods. One lady at our table last week was a strict vegetarian -- eating no animal products at all. They provided her with wonderful meals, each evening something different, but a limited selection. She seemed delighted with the offerings around the ship and in the main dining room. The other lady at our table did not eat meat or chicken or seafood... and was also delighted with the selections offered. Remember... on RCI if you want an appetizer as an main course, all you need to do is ask. Twice the appetizer was her choice and it was served as a main course.

 

With all that said... I'm not sure anyone can offer you enough assurances that RCI will do an acceptable job meeting your strict conditions... and if that is the case, you might be better served on a Disney Cruise as they seemed to have met your expectations.

 

Whatever you decide to do I hope you have a safe and wonderful cruise!

[Raenstoirm]

I don't know if this helps you or not since I am no where as bad as you, but I have an allergy to meat as well (as in mammals..cows, pigs, etc). I have no issue with eggs or fish, so I tend to live off them. Bacon is a particularly problematic since every friggin restaurant feels it is ok to put bacon in everything and not tell you. I ordered a fish dish the other day and the broccoli was sautéed in bacon grease :eek:. Glad I asked when it smelled suspicious. Outback, for example, fries their shrimp in beef fat...YUCK! Learned that one the hard way!

 

Anyway, I have had no issues asking for a chef to go over the menu with me in the MDR and windjammer. For the most part I find what I can eat and like and I stick with that all week though. I am pretty easy to please in that regard. RCCL is NOT as accommodating as Disney, simply because Disney prides themselves on such services, but you should be ok.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Raenstoirm

[freakwentcruising]

I cruised on the Independence last week and I am a vegan.

I was given a print out of a vegan menu each night after dinner in the MDR (as well as the normal menus) to pick my meals for the next night.

[cb at sea]

Just be sure you contact the SPECIAL NEEDS DEPT. That is a MUST! Otherwise, they may not have any special ingredients that they may need for you. Contact them about 1 month before you sail...don't wait until the last minute!

[Grenouille21]

Thanks for the additional info. I am delighted to hear that there was a vegan menu available! That is very promising!

 

I emailed the special needs department 2 days ago and other than the automated confirmation email reply, I haven't heard from them.