Gluten-Free Diet

[cruzluvrs]

A group of us are sailing on the Navigator Thanksgiving week. One person in our group has Celiacs disease and has to eat a gluten-free diet. Does anyone know how well RCCL handles special dietary needs? We were on Princess with this same person in April and Princess was absolutely wonderful and couldn't do enough to accommodate our friend. The maitre 'd came over every night to go over the next night's menu with her and tell her the foods she would be able to eat the next night or that they would prepare special items for her. I would appreciate any comments about how RCCL handles special dietary needs. Thanks!

[hardingk]

Hi Cruzluvrs -

MY DH is severally lactose intolerant and we have sailed RCL multiple times. What you need to do is make sure your TA or whoever booked your reservation noted in the booking that you have someone who is Gluten intolerant. Then about 3 weeks before you sail, I recommend that you fax the Maitre'd of the ship a letter stating the dietary needs and what s/he can & cannot eat along with your reservation number. I also have the e-mail address of the food specialist that you need to advise as well, 3 weeks prior as well. This person will also notify the Chef & Food & Beverage person.

 

Then once you are on the ship, the first afternoon when they have the dining room open for seating arrangements, go and reconfirm the dietary needs with the Head Maitre'd. If you have any problems durning your cruise, then I recommend speaking with the hotel manager.

 

We sailed the Navigator in August 2003 and DH only had a hard time getting his lactose free milk in the Windjammer & Cafe Promenade. We are sailing the Adventure next month. Once I confirm that the person who handles the special dietary requests at RCL is still there, I would be more then happy to give you their e-mail address & contact details.

 

Please feel free to ask me any other questions you might have.

 

PS - On the enchantment, they made my husband a special bread every night that was Lactose Free & Gulten free, so you should be able to request that from day 1!

[cruzluvrs]

hardingk -

 

Thanks so much for your help. I will defintely pass this along to our friend. I would very much appreciate your sending the e-mail address. You can e-mail me at billbarb_98@yahoo.com. Thanks so much.

[cruzluvrs]

hardingk -

 

The e-mail addres is billbarb_98...the underscore before the 98 did not show up as the whole address was underlined. Thanks!

[hardingk]

No problem! Let me know if you have any other questions!

[esteam]

tell your friend that they have flourless chocolate cake. i found the recipe when reading posts. i haven't mede it but can't wait to try it for my friends son.

[VikkiGarcia]

flourless chocolate cake is not gluten free (hubby has celiac). It contains modified food starch which is questionable if someone is very reactionary. Although the RC ships we have been on have done a great job of letting us see the ingredents list the night before hubby found some sauces on entrees to be thickened with flour even though it was not listed (he would scrape the remaining sauce off) This was not a big deal for us because he does not have severe reactions. His stomach just gets a bit achy and it eventually passes. If it will be a problem for you, be vigilant. The cruise staff still has a bit of a hard time understanding celiac. Most of the time they think you are on Atkins or some other "new" diet.

[kayters]

I would love the RC info - sailing 1/23/06 on Grandeur w/my mom who has celiac. Read the info on the RC site, but want to make sure it goes well. She's not severely reactionary, but recently diagnosed, so she's super vigilant. :) Thanks! E-mail at kayters at comcast dot net

[Joe1690]

We have sailed the grandeur twice with a good friend who suffers from celiac's and chrones disease. She always informs the waiter or waitress the first night in the dining room and also tells the maitre'D. They have done a very good job helping her find foods that do not have any gluten. Also, if they recommend something and she isn't sure that it really lacks gluten she makes asks them to find out whether it really is gluten free. On the other hand at the buffet she tries to avoid foods which she feels would have gluten. She hasn't had a problem so far having sailed the Grandeur, Mariner, and Empress.

[jkrislc]

My SIL has this as well. I'm assuming both Princess and RCI will accomodate as they have a section on the online registration that ask for food allergies and they list gluten as an allergy. I don't think they would ask if they couldn't accomodate.

 

While you'll definately want to tell the waiter and/or head waiter when you board, you'll also want to notify the cruise line in advance in case additional preparations are need on their part.

[jlx2]

We were on the Mariner last month and one of our friends has Celiac as well. The travel agent noted it and contacted Royal Caribbean in advance and she also called them directly. Once on board she went to the Matre D and also spoke with our head waiter, waiter and assistant waiter. They had meals every night she could eat and even baked a loaf of bread especially for her each night. Have a great cruise!

[SherriZ366]

We sailed with my SIL's family on the Mariner in June and his grandfather has celiac. I remember the Maitre D' conferring with them every night but will find out more. He seemed to find lots to eat in the dining room. All the previous posts are full of good advice.

[yfraser]

And in my experience it is hit or miss. I am super vigilant as well and on board Royal Caribbean I have had both good experiences and bad. On one cruise, I was served glutened meals most evenings... scraping off the gravy is not an option for me. And each time, I reinforced my requests just made the waiter that much more discontent with our table. On other cruises, my assistant waiter made gluten-free bread for me in order to have each night!

 

The key to success lay in speaking to the Maitre'd as soon as you sit down to dinner the first night. You must explain the importance of an absolutely gluten free diet. In my experience, they will respond to you. If any mixups occur, be sure to report them to the Maitre'd so that he can ensure that it does not happen again! Do NOT rely upon the waiter as many do not understand what gluten is - and explaining flour as you may know is not nearly enough!

 

The pattern generally is:

 

1) Speak to Maitre'd before ordering the first night

2) Each night thereafter the Maitre'd will bring you the next day's menus (both lunch and dinner if you want)

3) They will prepare pretty much all the dishes for you gluten free

4) Enjoy!

 

Eating out with Celiac Disease is challenging at the best of times... aboard a Royal Caribbean ship you must not assume that each meal is gluten free. If it doesn't look right (i.e. the gravy looks whitish from flour), speak to the Maitre'd before you eat.

 

I have had Celiac Disease for over 40 years...

 

Eating onboard can be done successfully... just be careful!

[SherriZ366]

I agree about working with the Matire'D each night. That is what my SIL's grandfather did. He did not have any problems while we were on the Mariner and the Maitre'D was great!!

[Toezap]

We cruised on the Mariner in 2004 with my four-year-old cousin who has celiac and diabetes. My aunt had called and talked to a woman with the cruise line before the cruise, but the woman never got back in touch with her, and a week before the cruise my aunt found out that she was no longer working for RCI.

 

As a result, the ship was not informed that my cousin had celiac, so they did not have much food choice for him. Luckily, my aunt had brought a few gluten-free mixes, and she gave them to our waitress and they made him a little something every night.

 

Even though it didn't go as well as it could have, we still had a good time on the cruise. When my cousin was at play school later that year, they asked all the kids where their favorite place to eat was, and my cousin said that his was on a boat. ;)

 

-Lauren

[SherriZ366]

From this thread, it sounds like celiac is a fairly common condition that RCCL has had experience

[ellenw]

DH has celiacs, and dining out can be a challenge. You are so right about people not understanding what it is. We always get a big kick out it when he orders the cheeseburger with no bun and the french fries, and the waitress asks if he is doing Atkins!

 

The RCI website says they can provide a GF diet, and that they will bake GF bread. Can't wait to see how that is - I have never found any breads that were edible. Most of them are difficult to even lift off the shelf since they are so heavy.

 

There is a link from the RCI site to email them about needing the GF diet - include name, reservation # and cabin #. Another thing specified on the the website is that they will not prepare and mixes you bring along.

 

When we cruised the Mississippi on the American Queen last year, they were very accomodating on the diet.

 

And, speaking of dining out with celiacs, do you know about Outback? They have a GF version of their menu. It specifies how to order so that it stay GF. I think that Mrs. Outback must have celiacs!

[yfraser]

On that note... I went to a nearby Outback excited to experience a gluten-free dining experience... Not to be!

 

Although the manager understood celiac disease, and arranged my meal for me. Unfortunately the first bite revealed that they had used seasoning salt! I spoke to the manager and he began apologizing profusedly as he too knew that seasoning salt has wheat in it... he doubled checked and sure enough it had seasoning salt! I had been inadvertently poisoned. So... again one must be careful.

 

And I wish it was more common than it is. At least 9 times out of 10 the waiter/manager/chef have no idea what gluten free means... and trying to discover every ingredient they use even on just a simple steak can be difficult. Sometimes they marinate the steak (soya sauce which is commonly used as a marinade most often is made of wheat) or they sprinkle it with seasoning salt... Generally the solution - steamed veggies, green salad with oil and vinegar on the side, and often meat with no seasoning at all. Rather bland...

 

So again... one must be watchful...

[yfraser]

The ships also have a daily alternative menu that includes plain grilled meats, assorted vegetables, which can be steamed, plain white rice and plain baked potatoes.

 

They provide this as an alternative for those of us who cannot imbibe in gluten...

 

Bland! (So bring along your own seasoning)

[VikkiGarcia]

ellen: Hubby has celiac and we cruise often. The bread has never been very tasty. But at least he has something to munch on while we have our bread. It is always waiting at the table when we arrive. He has them put honey packets in his bread basket. This is the only way he can eat it, smothered in honey. On our panama canal cruise our waiter was so excited one night because they were serving cornbread. She thought he would be able to eat it. Had to explain cornbread was not ok. Hubby still finds plenty to eat, and the rest of the family can can have gluten filled dinners. Something they don't get at home very often.

[ellenw]

I was so hoping the bread would be good! DH was having misty eyed memories of cheesesteak hoagies yesterday. I thought he might actually be able to enjoy a GF sandwich! He does like honey, so I'll recommend he ask for it.

 

I bought frozen GF rolls one time. Even after drenching them in garlic butter and heating them, they were still bad.

 

I know in my heart that if he has to have something, it's good that it is a disease that can be completely controlled by diet. But, why couldn't he have something that you can just take a pill for?!?!

[Merion_Mom]

From Royal Caribbean's Website:

"What type of special meals does Royal Caribbean offer?

We can accommodate most special dietary needs, such as Food Allergies, Gluten-free, Vegetarian (except for Vegan/Macrobiotic and Lacto-ovo vegetarian), Low-fat, Low Sodium, Lactaid/Soy Milk, Ensure, and Kosher meals at no extra charge.

 

Below is a description of each and what is required prior to sailing.

 

POLICY

Unfortunately we may not be able to accommodate all special dietary requirements. Anything that is faxed or e-mailed within 2 weeks of sailing is dependent on the ship's product availability. We try to accommodate to the best of our ability.

 

E-mails will receive an auto-response. Faxed requests will not receive a response unless there is an e-mail address. Guests are asked not to call Royal Caribbean International suppliers with their specific questions.

 

FOOD ALLERGIES

Most food allergies can be accommodated. Please e-mail a notice to foodallergies@rccl.com and provide the name of passenger(s) with the allergies, their individual guest reservation numbers, vessel name, and voyage date. Please also supply specific information about the types of allergies and any special requirements. You may send a fax request to (305) 539-6018 attn: Special Meals Request - Culinary Operations. Please be advised that faxed requests will not receive a response unless an e-mail address is provided.

 

Please Note: Guests are not allowed to bring on board any food items other than dry, nonperishable snack items (cookies, crackers, chips, energy bars, etc).

 

KOSHER MEALS

The meals must be ordered a minimum of 6 weeks (45 days) prior to the sailing date (Kosher for Passover meals must be ordered a minimum of 12 weeks (90 days) in advance). These are pre-packaged frozen, prepared meals and are O K certified.

 

We do not provide Kosher Cakes.

 

Please e-mail a request to kosher@rccl.com and provide the name of passenger(s) requesting the meals, their individual guest reservation numbers, vessel name, and voyage date. You may send a fax request to (305) 539-6018 attn: Special Meals Request - Culinary Operations. Please be advised that faxed requests will not receive a response unless an e-mail address is provided.

 

Please Note: We are unable to store, prepare or serve any meals that have been brought on by the individual passenger. Nor will we receive meals shipped by companies other than our approved vendor. These meals will be discarded immediately if found onboard.

 

 

GLUTEN-FREE / CELIAC DISEASE

We do not have a separate Gluten-free menu. However, we do provide Gluten-free bread that is baked on the ships. The ships also have a daily alternative menu that includes plain grilled meats, assorted vegetables, which can be steamed, plain white rice and plain baked potatoes. This request must be either faxed or e-mailed a minimum of 6 weeks (45 days) in advance.

 

Please e-mail a request Glutenfree@rccl.com and provide the name of passenger(s) requiring the meals, their individual guest reservation numbers, vessel name and voyage date. You may send a fax request to (305) 539-6018 attn: Special Meals Request - Culinary Operations. Please be advised that faxed requests will not receive a response unless an e-mail address is provided.

 

Please Note: It is recommended that guest bring their own packets of salad dressings and dry, nonperishable snacks onboard.

VEGETARIAN MEALS

On all our daily menus we offer a Vegetarian Selection (an appetizer, soup, salad and main entrée).This does not have to be ordered in advance.

 

Please Note: These are not Vegan/Macrobiotic or Lacto-Ovo specific and do contain dairy. The ships do not provide Vegan/Macrobiotic meals.

 

 

INDIAN-STYLE VEGETARIAN MEALS

We also offer a daily Indian-style Vegetarian entree on all of our ships. These Indian-style meals are not region-specific and the cooking technique is not home-style. These meals are served based on Royal Caribbean, International standards. Family-style or buffet service is not provided. We do not provide Indian sweets, teas or mouth fresheners. Indian-style cocktail parties and canapés are not available.

 

This request must be either e-mailed or faxed a minimum of 6 weeks (45 days) in advance. Please e-mail a request to Indianvegetarian@rccl.com and provide the name of passenger(s) requiring the meals, their individual guest reservation numbers, vessel name and voyage date . You may send a fax request to (305) 539-6018 attn: Special Meals Request - Culinary Operations. Please be advised that faxed requests will not recieve a response unless an e-mail address is provided

 

Please Note: We are unable to store, prepare or serve any meals that have been brought on by the individual passenger. These meals will be discarded immediately once onboard.

 

 

DIABETIC MEALS

We do not have a separate diabetic menu, however, we do offer sugar-free desserts on all of our main dining room lunch and dinner menus as well as in the Windjammer Cafe. This does not have to be ordered in advance.

 

 

LOW-FAT MEALS

We do not have a separate low-fat menu, however, we do offer our Royal Selections on all of our main dining room lunch and dinner menus. This does not have to be ordered in advance. Please advise the Maitre D' once onboard that a low-fat diet is required.

 

 

LOW-SODIUM MEALS

We do not offer a low-sodium menu. However, we do have a daily alternative selection on all of our main dining room dinner menus. This includes plain grilled meats, assorted vegetables, which can be steamed, and plain white rice and baked potatoes. This does not have to be ordered in advance. Please advise the Maitre d' once onboard that a low-sodium diet is required.

 

 

SOY MILK / LACTAID MILK

We do offer Lactaid milk and/or Soy milk. Please note we do not offer Rice Milk. This request must be either e-mailed or faxed a minimum of 6 weeks (45 days) in advance. Please e-mail a request to foodallergies@rccl.com and provide the name of passenger(s), their individual guest reservation numbers, vessel name, voyage date, and the type of beverage they are requesting. You may send a fax request to (305) 539-6018 attn: Special Meals Request - Culinary Operations. Please be advised that faxed requests will not recieve a response unless an e-mail address is provided.

 

 

SOFT PUREED FOODS

We do offer soft or pureed foods. However, this technique is usually prepared for adult guests who have difficulty chewing, swallowing or digesting whole foods. A soft/pureed diet is not a substitute for baby/infant foods. Guests traveling with babies or infants may arrange with the Maitre 'D to have fruits and vegetables steamed and pureed. We do not provide jarred baby food or infant formula.

 

This request must be either e-mailed or faxed a minimum of 6 weeks (45 days) in advance. Please e-mail a request to foodallergies@rccl.com and provide the name of passenger(s) requiring the meals, their individual guest reservation numbers, vessel name, and voyage date. You may send a fax request to (305)539-6018 attn: Special Meals Request - Culinary Operations. Please be advised that faxed requests will not receive a response unless an e-mail address is provided.

 

 

ENSURE

We do offer vanilla-flavored Ensure at no cost. This request must be either e-mailed or faxed a minimum of 6 weeks (45 days) in advance. Please e-mail a request to foodallergies@rccl.com and provide the name of passenger(s) requiring the beverage, their individual guest reservation numbers, vessel name, and voyage date. You may send a fax request to (305)539-6018 attn: Special Meals Request - Culinary Operations. Please be advised that faxed requests will not receive a response unless an e-mail address is provided.

 

 

BABY FOOD**

Please be advised that Royal Caribbean International does not provide baby food. All jarred baby food, baby formula and baby products MUST be brought on by the individual passenger. All baby food brought on board CANNOT be home made. it must be store-bought and in the original containers.

 

 

PHENYLKETUNURIA (PKU)

Please be advised that this is an EXTREMELY difficult dietary request for RCI to fulfill. We do not carry any type of low-protein breads, pastas, cookies or cereals onboard. We are able to provide vegetables, fruits, salads, rice and potatoes; beyond this it is a case-by-case basis.

 

At the time of booking this request must be either e-mailed or faxed a minimum of 6 weeks (45 days) in advance. Please e-mail a request to foodallergies@rccl.com and provide the name of passenger(s) requiring the meals, their individual guest reservation numbers, vessel name, and voyage date. You may send a fax request to (305)539-6018 attn: Special Meals Request - Culinary Operations. Please be advised that faxed requests will not receive a response unless an e-mail address is provided.

 

Please Note: We are unable to store, prepare or serve any meals that have been brought on by the individual passenger. These meals will be discarded immediately once onboard.

[yfraser]

Hi Ellenw... in my search for that digestible loaf of gluten-free bread, I have found Kinnikinnick dot com. A Canadian company that has an amazing list of gluten-free products, and believe me I have tried many many companies in the past 20+ years. Kinnikinnick is by far the very best and the only one that I will eat now. You can even eat their toast with only butter! Their cheese bread is amazing. Their donuts are amazing. They even have hamburger and hot dog buns! So... maybe to improve your cruise you can look into this product line and take it along with you for that delectable cheesesteak hoagie.

 

They charge a $10 shipping fee to the States no matter the size of the order. Sometimes you can find Kinnikinnick at your local grocery store. I think the Kinnikinnick website has a store locator! But if you try only one of their products - go for the cheesebread! You won't regret it!

[yfraser]

The Bagels are amazing too!

[VikkiGarcia]

yfraser is right! Actually YOUR the one who got us hooked on that company when you mentioned it a year ago. The bread products are hubbys favorite. The white sandwich bread is the closest thing we have found to "regular" baked products. He uses it for every "bun" time (hotdog,hamburger,sandwhich,ect.)

 

ellen: The bread they will bring you in the dining room are small cornbread looking squares. Unfortunately they do not make any sandwich style bread.