Food Allergies

[Parramatta]

Hi All

Last RCI cruise I did not pre-advise regarding food allergies (pepper and tumeric) but basically ate a lot of bread and water (joking fruit, vegetables etcetera), allergies are not epi-pen level rather hives, heart racing and not feeling well. Would I be better off to advise someone prior or discuss with staff when I get there please? As we are in a suite I was hoping to eat in Coastal Kitchen if possible as eating in the same place would be easier to not have to keep explaining myself???

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or advice.

[Clarea]

Hi All

Last RCI cruise I did not pre-advise regarding food allergies (pepper and tumeric) but basically ate a lot of bread and water (joking fruit, vegetables etcetera), allergies are not epi-pen level rather hives, heart racing and not feeling well. Would I be better off to advise someone prior or discuss with staff when I get there please? As we are in a suite I was hoping to eat in Coastal Kitchen if possible as eating in the same place would be easier to not have to keep explaining myself???

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or advice.

I would contact the Special Needs department at [noparse]special_needs@rccl.com[/noparse].

[Shabot]

I have severe allergies and different crew members seem to respond differently. I find that the best allergy protocols are in the specialty restaurants. In every one of my dozen+ experiences, they've walked through the menu and explained the ingredients in each item I was interested in.

 

 

 

 

 

Main Dining Room has a more interesting range of protocols...

[Queen of Oakville]

My son is peanut allergic.

 

I always alert special needs prior to the cruise, but I find it hit or miss in terms of whether or not that info makes it to the ship.

 

The only time a waiter approached my table (first night) and said he knew about the allergies was on Celebrity Reflection who in my opinion go the extra mile for special needs. The blew my mind away when a worker in the buffet used the term "cross-contamination".

 

Alert special needs (you've got nothing to lose). But also speak to your waiter. In most cases the water alerts the head waiter and eventually the maitre d.

 

I don't find Royal to be particularly good or bad with respect to allergies

[AnDeNo.UK]

I have food aversions. What I do is inform the special needs dept of the foods I cannot eat and mention it the first time in the dining room. I've also printed the items onto a card and laminated it, to be safe, I show it to the waiters whenever I dine in the MDR.

[Parramatta]

Hi

Thank you all for your responses. I think I will take Bob's advice, but I also agree with my type of allergy that they really can't do a lot till you get there.

 

 

Thanks again.

[mommyloves2cruise]

My son is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish. We cruised twice on Celebrity and they were wonderful with his allergies. We took a year off from cruising for a land based amusement park resort which resulted in a terrifying anaphylactic reaction. After that, we chose to return to cruising and tried Royal last year.

When you contact Special needs, they will advise you to meet with the maître d when you board, who will take note of your allergies. They will also suggest that you do not eat at the Windjammer since it is hard to avoid cross contamination.

At dinner the first night, our waiter tried to tell us he had our son's allergy needs under control and would bring some food out for him. We were on edge since this was the first vacation since my son's reaction the year before and we just weren't confident that he understood the severity of the allergies.

We asked to speak to the head waiter, Ashton, who was phenomenal. He understood the allergies instantly. He gave us his card and told us to call him each time we were heading to a meal. If he wasn't working, he would tell us the name of the head waiter that was working. Each night, we would order DS' meals for the following day and when we arrived, we would talk with the head waiter that Ashton told us to find and they would bring my son's preordered meal out for him.

Several times, the chefs that were making our son's food came out to see how things were going. Each meal was tailor made to meet our needs. Ashton also arranged for a fruit basket to be sent to our room so DS could have a safe snack at any time.

The level of attention and care that my son received was out of this world, which is why we are cruising with Royal again this summer. I love cruising because I only need to have the allergy conversation on the first day, and it is understood the rest of the week. If you do not feel comfortable that your waiter understands the allergies, ask to speak to the head waiter.

Edited June 18, 2015 by mommyloves2cruise