Hamburgers in main dining room?

[luckybecky]

We are planning an Alaskan cruise June 2017 on the Millennium. My husband and I will be travelling with our two adult children.

 

Our son, age 24, has Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism. One of his quirks is a very limited diet. He has very strong dietary preferences and a very limited range of preferred foods.

 

On the other hand, my daughter and husband love to try new foods and we enjoy upscale dining. So is there a way we can all enjoy dining together?

 

More specifically, if we all go to the main dining room, can my son get a hamburger and fries (his all time favorite food), or maybe something akin to chicken nuggets? He is not a child and doesn't want a kids' meal (he eats adult portions) but his food preferences are similar to what a kid would eat.

 

I've done some searches for menus and love what I have found -- it's making my mouth water! But I've found very little that my son would want to order.

 

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

As an aside, we are currently booked almost concurrently on an NCL cruise and Celebrity. I booked NCL first, but then found a deal on Celebrity for almost the same price. I'm going to have to cancel one or the other. We have never sailed on either cruise line. I would much prefer to try Celebrity, in part because we have heard good things about the food.

 

Thanks for any insight you can share on this.

 

Becky

[BaumD]

Order kids meals and ask for "adult sized" portions.

[WestLakeGirl]

Hthere is an extensive Children's Menu that adults can order from, too. Hamburgers and fries are there and something like chicken fingers but they have a funny name, we didn't recognize the word but the waiter explained it. Also Mac and cheeses. They will give you an adult sized portion, no problem

[Bo1953]

Not to worry at all, X will go out of its' way to accommodate. Just get to the Maitre 'd upon embarkation to let them know the request. Also, if you plan on eating in any of the Specialty Restaurants, they can arrange the same meals there as well...

 

It would not hurt to let X know in advance the request and it will be noted. You can do this through your mode of reservations i.e. TA or X directly, then re-confirm once aboard.

 

bon voyage and great eating for you all...

Edited September 29, 2016 by Bo1953

[davekathy]

OP...if your son is craving a hamburger and fries around lunch time Celebrity also has a 'burger grill located I believe on deck 11 by the Mast Bar. Excellent hamburgers.

[florisdekort]

Speak to the Maitre'd on the first day and they will go out of your way to accommodate you. Go for a fixed dining time so you have the same waiter every day, that helps too.

 

 

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[dkjretired]

Agree about seeing the Maitre'd but you also might want to call Special Services, they can certainly answer any questions you may have.

[cruisestitch]

The Kids Menu is my go-to when I don't like any of the MDR options, especially on the awful Top Chef night. There has even been a nice little steak there. Also spaghetti and macaroni & cheese. easily done.

 

I agree with opting for Traditional Dining. It always helps to get to know a waiter on a regular basis.

[CruisingChick]

You can contact the Special Needs department before your sailing and tell them that you will require special meals in the main dining room. Then when you board you can visit the Maitre'd and confirm with him special items you have requested.

 

special_needs@celebrity.com

(866) 592-7225

Monday – Friday 9 AM to 7 PM

[zoncom]

You can always get a burger at lunch in MDR. I really enjoy the BBQed ones at pool grill too.On Reflection they had Burger of day at pool grill.

[luckybecky]

Thanks so much everyone! You have certainly set my son's mind at ease. :)

 

I understand where you are coming from in recommending the set time dining so we have the same waiter every night. We have always chosen flexible time dining on our previous cruises because we are never sure what our daily schedule will be. We always think we should keep our options open, but then we seem to end up eating at about the same time every evening anyway.

 

I did not even know there was a Special Needs department, so thanks for alerting me to that. Our son is very high functioning and won't need a lot of special accomodations, but it probably won't hurt to let them know about his dietary preferences.

 

This is another example of why I love Cruise Critic. Thanks everyone for your immediate responses and good information!

[2ndtimelucky]

Hi we have always done the select dining and we always had the same waiting staff so don't worry to much , and the burgers at the grill are served throughout the day an are lovely , have a lovely cruise xx

:)

[Longboysfan]

Way back when... We took out teenage daughters on a cruise - I think great they will get a chance to sample a lot of new foods.

Wrong....

Chicken fingers and fries.

 

Oh. Well.

 

There may be a day when you can use dining room at lunch.

 

They usually have taco bowl which I liked and may fit the bill.

[Flamencacha]

Just got off NCL, it seems like those with special food requests or allergies ate better than the rest. Just advise the host or maitre d.

 

 

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Edited September 29, 2016 by Flamencacha

[omeinv]

Adding to what others have said, I've traveled with people, and had people at our table with special dietary needs or desires. The Maitre 'd will come toward the end of each night's meal with the next night's menu, and you can look for things you like; alter an item there to your liking, or request something completely different. As everyone above has noted they'll go way above and beyond to make it easy.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[RCKM43]

They changed the kids menu recently. Hamburger should be no trouble. They took the chicken fingers off. My kids ordered from the adult menu but I asked one night and they said they no longer have them. I imagine if you spoke with the assistant maitr'd the night before they might be willing to make something like a chicken finger.

 

 

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[Katgoesonholiday]

One of the gentlemen at our table in July regularly ordered off the kids menu for his main. It was always served as an adult sized portion and was no problem to the staff.

 

My 10 year old also has Aspergers and the waitstaff couldn't have possibly been more accommodating of his quirks! His thing is having an exact number of chicken nuggets and having pancakes that are just cooked with no trace of brown an no cream or fruit. He also only eats certain foods and is very unadventurous, instead preferring to rely on the tried and true favorites. I imagine he'll be no different as an adult.