Royal can you read this - Suggestion re gluten free at buffet

[fragilek]

Hi this is mainly for Royal reps on here in the hope that they read this.

 

Firstly a thank you for providing excellent gluten free food for evening meals on your ship. The next bit is not a complaint but a suggestion.

 

In the buffet the gluten free section has a sign on it stating that it is gluten free food, however, this section was part of the larger roast meat counter and other passengers do not realise what this section is so they see things in it that they would like and with their plates already adorned with gluten food they serve themsleves the gluten free stuff touching the utensils against their other food. On one occasion I even saw a woman swap her bread with the gluten free ones leaving hers on the gluten free tray :eek:/ I pointed this out the the serving staff but he just picked up the offending roll leaving the gluten free bread it was sitting on still in the tray (I removed them onto a plate and disposed off them myself). I understand that Royal cannot control other guests but may be a sign say that also states this is an allergy control station so do not bring other food into it may help. Also setting it up on one of the outlying stations may also help.

[time4u2go]

Have you contacted Royal directly? I'm guessing that might get their attention more than just posting here.

[ARCruisinNana]

Hi this is mainly for Royal reps on here in the hope that they read this.

 

 

 

Firstly a thank you for providing excellent gluten free food for evening meals on your ship. The next bit is not a complaint but a suggestion.

 

 

 

In the buffet the gluten free section has a sign on it stating that it is gluten free food, however, this section was part of the larger roast meat counter and other passengers do not realise what this section is so they see things in it that they would like and with their plates already adorned with gluten food they serve themsleves the gluten free stuff touching the utensils against their other food. On one occasion I even saw a woman swap her bread with the gluten free ones leaving hers on the gluten free tray :eek:/ I pointed this out the the serving staff but he just picked up the offending roll leaving the gluten free bread it was sitting on still in the tray (I removed them onto a plate and disposed off them myself). I understand that Royal cannot control other guests but may be a sign say that also states this is an allergy control station so do not bring other food into it may help. Also setting it up on one of the outlying stations may also help.

 

 

Did you put this on your end of cruise survey?

 

 

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[StolidCruiser]

Thanks for your post. Its equally important to bring such disrespectful behaviour of fellow guests to those guests as it is to the cruise line.

 

It's a challenge for any line to "police" every potential action by an oblivious guest. My opinion is it would be better to confront the yutzpahs rather than expect alternatives that put additional burden on the provider just because people are cluelessly selfish.

Edited October 2, 2016 by StolidCruiser

[CVU]

I feel it won't change, people will move around WJ stations and some have no idea what GF is all about.

 

The only way they could look after those that can not have any contamination is to be served by a Server in a special designated section in the WJ. Then the tongs would stay there and buns wouldn't be exchanged for GF etc. I doubt that will happen........

 

You can go to the dining room for lunch if it is open or have their salad bar in the MDR? They will cater to your needs there. If you want Fries it is a long wait for the oil to heat though.

Breakfast MDR is open, so they can bring you GF toast. They have a special GF Toaster.

 

It has taken me a long time to find out what other GF options are on each ship. I have suggested a List when we board for those on GF, on that what ship has package or made special for GF.

 

On Indy they have a flourless chocolate cake in the WJ but you have to ask for it. It was very good in the late afternoon with strawberry sauce on it! I am not severe GF but very sensitive, so double check on the sauce ingredients. Whipped cream is there too!

 

Also on Indy they had mini muffins at Sorrentos Pizza place the odd time. You have to ask. Each ship is different. Allure has the BEST GF breads in the WJ. But maybe have room service if you are worried or ask for someone in the WJ in charge to get some slices for you in the back!!! Indy has a loaf type bread that does not toast well for breakfast.

 

They do have packaged GF- UDI cookies, hamburger buns and bagels.

You can call Room Service and have the cookies delivered, as it has taken a long time for them to find where in the WJ they are kept in the back!!

Edited October 2, 2016 by CVU

[fragilek]

Thanks for your post. Its equally important to bring such disrespectful behaviour of fellow guests to those guests as it is to the cruise line.

 

It's a challenge for any line to "police" every potential action by an oblivious guest. My opinion is it would be better to confront the yutzpahs rather than expect alternatives that put additional burden on the provider just because people are cluelessly selfish.

 

I would have done if it was just 1 or 2 people each time but it was many guests. I did not find anywhere to post it on my survey it was all tick box stuff. I was hoping they would read on here as I don't really want to complain to guest services.

[reallyitsmema]

Unfortunately, you can't fix stupid. It is not just the gluten free section of the buffet, there are people who are clueless everywhere in the WJ. We have seen people pawing through the rolls looking for the "good one", moving tongs from one food to another, an employee working the stir fry line at dinner using one set of tongs to pick up veges and shrimp. We saw one little boy who was trying very hard to get the whipped cream off the serving spoon, into his dish of ice cream, without touching it with his fingers. Grandma came and said she would do it and proceed to use her finger to wipe all the whipped cream off the serving spoon, plop it into his bowl and then stick the spoon back into the container of whipped cream:eek: We pointed it out to an employee who immediately removed the whipped cream.

 

Until people learn to some manners and buy a clue, you should be very careful in the WJ so you do not get sick from cross contamination.

[Snit13]

I would have done if it was just 1 or 2 people each time but it was many guests. I did not find anywhere to post it on my survey it was all tick box stuff. I was hoping they would read on here as I don't really want to complain to guest services.

 

On your next cruise speak with the Food & Beverage Manager. He/She is in a position to take action. They normally are happy to hear what they are doing right and what could stand improvement. I have found all Officers on all of our cruises quite approachable and anxious to please.

[pedirn]

Thanks for info posted here regarding GF options. This is a recent change for me and I am adjusting. We are booked on the Oasis in November and I contacted RCCL about my options, They stated waiters will assist in dining room which I was aware of. I was asking about the possibility of rolls, bread, pizza ect. They never responded to that but suggested I not go to buffet. I thought this was odd as dining room not an option at lunch times on port days. What have others done? Also I checked new menus and some of the options listed as GF do not appear to be GF. Example was a seafood pasta. Do they really have GF pasta? TIA

Chris

[Hoppy2cruise]

Thanks for info posted here regarding GF options. This is a recent change for me and I am adjusting. We are booked on the Oasis in November and I contacted RCCL about my options, They stated waiters will assist in dining room which I was aware of. I was asking about the possibility of rolls, bread, pizza ect. They never responded to that but suggested I not go to buffet. I thought this was odd as dining room not an option at lunch times on port days. What have others done? Also I checked new menus and some of the options listed as GF do not appear to be GF. Example was a seafood pasta. Do they really have GF pasta? TIA

Chris

 

Yes, ships do the offer GF pasta. It is quite good when prepared properly. I avoid buffets and have found most ships do have other options. Oasis has lots of options.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Hoppy2cruise

[reallyitsmema]

Thanks for info posted here regarding GF options. This is a recent change for me and I am adjusting. We are booked on the Oasis in November and I contacted RCCL about my options, They stated waiters will assist in dining room which I was aware of. I was asking about the possibility of rolls, bread, pizza ect. They never responded to that but suggested I not go to buffet. I thought this was odd as dining room not an option at lunch times on port days. What have others done? Also I checked new menus and some of the options listed as GF do not appear to be GF. Example was a seafood pasta. Do they really have GF pasta? TIA

Chris

 

The symbols on the menu indicate things that can be made gluten free. They will show you the next night's menu and you place your order then. They do have gluten free pasta and bread.

 

Oasis also had one whole island in the WJ that was gluten free, it was not just one side as the OP encountered on Jewel. Hopefully, that makes it less of a target for cross contamination.

[JohnSnowGOT]

These gluten free folk are abusive .......For most people .. gluten free is a dietary choice not an allergy. Less than 1 percent of the population is celiac.

Burden someone else with your fake dietary wants..just sayan:rolleyes:

Edited October 3, 2016 by JohnSnowGOT

[#1packerfan]

These gluten free folk are abusive .......For most people .. gluten free is a dietary choice not an allergy. Less than 1 percent of the population is celiac.

Burden someone else with your fake dietary wants..just sayan:rolleyes:

 

I would love to know where you got this info from. As someone that is Celiac, I actually find this statement to be very offensive. You have NO idea why people may not eat gluten. I have several family members that are not Celiac but are gluten intolerant and get very ill from eating gluten, so please, before making assumptions that some just chooses to eat gluten free because they want to, maybe you should back it up with facts. Trust me, I certainly would NEVER choose to eat this way if I did not have to.

 

And while I realize you did mention that some people are Celiac, I still feel you were being offensive toward people that are gluten intolerant, which is a legitimate concern, just like having Celiac. It is not a fake dietary want!!

Edited October 3, 2016 by #1packerfan

[Colorado Babe]

These gluten free folk are abusive .......For most people .. gluten free is a dietary choice not an allergy. Less than 1 percent of the population is celiac.

Burden someone else with your fake dietary wants..just sayan:rolleyes:

 

 

I think you need to research gluten allergies. There is a book written by dr perlmutter who is a world known neurologist. It's called grain brain. I just finished it and it's an eye opener for sure. I was diagnosed three years ago with celiacs. It's much more common than you think.

 

 

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[time4u2go]

I would have done if it was just 1 or 2 people each time but it was many guests. I did not find anywhere to post it on my survey it was all tick box stuff. I was hoping they would read on here as I don't really want to complain to guest services.

Have you even emailed or called them? I would not count on them reading your complaint on here or doing anything about it.

 

Also, I'm a bit confused. Why wouldn't you want to complain to guest services?

Edited October 3, 2016 by time4u2go

[drumtech77]

This is also a huge concern with anyone with food allergies. Whenever your eating in a buffet area, the chances of cross contamination is exponentially increased.

 

Like anything else, you can never be 100% safe. Especially when the overwhelming majority of us do not have dietary concerns. And simply don't realize or are just ignorant to the world around us.

 

Just from a sanitary POV, I dislike the buffet setting. So, they can implement changes. But what can they really do when you look at it from a logistical aspect.

 

 

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[akcruz]

These gluten free folk are abusive .......For most people .. gluten free is a dietary choice not an allergy. Less than 1 percent of the population is celiac.

Burden someone else with your fake dietary wants..just sayan:rolleyes:

Not to pile on but this is a very ignorant response. Many more people than you realize are gluten intolerant with the smallest crumbs causing intense pain. Yes there are people using this as a dietary choice but far from the majority. My daughter is gluten intolerant and has had a bad reaction to a salad where the croutons were removed instead of the salad being made without as requested.

 

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[somerandomidiot]

I would love to know where you got this info from. As someone that is Celiac, I actually find this statement to be very offensive. You have NO idea why people may not eat gluten. I have several family members that are not Celiac but are gluten intolerant and get very ill from eating gluten, so please, before making assumptions that some just chooses to eat gluten free because they want to, maybe you should back it up with facts. Trust me, I certainly would NEVER choose to eat this way if I did not have to.

 

And while I realize you did mention that some people are Celiac, I still feel you were being offensive toward people that are gluten intolerant, which is a legitimate concern, just like having Celiac. It is not a fake dietary want!!

 

Lol, the numbers aren't difficult to find via google. Except for the 1% or so with an actual medical condition and must avoid gluten and the 4-5 % who have wheat allergies , it is a food fad.

[SRQfireman]

These gluten free folk are abusive .......For most people .. gluten free is a dietary choice not an allergy. Less than 1 percent of the population is celiac.

Burden someone else with your fake dietary wants..just sayan:rolleyes:

 

From my wife:

I have Celiac disease and while I can see your point of it being a choice for most, it is not a choice for me! I ran into the same issue, the cruise line says they have gluten free options, then they do what they do in the buffet place. I was basically told too bad, and had to hunt the dining room Head waiter down every day and special order my food in the buffet area. If they aren't going to adhere to gluten free rules, then don't mark an area gluten free and allow people to taint the food, to where myself or anyone else gets violently ill, which has happened to me on more then one occasion.

[mollyeilis]

Lol, the numbers aren't difficult to find via google. Except for the 1% or so with an actual medical condition and must avoid gluten and the 4-5 % who have wheat allergies , it is a food fad.

 

 

 

What numbers are you looking at? Where are you getting it from? Come on, cite your sources.

 

Do you understand that fads are generally things that are simple and fun? And that going GF is not simple and it is it necessarily fun? You noticed that the OP here has to distrust her fellow passengers for fear that they are putting wheat bread in with the GF bread? How is that fun?

 

If people go GF "just because" and notice good things happening for their bodies, IMO, that means that there is something wrong with those people eating gluten. If it made no difference then it makes no difference for that person. And why oh why do you think they would continue?

 

AND isn't having GF be more mainstream a good thing? Makes it easier to find GF stuff.

 

 

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[drumtech77]

Lol, the numbers aren't difficult to find via google. Except for the 1% or so with an actual medical condition and must avoid gluten and the 4-5 % who have wheat allergies , it is a food fad.

 

 

Ah, we've found and expert in the field of gastrointestinal auto immune deficiency. Yes, it's a fad. He knows how to search on google.

 

 

 

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[Hux]

These gluten free folk are abusive .......For most people .. gluten free is a dietary choice not an allergy. Less than 1 percent of the population is celiac.

Burden someone else with your fake dietary wants..just sayan:rolleyes:

Well this is a very naive view. My wife is a coeliac and has very bad repercussions including excruciating pain as a consequence of consuming gluten. Are you suggesting that because she has been unlucky enough to have been cursed with this disease that we should not be able to enjoy a holiday such as a cruise. I think this post is poor form and a very selfish view.

[JamesEM]

Great idea, the only problem nothing is idiot proof when you are dealing with motivated idiots.

[somerandomidiot]

Ah, we've found and expert in the field of gastrointestinal auto immune deficiency. Yes, it's a fad. He knows how to search on google.

 

 

ok, i'll play:

 

https://consensus.nih.gov/2004/2004CeliacDisease118Program.pdf

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26043918

 

Mayo Clinic Going Gluten Free Book by Joseph A. Murray

 

http://journals.lww.com/jaapa/Abstract/2015/08000/Navigating_the_gluten_free_boom.16.aspx

 

these organizations that promote the awareness of celiac disease seems to agree with those numbers

 

http://www.beyondceliac.org/celiac-disease/facts-and-figures

http://www.beyondceliac.org/celiac-disease/non-celiac-gluten-sensitivity

https://celiac.org/about-cdf/our-role-impact/mission-statement/

 

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2015/06/11/think-youre-sensitive-to-gluten-think-again

 

 

please point me to some places that show different numbers.

Edited October 3, 2016 by somerandomidiot

[MommaBear55]

Thanks for info posted here regarding GF options. This is a recent change for me and I am adjusting. We are booked on the Oasis in November and I contacted RCCL about my options, They stated waiters will assist in dining room which I was aware of. I was asking about the possibility of rolls, bread, pizza ect. They never responded to that but suggested I not go to buffet. I thought this was odd as dining room not an option at lunch times on port days. What have others done? Also I checked new menus and some of the options listed as GF do not appear to be GF. Example was a seafood pasta. Do they really have GF pasta? TIA

Chris

 

At the buffet, ask to speak to a chef who can walk you around and guide your choices. They have GF rolls, bagels, bread, pasta. They take strict separation seriously. Cross contamination by passengers is real. Best vacation my DD has had since diagnosis. Even the restaurant at the resort where she works doesn't take it seriously. She has given up her free meals and brings all her own food after they glutened her the second time.