Gluten free on the Gem

[beason641]

We're sailing on the Gem in May with another couple, one of whom has Celiacs. We were on Celebrity last year and their menus were lovely, with icons next to every dish, even in the buffets and cafes, indicating vegan, veg, dairy, gluten, and soy. It made her experience really great and relaxing. From what I'm reading on these boards, it doesn't seem as though NCL is the same. Do you have to coordinate everything in advance? She loved that she could decide what she wanted when she was hungry, and I'm a bit worried she'll have a stressful time this year.

 

 

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[ozscotart]

I was on the Jade eighteen months ago with no problems. They didn't have allergens marked on the menus, but I didn't coordinate in advance, you lose the benefit of freestyle cruising then. I found that, in contrast with another cruise line, they were always helpful. I am gluten and gliadin intolerant, and my lactose intolerance has gotten much worse in the meantime, and I would rather not have to select everything I want to eat 24 hours in advance, so I stuck to fairly simple meals, but I enjoyed it immensely. We are going again on the Jade later in the year, with specialty dining but I will stick to the more obvious foods then too, steak and fish and so on. No problem at breakfast anywhere.

[cage keeper]

I was on the Jade eighteen months ago with no problems. They didn't have allergens marked on the menus, but I didn't coordinate in advance, you lose the benefit of freestyle cruising then. I found that, in contrast with another cruise line, they were always helpful. I am gluten and gliadin intolerant, and my lactose intolerance has gotten much worse in the meantime, and I would rather not have to select everything I want to eat 24 hours in advance, so I stuck to fairly simple meals, but I enjoyed it immensely. We are going again on the Jade later in the year, with specialty dining but I will stick to the more obvious foods then too, steak and fish and so on. No problem at breakfast anywhere.

 

Did you find gluten free breads and rolls at most places? I love my hot dogs and hamburgers and are just recently getting used to this darn gluten free diet. It's really tough.

[ozscotart]

I only had gf toast at breakfast, you have to ask for it, but not a problem. I don't know whether the hamburgers and hot dogs are gf, and didn't ask about it.

 

 

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[Quilting_Cruiser]

I was GF on my first NCL cruise and was very impressed with how well they handled it. I contacted the Access Desk before my cruise (I suggest you do, too!) and when I got to my cabin there was a note advising me to visit Guest Services and ask for the Assistant Maitre d. He talked with me about my options and I never had to arrange anything before hand. I had UDP (that was when you could eat in a specialty restaurant every evening of the cruise) and every waiter was very knowledgeable about what I could or couldn't eat. It was such a relief to not get sick the entire cruise. :D It wasn't stressful at all! They had GF bread for me at every restaurant.

 

Enjoy!

[easyboy]

We're sailing on the Gem in May with another couple, one of whom has Celiacs. We were on Celebrity last year and their menus were lovely, with icons next to every dish, even in the buffets and cafes, indicating vegan, veg, dairy, gluten, and soy. It made her experience really great and relaxing. From what I'm reading on these boards, it doesn't seem as though NCL is the same. Do you have to coordinate everything in advance? She loved that she could decide what she wanted when she was hungry, and I'm a bit worried she'll have a stressful time this year.

You can call NCL's Access Desk, or you can see the Maire D' or Headwaiter on embarkation day to discuss your dietary needs.

[spacewoman]

Mom is gluten free. First time cruising with this new found issue it was suggested to notify NCL in advance. Note in the cabin that assistant maitre D so and so would be her contact for food questions, etc. it is in her records and she does not need to make any contacts in advance nor on board.

 

While she could choose next night meals in advance, the helpful part was being told what could or could not be made gluten free. That way if our plans were up in the air, she could order and the rest of us had no issue waiting in our meals to time the delivery of her special order. We have two free specialty meals with platinum this upcoming cruise and 3 meals coming with the SDP I do not see any issues for her at all as long as she goes over the menus with her contact person

[lenquixote66]

I am supposed to be Gluten Free and I am so at home but not on cruises .However,on a recent NCL cruise I started getting stomach cramps and changed to a Gluten Free diet .

This was on the Breakaway 2 months ago,a 14 night cruise . On day 8 they ran out of Gluten Free bread .

I had to order every night in advance with a Maitre'D ,which was fine but I was limited in what I could order.

[Shayhooper]

I recently traveled with someone who has Celiacs and was frankly I was very disappointed in how it was handled in the main dining rooms. We contact NCL ahead of time, met with the Maitre'D once on board and we were assured that the servers would be knowledgeable about what items were either gluten free or could be made gluten free. We were also told that she would need to order ahead of time to be certain that her choice would be available, which in my opinion takes away the freestyle option but we are accustomed her food allergy making dining challenging at times.

What was truly unacceptable is that servers were woefully uneducated about what items contained gluten and what didn't. On our first night in the main dining room our server could only come up with one item on the menu that she could eat. One! Other nights she was suggested items that have gluten but luckily she is knowledgeable enough about food to steer clear. She also rarely got gluten free bread.

She had much better luck in the specialty dining locations and raved about her meal at LeBistro.

 

To me, it seems that NCL could do this so much better but identifying on the menu which items are gluten free and which can be made gluten free so passengers can truly do a freestyle cruise without straining the waitstaff.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Shayhooper, I'm sorry to hear about your friend's experience. Mine was the exact opposite, but I had the UDP so ate in specialty restaurants every evening. I never had to order ahead of time and the wait staff in every restaurant was very well versed in what was and wasn't GF. I usually have to explain why soy sauce has gluten in it, but at Teppayaki they were aware -- I've noticed soy sauce is one of those items that catches gluten-eating folks by surprise. I wonder if they had bread in the specialties--i was given a small basket of GF bread before my meal and it was actually some of the best GF bread I've ever had.