Gluten free requirement

[littlerusty]

Hello, Celebrity friends,

DH and I will be sailing on the Equinox in July. We'll be in AquaClass dining in Blu. Since my last X sailing in 2012 I've been diagnosed with celiac (gluten allergy). Has anyone had any experience with X accommodating a gluten-free diet, particularly in Blu and the Oceanview Cafe (buffet)? Also, if I were to order cheese and crackers in the afternoon, would I need to bring my own GF crackers and other snacks?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Ted

 

 

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[ngaspar]

My guess is you're going to get several different responses to your question. Some will express frustration with Celebrity's ability to accommodate, and some will say it will be a piece of cake and you'll have no problems.

 

My experiences for the last ten years are mixed. In Oceanview, things tend to be marked as to whether or not they are GF. However in my experience things that are marked GF are not always GF. In the dining rooms you may have an easier time getting the correct info, but you should still proceed with caution and ask questions. Even in the MDR (should you ever order from there) where the items are marked GF, ask questions. I was once told I could eat the barley soup because there was no flour in it.

 

As a celiac I'm sure you know what goes and what's out. You'll do ok, so long as you ask questions. You'll soon figure out who can help you and who cannot.

 

Oh and snacks...probably bring your own. They do offer some GF bread but you can guess how good it is. No crackers or anything similar. All I remember seeing as of late are some macaroon type cookies.

[cb at sea]

You need to contact the "special needs" dept....inform them of your condition and they will make sure you have what you need. Do it in advance. If you are unsure about something, ask to speak to the person in charge.

[Squadra03]

Hello, Celebrity friends,

DH and I will be sailing on the Equinox in July. We'll be in AquaClass dining in Blu. Since my last X sailing in 2012 I've been diagnosed with celiac (gluten allergy). Has anyone had any experience with X accommodating a gluten-free diet, particularly in Blu and the Oceanview Cafe (buffet)? Also, if I were to order cheese and crackers in the afternoon, would I need to bring my own GF crackers and other snacks?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Ted

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

Hello,

 

I must eat gluten free too, my opinion is that X does a great job in supporting you at breakfast and dinner in Blu (we always book aqua class). I don't have any experience in the MDR.

 

Oceanview, I went my own way and looked what i thought was safe, sometimes asking questions but on my 3 gluten free cruises I had, I experienced never any problems.

 

In Blu, go speak with the headwaiter the first time you enter the restaurant. From than on they showed me the menu for the after and let me already pick my meal and they made it gluten and lactose free for me.

[easyboy]

Hello, Celebrity friends,

DH and I will be sailing on the Equinox in July. We'll be in AquaClass dining in Blu. Since my last X sailing in 2012 I've been diagnosed with celiac (gluten allergy). Has anyone had any experience with X accommodating a gluten-free diet, particularly in Blu and the Oceanview Cafe (buffet)? Also, if I were to order cheese and crackers in the afternoon, would I need to bring my own GF crackers and other snacks?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Ted

 

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard-celebrity/onboard-special-dietary-needs

[edmonton2]

In Oceanview, things tend to be marked as to whether or not they are GF. However in my experience things that are marked GF are not always GF. In the dining rooms you may have an easier time getting the correct info, but you should still proceed with caution and ask questions. Even in the MDR (should you ever order from there) where the items are marked GF, ask questions. I was once told I could eat the barley soup because there was no flour in it. As a celiac I'm sure you know what goes and what's out. You'll do ok, so long as you ask questions. You'll soon figure out who can help you and who cannot.

 

Oh and snacks...probably bring your own. They do offer some GF bread but you can guess how good it is. No crackers or anything similar. All I remember seeing as of late are some macaroon type cookies.

 

I am celiac and always eaten in either the Oceanview cafe or the MDR. I have had great experiences, but I completely agree with the comments above. Especially when it comes to asking questions - don't be shy about this! I found the staff very helpful, but make sure you ask the right questions and the right people. Once they even made me gluten free fish and chips in the buffet!

 

 

Also...at dinner, I always asked for my gluten free bread to be toasted. I agree, its not great, but it does taste better this way (and don't let them bring you raisin bread at dinner, unless of course its something you like:)).

[bakcd]

I have just returned from a 10 day sailing on the Equinox. I have followed the gluten free diet since 2001 and do not knowingly cheat. We enjoy our breakfast and lunch at the buffet and dinner most evenings in the dining room. This was our 15th cruise with Celebrity, all since I have followed the gluten free diet.

 

Celebrity made an announcement that they were partnering with a gluten free group and little other information was given. I had hopes of big changes.

 

There is now a gluten free dessert station in the buffet at lunch and dinner, separate from regular desserts. There were usually a couple of cake selections, jello and a dairy based dessert of some kind. I especially enjoyed the cheesecake. Most cakes were served as 2 inch squares, a size I really liked. These desserts did not appear on the dining room menu but were evidently available if you made a special request. Warning:

On the first day I looked at the gluten filled desserts to see the differences. The regular cheesecake was on a graham cracker type crust while gf was on a white sponge. On the first or second day, a plate of cheesecake with graham cracker type crust appeared in the gluten free section next to another plate with the white sponge crusts. When I brought this to the attention of the maître'd, he went out of his way to assure me it was gluten free, why can't they admit something is incorrect? It was not removed.

 

Most dishes in the buffet are marked with labels that indicate which dishes are gluten free. Warning: Tabbouleh, orzo and cous cous were all labeled as gluten free. It is important that you know what items to question and not rely 100% on labels.

 

Gluten free breads, there is a station set up for breads at a separate station with it's own toaster. They had Canyon Bakehouse white, rye style and raisin. It was a nice safe location.

 

For breakfast I would usually have a fresh made omelet with fresh eggs or a poached egg. In place of bread, I had a few fried potatoes and English Bacon. Lunch was sometimes challenging with few choices, other times there were several choices. I like a simple lunch, not a dinner type meal. I made a sandwich, a salad or a burger, no buns were available. I never tried the pasta.

 

I did have the pizza one day, hoping for improvements. What a mistake! The crust was simply a blend of white rice flour and polenta, no binders and little liquid. One bite and I was done, I picked hard polenta out of my teeth for hours. It was absolutely the worst pizza I ever tasted in 15 years of living gluten free. Another passenger called it "disgusting, absolutely disgusting".

 

I have had previous experiences with the waffles and breakfast pastries in the past, from talking to servers things have not changed, pure rice flour. I did not try either after my experience with the pizza.

 

Dinner: The first night I ordered the jerk chicken and was served 1/2 chicken that was absolutely delicious. The best I have had on any cruise. From there, meals were mediocre at best. Some evenings had 2 choices some only 1 in addition to the anytime menu. We ate in the dining room 4 evenings. We were traveling with others who wished to dine at the buffet 3 evenings, choices were slim but I did find something. We had one dinner in Tuscan that was good, not great. I did have the lobster pasta but the pasta could have been cooked more. The most enjoyable meals were in Silk Harvest. We dined there twice and had the best meals of the cruise. They went out of their way to adapt.

 

al Bacio now has gluten free macaroons. They are ok, but overly sweet. I would really prefer a cookie but I was okay with a small dessert at lunch. I really did not need more.

 

Gluten free beer. For those who enjoy Daura Damm beer, the only gf selection, I am not commenting on whether it is gf or not, it is available in the Gastro Bar on deck 4 that is open from 4pm-midnight. Where it used to be a part of the classic package, it is now only included in the premium package and available for very limited hours. You cannot come back to the ship after a hot day in port and enjoy a beer.

 

We enjoyed our cruise but I wanted to share my gluten free experiences. The food could have been much better but the quality is much decreased over the years as a result of the many cutbacks. Gluten free is doable, but you should know basic recipes and not have to depend on another to determine the safety of a food item. Being sick is never fun but it can be avoided if you take a proactive approach. Hopefully, Celebrity will soon see fit to take advantage of a couple of good gluten free mixes or prepared flours for their waffles and breakfast pastries. Add a ready made pizza crust and a hamburger bun would be great.

[NorbertsNiece]

Spent 4 weeks on Solstice last year GF.

Had an amazing experience, especially in the buffet.

Full account with pics in the blog in my sig below,

Informing your servers, head waiters and chefs in the various venues is key.

Bring your own crackers!

[CEOofVacation]

MDR has no issue accomodating GF diet. Their creme brulee is the only GF desert, which works well for me because it is delicious.

 

I like their Canyonbake GF bread and I eat that at home too.

 

No GF crackers, so bring your own.