Worried about food allergies.

[alwaysfrantic]

They will accommodate your needs. Your waiter will give you the menu the night before. Tell them what you want and they will check the ingredients. There is a steak every night. They will have nut free desserts, even if something isn’t on the menu. Ice cream is always available.

 

Lido is tough if any allergand are “hidden” things.

[ithaca gal]

No food allergies in my family but my son is vegan which can present challenges when traveling. In addition to filling out the form I would suggest speaking to the Maitre' D upon embarkation. We are always provided with menus a day in advance and my son is able to order the night before. I have found it also helps to have fixed seating as your waiter will be familiar with your restrictions.

 

My friend's daughter is vegan and I know the challenges they face when traveling. How difficult is it on a cruise?

[sevenseasnomad]

We were on NA three months ago for Caribbean cruise. I did not eat shellfish, pork in MDR by choice, and don't recall eating anything with nuts. No food allergies here. I don't recall desserts with nuts...there was a good range of choices. Menu might have been different from summer routes.

 

We are not required to eat in MDR. You might feel better about eating at Lido Market cafeteria, where you can see the foods. Some nights we wish we had, as the MDR did not impress us.

 

OP, I empathize. I am allergic to mushrooms or to to anything which touches a mushroom or has MSG in it. HAL has taken very good care of me in the past because I've followed their protocol. Please complete a medical form at least 4 weeks prior to leaving on cruise. If you call ship's services @ 1-800-541-1576, they can email the form.

I always check in with the maître d' when I first board to confirm that the ship received notice of my allergies. He has always advised me to steer clear of the Lido where I cannot be assured that my special diet will be adhered to, since there is sometimes a language barrier.

In the MDR, you will be given the next night's menu to complete. At the top, please note your name, cabin number, type of allergies, and table #. (Even when dining on the open reservation, I am given an assigned table, however, I agree to eat at the less busy times, which has been okay with us.)

If I ingested a mushroom, had cross contamination or ate any food laden with MSG, I wouldn't have to be air-lifted, but would have serious gastro issues. If anyone in your party is so allergic that they cannot be in the vicinity of those foods like nuts, I would suggest another type of vacation where you would be closer to medical help. Did I understand you correctly that this is the situation? If not, ignore my suggestion.

I hope this information helps.

[Grenouille21]

My friend's daughter is vegan and I know the challenges they face when traveling. How difficult is it on a cruise?

 

I can't speak on behalf of HAL, but we sailed on Disney back when I was vegan and gluten-free and they were amazing. I ate like a queen and gained weight from having so much food! Just like with an allergy, you'll want to make note of the dietary needs on your reservation, and speak with the head server when you board. Talk to someone at every dining venue until they "know" you and you have a go to person. The first person we spoke to on DCL happened to be our head server, by coincidence, and my friend and I managed to shmooze him a bit and he had his friend the allergy chef make special off-menu meals for me any time we saw him. He even made my friend (who is not vegan and not allergic to anything) special meals because we were so nice to him. Similar to what is said here about allergies, I ordered all of my meals the night before and had special food waiting for my on Disney's private island. It was amazing. Happy to chat more about my experience with Disney, if that is a line you are considering.

 

OP, I empathize. I am allergic to mushrooms or to to anything which touches a mushroom or has MSG in it. HAL has taken very good care of me in the past because I've followed their protocol. Please complete a medical form at least 4 weeks prior to leaving on cruise. If you call ship's services @ 1-800-541-1576, they can email the form.

I always check in with the maître d' when I first board to confirm that the ship received notice of my allergies. He has always advised me to steer clear of the Lido where I cannot be assured that my special diet will be adhered to, since there is sometimes a language barrier.

In the MDR, you will be given the next night's menu to complete. At the top, please note your name, cabin number, type of allergies, and table #. (Even when dining on the open reservation, I am given an assigned table, however, I agree to eat at the less busy times, which has been okay with us.)

If I ingested a mushroom, had cross contamination or ate any food laden with MSG, I wouldn't have to be air-lifted, but would have serious gastro issues. If anyone in your party is so allergic that they cannot be in the vicinity of those foods like nuts, I would suggest another type of vacation where you would be closer to medical help. Did I understand you correctly that this is the situation? If not, ignore my suggestion.

I hope this information helps.

 

Thanks. This sounds similar to how DCL handled it, which is what I expected. I just didn't know if my expectations were sound or not. Thanks!

 

Hopefully we wouldn't need to be airlifted, but that depends on the quality of the medical staff on board and how well-versed they are in treating allergic reactions. As I said, we have been to numerous restaurants and resorts and... knock on wood... all has been well. We'll be well prepared on our end, so hopefully all will be well.

[TiogaCruiser]

Unless something has drastically changed HAL has very stringent standards for their medical officers. They contract with Board Certified ER docs and Specialized Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs). There was an article some years back in Nurse Week.

 

Of course that’s Plan B. It sounds like you have a solid Plan A in the avoidance of allergens.

[OlsSalt]

I can't speak on behalf of HAL, but we sailed on Disney back when I was vegan and gluten-free and they were amazing. I ate like a queen and gained weight from having so much food! Just like with an allergy, you'll want to make note of the dietary needs on your reservation, and speak with the head server when you board. Talk to someone at every dining venue until they "know" you and you have a go to person. The first person we spoke to on DCL happened to be our head server, by coincidence, and my friend and I managed to shmooze him a bit and he had his friend the allergy chef make special off-menu meals for me any time we saw him. He even made my friend (who is not vegan and not allergic to anything) special meals because we were so nice to him. Similar to what is said here about allergies, I ordered all of my meals the night before and had special food waiting for my on Disney's private island. It was amazing. Happy to chat more about my experience with Disney, if that is a line you are considering.

 

Thanks. This sounds similar to how DCL handled it, which is what I expected. I just didn't know if my expectations were sound or not. Thanks!

 

Hopefully we wouldn't need to be airlifted, but that depends on the quality of the medical staff on board and how well-versed they are in treating allergic reactions. As I said, we have been to numerous restaurants and resorts and... knock on wood... all has been well. We'll be well prepared on our end, so hopefully all will be well.

 

An Epi-Pen does not work as your first line of defense? https://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20100326/kids-with-food-allergies-may-need-two-epipens

[Grenouille21]

An Epi-Pen does not work as your first line of defense? https://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20100326/kids-with-food-allergies-may-need-two-epipens

 

A "first line of defense" is avoidance of allergens, not an Epi-Pen. I know how to handle allergic reactions, unfortunately. My post was asking for assistance in avoiding the reaction in the first place. I'm not asking for help with managing allergic reactions.

 

Thanks to all who have answered my questions. I spoke with Ship Services today and in case anyone else is wondering, they were glad I had noted the allergy on the reservation and in the special needs form. They gave me the number of where to call if I have any further questions and were able to answer my questions regarding food allergies. Thank you to those who pointed out the form and phone number as that was helpful!

[OlsSalt]

A "first line of defense" is avoidance of allergens, not an Epi-Pen. I know how to handle allergic reactions, unfortunately. My post was asking for assistance in avoiding the reaction in the first place. I'm not asking for help with managing allergic reactions.

 

Thanks to all who have answered my questions. I spoke with Ship Services today and in case anyone else is wondering, they were glad I had noted the allergy on the reservation and in the special needs form. They gave me the number of where to call if I have any further questions and were able to answer my questions regarding food allergies. Thank you to those who pointed out the form and phone number as that was helpful!

 

You started out in your original claiming you would need a three person evacuation from the ship if there were any mishaps. You also made multiple claims about HAL menus that did not sound in fact. Since medical evacuations are problematic to those on board as well as harrowing for those affected, this was a curious way to start out the discussion. One would hope you had both issues under control - prevention, as well as first line defense before the ship has to arrange for your threatened three person medical evacuation. Glad this is working out for you. Happy travels.

[woodworker&knitter]

A "first line of defense" is avoidance of allergens, not an Epi-Pen. I know how to handle allergic reactions, unfortunately. My post was asking for assistance in avoiding the reaction in the first place. I'm not asking for help with managing allergic reactions.

 

Thanks to all who have answered my questions. I spoke with Ship Services today and in case anyone else is wondering, they were glad I had noted the allergy on the reservation and in the special needs form. They gave me the number of where to call if I have any further questions and were able to answer my questions regarding food allergies. Thank you to those who pointed out the form and phone number as that was helpful!

I’m glad to hear everything is being looked after for you. Enjoy your cruise

[Grenouille21]

You started out in your original claiming you would need a three person evacuation from the ship if there were any mishaps. You also made multiple claims about HAL menus that did not sound in fact. Since medical evacuations are problematic to those on board as well as harrowing for those affected, this was a curious way to start out the discussion. One would hope you had both issues under control - prevention, as well as first line defense before the ship has to arrange for your threatened three person medical evacuation. Glad this is working out for you. Happy travels.

 

Thanks for your extensive interest in my posts and my family. Your interest and attention is now crossing a bridge too far over the river of concern. I've made numerous comments thanking helpful individuals and thought perhaps others would take the hint to stop commenting but apparently they require personal requests. Please stop questioning and challenging me. It is very odd and inappropriate.

[OlsSalt]

Thanks for your extensive interest in my posts and my family. Your interest and attention is now crossing a bridge too far over the river of concern. I've made numerous comments thanking helpful individuals and thought perhaps others would take the hint to stop commenting but apparently they require personal requests. Please stop questioning and challenging me. It is very odd and inappropriate.

 

You are entering a closed system environment once you board a ship. We all depend on each other to do the right thing when on board.

[Grenouille21]

I’m glad to hear everything is being looked after for you. Enjoy your cruise

 

Thank you for your well wishes! I'm sure we will have a great time!