Niche Cruising and Gluten Free

[Hockey19]

We traveled this week with a gluten free celiac diseased friend.  Eating on board is not a crazy challenge for him but  it does require work and conversation with staff not always 100% aware.  Knowing NCL scans CC, hoping someone sees the opportunity for menus to be more transparent about what is gluten free and what is not. A simple GF notation as almost all chain restaurants have easily adapted to is all that might be needed to make life easier for guest and staff. From NCL's standpoint, if they became a leader in this niche market,  it could be a great source or sales.  Interested in what others might have experienced in this matter. 

[GeezerCouple]

7 minutes ago, Hockey19 said:

We traveled this week with a gluten free celiac diseased friend.  Eating on board is not a crazy challenge for him but  it does require work and conversation with staff not always 100% aware.  Knowing NCL scans CC, hoping someone sees the opportunity for menus to be more transparent about what is gluten free and what is not. A simple GF notation as almost all chain restaurants have easily adapted to is all that might be needed to make life easier for guest and staff. From NCL's standpoint, if they became a leader in this niche market,  it could be a great source or sales.  Interested in what others might have experienced in this matter. 

 

All one needs to do for any "special diet" (celiac/gluten-free, low salt, peanut allergy, etc.) is arrange with the Special Needs (Access Desk), and you'll get a contact person to meet with as soon as you board.  They'll tell you each day what is "okay" for your diet the next day, OR you can request special preparations in advance.  IF they are able to make it, they've been wonderful about such requests.

 

We've found this the same elsewhere.  Nowadays, there are so many "food allergies" or special dietary requests (for health or other reasons), that they are used to most of them, and will work with passengers who need something 'else' special.

 

GC

[FLcruisergrl]

I can see your point. It would probably save the staff some work if they place an identifier on the menu. However, a dish simply being gluten free doesn’t guarantee that it’s actually prepared in a way that avoids (or mitigates as much as possible) cross contamination. I think that NCL’s policy of having passengers with dietary needs contact the access desk is very helpful so that staff is aware of their specific needs- are they simply following a gluten free diet, are they gluten sensitive, or do they have Celiac? My daughter is newly diagnosed with Celiac and I’m learning just how important GF is- literally one crumb will cause damage to her system.

[GeezerCouple]

Just now, FLcruisergrl said:

I can see your point. It would probably save the staff some work if they place an identifier on the menu. However, a dish simply being gluten free doesn’t guarantee that it’s actually prepared in a way that avoids (or mitigates as much as possible) cross contamination. I think that NCL’s policy of having passengers with dietary needs contact the access desk is very helpful so that staff is aware of their specific needs- are they simply following a gluten free diet, are they gluten sensitive, or do they have Celiac? My daughter is newly diagnosed with Celiac and I’m learning just how important GF is- literally one crumb will cause damage to her system.

 

DH was *just* diagnosed with celiac disease (not just gluten intolerant, but evidence of disease and damage), at a rather advanced age.  We have *no* idea how long he's had it, or if perhaps it "started" somewhat recently.

We've suddenly found ourselves needing to change so much about his diet, after learning about the consequences and what has already happened.  Ouch.

 

We had just gotten off a cruise when he had the final tests, so that was the last "fun diet" he'll ever have.

 

But thus far, we've found there are quite a few "ready made" gluten-free items, in stores and also in restaurants.  This would have been much more difficult (or dramatically more restrictive) not too many years ago.  At a restaurant recently, his "gluten free roll" was like a wonderful corn bread type roll.  We both would have enjoyed it without any "special dietary significance".

There are also a lot of foods that "might be" gluten free, but we have trouble finding out.  As mentioned above, it's *not* a "some is okay" kind of diet.  OTOH, it's not like a serious peanut allergy, where cross-contamination could cause anaphylatic shock (THANK GOODNESS).

 

But it's a difficult adjustment, suddenly.

 

GC

[Hockey19]

All I am suggesting is NCL take a leadership role in making their ingredients and menus more transparent.  There is no downside to this.  It can elevate them with zero cost and make those who have a health issue easily accommodated., 

[GeezerCouple]

8 minutes ago, Hockey19 said:

All I am suggesting is NCL take a leadership role in making their ingredients and menus more transparent.  There is no downside to this.  It can elevate them with zero cost and make those who have a health issue easily accommodated., 

 

I'm not sure if you understood what FLcruisergrl was saying.

 

It is much "safer" for NCL (or any food provider) to do their best to make SURE that there is no cross contamination *IF* that is necessary.  But it isn't always necessary.

 

So it is wise to have those who truly need special food preparation to work with food services, to get what they need.  I have a different food allergy, and one of the first things I am asked at any restaurant (or cruise ship arrival) is whether it includes a "cross-contamination" issue.  Mine does not, but for some people, it can be literally a matter of life and death.

 

Best to err on the side of safety.  

 

GC

[AL3XCruise]

1 hour ago, GeezerCouple said:

It is much "safer" for NCL (or any food provider) to do their best to make SURE that there is no cross contamination *IF* that is necessary.  But it isn't always necessary.

<snip>

Best to err on the side of safety.  

 

I agree.  I was the manager of an employee with celiacs, and when we had food for company events we were always careful to either work with someplace that specialized in meals for those with various sensitivities or something he explicitly said was suitable.  "GF" on a menu was not good enough to us as we did not know if that also include dedicated space when the food was prepared.  I'd surmise that NCL has such dedicated space available, but may not be practical to use it unless specifically needed.  Thus, they may have items on the menu that do not contain ingredients with gluten that are prepared alongside items that do unless coordinated.  Rather than make life harder on the chefs by making by preparing all potentially GF meals in a dedicated area, it makes sense to coordinate directly with the customer.  It also gives the most flexibility to meet specific needs and limits any possible miscommunication.

[FLcruisergrl]

9 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

DH was *just* diagnosed with celiac disease (not just gluten intolerant, but evidence of disease and damage), at a rather advanced age.  We have *no* idea how long he's had it, or if perhaps it "started" somewhat recently.

We've suddenly found ourselves needing to change so much about his diet, after learning about the consequences and what has already happened.  Ouch.

 

We had just gotten off a cruise when he had the final tests, so that was the last "fun diet" he'll ever have.

 

But thus far, we've found there are quite a few "ready made" gluten-free items, in stores and also in restaurants.  This would have been much more difficult (or dramatically more restrictive) not too many years ago.  At a restaurant recently, his "gluten free roll" was like a wonderful corn bread type roll.  We both would have enjoyed it without any "special dietary significance".

There are also a lot of foods that "might be" gluten free, but we have trouble finding out.  As mentioned above, it's *not* a "some is okay" kind of diet.  OTOH, it's not like a serious peanut allergy, where cross-contamination could cause anaphylatic shock (THANK GOODNESS).

 

But it's a difficult adjustment, suddenly.

 

GC

 

Yes, I keep telling my daughter how much worse it *could* be! But, such a dramatic change for a 14 yr old who is already an extremely picky eater is tough.  It’s good to hear NCL takes GF seriously and provides good options. We’ll be sailing next in June and I want her to see she can still enjoy food she likes.

[FLcruisergrl]

6 hours ago, AL3XCruise said:

I agree.  I was the manager of an employee with celiacs, and when we had food for company events we were always careful to either work with someplace that specialized in meals for those with various sensitivities or something he explicitly said was suitable.  "GF" on a menu was not good enough to us as we did not know if that also include dedicated space when the food was prepared.  I'd surmise that NCL has such dedicated space available, but may not be practical to use it unless specifically needed.  Thus, they may have items on the menu that do not contain ingredients with gluten that are prepared alongside items that do unless coordinated.  Rather than make life harder on the chefs by making by preparing all potentially GF meals in a dedicated area, it makes sense to coordinate directly with the customer.  It also gives the most flexibility to meet specific needs and limits any possible miscommunication.

 

This. 100%

[mjkacmom]

Dd15 has celiac and loves cruising on NCL. Your waiter can tell you what is gluten free, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Even on land, when she gets gf pizza, or buns, she knows that there is a big risk of cross contamination. On a cruise, she generally orders her food ahead of time, and therefore knows it’s prepared in a different kitchen, and she won’t get sick. The gf symbols on most land based restaurants don’t really mean they are 100% safe. She was diagnosed at age 7, so we are used to this.

[Port Power]

On 1/9/2019 at 10:16 AM, Hockey19 said:

All I am suggesting is NCL take a leadership role in making their ingredients and menus more transparent.  There is no downside to this.  It can elevate them with zero cost and make those who have a health issue easily accommodated., 

The MDR and specialty restaurant menus already have GF marked against relevant items. I am a coeliac, so still stress gluten free.  However the special diets waiter comes every night so I can pre-order for whichever restaurant.  Also I can order, for example, Croquettes, and they will be made using polenta instead of breadcrumbs.

 

The buffet is the problem.  One executive chef wouldn't even let me eat steamed vegetables unless they were cooked to order.  I never eat at NCL buffets.  Every choice has to be queried with a senior chef. Just too hard.

 

As for "leadership", Celebrity for years have had a policy that all soups, sauces and curries ARE gluten free (unless obvious such as minestrone), and other buffet items are clearly marked as GF.  There is even a large section of gluten free desserts.  So I can really enjoy the buffet on Celebrity ship's as well as pre-ordering for the dining rooms.

[Hockey19]

Responses to this topic help me understand the difficulty for those who need GF and NCL who needs to feed those.  As best I can see, those  who need very specific dietary help need to communicate clearly to NCL what is required.  From NCL's standpoint, they need to be as open, transparent and supportive as they can be while supporting a dining situation for 2500-5000 people.  If both cooperate and work together, it can work well.