Buffet marked for allergens / glutens

[mtown27]

Have any of you recent MSC cruisers noticed whether the buffet items are marked for allergens or gluten?  I was talking to an MSC rep, and they said they had those markings on the ships that have gluten-free certification.

[Fostelo]

I was on seaview last july with my sister who is coeliac and she said nothing was marked🤔🤔

[SeaTheW0rld]

I saw I "special needs" section when I was filling out my online booking info.  You should address this question to them. 

[ready2cruzagain]

Was on the Divina in December, did not see anything marked gluten free in the buffet.  The MDR does have gluten free menus.

[JohnIreland]

Give all the cross contamination going on I can't see how they could.

[reedprincess]

Not marked at all in the buffet for allergens or gluten, etc. And descriptions are somewhat lacking also.  

Celebrity is the best we've seen for marking their buffet foods and including what's in them - great signage, etc Princess among the worst, and MSC wss somewhere in between.. We only got caught out a couple times with items that had ingredients we can't or don't eat, ie pork in the main... Usually essy to avoid, but sometimes included in soups or such and not always listed.  

The dining room menus are much better marked, no problems there.  

[Hlitner]

We have a very close friend who suffers from a very bad gluten intolerance.   She has learned, the hard way, to avoid nearly all buffets, since cross-contamination is a constant risk.  The reality is that there can be cross contamination in the food prep areas...but there are also serious issues with passengers causing problems by doing simple things such as mixing up serving utensils.   For our close friend, even a tiny bit of gluten will cause her several days of major discomfort.

 

Hank

[SeaTheW0rld]

11 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We have a very close friend who suffers from a very bad gluten intolerance.   She has learned, the hard way, to avoid nearly all buffets, since cross-contamination is a constant risk.  The reality is that there can be cross contamination in the food prep areas...but there are also serious issues with passengers causing problems by doing simple things such as mixing up serving utensils.   For our close friend, even a tiny bit of gluten will cause her several days of major discomfort.

 

Hank

 

Your friend is applying the principle of personal responsibility. Kudos to them. 

 

Gluten-free is largely a fad.  Only a tiny percentage have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. You can't expect the rest of the world to alter their behavior for "you".  Sometimes life isn't fair. My nephew is deathly allergic to poultry.  He learned this concept as a kid.

 

I mean no disrespect to those that have the condition.  

 

 

 

[mtown27]

Thank you all for your responses to this.  I'm learning to take the MSC phone reps with a heavy grain of salt.  😞

[SeaTheW0rld]

6 hours ago, mtown27 said:

Thank you all for your responses to this.  I'm learning to take the MSC phone reps with a heavy grain of salt.  😞

This was hard to find, but here's the link to the "special needs" form.  Then scroll down to the "Special diets" section.

 

https://www.msccruisesgetforms.com/SpecialRequirements.aspx