Food Allergies - DCL vs. Royal Caribbean?

[foodallergycruising]

Hello Everyone,

 

My wife and I are considering booking a cruise on either Royal Caribbean or Disney, and we wanted to know if anyone has had an experience that went "above and beyond" with regards to food allergies? Our son has severe food allergies to dairy, eggs, and peanuts; and based on a few reviews, both DCL and RC can accommodate his allergies in the main dining room and kids club. However, my question is...has anyone had an experience where they (or their child) were able to eat at some of the other restaurants on the ship? (on RC: Johnny Rockets, WindJammers, Cupcake Cupboard, etc and on DCL: Cabannas, Vanellope’s Sweets and Treats, etc). We would be especially interested in hearing about any experiences where the staff went "above and beyond" to accommodate a child's food allergy...especially in places that serve sweets (cupcakes, candy, etc). 

[jajsmom]

I'm allergic to strawberries, which I always tell my server the first night when they ask.  They are more than accommodating, and before they even hand me the menu, the let me know which foods I should not eat.  We have dined in Palo, and our server always inquires about allergies when we are seated.  I feel that they go above and beyond on Disney to be sure no one is getting anything they should not have.  Several cruises ago, we were seated with a woman who was on a vegan diet.  Each night, the serving team met with her with the next days menus to discuss what she could eat, and come up with a plan for alternatives for her to order.  I find the service team to be "above and beyond" accommodating.

[c-cruise]

We've found DCL is extremely accomodating of food alergies, but as has been explained to us onboard several times... they can't guarantee that what you are ordering has no allergens in it. They don't have a separate kitchens, they source products from 3rd parties and are relient on their labeling, etc. That said, we've never had any issues with a peanut/tree nut alergy onboard.

[1025cruise]

I have found that all cruise lines accommodate allergies pretty well. However, outside of the MDR (or a specialty restaurant) it will be a crap shoot. When eating in other areas, find a manager and notify them and they will do what they can. In the buffet, it can be as simple as getting you food from a fresh dish so as to avoid cross contamination, to walking the buffet with you and ID'ing safe items.

[AngelDisney]

My daughter has an almond allergy and was noted on our Disney Fantasy reservation in January. It was a recent development. She was ok with almond before. Each night the server would tell her which dessert to avoid. During Palo brunch, a server walked her through the buffet telling her what to avoid. At Remy brunch and dinner, the chef made her desserts off the menu with no almond. Her fruit-base desserts were much tastier than mine though I am a chocolate person. 

Edited August 23, 2019 by AngelDisney