Gluten-Free Eating on P&O Britannia

[Ladyshopper23]

We've just got back from our 3 night staycation cruise, and I've written up a blog post about our experience eating gluten free on board. We did a prior staycation cruise on MSC in May, and there is a marked difference (in a good way!) as to how P&O caters for coeliacs.

Anyway, I hope the information is useful for anyone needing to eat GF for whatever reason.  Blog post can be found at:

https://glutenfreetravelwithme.com/po-britannia-staycation-cruise-22-07-21

[Eddie99]

Bravo!

That was an enjoyable read

I’m sure your blog is a valuable resource for fellow gluten-avoiders

 

I’m fortunate in eating pretty much everything but have often found myself on tables with people needing special diets.  I think the specialists coming round each evening with the next day’s menus work really hard to make sure everyone can enjoy their food aboard.

That’s all in “normal times” of course - everything is still a bit difficult now.  

[Dermotsgirl]

I have Meniere’s Disease, and one of the things that helps to keep the vertigo away is eating a low sodium diet.

 

My first ‘special diet’ cruise was on Arcadia in 2014, and it was an excellent experience. I choose what I wanted the night before , and they cooked it without the salt.

 

On subsequent cruises, it wasn’t so good. I’d order, for example, a fish in sauce, and what I got was completely different to what was on the menu. I’d get the fish plain, with a little ramekin of a tomato based sauce (that seemed to accompany every single special diet meal) and plain steamed potatoes, carrots and broccoli. I’d be eating plainer food than I did at home. I’d try and explain that I just wanted what was in the menu, cooked without salt, and it’d improve for a couple of nights, then the ubiquitous tomato based sauce and steamed veg would reappear. It was getting quite stressful to be honest.I gave feedback both on the ship and when I got home, but I don’t think they ever really understood that a low salt diet doesn’t have to be bland.

 

After a few years of not having any more vertigo, I made the decision to stop having a special diet, and just chose from the main menu, picking the things that I thought were lowest in salt.

 

Most people praise P&O regarding special diets, but, apart from the first time when they were spot on, they weren’t good on low salt.

 

 

[kalos]

8 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I have Meniere’s Disease, and one of the things that helps to keep the vertigo away is eating a low sodium diet

A few years ago I was told I was type 2 ,so I started avoiding sugar and  some fats in food.

Then not so long back coronary heart disease which now means no salt, so I can share your

frustration of what you were served in the MDR . You would have thought that any chef

(that was worth his salt ) could cook a meal without adding salt to your meal 

I hope if and when I board a ship again I am not served like you were because if needs be I

will be in the buffet making my own meals up. Glad to read you seem to have got that horrible 

vertigo under control. 

[Dermotsgirl]

2 minutes ago, kalos said:

Glad to read you seem to have got that horrible 

vertigo under control. 

Thanks Kalos, I’ve been very lucky with the vertigo - I haven’t had any ‘turns’since 2017. Its very unpredictable and could come back at any time, but diet and avoiding stress seems to help for me