Gluten-Free Experience on Sky Princess

[Ladyshopper23]

Last month we did a 3 night cruise on Sky Princess, and we're actually due to do a 14 night cruise on here later this month.

 

My husband and I both have to eat gluten free, and when we started doing staycation cruises earlier this year I decided to start a blog to help other cruisers out who might need to eat GF for whatever reason.

 

So, if anyone is interested, please feel free to have a look at my blog post. Will hopefully help give some idea of what to expect when on board.

 

https://glutenfreetravelwithme.com/sky-princess-staycation-cruise-10-09-21

[NSWP]

Thanks for link to your blog. I am a medically diagnosed coeliac and it can be a real drama trying to get GF food on board. Done many Princess cruises and and like you found no GF signs on display in buffet and on menus. Cunard does a better job there. But overall I found Princess staff helpful and picked my meals the previous night, no problems, they do their best.  The Head Waiters in the MDR are good with GF and other allergies.  I found at the burger grills if you asked for GF bread for your burger etc, they would get some for you from the galley.  When we were on QM2 in 2017, their grill had gf hot dog rolls and burger buns, excellent !

 

All the best.

[Ladyshopper23]

8 hours ago, NSWP said:

Thanks for link to your blog. I am a medically diagnosed coeliac and it can be a real drama trying to get GF food on board. Done many Princess cruises and and like you found no GF signs on display in buffet and on menus. Cunard does a better job there. But overall I found Princess staff helpful and picked my meals the previous night, no problems, they do their best.  The Head Waiters in the MDR are good with GF and other allergies.  I found at the burger grills if you asked for GF bread for your burger etc, they would get some for you from the galley.  When we were on QM2 in 2017, their grill had gf hot dog rolls and burger buns, excellent !

 

All the best.

Overall we found it to be a good experience, but definitely a fair bit of room for improvement, especially round labelling.

 

We got on a Disney cruise straight after our Princess one (literally the next day!) and they were incredible. If I could afford to, I would cruise Disney all the time just because they were so amazing with gluten-free dining/eating. However, their prices have gone silly (they used to be very reasonable, but in the past few years prices have really gone through the roof).

 

My Disney post will be up in the next week just in case you're interested at all. 

[disneyochem]

Thank you for posting your experiences eating gluten free on Princess.  I also have celiac disease and must be careful eating on board.

 

I do want to comment on something you said about the drink mixes.  I have found through my years of eating out with this disease that I do not rely on the listed ingredients on a package to determine whether something is gf or not.  If a package is not certified as gf, then I don’t consume it even if it does not appear to have gluten in the ingredients.  I have called companies about their products and found that food that looks to be gf has been prepared in a facility that has wheat/wheat products.  

 

Celiac, as you know, is an autoimmune disease.  It does not matter the level of exposure to gluten—your body has a response even if you do not ‘experience’ it.  YMMV, but unless I’m certain a food item is gf (and has been prepared gf), I don’t consume it.  
 

Both Princess and Disney cruise lines have been great to work with.  I’ve been allowed to visit the kitchen prep area where my food is prepared so I know there is no cross contamination in the main dining rooms. I don’t eat in the buffet any more because of the inconsistency in the training of staff in gf issues.  Hubby eats while I only have fresh fruit and packaged yogurt/cereal.  I don’t eat the gf pizza at Alfredo’s anymore after I observed staff using the same pizza peel used on gluten pizzas!  Doesn’t really matter after that if the pizza is cooked in a gf-free dedicated oven.  
 

The last place I want to deal with being ‘glutenized’ is on vacation.  So my advice is to stay vigilant on a cruise to ensure that what you are eating is truly gluten free.  

 

 

[pms4104]

11 minutes ago, disneyochem said:

Thank you for posting your experiences eating gluten free on Princess.  I also have celiac disease and must be careful eating on board.

 

I do want to comment on something you said about the drink mixes.  I have found through my years of eating out with this disease that I do not rely on the listed ingredients on a package to determine whether something is gf or not.  If a package is not certified as gf, then I don’t consume it even if it does not appear to have gluten in the ingredients.  I have called companies about their products and found that food that looks to be gf has been prepared in a facility that has wheat/wheat products.  

 

Celiac, as you know, is an autoimmune disease.  It does not matter the level of exposure to gluten—your body has a response even if you do not ‘experience’ it.  YMMV, but unless I’m certain a food item is gf (and has been prepared gf), I don’t consume it.  
 

Both Princess and Disney cruise lines have been great to work with.  I’ve been allowed to visit the kitchen prep area where my food is prepared so I know there is no cross contamination in the main dining rooms. I don’t eat in the buffet any more because of the inconsistency in the training of staff in gf issues.  Hubby eats while I only have fresh fruit and packaged yogurt/cereal.  I don’t eat the gf pizza at Alfredo’s anymore after I observed staff using the same pizza peel used on gluten pizzas!  Doesn’t really matter after that if the pizza is cooked in a gf-free dedicated oven.  
 

The last place I want to deal with being ‘glutenized’ is on vacation.  So my advice is to stay vigilant on a cruise to ensure that what you are eating is truly gluten free.  

 

 

Thank you for your insights.

 

I neither eat GF nor do I have a medical reason to do so ... but I find your comments most enlightening for those who must monitor their intake.

[Ladyshopper23]

2 hours ago, disneyochem said:

Thank you for posting your experiences eating gluten free on Princess.  I also have celiac disease and must be careful eating on board.

 

I do want to comment on something you said about the drink mixes.  I have found through my years of eating out with this disease that I do not rely on the listed ingredients on a package to determine whether something is gf or not.  If a package is not certified as gf, then I don’t consume it even if it does not appear to have gluten in the ingredients.  I have called companies about their products and found that food that looks to be gf has been prepared in a facility that has wheat/wheat products.  

 

Celiac, as you know, is an autoimmune disease.  It does not matter the level of exposure to gluten—your body has a response even if you do not ‘experience’ it.  YMMV, but unless I’m certain a food item is gf (and has been prepared gf), I don’t consume it.  
 

Both Princess and Disney cruise lines have been great to work with.  I’ve been allowed to visit the kitchen prep area where my food is prepared so I know there is no cross contamination in the main dining rooms. I don’t eat in the buffet any more because of the inconsistency in the training of staff in gf issues.  Hubby eats while I only have fresh fruit and packaged yogurt/cereal.  I don’t eat the gf pizza at Alfredo’s anymore after I observed staff using the same pizza peel used on gluten pizzas!  Doesn’t really matter after that if the pizza is cooked in a gf-free dedicated oven.  
 

The last place I want to deal with being ‘glutenized’ is on vacation.  So my advice is to stay vigilant on a cruise to ensure that what you are eating is truly gluten free.  

 

 

Just out of interest, are you from the UK or the US (or somewhere else)? I obviously don't want to teach you to suck eggs if you're here in the UK, but most coeliacs here will eat any packaged food that does not have any of the allergens in bold, and also does not have a 'may contain' warning. It is generally accepted that this is safe practice. It's obviously nice to have food that is certified as gluten free, however, not all companies wish to pay to do that, as I understand it is quite time consuming and expensive. Sometimes things don't have a may contain warning, but may have a warning about being produced in the same environment or factory, so that is then a choice people have to make.

 

I think that labelling might be different in the US, particularly in relation to 'may contain', so it's definitely something to bear in mind when looking at packaging and ingredients listings etc. I know that over the summer, all the cruise lines doing staycation cruises here in the UK have been sourcing the majority of their food here. I had quite an in depth chat about it on Disney, as they weren't able to get their usual gluten-free products, and had to use UK based suppliers instead.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience at Alfredo's. It is so difficult as a coeliac when you feel as if you have to watch every move to see if they're doing things properly. I think we can all relate to that. We did keep an eye on what they were doing, and our experience was good, but it's so easy for them to lose concentration then contaminate the food.

 

As to the buffet, it's definitely a tricky one. Far easier for people who have an intolerance rather than coeliac and can manage if there is some slight cross contamination. It's very much a risk assessment for us at the moment as to whether we can trust to eat in there or not. Having everything served by staff in the buffet rather than the usual free for all is a plus, but you still have to be careful. When it comes to the buffet, we literally make a decision there and then after close watching to decide whether we feel safe or not. The very good advice in your post to stay vigilant is an absolute must for anyone.

I'm jealous you got to go in the kitchens, would love to do that! Must have been very reassuring for you to see how it's all prepared. 

 

 

[disneyochem]

I’m located in the US.  We have labeling that requires manufacturers to include possible allergens (i.e., “May contain soy, milk” “Warning: The product was manufactured in a facility that processes nuts.”) as well as the ability to pay extra for the certification of gluten free or organic.  As a personal choice,  I do not eat packaged food unless I know with a certainty that it is gluten free. When traveling (domestically and internationally), I even bring certified gf products so I know I can eat gf (oatmeal, snacks, etc).

 

And respectfully, out of ignorance, I am not familiar with the term ‘teach you to suck eggs’ and would appreciate some context.
 

 

[NSWP]

Beware of the scrambled eggs and omelettes on Princess. They often use liquid egg from a big carton to make these. One time at the omelette station in Horizon Court Buffet I asked if there was a thickener in the liquid egg mix. They showed me the carton it had wheat thickener. I suppose it depends on the brand of liquid egg. But if you are a super sensitive coeliac, it would pay to ask.

Edited October 3, 2021 by NSWP

[Ladyshopper23]

10 hours ago, NSWP said:

Beware of the scrambled eggs and omelettes on Princess. They often use liquid egg from a big carton to make these. One time at the omelette station in Horizon Court Buffet I asked if there was a thickener in the liquid egg mix. They showed me the carton it had wheat thickener. I suppose it depends on the brand of liquid egg. But if you are a super sensitive coeliac, it would pay to ask.

Thank you, I will definitely check this out on our next cruise.

[Ladyshopper23]

17 hours ago, disneyochem said:

I’m located in the US.  We have labeling that requires manufacturers to include possible allergens (i.e., “May contain soy, milk” “Warning: The product was manufactured in a facility that processes nuts.”) as well as the ability to pay extra for the certification of gluten free or organic.  As a personal choice,  I do not eat packaged food unless I know with a certainty that it is gluten free. When traveling (domestically and internationally), I even bring certified gf products so I know I can eat gf (oatmeal, snacks, etc).

 

And respectfully, out of ignorance, I am not familiar with the term ‘teach you to suck eggs’ and would appreciate some context.
 

 

It basically means something along the lines of "telling you things you already know." I put that because I wasn't sure where you were based, so if you were UK based for example, you'd already have known what I was about to say in regards to labelling here.