Gluten-Free on Mariner of the Seas

[nzdisneymom]

We sailed on the Mariner of the Seas from Sep 3 - 11, so I thought I'd share my experience with navigating a gluten-free (Celiac) diet as I know others may be interested.

 

Prior to sailing, I confirmed that our reservation had my food allergy listed so it would be available to the main dining room wait staff.  This was the first cruise I have taken since being diagnosed with celiac in 2014 where the assistant server, server, and head waiter for our section were aware and on top of my dietary needs from the very first day.  The other cruises on other lines have been hit or miss and rarely did I have anyone remember to get my order for the following day.  The first day is a little tricky if you want something from the main menu that needs modification, so expect it to take a bit longer for your dinner to be ready.  But after that, I pre-ordered for the next day before leaving the dining room each evening.  Also, bring your phone with you so you can see the menu for the next day(s), especially if you will be skipping an evening as they don't have menus for future days, just the next day, available as a hard-copy. 

 

We were in Main Dining Room 3, table 130.  Ida was our assistant server and he made sure to not only bring out GF bread for me, but to put the regular bread basket on the far corner away from me so DH could have it but it didn't have to pass over the table.  Nishank was our main server, and Peter was our head waiter.  Peter handled taking my order for the next day.  (Also, if he saw me in the Windjammer, he would make sure I had any questions answered).  

 

In the Windjammer, I found that Henry, one of the sous chefs, was nearly always available on the floor and able to walk me through the dishes as to what was GF and what was not.  Several items are GF and were served daily, so once I knew what was what, it was easier to pick out safe foods for me.  A few WJ tips -- at breakfast, the toaster for the GF bread was on the starboard side.  Cezar became my best friend at breakfast as as soon as I appeared around the corner, he knew to get the GF bread for me.  They keep it in a cupboard covered and away from the other breads and pastries in the area, and the toaster is a dedicated one.  They change gloves and use a clean fork to handle the bread going in and out of the toaster.  At lunch, they had some delicious looking egg salad sandwiches.  I asked them to see if the egg salad was GF (it was) and they brought me some in a bowl from the kitchen/galley.  To get a GF bun for the burgers always took some time and the buns fell apart pretty easily, so after the 2nd one, I just skipped the buns.

 

The GF pizza at Cafe Promenade was delicious.  And because they don't cook it until you order it, it is always piping hot!  When you ask for a slice, they cook a half a pizza.  I couldn't get them to tell me what brand it was, but I think it was Udi's.  It was good every time except once when they overcooked it (it was a busier time of day).  The longest I had to wait for it was 10 minutes, and I usually just found a seat in the Cafe and they brought it out to me.

 

At Coco Cay, they had a lot of GF options; I found someone to talk with about GF options while they were setting up (I really wanted some of the BBQ chicken - and it was GF!).  The chef mentioned that they had GF cookies, so after we had our lunch later, I found him and asked about them.  They were Udi's brand and that triggered in my brain that I probably could have been getting GF cookies from Cafe Promenade all week.  Once we were back on board, I tested my theory and was correct!  At Coco Cay they had both chocolate chip and snickerdoodle; on board I only got chocolate chip.

 

We did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants or buy any food from Playmakers or other locations onboard, so I don't know how those were.  We also did not get room service.  

 

I hope this is informative for others who have to maintain a GF diet while cruising on the Mariner of the Seas.  

[Dorh]

Thanks so much for giving details on GF service. We are traveling with our teenage granddaughter on Anthem this February. She needs a GF diet and must watch for cross contamination.  This is very reassuring. 

[Tee & Chilli]

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[#1packerfan]

I have been on many many cruises since I was diagnosed with celiac and I have always been very happy with the service and special handling of my food issues across the fleet.

 

 They have always been so accommodating. And in the windjammer I just typically stay with things that are either marked gluten free or things that I know are naturally gluten free. I certainly have never gone hungry lol