Any celiacs cruise on NCL?

[archer77]

My daughter is in kindergarten and food generally falls into 2 categories: Things she can't eat, and things she won't eat.

 

Does anyone have good knowledge of how being celiac on a cruise is as far as options go? My daughter eats a lot of plain rice with soy sauce or hoisin (gluten free obviously), does anyone know if they stock things like that?

 

 

[MotownVoice]

Fill out a “guest special needs” and the Access Desk will make sure you have what you need.  
 

https://ncl.secure.force.com/AccessDeskForm/

[archer77]

Thanks for replying, have done that but they weren't able to offer much detail about the GF options or menu and said we would have to discuss it with the restaurant manager on-board.  I mean a tomato or broccoli is GF, but good luck getting my daughter to eat either one

 

 

Edited October 2, 2022 by archer77

[MotownVoice]

1 minute ago, archer77 said:

Thanks for replying, have done that but they weren't able to offer much detail about the GF options or menu and said we would have to discuss it with the restaurant manager on-board.  I mean a tomato or broccoli is GF, but good luck getting my daughter to eat either one

 

 

 

Well.  That’s not very nice of them.  😒

[GeezerCouple]

Yes, definitely let the AccessDesk know in advance.

 

But cruise ships these days are well prepared with gluten free food... and not just veggies... there are breads, rolls, pasta... 

It's surprising what is available nowadays.

 

Just double check with EVERY waiter that "This is gluten free, right?" to be sure.

 

And enjoy!

 

GC

[archer77]

3 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

Yes, definitely let the AccessDesk know in advance.

 

But cruise ships these days are well prepared with gluten free food... and not just veggies... there are breads, rolls, pasta... 

It's surprising what is available nowadays.

 

Just double check with EVERY waiter that "This is gluten free, right?" to be sure.

 

And enjoy!

 

GC

thx GC

 

 

[hallux]

Here's a thread from August on this very topic (found by simply typing 'celiac' in the search box, it was the second result, this thread being the first...)

 

My niece and SIL are gluten intolerant or Celiac and have done well on a cruise before, but that was on another line.  Cruise lines do NOT want you getting sick if they can prevent it so they are very conscious of these things and take precautions.

Edited October 2, 2022 by hallux

[TheycallmeDrew]

My wife is not celiac but she can’t have gluten or soy. The cruise has been fantastic in accommodating her and is one of the reasons we cruise. She meets with the person on board and pre-orders her meals the day before. Lots of options and the can make changes to most dishes. The flourless chocolate cake is delicious. 

[denlin1998]

I am celiac and I have not had a problem finding something to eat...truthfully it is probably the opposite  - it is hard to choose from all of the options provided.Pizza, pasta, buns, bread, desserts, - and they will generally try to make anything on the menu gluten free if that is what you want to eat.  I believe there was also a designated fryer for french fries (but possibly only at one restaurant, but you could order them at the others too ) Everyday (generally at supper) ,  the ship's crew member who handled dietary restrictions would come find me (whereever I was eating supper) with the menus for the next day.  I would choose my meal for the next night's supper).  We generally stuck to the dining rooms and specialty dining because i don't necessarily trust everyone using a buffet to understand about cross contamination.  

I found that they were very careful (though we generally double checked) - even for bringing gf rolls, etc.  I think it is also flagged for the staff in the dining rooms that must come up with our cabin.  I have never gotten sick from the food !  And I always seem quite able to gain the requisite 5-10 lbs! 

[archer77]

10 hours ago, denlin1998 said:

I am celiac and I have not had a problem finding something to eat...truthfully it is probably the opposite  - it is hard to choose from all of the options provided.Pizza, pasta, buns, bread, desserts, - and they will generally try to make anything on the menu gluten free if that is what you want to eat.  I believe there was also a designated fryer for french fries (but possibly only at one restaurant, but you could order them at the others too ) Everyday (generally at supper) ,  the ship's crew member who handled dietary restrictions would come find me (whereever I was eating supper) with the menus for the next day.  I would choose my meal for the next night's supper).  We generally stuck to the dining rooms and specialty dining because i don't necessarily trust everyone using a buffet to understand about cross contamination.  

I found that they were very careful (though we generally double checked) - even for bringing gf rolls, etc.  I think it is also flagged for the staff in the dining rooms that must come up with our cabin.  I have never gotten sick from the food !  And I always seem quite able to gain the requisite 5-10 lbs! 

that is a bit of a relief, thanks for replying. I don't suppose you know if there was an option for gluten free soy sauce or tamari anywhere? For some reason my daughter is hooked on the stuff on rice!

[mjkacmom]

My celiac daughter has been on 3 NCL ships and never ate better. I know they have gf soy sauce/tamari because that’s what they use at the habachi restaurant. Note it on your reservation and if you go to the MDR for lunch on embarkment, you will most likely be approached by the dietary manager who will explain everything. GF items will be noted on menus, but my daughter preferred to pre-order meals (breakfast and dinner, she did the buffet at lunch). She could chose menu items and have them modified GF (everything gets prepared in the allergy safe kitchen), of they’d make her anything (like when she was younger and might just want pasta with butter). Breakfast was a favorite, pancakes, waffles, muffins, eggs Benedict, she’d just call the guy before leaving the cabin to let him know where she’d be eating and a large covered tray would be delivered to our table. She definitely ate better than the rest of us. She even got the flourless chocolate cake from a specialty in the MDR, crème brûlée was another favorite. She loved the bread.

[simpson168]

14 hours ago, archer77 said:

My daughter is in kindergarten and food generally falls into 2 categories: Things she can't eat, and things she won't eat.

 

Does anyone have good knowledge of how being celiac on a cruise is as far as options go? My daughter eats a lot of plain rice with soy sauce or hoisin (gluten free obviously), does anyone know if they stock things like that?

 

 

My husband is a very sensitive Celiac and he loves cruising on NCL.  They were always able to offer anything he wanted in a GF option.  He doesn't preorder but has never had a problem getting a meal he loves and has not had any reactions.

 

[Diane67B]

Just adding to the thread. My sister is celiac and LOVES the food on NCL. Never had any issues at all. Enjoy your cruise!

[FLcruisergrl]

16 hours ago, archer77 said:

My daughter is in kindergarten and food generally falls into 2 categories: Things she can't eat, and things she won't eat.

 

Does anyone have good knowledge of how being celiac on a cruise is as far as options go? My daughter eats a lot of plain rice with soy sauce or hoisin (gluten free obviously), does anyone know if they stock things like that?

 

 

My daughter is the pickiest kid on earth. She also has celiac. Now, we cruise in the Haven so it might be different. But, we plan her meals in advance with the restaurant manager. She has a standing order of  the bread from Moderno (GF) delivered to wherever she is dining. They make her whatever she wants and deliver it wherever she wants. For example, our last cruise was on the Dawn. We ate at Le Bistro. She had bread from Moderno, GF pasta carbonara from La Cucina, and dessert from Cagney’s. They make her a lot of GfF Mac & cheese and are incredibly knowledgeable about the difference between Celiac and simply eating gluten free.

Edited October 2, 2022 by FLcruisergrl

[mjkacmom]

53 minutes ago, FLcruisergrl said:

My daughter is the pickiest kid on earth. She also has celiac. Now, we cruise in the Haven so it might be different. But, we plan her meals in advance with the restaurant manager. She has a standing order of  the bread from Moderno (GF) delivered to wherever she is dining. They make her whatever she wants and deliver it wherever she wants. For example, our last cruise was on the Dawn. We ate at Le Bistro. She had bread from Moderno, GF pasta carbonara from La Cucina, and dessert from Cagney’s. They make her a lot of GfF Mac & cheese and are incredibly knowledgeable about the difference between Celiac and simply eating gluten free.

We sail steerage and it works exactly the same way, including the cheesy bread brought to the MDR.

[archer77]

7 hours ago, FLcruisergrl said:

My daughter is the pickiest kid on earth. She also has celiac. Now, we cruise in the Haven so it might be different. But, we plan her meals in advance with the restaurant manager. She has a standing order of  the bread from Moderno (GF) delivered to wherever she is dining. They make her whatever she wants and deliver it wherever she wants. For example, our last cruise was on the Dawn. We ate at Le Bistro. She had bread from Moderno, GF pasta carbonara from La Cucina, and dessert from Cagney’s. They make her a lot of GfF Mac & cheese and are incredibly knowledgeable about the difference between Celiac and simply eating gluten free.

sounds great!

[cruiser123!]

On 10/1/2022 at 7:20 PM, archer77 said:

My daughter is in kindergarten and food generally falls into 2 categories: Things she can't eat, and things she won't eat.

 

Does anyone have good knowledge of how being celiac on a cruise is as far as options go? My daughter eats a lot of plain rice with soy sauce or hoisin (gluten free obviously), does anyone know if they stock things like that?

 

 

We have cruised 7 times on NCL. My daughter has celiac, and she has never once had an issue.    Fill out the forms.   Book all of your dinners in the same place, same time.   You’ll get the same waiter and table each night that way.   At the end of dinner, they will give you the menu for the next day.    Easy peasy.

 

   The first meal is a bit difficult, but ask for the head chef at the buffet and they can walk you through every thing (or go to OSheehans but it’s a lot sparser here for GF).       Good luck!

[hallux]

11 minutes ago, cruiser123! said:

The first meal is a bit difficult,

It shouldn't be.  At least on the Breakaway and Breakaway+ ships at least one of the MDRs is open for lunch on embarkation day, go there and meet with the host/hostess, they might go get someone higher up to discuss your needs with and they should also bring a menu for that evening's dinner to select a meal from.

[mjkacmom]

14 hours ago, cruiser123! said:

We have cruised 7 times on NCL. My daughter has celiac, and she has never once had an issue.    Fill out the forms.   Book all of your dinners in the same place, same time.   You’ll get the same waiter and table each night that way.   At the end of dinner, they will give you the menu for the next day.    Easy peasy.

 

   The first meal is a bit difficult, but ask for the head chef at the buffet and they can walk you through every thing (or go to OSheehans but it’s a lot sparser here for GF).       Good luck!

You don’t need to book meals or stay in the same restaurants if you don’t want to, we ended up at the same MDR every night just because we are a large party and don’t like making reservations but even that wasn’t necessary.

[janice2348]

I am not celiac but gluten free due to IBS. I sailed in NCL twice. They were fantastic with gluten free options!  Just be sure to contact special needs so that they can plan ahead for you. Also make sure to verify everything is gluten free with your server. I would avoid the buffet due to cross contamination.  
 

I ate at Teppanyaki one night- they were very accommodating.  They made my meal first so as not to cross contaminate.