Gluten Free Options at Port

[momofknt]

Hello, all!

 

We are going on a family cruise in December on Carnival Panorama to the Mexican Riviera; PV, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas specifically.

 

Three of us have Celiac Disease.

 

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with eating gluten-free at port, and even better, places to eat safely and avoid cross-contamination.

 

Much thanks!

[pinto18]

I have no experience with this but my thought is that if you are sensitive enough to worry about cross contamination, you would be better off eating on the ship. 

[canadjineh]

Hi momofknt:  I have Celiac disease and we travel a lot.  We haven't been to PV since just before Covid, but wherever we travel I take a Celiac travel translation card with me.  You can get them here:  https://www.celiactravel.com/cards/   They've saved me in Cuba, Mexico (in restaurants & grocery stores), and China.  Don't forget that sometimes corn tortillas may have a tiny bit of wheat flour in the dough to make them a bit lighter and easier to handle.  Definitely ask the cook/server about their tortillas.  When in doubt plain rice with the beautiful meats and veg is the safest bet.  Watch out for the mole's - some have bread crumbs to thicken - definitely ask first.  Our favorite thing to eat is a meal in a  molcajete (oven heated stone bowl filled with veggie pieces including nopal, strips of chicken or beef, and a hot melted cheese in the bottom.)   Have fun!

[Rothko1]

Grilled iguana is gluten free.  Indulge!

[jjow]

I have Celiac too. In Puerto Vallarta we ate at La Palapa, it's on the Malecon boardwalk. In Cabo we ate at Restaurant Mi Casa, but there are several other restaurant options in Cabo on the Find Me Gluten Free app. I don't think I ate in Mazatlan but it looks like the app has a few options there too. Maybe bring a Spanish translation card if you're nervous about it.

[ghgeckos]

My son and spouse are GF and we have been on several Mexican cruises. If you don’t speak Spanish then I would be sure to get the Celiac translation cards. They have not had an issue when ordering on land, but we try to eat a bit early or look for a smaller restaurant. 

[Mike45LC]

The tip to bring translation cards is a good one.  When I went to Asia, I had index cards with my dietary restrictions in English on one side, and in several Asian languages on the other -- Thai, Mandarin and Japanese.  Mom, if you live in a community with Mexican restaurants, you can probably get someone to prepare the translations for you if you visit at an off-hour.