Food allergies and sailing Celebrity retreat.

[Octavias]

We have booked on Celebrity Edge for May of next year and I booked us into a suite in part, because I have several severe food allergies.  My hope is that having a butler will help manage the hassle of always having to let my servers know the very long list and I let Celebrity know at booking as well.  I’m a little concerned that with the limited menu in Luminae, I might find myself with no options.  (I’m allergic to all poultry and shellfish for example).  Have others sailed Celebrity with food allergies?  How did it go?  
 Also not sure if I should dine in just Luminae to simplify and if I should pick a regular dining time?  I currently have us on the open dining plan.

[WestLakeGirl]

Luminae is always open seating.  You cannot book a specific dining time because they do not take reservations.

[Northern Aurora]

While I don't have major food allergies I am allergic to cinnamon.

 

The butler will not be the point of contact in Luminae regarding your serious food allergies.  But be sure to let him/her know to not surprise you with shrimp cocktail delivered to your suite.

 

My experience is that  Luminae waiters consistently ask about food allergies.  Also we prefer to be seated in the same section of Luminae so we will be served by the same head waiter and his/her assistant.  The head waiter and assistant will very quickly learn your list of "haves and have nots."  The restaurant host and the maitre'd will ensure that this happens.

 

While the menu in Luminae may seem limited your head waiter can arrange for items such as a tossed salad.  While on the M- and S-class ships it is easy for your waiter to serve items off the MDR menu in Luminae, on the E-class ships this will most likely not happen.  But you will definitely have options.

 

Reservations are not taken in Luminae.  

[RichYak]

I would speak to the Luminae Maitre'd, not your butler. 

[Treasure Hunter]

You will have lots of options if you let the head waiter in Luminae know ahead of time. You will not go hungry. 

[dateacher]

As others have said, the butler is not the point  of contact and actually, we rarely saw ours in 13 days of B2B.  One of the advantages of being in the Retreat is you have the option to eat anywhere.  We found we went back and forth between Luminae and Blue, depending on the night's menu. You may decide to do the same is there isn't enough for you to eat in Luminae.  

[Octavias]

1 hour ago, dateacher said:

As others have said, the butler is not the point  of contact and actually, we rarely saw ours in 13 days of B2B.  One of the advantages of being in the Retreat is you have the option to eat anywhere.  We found we went back and forth between Luminae and Blue, depending on the night's menu. You may decide to do the same is there isn't enough for you to eat in Luminae.  

Retreat guests have access to Blu as well?  I didn’t realize that. 

[Mark_T]

41 minutes ago, Octavias said:

Retreat guests have access to Blu as well?  I didn’t realize that. 

By request in advance and on a space available basis only...

 

Personally I would not suggest hopping between Luminae and Blu for someone with multiple serious food allergies...

 

Much better to work with the same team in Luminae to ensure consistent delivery of safe food.

[prmssk]

I am allergic to dairy (which seems to be in everything) and for a time was avoiding gluten to see if it was also a trigger for my health problems.  Luminae has been absolutely amazing in accommodating that allergy.  Your waiter will be your main point of contact and they will likely try to keep you with the same waiter.  You should not have to go over your list of dietary restrictions more than once.

 

You can pre-order your meals the night before which gives them a lot more flexibility to make you special dishes and pull from items on the Blu and MDR menus. And if you don't see something on the menu, with advanced notice they can often make you something different.

 

Celebrity really has been quite amazing in dealing with my allergies.  You will not go hungry.

[cruisestitch]

I agree that the best advice is to stay in one location.  You won’t have to start over with your requests and explanations.

[mrgabriel]

I am allergic to shellfish and have had no issues dining in Luminae or Blu. We also usually go to specialty dining. I found that it was a bigger issue years ago when we all ate in main dining and people would have platters of lobster on the table. That was awful and more than once I had to leave dinner because I just started to panic over the proximity of juices spraying. 

 

The waiters will usually ask you about allergies before every single order. We experienced this in all of the restaurants, including Main Dining where we often have lunch on sea days.

 

That said - be vigilant - especially if your partner is ordering foods that will cause a reaction. Carry your epi-pen to every meal. I also carry Benadryl. 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

5 minutes ago, mrgabriel said:

That said - be vigilant - especially if your partner is ordering foods that will cause a reaction. Carry your epi-pen to every meal. I also carry Benadryl. 

 

Honestly in any communal setting like a dining room on a ship I'd do this. They are not going to tell people at adjacent tables that they cannot order lobster/shrimp/chicken/peanuts/etc. because of your allergy. Even the tables with the most separation still have tables near them and likely will have trays of foods pass them as others are being served.

[Octavias]

1 minute ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Honestly in any communal setting like a dining room on a ship I'd do this. They are not going to tell people at adjacent tables that they cannot order lobster/shrimp/chicken/peanuts/etc. because of your allergy. Even the tables with the most separation still have tables near them and likely will have trays of foods pass them as others are being served.

I carry my Epi pen with me everywhere.  My life threatening allergy is to sesame.  Those little seeds are everywhere!  

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I'm in Aqua Class for my upcoming cruise - allergic to peanuts and wheat - and when I've spoken with someone in the Executive Office at Celebrity, they advised me to speak with the maitre'd in Blu and if possible to go at the same time each night and they will try to seat me in the same general area with the same servers so that they are aware of my allergies.

 

I do think that hopping between dining rooms - and even dining times - will result in having to have the allergy conversation every single time. Even on Royal with My Time Dining (Aqua is as fancy as I've ever gotten - I'm usually in an ocean view or MAYBE balcony) I was able to get seated with the same servers (not 100% always the exact table but same servers) and ordered my food the night before. There was a good bit of leeway from the menu - like one night I wanted a grilled chicken Caesar salad (obvs without croutons - and chicken is safe for me). The menu didn't have THAT, but there was a caesar salad and a chicken breast so I asked if I could get them served together and my server said "Would you like a grilled chicken Caesar salad?" If you're willing to order the night before, there's a lot more flexibility.

 

(I've also cruised in a group with vegans (I think one of the couple had an allergy to something) and more nights than not, they just said "Let the chef surprise us" and since he knew what their issues were (server always noted that) he came up with dishes that met their requirements. And quite frankly looked better than what we were getting.)

[Octavias]

2 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

I'm in Aqua Class for my upcoming cruise - allergic to peanuts and wheat - and when I've spoken with someone in the Executive Office at Celebrity, they advised me to speak with the maitre'd in Blu and if possible to go at the same time each night and they will try to seat me in the same general area with the same servers so that they are aware of my allergies.

 

I do think that hopping between dining rooms - and even dining times - will result in having to have the allergy conversation every single time. Even on Royal with My Time Dining (Aqua is as fancy as I've ever gotten - I'm usually in an ocean view or MAYBE balcony) I was able to get seated with the same servers (not 100% always the exact table but same servers) and ordered my food the night before. There was a good bit of leeway from the menu - like one night I wanted a grilled chicken Caesar salad (obvs without croutons - and chicken is safe for me). The menu didn't have THAT, but there was a caesar salad and a chicken breast so I asked if I could get them served together and my server said "Would you like a grilled chicken Caesar salad?" If you're willing to order the night before, there's a lot more flexibility.

 

(I've also cruised in a group with vegans (I think one of the couple had an allergy to something) and more nights than not, they just said "Let the chef surprise us" and since he knew what their issues were (server always noted that) he came up with dishes that met their requirements. And quite frankly looked better than what we were getting.)

This sounds heavenly!  I’d love to be surprised with safe-for-me-to-eat dishes!  One thing I’m hoping to get to have is Baked Alaska.  I’ve never had it and hope it’s an option on the cruise somewhere.  

[tandarosen]

I'm lactose intolerant and allergic to pineapple and found that the option to order the night before was my best option because the chef could modify almost every dish  to accomodate me.  In addition, we've eaten at specialty restaurants on board and I found that as long as I spoke with the maitre d' at least a day in advance, they could confirm any modifications with the chef in advance (and they always had a special dessert available for me).  

[dateacher]

6 hours ago, Mark_T said:

By request in advance and on a space available basis only...

 

Personally I would not suggest hopping between Luminae and Blu for someone with multiple serious food allergies...

 

Much better to work with the same team in Luminae to ensure consistent delivery of safe food.

We were on the Beyond in January and never did it in advance.  We just walked into whichever one we wanted.  We asked prior to the first time and were told "come on down"

[Mark_T]

7 minutes ago, dateacher said:

We were on the Beyond in January and never did it in advance.  We just walked into whichever one we wanted.  We asked prior to the first time and were told "come on down"

There is the way it is supposed to be, then there is the way it can sometimes happen...

 

Never hurts being in a RS or above if you want to do that... 🙂

 

It can also be dependent on occupancy on a particular cruise, so I wouldn't assume that everyone in the Retreat can just wander into Blu when it takes their fancy...

[dateacher]

3 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

There is the way it is supposed to be, then there is the way it can sometimes happen...

 

Never hurts being in a RS or above if you want to do that... 🙂

 

It can also be dependent on occupancy on a particular cruise, so I wouldn't assume that everyone in the Retreat can just wander into Blu when it takes their fancy...

Just to clarify, we were in Retreat because of a bid up win in a sky suite with no special  level within Celebrity.

[cruisestitch]

While you have been told that on that particular sailing, it isn’t the general procedures. Suite passengers can eat at blue on a space available basis.  It should not inconvenience those who are booked into Aqua and for whom blue is their dining room. After all, the Aqua passengers cannot just go to Luminae to balance out the load.

[Baynanno1]

I am allergic to shellfish and crustacea. The information was given to the Shoreside Concierge when she made contact a few weeks before our December 2022 cruise on Eclipse.

 

When we first went to Luminae - lunch after boarding - the Maitre'd was well aware of my allergies, as the information had been passed on from the Shoreside Concierge.

I was assigned a waiter for the duration of the cruise.

I was able to order from either Luminae or Main Dining Room Menu.

I was provided with menus for the next day and made my choices in advance.

 

Rest assured, you will be well looked after.

Enjoy your cruise!

[cruzzzinma]

9 hours ago, prmssk said:

I am allergic to dairy (which seems to be in everything) and for a time was avoiding gluten to see if it was also a trigger for my health problems.  Luminae has been absolutely amazing in accommodating that allergy.  Your waiter will be your main point of contact and they will likely try to keep you with the same waiter.  You should not have to go over your list of dietary restrictions more than once.

 

You can pre-order your meals the night before which gives them a lot more flexibility to make you special dishes and pull from items on the Blu and MDR menus. And if you don't see something on the menu, with advanced notice they can often make you something different.

 

Celebrity really has been quite amazing in dealing with my allergies.  You will not go hungry.

My husband is dairy allergic and this has been our experience as well. His biggest problem has been getting them to accept he can eat cooked milk and cream in baked products or soups. Never cheese or uncooked milk has been easy.

[mrgabriel]

7 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Honestly in any communal setting like a dining room on a ship I'd do this. They are not going to tell people at adjacent tables that they cannot order lobster/shrimp/chicken/peanuts/etc. because of your allergy. Even the tables with the most separation still have tables near them and likely will have trays of foods pass them as others are being served.

Very true. Happily, times have changed and we no longer have to sit with a group of strangers who I can’t holler at for cracking open a crab leg. 

[fishmongerrules]

I was on the solstice but just in the mdr. I let the waiter know and the manager came to make sure every night that my order got in for the next day. They went above and beyond anything I could ask for. I had a special desert every night that was made separate of the other food. 

[upwarduk]

I am Dairy Intolerant and fill out a Special Needs form when I book my cruise.

I eat in the same dining room at night. That way we are assigned to the same waiters, who get to know my needs.

The first afternoon I go to the MDR and order my food for the evening, then I pre order my food for the next evening when I have finished my meal. Recently, I have been told that I can pick anything and they will adapt it eg French Onion Soup is served without the cheese.