"Allergy Tablet"

[cooncat_mom]

We're cruising Carnival for the first time in years this fall, and I've read on here about the Allergy Tablet they now use. I have a Lactose Intolerance (it's hours of abdominal pain and other stuff. Not fun!) and I control it with LactAid and wise choices. I don't have to be concerned about some cross contamination.  I'd like to be able to check the MDR choices but was wondering if this will limit me to eating what the staff thinks is ok. For example, on NCL I've had the French Onion soup with no cheese or croutons (it was fine) but from the sounds of a post on here, I might be treated as if I have an true allergy and not have that choice todo that if they know. Has anyone had experience with this?

[weezal]

MenuMate_Food_Allergy_Letter_GSQR.pdf

https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs/dietary-needs

[cooncat_mom]

Thank you for the information - and it sounds helpful. I had read that someone used the tablet and the staff didn’t want them to eat something from the MDR that they thought would be a problem. Since an intolerance isn’t life threatening like an allergy is, I do have some leeway.  If I look at the tablet and decide that a dish will not be a problem for me, I was wondering will I have the staff refuse to serve me that dish or will they be ok with my decision.  If they’re going to go by what the tablet says, then I may be better off not checking it.

Edited June 12, 2023 by cooncat_mom

[klfrodo]

3 hours ago, cooncat_mom said:

Thank you for the information - and it sounds helpful. I had read that someone used the tablet and the staff didn’t want them to eat something from the MDR that they thought would be a problem. Since an intolerance isn’t life threatening like an allergy is, I do have some leeway.  If I look at the tablet and decide that a dish will not be a problem for me, I was wondering will I have the staff refuse to serve me that dish or will they be ok with my decision.  If they’re going to go by what the tablet says, then I may be better off not checking it.

Let's just turn this around a little bit and you are the server. All you know as the server is that your customer has an intolerance/allergy (with that said, English is not your first language so do you really know the difference between an intolerance and an allergy?)

You do know that if you knowingly serve a dish that could cause a potential issue to someone and it makes them sick, you may/will be sent home at the next port.

 

This is all a worse case scenario, but what would you do as a server? I don't know about you but I love and need this job. I'm erroring on the side of caution and not serving the dish.

 

With that being said, I would relieve the servers and the cooks from all potential liability and leave the box unchecked and hide any evidence that I took a tablet.

[crewsweeper]

Best thing to do pre-cruise is to contact Special Needs at Carnival.  They are very helpful and will mark your S&S for the MDR .  Most likely someone from the dining staff will assist you with meals and with the Lido buffet on what can and what cannot fit into your tolerance.

[d-train]

My wife went through a similar situation on our Horizon sailing a few years ago.

She shared with our server her intolerance for a few ingredients.

While the intolerance happens when those couple of ingredients are uncooked,

and it varies day by day, some days there is no issue, other days there is an issue.

But no issues when those ingredients are cooked. They had difficulty understanding the details,

similar to your details the way you described them.

Almost all of her dishes were prepared individually for her, and they were rough.

After the first evening of that, she did not mention it again, and if those ingredients were

on a dish, and were raw - like in a salad - she left them on the plate.

 

[cooncat_mom]

Thanks d-train…This was why I asked.  In my times of cruising I haven’t often shared the information with servers because they tend to jump to the conclusion there’s an allergy involved - and I can understand why they would do that!  Because there’s not much information about the tablet, I thought I would ask here to find out from people who have used it and see if I could just look to see what the ingredients in the dish were without putting in any of my information.  For those of you who are concerned, I have NEVER asked for special treatment or chosen special meals ahead of time.  If I have any doubts, I can always find places to get plain burgers, chicken, hot dogs or salads (yeahhhh, I’m not a foodie!). I don’t ask the cruise line (or land restaurants either) to manage this - I do it myself.  If I can eat their food, that’s great (and RCL had some good dishes on their vegan menu when we sailed with them) and if I can’t, I carry dairy-free protein bars as a back-up and powdered coconut milk packets for my coffee if nut milk isn’t readily available.

 

Edited June 13, 2023 by cooncat_mom
Spelling….

[sparks1093]

We just sailed on Glory and DW and our travel companion had a variety of allergies and intolerances. The servers were most helpful in helping them make choices from the menu for the next day (including brunch) and their food was specially prepared leaving out anything that might cause a problem (as I understand it even in a separate section of the kitchen to prevent cross contamination). So DW can have a certain amount of iodized salt but too much makes her rash out. Her food was prepared without salt. Travel companion is intolerant of soy, corn and several other things so these weren't used in preparing her food. They both have allergies as well and that too was looked after. (After they made their choices the app would print out a slip of what they ordered and when they showed up for a meal they let the server know who would then obtain the slip from a central location.) 

[Beav1279]

16 hours ago, cooncat_mom said:

Thank you for the information - and it sounds helpful. I had read that someone used the tablet and the staff didn’t want them to eat something from the MDR that they thought would be a problem. Since an intolerance isn’t life threatening like an allergy is, I do have some leeway.  If I look at the tablet and decide that a dish will not be a problem for me, I was wondering will I have the staff refuse to serve me that dish or will they be ok with my decision.  If they’re going to go by what the tablet says, then I may be better off not checking it.

I, too, have a dairy intolerance. I made the mistake of disclosing that on night 1 in the MDR on a Royal ship. The waitstaff did refuse to serve me certain things because of that. For example, the dessert was apple pie a la mode. I asked for the pie sans ice cream. Because the pie crust had butter, they refused to serve me (even though a bit of butter would not activate my intolerance). But they don't know that. We live in a society that likes to sue, so they, of course, are going to cover their butts. After that experience, I don't say a thing and just ask lots of questions about menu items that I'm unsure about. 

[cooncat_mom]

Hi Nicole!  I can understand their position which is why I don’t disclose either.  Since I also have lifelong medication allergies and now, environmental allergies, I’m very aware of the difference between allergies and intolerance. Allergies can be life threatening - my intolerance is simply inconvenient.  That’s why I was asking about the tablet and wondering if perhaps it would just list ingredients and not alert anyone.  I’m aware of the resources on cruise ships, but this tablet is one I haven’t come across and so far haven’t had luck on the website learning about it. I’m totally comfortable “making good choices”. 

[Elaine5715]

3 hours ago, cooncat_mom said:

Hi Nicole!  I can understand their position which is why I don’t disclose either.  Since I also have lifelong medication allergies and now, environmental allergies, I’m very aware of the difference between allergies and intolerance. Allergies can be life threatening - my intolerance is simply inconvenient.  That’s why I was asking about the tablet and wondering if perhaps it would just list ingredients and not alert anyone.  I’m aware of the resources on cruise ships, but this tablet is one I haven’t come across and so far haven’t had luck on the website learning about it. I’m totally comfortable “making good choices”. 

Same.  I don't disclose mine except for the Chef's Table since they are Bleu Cheese and mussels but not any other shellfish.  

[cruisinfamily7609]

I am gluten intolerant. There is no way I'm telling the server when I get on board Saturday. No way, because of all the reasons everyone else has brought up. This way, it is up to me to decide what I can or cannot eat, and I’ve gotten pretty good about being able to say “leave the gravy on the side” or “I prefer no bun, please”. I can’t stand gluten-free bread (seriously yet to find one that is even worth eating), cross-contamination isn’t a problem since I don’t have Celiac, and as someone else said - for me it is a mere inconvenience, not life threatening. Also, it gives me a very good reason to avoid stuff I shouldn’t be eating anyway. LOL  I know I could go to the MDR and alert everyone to my intolerance, but I find it is just far better if I handle it on my own. The situation would be completely different for me if I had Celiac, though. 

[abbeydoo]

On 6/13/2023 at 3:49 PM, sparks1093 said:

We just sailed on Glory and DW and our travel companion had a variety of allergies and intolerances. The servers were most helpful in helping them make choices from the menu for the next day (including brunch) and their food was specially prepared leaving out anything that might cause a problem (as I understand it even in a separate section of the kitchen to prevent cross contamination). So DW can have a certain amount of iodized salt but too much makes her rash out. Her food was prepared without salt. Travel companion is intolerant of soy, corn and several other things so these weren't used in preparing her food. They both have allergies as well and that too was looked after. (After they made their choices the app would print out a slip of what they ordered and when they showed up for a meal they let the server know who would then obtain the slip from a central location.) 

Interesting post and sorry to jump in on your thread OP. 

 

I am intolerant to soy, fish and seafood and I've found avoiding soy really difficult when cruising. Is it possible for you to share more information around how that particular intolerance was managed? 

 

Plain salads are relatively safe for me but much of the oil used on board appears to be soy so I'm affected by not just the actual food but how it's cooked too. 

 

Most cruises I try my best to just minimise intake through trying to make best guess food choices. I was really excited when the allergy tablet arrived but it just shows me how little I can eat. I've not been offered the opportunity to pick food for the next day or special prep so didn't even know it was a thing! 

 

 

[momof3cruisers]

I am allergic to walnuts and I rarely indicate that on any type of form, like you, I just figure out what to avoid. The only problem I have run into is desserts at dinner time on Lido. There was a chocolate peanut butter bar that had chopped nuts on the top.  I asked the girl serving what the nuts were and she said peanuts. Which made sense considering the name of the bar. Nope. First bite and I knew— those were walnuts. 🤨 So now, I just don’t eat anything with nuts that are not clearly identifiable.

[sparks1093]

12 hours ago, abbeydoo said:

Interesting post and sorry to jump in on your thread OP. 

 

I am intolerant to soy, fish and seafood and I've found avoiding soy really difficult when cruising. Is it possible for you to share more information around how that particular intolerance was managed? 

 

Plain salads are relatively safe for me but much of the oil used on board appears to be soy so I'm affected by not just the actual food but how it's cooked too. 

 

Most cruises I try my best to just minimise intake through trying to make best guess food choices. I was really excited when the allergy tablet arrived but it just shows me how little I can eat. I've not been offered the opportunity to pick food for the next day or special prep so didn't even know it was a thing! 

 

 

I am not really sure how it was managed, and I wasn't there when she spoke with the waitstaff about her intolerances, so I am not sure if she even mentioned that particular one (I have never really discussed how intolerant she is, I've just avoided using anything on her list when cooking dinner when she is a guest). I will probably see her in the next day or so and will try to ask her for more details. They both definitely had the opportunity at dinner to pick their dinner options for the next evening and brunch the next day if it was a sea day, which was handled by our head waitress. I also know that even if something on the menu was a "no go" for either if the kitchen could prepare it without the problem food they would (like making gluten free WCMC).

[cooncat_mom]

 Abbydoo - feel free to jump in! It can get tricky to handle food restrictions when you travel so sharing information is really helpful.  Even just hearing others’ stories is good.  It’s kind of too bad we don’t have an official thread for this like the folks with disabilities or traveling with children have.  After I cruise in October I’ll post about the allergy tablet and if it’s helpful or not. 

[aztekpm]

I'm lactose intolerant as well. I don't disclose that I am, I simply ask for something without cheese. I've done it with the french onion soup in the past, but, I've also taken my pill and eaten it. As well, I've peeled the cheese off certain items. It all depends on the timing and what's happening the next day. Therefore, if I have an upset stomach I'm not missing something important or it's affecting travel day.

Edited June 15, 2023 by aztekpm

[cruisinqt]

I’m allergic to shellfish and the MDR staff tend to go a bit overboard in watching out for me. But I tell them anyways because I have to be careful and honestly, they need to know. The problem is I love fish and fish doesn’t bother me at all, just lobster and anything in a shell. But they never want to serve me fish. So my husband and I have worked out a system. He orders it for himself then gives it to me once they walk away. I always go to the hub app and figure out ahead of time what I want that my husband needs to order for me. Thank goodness they allow you to order more than one entree. I’ve gotten lots of laughs and knowing smiles from the tables around us when we swap dishes though. 

[cooncat_mom]

Ahhh cruisinqt - so it sounds like if you use the tablet you’re locked into the dishes they think that you’re allowed to have. It’s too bad they include fish and shellfish under the same umbrella since they’re different allergies. I may try it anyway since there are other venues I can use if I don’t like what they decide I can have!

[Buffettfan 225]

I always have Lactaid tablets with me, and do not disclose- just discreetly take it. I also avoid certain soups, or carved meats from lido as often have  msg in it from spices, or canned items put into soup. It is another IBS and migraine trigger for me. You are your best advocate. 

p.s. I also brought my own non refrigerated (balsalmic, or italian) dressing in a small 3oz leak proof bottle for same reason, ranch= msg, some nights only one dressing offered and it is cheese type. So far so good with awareness. 

 

[MississippiMom]

On 6/12/2023 at 9:22 PM, klfrodo said:

Let's just turn this around a little bit and you are the server. All you know as the server is that your customer has an intolerance/allergy (with that said, English is not your first language so do you really know the difference between an intolerance and an allergy?)

You do know that if you knowingly serve a dish that could cause a potential issue to someone and it makes them sick, you may/will be sent home at the next port.

 

This is all a worse case scenario, but what would you do as a server? I don't know about you but I love and need this job. I'm erroring on the side of caution and not serving the dish.

 

With that being said, I would relieve the servers and the cooks from all potential liability and leave the box unchecked and hide any evidence that I took a tablet.

This is such a good way to explain it.

 

Our youngest just found out six months ago that she is now allergic to hazelnuts (we will have an EpiPen with us, just in case), and has an intolerance to kiwi and starfruit.  She can still consume a little of those fruits, so not a problem if something is cross-contaminated, but she doesn't really need to select dishes that include those particular fruits. 

[sparks1093]

On 6/15/2023 at 4:52 AM, sparks1093 said:

I am not really sure how it was managed, and I wasn't there when she spoke with the waitstaff about her intolerances, so I am not sure if she even mentioned that particular one (I have never really discussed how intolerant she is, I've just avoided using anything on her list when cooking dinner when she is a guest). I will probably see her in the next day or so and will try to ask her for more details. They both definitely had the opportunity at dinner to pick their dinner options for the next evening and brunch the next day if it was a sea day, which was handled by our head waitress. I also know that even if something on the menu was a "no go" for either if the kitchen could prepare it without the problem food they would (like making gluten free WCMC).

I spoke to our friend and she listed every allergy and sensitivity, including soy. The staff never tried to talk her out of ordering anything. There were a couple of times when they weren't sure if a dessert could be made without the offending item so they had her select a backup dessert. In most cases she ended up with two desserts.

[cooncat_mom]

I survived my Carnival cruise, and never used the tablet. I didn't want to bother the staff at the MDR so just did my usual make good choices (and carried my own powdered coconut creamer and Lactaid).  By the time I saw one, the cruise was almost over so I just passed. 

[cooncat_mom]

Just wanted to add, it wasn't a big thing for me since I have an intolerance (a big uncomfortable one that lactaid doesn't always help but an intolerance) NOT an allergy. An allergy changes the game!