Gluten free and not eating in the dining room every night

[SwimCarrie]

We're going on a longer cruise and I have celiac disease. I don't necessarily want to eat in the dining room every night, but the only way I know to ask for a gluten free meal in the dining room for the following night is to order it the night before. Who would I speak with during the day to order dinner for the same evening? Or should I just swing by the restaurant the evening before just to order for the next day?

Thanks for you help!

[kiwimum]

On the Medallion app there is a section where you can enter info on dietary concerns.  DS is allergic to all seafood.  Maitre’d visits nightly with menus for following day.   Also in the buffet, a chef is available to point out food items to avoid.   I have noticed items labeled gluten free on the buffet line and in the Pastry area.   You will be taken care of.

[SwimCarrie]

Just now, kiwimum said:

On the Medallion app there is a section where you can enter info on dietary concerns.  DS is allergic to all seafood.  Maitre’d visits nightly with menus for following day.   Also in the buffet, a chef is available to point out food items to avoid.   I have noticed items labeled gluten free on the buffet line and in the Pastry area.   You will be taken care of.

Yes, I've had that happen, as well. I'm just not sure what happens if I want a meal in the dining room, but have not eaten in the dining room the night before. 😁

[snoozecrooze]

18 minutes ago, SwimCarrie said:

Who would I speak with during the day to order dinner for the same evening

As has been said, the maitre'd or manager of that specific dining room should be your go-to person. I'm thinking that if you want to have something guaranteed, you might pre-schedule your nights and then meet with that go-to person at the very first night to set everything up beforehand. Or perhaps just visit the dining room the night before.

[kiwimum]

We received a card in our cabin with the contact name of an individual to connect with regarding dietary issues.   We are currently on the Discovery and have not eaten in the dining room every night, although we do have a standing reservation for the same table nightly.   I always cancel that nights dining if we decide to  eat elsewhere.   When we return to the dining room after not reviewing the nights menu in advance, staff stops by with appropriate recommendations.   So far they have been spot on, no issues.

[SwimCarrie]

3 minutes ago, kiwimum said:

We received a card in our cabin with the contact name of an individual to connect with regarding dietary issues.   We are currently on the Discovery and have not eaten in the dining room every night, although we do have a standing reservation for the same table nightly.   I always cancel that nights dining if we decide to  eat elsewhere.   When we return to the dining room after not reviewing the nights menu in advance, staff stops by with appropriate recommendations.   So far they have been spot on, no issues.

Perfect. That's what I was hoping for. Thanks. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

I’ve had this happen before when I have skipped some MDR meals. I just show up and ask for the Assistant Restaurant Manager and he or she takes my order for the next day. What ship will you be on?

[wangfam]

Well, I don’t want to rain on the parade of good news here, but it appears I will. Please be very careful on your cruise. I always fill out the forms ahead of time, and I indicated on the medallion app my Celiac status as well. 

 

After 15 amazing cruises with Princess and good GF food, on our last cruise in May, when I approached our wait person to ask who to discuss GF food given we had a new dining procedure, first I was yelled at. “If you are going to jump around from place to place, I cannot be expected to help you. I have nothing for you.” Mind you, this was the first night and I had gone nowhere else but the MDR. I promise you she absolutely screamed at me. I made it a point to never sit at her table again. 

 

So I tried the nice folks at the front desk, and was told GF dining was not possible. Now I was nervous.
 

Luckily, the second day at lunch, I met a nice couple who had an amazing experience with the head wait staff approaching them to discus their GF food requirements. They told the staff to find me, although by then I had been searching and asking everyone in the dining room, only to be told “not possible.” This extremely nice woman found the person I needed, found me at dinner, and connected the two of us! There had been no indication anywhere that I needed GF food. I just got lost this time. 

 

 I was able to finally order one evening ahead from the nice staff from day 3, but things still came with breadsticks (not GF breadsticks) on top of them, or with croutons, and so on. This was not her fault! Since they seemed to be understaffed, I didn’t ever say anything.

 

There was no one at the buffet to help. The GF desserts consisted of tapioca and some sort of mousse. Breakfast had one kind of rather dry muffin, but only in the buffet. Occasionally, there was GF toast in the dining  room, but it was a major pain for the staff to find it, so I asked for it only a couple of times. They were working so hard that they didn’t need more work from me.

 

So I ate a lot of salads and fruit, and a shrimp cocktail every night. Most nights it was the regular salmon. Soft serve on the pool deck a couple of times because there are nice little cups to use if you cannot have a cone. I lost 8 pounds so it wasn’t all bad. 
 

YMMV, and I say this not to ding the cruise line. These things happen, but be really careful and be prepared for overworked staff to be overworked and for you to fall into the hole of the forgotten. 
 

 

 

 

[SwimCarrie]

3 minutes ago, wangfam said:

Well, I don’t want to rain on the parade of good news here, but it appears I will. Please be very careful on your cruise. I always fill out the forms ahead of time, and I indicated on the medallion app my Celiac status as well. 

 

After 15 amazing cruises with Princess and good GF food, on our last cruise in May, when I approached our wait person to ask who to discuss GF food given we had a new dining procedure, first I was yelled at. “If you are going to jump around from place to place, I cannot be expected to help you. I have nothing for you.” Mind you, this was the first night and I had gone nowhere else but the MDR. I promise you she absolutely screamed at me. I made it a point to never sit at her table again. 

 

So I tried the nice folks at the front desk, and was told GF dining was not possible. Now I was nervous.
 

Luckily, the second day at lunch, I met a nice couple who had an amazing experience with the head wait staff approaching them to discus their GF food requirements. They told the staff to find me, although by then I had been searching and asking everyone in the dining room, only to be told “not possible.” This extremely nice woman found the person I needed, found me at dinner, and connected the two of us! There had been no indication anywhere that I needed GF food. I just got lost this time. 

 

 I was able to finally order one evening ahead from the nice staff from day 3, but things still came with breadsticks (not GF breadsticks) on top of them, or with croutons, and so on. This was not her fault! Since they seemed to be understaffed, I didn’t ever say anything.

 

There was no one at the buffet to help. The GF desserts consisted of tapioca and some sort of mousse. Breakfast had one kind of rather dry muffin, but only in the buffet. Occasionally, there was GF toast in the dining  room, but it was a major pain for the staff to find it, so I asked for it only a couple of times. They were working so hard that they didn’t need more work from me.

 

So I ate a lot of salads and fruit, and a shrimp cocktail every night. Most nights it was the regular salmon. Soft serve on the pool deck a couple of times because there are nice little cups to use if you cannot have a cone. I lost 8 pounds so it wasn’t all bad. 
 

YMMV, and I say this not to ding the cruise line. These things happen, but be really careful and be prepared for overworked staff to be overworked and for you to fall into the hole of the forgotten. 
 

 

 

 

What ship were you on? I've recently been on Royal and Discovery 4 times since the restart and fortunately never experienced that. I'll definitely go to the dining room the first night and check it out. I've never not had the maitre'd ask me my preferences, so your experience is a bummer to hear. Thanks for the heads up. 

[wangfam]

21 minutes ago, SwimCarrie said:

What ship were you on? I've recently been on Royal and Discovery 4 times since the restart and fortunately never experienced that. I'll definitely go to the dining room the first night and check it out. I've never not had the maitre'd ask me my preferences, so your experience is a bummer to hear. Thanks for the heads up. 

Emerald. There was lots of Covid and some Noro, and we suspect many staff were ill, as were many passengers.

 

In all my cruises with Princess, this was the first time I did not have someone find me; the first time there were no GF desserts (aside from the aforementioned); and the first time the staff was so upset. It made me sad for the staff to be so overworked. 
 

This was our first time back since before the 2020 shutdown. 
 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

28 minutes ago, SwimCarrie said:

What ship were you on? I've recently been on Royal and Discovery 4 times since the restart and fortunately never experienced that. I'll definitely go to the dining room the first night and check it out. I've never not had the maitre'd ask me my preferences, so your experience is a bummer to hear. Thanks for the heads up. 

Ask for Vitalli (Assistant Restaurant Manager) if you are on the Discovery. He was in the Skagway Dining room on my last three Discovery Princess cruises. Tell him that the person who made the food video sent you.  He is the best!!! 

[kiwimum]

Currently on the Discovery, went to dinner in the Skagway dining room tonight after canceling 2 days.   Walked straight to our regular table.   I sooner had we sat down than the Maitre’d stopped by, welcomed us back, thanked us for canceling the nights we missed and went on to indicate which items on tonight’s menu were safe for DS to consume.

Wine situation was another story.   After requesting 3 possible wines of the menu in order of preference, zero luck.   Requested another 2 possible, no luck again.   Went on the app and selected one from the daily menu with success.   Hard copy and app selections do not match.  Another ongoing issue with wine supply on Princess.   We do not have a package.

Dinner was excellent.  Rack of Lamb, Goat cheese soufflé and Beef Wellington.   

 

[Valiamo]

On 6/22/2023 at 6:25 PM, SwimCarrie said:

We're going on a longer cruise and I have celiac disease. I don't necessarily want to eat in the dining room every night, but the only way I know to ask for a gluten free meal in the dining room for the following night is to order it the night before. Who would I speak with during the day to order dinner for the same evening? Or should I just swing by the restaurant the evening before just to order for the next day?

Thanks for you help!

Just swing by the MDR, speak to the head waiter, and they will get you a menu for the next evening, and take your order.   Easy to do, and was great to be sure we could have a GF meal the next evening.