Grandson with nut allergy

[Cruising on a Sunday afte]

We have booked an Alaskan cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam for August.  Our 9 year old grandson has an allergy to all nuts. We have fixed dining, and I am comfortable with working with our waiter.  Question is how to be sure in Lido and other venues.  Practical advise from others would be appreciated!

[OlsSalt]

Thee Lido manager will help you out, so check in with him/her as soon as you arrive at the Lido - and probably will  provide menu item lists to avoid.  HAL has been accommodating various dietary demands now for years. But the ultimate responsibility still rests with the passenger, and appropriate back-up mitigations remain necessary. 

[Gigi1977]

I am allergic to peanuts.   They are fantastic about all allergies in the MDR.  I would caution you to be very careful when dining in the Lido and in speciality restaurants.    Let the manager know in the Lido every time.  And if you go to a speciality restaurant tell everybody.   Onetime the info wasn’t passed on to the kitchen and I got peanuts.  Not pretty.  

[Wehwalt]

50 minutes ago, Cruising on a Sunday afte said:

We have booked an Alaskan cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam for August.  Our 9 year old grandson has an allergy to all nuts. We have fixed dining, and I am comfortable with working with our waiter.  Question is how to be sure in Lido and other venues.  Practical advise from others would be appreciated!

It depends, I suppose, on the intent behind your inquiry. The staff is endlessly accommodating catering to individual passengers' dietary needs. I'm not quite sure what is meant by "other venues", and "to be sure". Holland America often serves nuts to passengers who order drinks. Is what is meant whether the line will restrict the serving of nuts to other passengers in venues in which your grandson is or may be present?

[tupper10]

In the Lido many items are labeled to say 'have nuts'.  But IMHO you still must be very careful due to cross contamination.  You can see one of the waiters who will call over a manager in the Lido and they will either prepare the meal for your grandson or tell you what he can and cannot eat. In the MDR we always ask on day 1 to  sit with the same waiter - so s/he knows the food allergies involved. 

[Cruising on a Sunday afte]

Well, this is why I hesitated to ask the question and why I asked specifically for practical advice. No, I do not mean to imply that no one on the ship can have nuts. That would be ridiculous and not be practical. I know that others have dealt with allergies and that we can take precautions. I appreciate the advice to consult with the Lido manager.  My grandson will always have an epipen on him although thankfully we have never needed to inject him. Now, how do I have this post removed?

[julia]

5 minutes ago, Cruising on a Sunday afte said:

Well, this is why I hesitated to ask the question and why I asked specifically for practical advice. No, I do not mean to imply that no one on the ship can have nuts. That would be ridiculous and not be practical. I know that others have dealt with allergies and that we can take precautions. I appreciate the advice to consult with the Lido manager.  My grandson will always have an epipen on him although thankfully we have never needed to inject him. Now, how do I have this post removed?

Please, do not be upset...  you've been given valuable answers to a legitimate question.  No one was implying otherwise.  If you are a seasoned cruiser, you know that food is readily available everywhere, and hopefully your grandson will be as cautious as you.  I could see a nine year old perhaps grabbing the wrong type of cookie and the result could be scary.

[OlsSalt]

Did you know you can contact Guest Services ahead of the cruise to ask for these dietary accommodations? That way they know upfront and can prepare for this better - have special foods available.

 

Every single first night in the main dining room we always get asked now ..do you have any special dietary considerations? It is routine now. But agree, the freestyle Lido is more problematic. Assuming your grandson now has a pretty good idea what to avoid and what can work more safely by now.  

 

It is where things might be hidden that will require contact with the Lido manager ..and don't forget the Dive In for lunch too - not much there that should have nuts or the Taco Bar. So those  might feel like safer options overall.

[Cruising on a Sunday afte]

Thank you both. We were assigned any time dining, which I was able to change to early fixed dining through customer service. Yes, we will fill out the necessary forms well ahead of time, thanks for mentioning that. Our grandson is well educated about his allergy and would not eat anything without checking first.  He doesn’t need special foods, just items without nuts. My goal is to identify food that is ok for him so that he will not feel left out. He has a little brother who does not have any allergies. The brother is also great about asking if something has nuts, looking out for the older one, which is very sweet! If the Lido manager can point out or give us a list, that will be a fabulous start (we would confirm with the server, too).

[badtwin]

25 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

........

 

It is where things might be hidden that will require contact with the Lido manager ..and don't forget the Dive In for lunch too - not much there that should have nuts or the Taco Bar. So those  might feel like safer options overall.

And don't forget ask at the pizza place and New York deli which could appeal to a 9 year old and have less chance of cross contamination because of more limited menus.

 

 

[Mary229]

From HAL

 

For guests with food intolerances or allergies that are not life-threatening, please contact our Ship Services Department at (800) 541-1576. For guests with life-threatening food allergies, we ask that guests provide detailed information to our Guest Accessibility Department by completing a Special Requirements Information (SRI) Form. Guests should indicate on this form which foods may potentially cause a severe reaction.

Guests with a variety of severe food allergies sail with Holland America Line regularly. Our galley staff on board is accustomed to and experienced in dealing with these types of needs. The galley itself has many different areas of food preparation, which can help reduce the possibility of cross-contamination. It is important to note, however, that meals are prepared in mass quantities on board, thus there is always the possibility of some cross-contamination. As such, Holland America Line cannot guarantee that a guest will not come in contact with those items. Although our Guest Accessibility Department will provide the ship with an advance notice of all food allergies detailed on an SRI submitted to them, it is recommended that guests also contact the Dining Room Manager upon boarding to review the details of these special dietary needs.

[Mary229]

@SumoCitrus   Not everyone with food allergies have life threatening reactions and some are well trained to manage their lives.  Yes, I would fear taking a nine year old with allergies on a cruise but perhaps he only has limited reactions. 

[tupper10]

@SumoCitrus  As I am sure you are aware any place that your grandson eats whether on a cruise, at school, at someone else's house has the potential to give him a reaction. I also have a severe nut allergy and I found that I was fine on HAL.  As I said in the Lido the manager knows what is in the food. The chef actually made me  a dozen cookies since even though the cookies said no nuts I was afraid of cross contamination.     You are given a menu for the meals in the MDR again - they know how the food is made and what is in it. If there is a question, the staff checked directly with the chef.  To be frank I felt safer eating on the cruise than in many other settings.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Wehwalt]

3 minutes ago, tupper10 said:

@SumoCitrus  As I am sure you are aware any place that your grandson eats whether on a cruise, at school, at someone else's house has the potential to give him a reaction. I also have a severe nut allergy and I found that I was fine on HAL.  As I said in the Lido the manager knows what is in the food. The chef actually made me  a dozen cookies since even though the cookies said no nuts I was afraid of cross contamination.     You are given a menu for the meals in the MDR again - they know how the food is made and what is in it. If there is a question, the staff checked directly with the chef.  To be frank I felt safer eating on the cruise than in many other settings.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I do not believe SumoCitrus was the OP, who discussed their grandson. I believe it was Cruising on a Sunday afte. Discussions of allergy accommodations are common these days and sometimes become fraught. I am glad that they were able to clarify the situation and hopefully they have received useful advice.

[tupper10]

9 minutes ago, tupper10 said:

@SumoCitrus  As I am sure you are aware any place that your grandson eats whether on a cruise, at school, at someone else's house has the potential to give him a reaction. I also have a severe nut allergy and I found that I was fine on HAL.  As I said in the Lido the manager knows what is in the food. The chef actually made me  a dozen cookies since even though the cookies said no nuts I was afraid of cross contamination.     You are given a menu for the meals in the MDR again - they know how the food is made and what is in it. If there is a question, the staff checked directly with the chef.  To be frank I felt safer eating on the cruise than in many other settings.  

Sorry should have said @Cruising on a Sunday afte

9 minutes ago, tupper10 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[OlsSalt]

Sumo raised a legitimate concern - will food allergies for some, ever lead to the loss of routine items for everyone else? There is only so much space available on a ship, and we have seen the addition of whole new sections at the Lido now for an entire range of dietary accommodations that did not exist before, so this can be a sensitive consideration. Please cut Sumo some slack on this one.

 

 The degree of mandatory "accommodations" is not a bright line, and there are people who do litigate these issue on land if they feel strict accommodations are not met. This was not the direct issue in this particular case, but is a reasonable general issue and one I assume HAL must struggle with internally as well.

 

Did we in fact lose our previously always freshly prepared bread on board because there was no way they could prevent bread flour/gluten cross-contamination, so they had to switch to frozen bread dough instead?  Airlines had to stop serving nuts due to potential cross-contamination in their closed air filtration settings.

 

End of this discussion departures. I just hated seeing Sumo get piled on. 

[Mary229]

14 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Sumo raised a legitimate concern - will food allergies for some, ever lead to the loss of routine items for everyone else? There is only so much space available on a ship, and we have seen the addition of whole new sections at the Lido now for an entire range of dietary accommodations that did not exist before, so this can be a sensitive consideration. Please cut Sumo some slack on this one.

 

 The degree of mandatory "accommodations" is not a bright line, and there are people who do litigate these issue on land if they feel strict accommodations are not met. This was not the direct issue in this particular case, but is a reasonable general issue and one I assume HAL must struggle with internally as well.

 

Did we in fact lose our previously always freshly prepared bread on board because there was no way they could prevent bread flour/gluten cross-contamination, so they had to switch to frozen bread dough instead?  Airlines had to stop serving nuts due to potential cross-contamination in their closed air filtration settings.

 

End of this discussion departures. I just hated seeing Sumo get piled on. 

You make a good point, well worth considering. 

[Wehwalt]

If Holland wants to replace the nuts in the bars with pretzels or Goldfish (which they used to have), I'd be all for it! But not because of allergies.

[*Miss G*]

27 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Please cut Sumo some slack on this one.

 

No.  It was not what he said, it was the way he said it.  There is no cause for rudeness and ridicule; most especially when it involves a child and researching information on ways to minimize pitfalls and hazards.

 

And, seriously?  “Concern” for losing access to nuts and fresh-baked bread in a thread asking a simple question?

 

@Cruising on a Sunday afte, I am so sorry.  You did not deserve this.  You are a well-meaning and good person.

[Cruising on a Sunday afte]

Thank you.  I didn’t intend to cause controversy.  Obviously. Peace out everybody.  I am getting off your lawn now.

[GeezerCouple]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

From HAL

 

For guests with food intolerances or allergies that are not life-threatening, please contact our Ship Services Department at (800) 541-1576. For guests with life-threatening food allergies, we ask that guests provide detailed information to our Guest Accessibility Department by completing a Special Requirements Information (SRI) Form. Guests should indicate on this form which foods may potentially cause a severe reaction.

Guests with a variety of severe food allergies sail with Holland America Line regularly. Our galley staff on board is accustomed to and experienced in dealing with these types of needs. The galley itself has many different areas of food preparation, which can help reduce the possibility of cross-contamination. It is important to note, however, that meals are prepared in mass quantities on board, thus there is always the possibility of some cross-contamination. As such, Holland America Line cannot guarantee that a guest will not come in contact with those items. Although our Guest Accessibility Department will provide the ship with an advance notice of all food allergies detailed on an SRI submitted to them, it is recommended that guests also contact the Dining Room Manager upon boarding to review the details of these special dietary needs.

Mary229 has said it best.

 

HAL, and other cruise lines, has a "special needs" group, and they deal with all such issues.

Contact them well in advance and they can work with you to figure out how to plan and arrange things during your cruise.

 

Each cruiseline may have their own way of handling these needs, but for any major cruiseline, you won't be the first person with an allergy or with *this* allergy.

You should check with a contact person (they'll probably have someone ready to speak with you) shortly after boarding.  Then you and they can arrange how things will work best.

 

When we travel (DH has a serious allergy, but not as bad as nuts can be), we *always* bring along some appropriate snacks.  That way, IF we are delayed somewhere, we'll know there will be something for DH to eat, regardless of what is "available".

And we have those on hand for a quick snack, too, occasionally.

 

Just be sure to discuss what precautions *you* need.  Not everyone needs the same things.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

GC 

[cbr663]

2 hours ago, Cruising on a Sunday afte said:

Thank you.  I didn’t intend to cause controversy.  Obviously. Peace out everybody.  I am getting off your lawn now.

 

You are not responsible for how others respond.  As another has posted, HAL has lots of experience with these matters and it will know exactly what to do.  Have a wonderful cruise.

[Seasick Sailor]

2 hours ago, Cruising on a Sunday afte said:

Thank you.  I didn’t intend to cause controversy.  Obviously. Peace out everybody.  I am getting off your lawn now.

 

I have a severe garlic allergy. Our staff from the beginning of our cruise gave me a dining menu Daily that I could choose my dinner and chef ensured there was no garlic. That said, I had a night where there was garlic in my dinner and I was very sick. Luckily I carry meds. Problem is, I can't taste garlic, so unaware it's in my food. I depend on staff to ensure my safety. Only happened 1 time in 50+ days.

[TiogaCruiser]

OP: one more matter to be aware of is shore excursions that involve a meal. 

[lovejact]

HAL is great with food allergies. I feel safer eating the the cruise ship than in restaurants on land.  I have never had any problems and they were very accommodating.  There was one night that there were no deserts on the menu I could eat - The chief came out to the table and asked if he could make me a chocolate soufflé to go with my meal (YES Please!).  He saw the look on the faces of the other sitting at our table and made it for them also.  One of the best experiences of my life - at restaurants on land I usually have to go without.  Here are a few tips.  First, fill out the special needs form at least 3 weeks before the cruise.  Second, when you get on the ship go to the main dining room and talk with the staff (they will set you up for that nights dinner).  Third, go to the Lido and talk with the manager and ask them the best way to handle the situation when you come in for a meal (then do exactly what they ask every time).  If you are going to the speciality restaurants, go and talk to them the morning of your reservation.  They will make sure everything is going to be perfect for your evening.  Most importantly relax and have fun, they will take good care of him.