What is the protocol?

[SLSD]

I am very sad to say that I have joined the ranks of those who need a special diet--with a lot of things I can no longer eat.  What is the protocol for asking for special accommodation while on the ship.  We will be sailing for 28 days this summer.  Do I ask ahead of time? Do I wait until I am on the ship? And to whom do I speak about this?   Thank you for any suggestion in this area.  

[sfvoyage]

If you need special ingredients to be brought onto the ship, you need to email guest services ahead of time, ideally 2-3 months prior to sailing.

 

Otherwise, when you board, just talk to the assistant maitre d' who is in charge of looking after guests with special dietary requirements.

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, sfvoyage said:

If you need special ingredients to be brought onto the ship, you need to email guest services ahead of time, ideally 2-3 months prior to sailing.

 

Otherwise, when you board, just talk to the assistant maitre d' who is in charge of looking after guests with special dietary requirements.

Thank you.  No special ingredients needed--thank goodness. It should not be that difficult.  I just don't want to eat the same thing at every meal.  

[FlyingScotSailors]

@SLSD  As you probably already know, "belt and suspenders" is always a good approach.  Let Seabourn know ahead of time; there should be a place in your "preferences" selection to indicate dietary requirements.  Then, when you board, ask to see the Chef and/or Assistant Maitre D' responsible for special diets, and discuss your needs.  The Assistant Maitre D' will bring the next night's dinner menus to you at dinner so you can select what you would like to have and the kitchen can prepare it for you.  Then, you can be surprised like we are since we usually do not remember what we had ordered the night before.

 

The Assistant Maitre D' is also usually good at tracking you down if you are not eating in the Restaurant to give you the next night's menu.

[SLSD]

25 minutes ago, FlyingScotSailors said:

@SLSD  As you probably already know, "belt and suspenders" is always a good approach.  Let Seabourn know ahead of time; there should be a place in your "preferences" selection to indicate dietary requirements.  Then, when you board, ask to see the Chef and/or Assistant Maitre D' responsible for special diets, and discuss your needs.  The Assistant Maitre D' will bring the next night's dinner menus to you at dinner so you can select what you would like to have and the kitchen can prepare it for you.  Then, you can be surprised like we are since we usually do not remember what we had ordered the night before.

 

The Assistant Maitre D' is also usually good at tracking you down if you are not eating in the Restaurant to give you the next night's menu.

Thank you for these comments.  I will go to preferences and give them an idea of what I can be eating.  It should be easy to accommodate.  

[robertmartha]

Depending on your restrictions - the menus in the restaurant are great with their identifiers (icons)..dairy, nuts, gluten, sugar, etc....

I have quite a few restrictions and after checking in when we stop at the table that is set up near where you check in (believe it is the restaurant manager) they have a list (assume based on the preferences you check) of passengers with restrictions..so good place to start. Also recommend if you find a waiter/table you like the first night - stick with that table (if you can). This way the waiter and his team know your restrictions and can accommodate them.

 

When in doubt - always ask your server - better safe then not 

[jdk-atlga]

All: As one with coeliac disease (gluten allergy), it is really simple to just tell the restaurant staff (they will remember) upon boarding. I have not had a single issue with ample GF selections at B/L/D (although the non-GF desserts are challenging to ignore). The kitchens have also been really good at adapting some dishes to suit. Like robert martha states: when in doubt...

Best, jdk

[robertmartha]

totally agree jdk - on our last sailing in Nov - our waiter took great care of me - to your point - adapting some of the dishes for me that I would never even have asked about - thought of asking about. I also have celiac (and I am dairy free) and can say had no issues at all.

[SLSD]

11 hours ago, robertmartha said:

Depending on your restrictions - the menus in the restaurant are great with their identifiers (icons)..dairy, nuts, gluten, sugar, etc....

I have quite a few restrictions and after checking in when we stop at the table that is set up near where you check in (believe it is the restaurant manager) they have a list (assume based on the preferences you check) of passengers with restrictions..so good place to start. Also recommend if you find a waiter/table you like the first night - stick with that table (if you can). This way the waiter and his team know your restrictions and can accommodate them.

 

When in doubt - always ask your server - better safe then not 

Thank you. I expect to be able to eat some things on the menu (salmon for example) but do not want to eat it every night or for every meal.  I will certainly be eating what I can off the menu, but expect to need entrees made for me many nights--when I am not eating the ubiquitous salmon. 

[Kane]

We disembarked the Quest a few days ago.  When we boarded, they asked about any allergies.  I casually mentioned an allergy to crustaceans (shrimp, crabs, lobster), although I am not to the point where I need to carry an epi-pen.

 

They obviously input these things into their system because the servers have this information on their order tablets.  They mention the allergy almost every time they take a meal order.  I've never seen this level of detail and awareness on any other cruise line.

 

You should be well taken care of.

[TylerRose]

I took a ships tour on HAL, a VERY, VERY long time ago only to discover my boarding photo with the words SHELLFISH ALLERGY written in BRIGHT RED and posted throughout food areas along with those of other food restricted sailors. It was a good system in its day.
Flash forward many years later, when we took a Seabourn tour and all those things had long since been replaced by simple computer screens. We no longer had our pics displayed on the walls like bounty hunters were seeking us out.

Of course, then came the next shakeup when preset seating stopped being a constant- and I feared all bets would be off. But it truly did not matter.

My Epipen, Benadryl,or any other resulting food repercussions to me personally have happened aboard any Seabourn ship. I have had a few issues in ports where menu descriptions were inaccurate, and I have learned to play it safe when in doubt. BUT- Carnival as a collective does well with this and I feel safe. Even when I was trapped last summer due to a familial gathering of my nightmares on a ship for 6000! Before I could say a word, waiter appeared and said, which one at this table is our shellfish allergy? I was quite impressed!

[Sucellos]

If your allergy is of the "try to stay away from XXX"-kind you'll probably be just fine. If eating something specific makes you really sick, for example being celiac, my best advise is "Trust no one!" and if you in addition could be harmed even by cross contamination get ready to educate your waiters and double check everything. Use common sense and if you're having even the slightest doubt kindly ask the waiter to go back to the kitchen and double check. The latter saved my SO from gluten poisoning twice during during last summer's cruise when being served allergen-containing meals. One time the waiter even said: "Trust me, I'm 100 % sure this is made using almond flour, I've been working with the cruise line for years and take pride in knowing the recipes". Guess what, after speaking to the chef once more, turns out it wasn't, and that was one of the better waiters. Luckily with you develop almost a sixth sense for this over the years so you know when to insist on a second opinion. The guys normally working poolside that got thrown into the restaurant in the evenings barely had a clue... Yes, they are polite and service minded and have the information on their tablets, but that unfortunately doesn't help if they don't understand what it actually means or the consequences. This is however actually more of a management and lack of training issue, which hopefully has improved with even one more year away from the pandemic.