Food allergies on HAL

[cantw8togo]

Our 5 yr old DS is allergic to dairy, and I was wondering what others have experienced on HAL with regards to food allergies. He is not anaphylactic, so at least I don't have that to contend with; and I have been in touch with HAL. Does anyone travel with business cards printed with a list of the variations that can cause trouble, ie. modified milk ingredients, whey, casein, etc.; so that the staff can check products? Any food concerns at the Hal Kids Club? Any other helpful hints?

 

Thanks,

 

N.

[penetangjudy]

N

 

I don't know what to tell you. I have severe allergies to buckwheat and I brought my epipen and hoped for the best. (not the smartest thing to do, given that I am a nurse even dumber :o) I have only had 1 episode of anaphylaxysis and am very careful.

 

You spoke to HAL, are they going to provide you with a list of which of their foods contain diary? I would think that would be the easiest thing to do. I know I read if given 8 weeks notice they can accomodate special diets but that's not really what you need, you really just need to know what your son needs to avoid :confused:

[gordons4]

We were on a cruise with HAL last summer. I have nut allergies, some fruit allergies, and soy allergies. I filled out the paperwork for HAL ahead of time, and they instructed me to meet with the MaitreDe right after embarkation.

 

We went to the area where you go to deal with dining room issues as soon as we got on board. When I explained the situation, they had us sit down with the MaitreDe and go over my allergies. He had me select each night what I would be eating the following night. (Dealing with a soy allergy can be very tricky.) In the Lido, I chose what I thought was "safe," and then prayed a lot.

 

Can't help with Kid's Club, but I also did carry a list like you mentioned. Sometimes I tried to ask the staff in the Lido area about specific ingredients, especially the desserts. They did their best, but I knew I was taking a risk anytime I ate something.

 

Happy to report, I never had a problem...no epipen needed. :D

 

I'm guessing that they run into milk allergies, especially with children, frequently, and probably have a good system in place.

 

Sheri

[winemama]

my wife has tons of food allergies and we found a site that you can have cards written in any language to present to your waiter..just google "food allergies on cards" and sites will come up...if you are traveling to a foreign country like we are the are a god send..also contact HAL they can send you a food allergies form to fill out before sailing..good lucK

[wilsonzoo]

We've cruised several times on HAL with my good friend who has celiac disease, i.e., gluten intolerance. She makes sure to contact HAL several months before we sail to alert them to her condition and then discusses it with our wait staff the first night. They have always been wonderful about going over the options for her each meal and making absolutley sure that she's safe. By the 2nd night they typcially have her special breads and appetizers waiting for her when we arrive at dinner! They've been fabulous and always very helpful. We've found them to be better prepared to handle the special requests than a lot of high end restaurants!

 

As long as you alert them well ahead of your cruise, and then of course treat the wait staff with courtesy and appreciation for the special treatment that they'll no doubt give you, you should be in very good hands!

[cantw8togo]

Thanks for everyone's comments. Has anyone with allergies used the As You Wish Dining option or have you always eaten at a set dinnertime? Do you switch up the restaurants or do you eat at the same place everynight? Thanks for your insights.

 

N.

[Sage]

I have traveled with HAL many times and have an allery that does produce an anaphylactic reaction. I speak with not only the Maitre De, but also with the waiter, and they provide me with a menu for the next night's dinner and I select what I would like. They alter the preparation to what I can have, and are very careful to inform me as to what is safe for me even at the Lido. Even with our outing to HMC with the Butler package, my food was prepared with regard to my allergy. Enjoy your cruise.

[wilsonzoo]

Has anyone with allergies used the As You Wish Dining option or have you always eaten at a set dinnertime? Do you switch up the restaurants or do you eat at the same place everynight?

 

We started out with As You Wish Dining but then found a table that we really liked so stayed there the rest of the cruise. I think it helps to develop a relationship with your waitstaff, especially if you have special requests. Not that the As You Wish staff don't help, it just may take a bit longer to make your way thru the meal, what with the educating that needs to go on before you can eat.

[NHCruisr]

I have a severe nut allergy. We've cruised on HAL and most other major lines many times. Overall, I've had good attention by contacting the cruise line ahead of time and then speaking with the Dining Room manager. For the most part, the staff in the dining room has been very vigilant. I receive the next day's menu the night before and receive information about ingredients. The Lido and room service is very iffy. I choose carefully and carry my epi pen at all times. Part of the problem in the Lido is cross contamination caused by passenger who switch serving utensils. I also avoid eating in restaurants in ports. I have noticed that with reduced staffing on HAL and Anytime Dining, that the attention to food allergies is not as careful as it has been in our earlier cruises. I encourage anyone with allergies to be very proactive. I ask every server I encounter as they serve every dish if there are nuts in the presentation. I can think of one time where I thought I was okay only to discover that ground walnuts were used in the sauce on the beef. This was served to me by the waiter who had been with me in traditional dining for many nights. Fortunately, the area dining supervisor happened to be walking by, noted what was being served and ran to the table to remove the plate.

[mountainmare]

I also noticed on our recent cruise that there was not as much care given about my allergy to seafood and shellfish. I mentioned it the first day to the dining room supervisor and to our waiter, but you must be pro-active. One time I was served a salad that contained fish--but recognized it. The other time was in the Pinnacle, when we sat down I explained my alleregy and was served a scallops pre-appetizer. I explained my alleregy again and was told that someone would have to talk to the chef because they use the grill for both fish and meat. I was told the chef made a point to scrub the grill and I was fine. I am very very careful in the Lido.

Maybe it was just this particular cruise--alot things were---well odd. On every other cruise on both HAL and other lines I have not had a problem.

[rjm1cc]

My wife has a seafood allergy. No problem on HAL but there is one line we will not use.

 

Basicaly she is careful in what she eats. At the Lido, if fish is close to a food she likes she will skip it if some fish could drop in by accident. She does ask the Lido staff if she is not sure. No problem as long as you are careful.

 

In the dinning room she tells the waiter. Most of the time the waiter will mention which dishes have fish that she does not recognize. They have also checked with the kitchen staff.

 

It naturaly depends on your server, but I think HAL does get good markets for service and if you are pro active you should have no problem.

 

We do not notify HAL in advance for a special diet but they also offer that service.

[Riana]

On my recent cruise, I had numerous problems getting HAL to accommodate my pepper allergy. Even though our TA had contacted the cruise line with a list of allergies months before our trip, and we advised both the Front Desk and Dining Room again upon boarding, I still had trouble. The odd night they were hyper vigilant. Other nights there appeared to have been no care taken at all. Based on my experiences, I strongly advise against using In-Room Dining. I also found that I had to work around the Dining Room's convienience & schedule, rather than working with them. The Lido ended up being my best bet, although I employed a lot prayer there & severely restricted my diet "just in case". Best of luck to you & your child.

[Harry1954]

On my recent cruise, I had numerous problems getting HAL to accommodate my pepper allergy. Even though our TA had contacted the cruise line with a list of allergies months before our trip, and we advised both the Front Desk and Dining Room again upon boarding, I still had trouble. The odd night they were hyper vigilant. Other nights there appeared to have been no care taken at all. Based on my experiences, I strongly advise against using In-Room Dining. I also found that I had to work around the Dining Room's convienience & schedule, rather than working with them. The Lido ended up being my best bet, although I employed a lot prayer there & severely restricted my diet "just in case". Best of luck to you & your child.

did you have fixed seating or the random variety?

harry

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Only had to deal with this situation once, on the Zaandam to Alaska almost three years ago, due to my oldest daughter's multiple food allergies. Our travel agent made sure we filled out any requisite forms, HAL even notified the head chef on the ship for us, we met with the Maitre D', and the head waiter in our section coordinated with our daughter every single day. Our daughter brought some of her own food supplements, just in case, but she ended up not needing much of it. We did have fixed seating, which I think is important if you have food allergies, and we ate carefully in the Lido. We also had access to the Neptune Lounge, which is catered by the Pinnacle Grill, and the Neptune Lounge concierge staff were helpful as well.

[Riana]

Harry - I had fixed seating, but ended up not using it.

[timothy998]

Our 3-year-old DS also has a dairy allergy. On ms Westerdam in March, when we signed him up for Club HAL, we listed his allergy. So, when they went to the Lido for ice cream, they knew to give him a cookie or something else. The counselers actually took all the data sheets for the kids present those days with them, so they could doublecheck any issues with allergies. We appreciated the attention to detail.