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Date: | Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:44:32 -0400 |
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<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Summary 2:
We just did (a celiac family of 4 with 2 teenagers on a strict gfdiet). We were
on Oosterdam, 7-day Mexico cruise out of San Diego. Itwas fantastic!!! We
had no problems with food at all. The food wassuperb too! My only
recommendation (if it's not too late) is to pick thetraditional dining at a set
time at the same table with the samewaiter. We didn't, so we had to explain
our needs almost every night -kind of annoying, but not a show-stopper.
Except for the first nightwe pre-ordered our dinner the night before. The first
night we justpicked the safe options. They are extremely knowledgeable
andaccommodating. For breakfast and lunch we ate in the Lido deck. They
had GF bread forsandwiches and french toast, etc. Introduce yourselves to
the person in charge of food (white jackets)on Lido and in the dining room,
and they'll always go out of their wayto help. We would go again in a minute.
Email if you have more questions.
*****
I have done two cruises with Holland America (Alaska & Baltic region), with
very good attention to my gluten-free diet.
One must eat in the main dining room to get GF bread for any meal. The
waiter gives you the menu for the next day in advance and you choose what
you want, and they try to make it GF as closely as possible to the original.
You must communicate clearly in advance that you need a special gluten-free
diet. When you board, try to get an appointment with the Restaurant
Manager, Kitchen Manager or Chef to go over the details. You may want to
bring a GF cake mix with you for desserts (especially the final banquet meal
where they light up cakes and parade around), or even GF pasta.
******
I traveled with Carnival and Princess which are sister companies of HA. Notify
the company a month in advance -- I do a letter first then follow it up about
a week later with a phone call. Find out who you can speak to on the ship to
arrange your GF dinners each night. Breakfast is easy enough without help
and lunches, if they don't have sit down choices stick to salads and other
things that are safe. Sometimes there is someone you can ask at the buffet if
you are persistent.
*******
Go on that cruise! I did a 17 day cruise on them and was treated like a
princess! Make sure you phone the Special Services department as listed on
the internet and they will fax/e-mail you a set of papers where you can pick
what food you will like to eat. They cannot guarantee they will get all the
food however they do their best and they had more on board when I got
there. I had Kinnikinnick muffins, bagels, pankaces (Do not know whose),
Bread that changed every night on about a 3 night rotation, etc. As it was a
long cruise I got tired when they started repeating some of the meals as there
were only a few I could eat from the menu (lunch and dinner) - so one day
they made me macarroni and cheese for lunch!
*******
We travelled with them on the Alaskan tour last summer. I had difficulties on
the land portion of the trip. Many stops are in the back country with few food
options. On an eight hour bus ride a box lunch was provided. I checked the
contents and advised my tour guide that it was not gluten free. We made a
special stop along the route to pick up my gluten free box lunch only to
discover it was exactly the same as everyone else's. I got by with cheese
sticks from our two lunches. Another day we were on an all day bus trip that
stopped for lunch at a bakery! I ordered a sandwich without the bread. The
cruise portion of the trip was far more satisfactory. I had notified Holland well
in advance of my needs and they were taken care of on the ship. Gluten free
baked items were available for breakfast in our stateroom. They provided
gluten free sandwiches upon request and even sent a gluten free pizza base
up to the casual dining deck so I could have lunch there. In summary, it is
much safer on the ship and very nice to have tasty choices at every meal.
Visit the Celiac Web Page at Http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html
Archives are at: Http://Listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?LIST=CELIAC
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