<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I recently posted a question about Royal Caribbean cruises and got quite a few responses, all 
positive. Following is a summary:

From Pat:

I just came back from a tour on Royal Caribbean and they did fine with my food (after the first 
night).  Let me give you some tips, though.  

1. You need to pre-register with RC about needing gluten-free before the cruise and print out the 
response to take with you.  This way you will be allowed to take some of your own food with you 
(crackers, snacks, peanut butter (They use Smucker's PB), etc.).  

2.You will meet the Maitre'De on the first day to confirm your 'allergies (they don't quite 
understand the difference in intolerance and allergy). Don't expect them to be ready the first night 
because your wait staff will not have been informed about it, but you can order from the 
'Alternative' menu for one night and do fine.  The next morning and every meal thereafter, you will 
have GF bread and is pretty decent.  I took Ziplocs with me so that I could make my own meals for 
the excursions and so I would take the extra bread to the room with me and 'zip' it for my 
excursion that day.  I would make Peanut butter sandwiches and get packets of honey from the 
dining room to take and then I could make a sandwich if I needed to (some days the dining room 
is closed for lunch).

3.Every evening they will show you the menu for the next night and you decide, together with your 
'head waiter', what you can eat (watch out for the soy sauce because they didn't know it was not 
GF!).

4.You will have to eat in the dining room all the time because the buffet is too cross-
contaminated!  The fresh fruit is good on board!  They made me a fresh sorbet every night I loved 
it! You won't eat as exotic as everyone else at you table, but you will eat well!  I had a great cruise
with only one night mishap (because of the soy).  Have a great cruise!


from Andrea:

Last December, we sailed on the Adventure of the Seas. Although, I am an experienced cruiser, it 
was the first time with gluten free requirements. I would pre-order my dinner the evening before. 
The assistant maitre' d would bring me the menu and I would select everything I wanted. They 
brought me these awful corn muffins and I refused to eat them. So they made me delicious 
foccacia rolls made from potato flour. I was in heaven and brought little plastic bags so I could eat 
them with breakfast and lunch. We chose to eat at the buffet for our other meals. I would ask the 
chefs on duty lots of questions. Truthfully, I didn't have much of a problem. There was plenty to 
eat and I didn't mind not being able to partake of the desserts. All I brought with me was crackers, 
cookies and sleeves of nuts. All I ate were the crackers.
Since that cruise I have sailed on Celebrity's Zenith. I'm booked on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of 
the Seas and Norwegian's Dawn. Obviously, as a celiac, I find it easier to travel by cruise ship than 
land tours.
You didn't say where you will be sailing. Have a wonderful time and enjoy your cruise!

from Sandy:

Royal Carib. will be no problem.  We cruised RRC Feb. 2005 only 3 years after I was diagnosed and 
extremely ill. I also have several other food sensitivities.  It was a great experience.  Expect a 
rough night the first night.  Both RRC and Princess had a bad first night until they got to know 
exactly what I could have.  But after that RRC was far better than Princess and made me the best 
GF dessert ever.  They took my order the night before so our entire table got to see the menu the 
day before.  We would definitely cruise them again.

from Charlie:

We cruise often and Celebrity or any line should accommodate you but there is so much to eat 
unless you specifically want bread at every meal there should be no problem whatsoever.  
Celebrity bakes or puts g/f bread on the table for me at dinner, but I prefer the early breakfast on 
the top deck where I might get an omelet grits and fruit.

from Dina:

We have taken 2 cruises with RCL with tremendous success and accomodation.  We've even 
booked a third for next Spring. 

from Lynda:

I have sailed with them 3 times in the past 2 years and I have had NO problems with dining gluten 
free.  Yes I did e-mail the gluten free e-mail address and my TA did put gluten free on my 
reservation.  That was all.  Then at dinner the head waiter came up and we chatted about each 
meal the evening before.  For breakfast and lunch which is mass seating all I had to do was tell the 
waiter I was gluten free and he/she got a head waiter for me. You will have no problems.  They 
cook corn bread for you every day.  If you go to the cafeteria just ask someone to give you a 
gluten free tour.

from RC

We have traveled on several cruise lines, including the Royal Cariibean.  Just have you travel agent 
contact them when your reservation is made to state you need GF meals.  Be sure it shows on your 
written confirmation.  When you get on shipboard, arrange to speak to the dining room maitre d'.  
All the cruise lines know how to do it right.  Ships vary in what they carry but they all carry GF 
pasta, provide GF bread with meals and will show you the dinner menu the night before.  They will 
tell you what things on the regular menu are OK or if you want, they will prepare something for 
you that normally would not be GF.  Just returned from a Princess Cruise.  They did things like 
French onion soup without the crouton for me and eggplant parmesean without the bread crumbs.  
You will do just fine. 

from Joan:

 have not been on RCCL, but have cruised on NCL, Holland America, Princess and Carnival.  Just 
ask to see the Maitre D' when you board. You are generally assigned to a chef that prepares 
special meals - like Kosher, Cardiac, Diabetic.  You are generally asked to take your meals in the 
main dining room. However, I have no problems with the breakfast buffet because I order the eggs 
cooked fresh and eat fruit, yogurt, etc.  You can usually bring your own muffins, or ask them to 
bake them from a mix for you. Cruise lines generally supply you with gluten free rolls or toast. I 
have had absolutely no problems on cruises and have traveled extensively.  The web site requests 
are ok, but I would advise you call customer service and b e sure they let your specific ship know 
you are coming at least a month  in advance. Keep an eye on your servers. They can be the weak 
link, not the chef. Be sure you are served what you ordered. Happy cruising!


Thanks to all who responded.

Peter

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*
Archives are at: Http://Listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?LIST=CELIAC