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Hi all,

Recently my wife and I took a cruise in the Caribbean aboard Princess' Golden Princess ship.  We had a wonderful time - and they catered to a gluten free diet (GFD) flawlessly.  When signing up for a Princess cruise, you can specify you require a GFD on their website.  This didn't seem to follow me on the ship.  Once aboard, I let the head waiter know I required a GFD.  At night at dinner, he brought me GF bread (which brand I don't remember but it was delicious), and discussed the choices from the menu at length.  He was able to recommend which dishes would be easily modified (don't include the flour coating, don't add the sauce), was knowledgeable on which dishes were gluten free.  He would bring the next night's menu to me at the end of dinner and discuss which entrees, appetizers, salads, soups, and desserts I would want for the next night, and then ensure all of my choices would be gluten free.  The ship carried its own gluten free pasta, so I was able to request the pasta dish
 the night before and, presto, my noodles were rice noodles on the following night.  I was able to do this by dining in the same dining room every night, thus ensuring I had the same head waiter and continuity of service.  As far as breakfast was concerned, it was a buffet style.  They were able to make gluten free toast for me (same bread as at dinner), and I was able to eat much of the rest of the buffet to include fresh fruit, egg dishes, cold cut meats, bacon, yogurt, cottage cheese.  Lunch onboard was much the same - one can choose either buffet or dining room, finding a plethora of GF choices at both.

I wasn't so picky as to inspect the kitchen, ensure my noodles were cooked in completely clean equipment; my bread was toasted in the same machine as everyone else's (so if miniscule cross-contamination is a concern, be aware).  However, given the level of personal attention paid to me, even going so far as to cook delicious desserts off the menu (creme caramel or flan, creme brulee, meringue), and the awareness of all of the wait staff when I so much as breathed the phrase gluten-free, I felt safe dining in their restaurants.  I cruised on Carnival a few years ago and did not have the same service - incidentally, following the Carnival cruise, I developed my DH (dermatitis herpetiformis) reaction.  Now, a week after my Princess cruise, I am without complaint, without medical reaction, and believe I had a completely or darn-near completely gluten-free week-long dining experience.

Dan Steigelman

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