<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
We just returned from our 10th cruise to the Caribbean. We left out
of Ft Lauderdale as it is less crowded than Miami. We traveled two
days to St Marten and wound up at St Thomas. I met another celiac on
a bar and beach tour. That was fun. For an older fellow that likes
to eat eggs, grits, prunes, or any kind of fruit for breakfast this
you do it on the 10th or uppermost deck of the Celebrity
Constellation. I have never asked about cereal or pancakes because
they would have to eaten at the regular dining room and that opens at
0800 for the early sitting. The other kitchen opens around 0700. For
lunch on the top deck I got fries and a cheeseburger with all the
condiments. The fries are the only thing fried here.
In the dining room for dinner or beforehand you tell the Matre' De to
see that you get g/f meals and the only problem I had was the fact
that they served loaf g/f bread. They have made bread on other
cruises. They bring the next day menu every night so you can order in
advance. I got sugar free ice cream over berries as I have diabetes
and DH also.
We started out cruising on Carnival, which is more of a party ship
and usually more crowded and the rooms smaller etc. That was in the
eighties though. Any of the ships will accommodate you just ask when
you book it. We go in December because it is hotter than Hades here
in Charleston in the summer. We love the time at sea and if you like
to sunbathe there is plenty of places to do that. We booked one on
the 8th floor, which is convenient to everything and it had a
balcony, which is nice. We are going again this December 7th with a
very nice couple from Virginia that sat at out table.
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Cruise ships usually treat GF request very special and seriously.
Let them know well in advance and it should be great. They usually
give you a menu to select from each day. Have fun!
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I did Royal Caribbean last May and they were great! If you pick
them, let me know so I can give you a couple of tips!
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We have been on many cruises and all the Cruise lines are GF savvy.
They will fix things on their regular menu in GF way. They all do
the same thing. Each day, you get the menu for the following day and
make your selection. If you want something that is made with gluten,
the will adjust the ingredients. It is important to tell the cruise
line in advance, in writing (your travel agent can do that). They
all carry GF pasta and they will all bake GF bread. For family
cruises, we happen to prefer the Princess line but we have been on
Holland American, and NCL and Crystal and have never gotten ill.
Happy sailing.
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I have been on 2 cruises--one with Norwegian and one with Celebrity.
They both were accommodating--Norwegian did a much better job, so
that would be my choice. My brothers have both been on Royal
Caribbean and felt they were taken care of very well. You just have
to let them know when you make your reservations.
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Holland America is by far the best one I have traveled on and the
shows are the nicest for young people.
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My husband and I just got back from our first cruise. We went with
Royal Caribbean on the "Mariner of the Seas" ship. I have celiac
disease and I'm extremely sensitive to minute amounts of gluten.
Prior to going, we emailed
the cruise line and let them know about my situation. They did
indicate that they don't have a "gluten free menu" but they can fully
accommodate me. When we arrived we met with our head waiter and our
Maitre'd to let them
know the situation. They worked diligently to help me and I received
a lot of personal attention. As long as I ate in the main dining
room, I did not have any problems with the food. If you work with
your head waiter after
your evening meal, he could set up a nice GF breakfast for us in the
main dining room. The experience was pleasant and we would do it
again. One other thing, when you first get on the ship they will
have a large snack
buffet to keep you occupied before you leave and before your first
dinner. I found very little there that I could eat and my husband and
I were concerned and disappointed. However, don't be disappointed
because the rest
of the meals were nice. We will probably go again. Good luck.
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We have been on about 16 cruises.....Princess is the BEST when it
comes to GF foods. I'll give you a few tips....if you like Pancakes
or Waffle's take your own mix and they will make it for you ...they
baked muffins, cakes and really went out of their way to make things
perfect for my family. We're actually off on a cruise this weekend.
Good luck.
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http://www.celiacfreedomcruise.com/itinerary.php
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I had never been on a cruise before when we decided to go to Alaska
in 2005.
I wrote many cruise lines and got the best letter back from
Princess. They were amazingly accommodating.
Each night they gave me the next day’s menu to go over-anything I
wanted they would figure out how to do GF. Even their Italian night
-where they made me GF spaghetti and sauce. Every night I had a
fancy dessert made special for me and there were crackers and bread
at every meal. I used none of the emergency items I packed except
for the excursion days off the boat.
I found that if you eat in the same dining room every time, your own
wait staff and head waiter (who we had been told to slip some money
to) bent over backwards. We even got a private tour of the kitchen
and the allergy section!
The one time the kids wanted to eat on deck (pizzas and hotdogs, etc)
the head waiter had my food made in the main kitchen and sent my
hamburger and fries out to the deck for me (usually dining food needs
to stay in the dining room). And, for the breakfast buffets, they
had me talk to the same person each day who went down and made my
toast in the GF area.
In general it was the safest 7 days of eating out I have ever had.
I understand most of the boats will be good about this-some have you
pick certain foods from a list in advance of the trip, some will
store the food you bring, etc. But write letters, have your travel
agent call and verify everything a week or so before you leave.
The best advice I got was that when you get on board-before dinner-go
introduce yourself to the heads of the dining room and make friends
with them. Have fun.
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Margie R
In South Central PA...on the Mason Dixon Line
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