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You can contact DCL prior to the cruise to request a dining rotation that has you in Animator’s Palate on Pirate Night. If you’re disappointed with a particular night’s dessert, ask for a donut, ice cream, or Mickey bar, all of which can usually be served quickly on the spot. The industry has a long way to go to improve its communications and handling of special dietary needs. Still, overall, I feel like it was smooth sailing in the Atlantic Ocean once I advocated for myself.
Are There Downsides to Booking a Celiac Cruise?
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise Dining: Restaurants & Food on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise Dining: Restaurants & Food on Cruise Critic.
Posted: Wed, 12 Jul 2023 15:50:55 GMT [source]
If you eat at a specialty restaurant, be sure to inform them of your special need. For people like me who like to control their meals, giving up control and placing it in the hands of a cruise line’s staff isn’t easy to do. Discover tips on how to safely travel gluten-free with my complimentary ebook, Ten Tips for Traveling Gluten Free! When cruising, you're on an unlimited gluten-free buffet! I never feel deprived or hungry on the cruise - I feel quite the opposite.
Tips to Save Money on a Celiac Cruise with Royal Caribbean
My takeaway is that your experience eating gluten-free on MSC Cruises may vary based on the ship you're sailing and the region of the world you're traveling (since that could affect provisioning). The best tip I have for successful eating with a dietary restriction, and this applies to any cruise line, is to keep asking questions and advocate for yourself until you get what you need. My mom was able to eat osso buco and lamb shank, gluten-free pasta dishes and French onion soup, among other dishes. She had a different meal each night at dinner – no endless chicken dinners. Her dining experience was not any worse than those of us eating off the regular menu.
Castaway Cay, Disney’s Private Island
Stick to pre-packaged, sealed snacks, which is a requirement when boarding and at most ports. Let’s dig into everything you need to know to eat safely gluten-free on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Read The Ultimate Guide to Eating Out Gluten-Free for more tips on eating out safely. I didn’t have to constantly advocate for myself or wait for my food to come. I just ate with abandon and enjoyed a leisurely vacation with my husband. While Celiac Cruise ensured I ate like royalty, Royal Caribbean, too, offered excellent entertainment and hospitality throughout our entire cruise and beyond.
They gave me the most delightful bruschetta with gluten-free bread and my own plate of cheese and meats to avoid cross-contamination with my family, who were served various appetizers to share. If I had any comment, it would be about limited dessert options. Izumi only had fruit, and Chops & Jamie’s Italian had a pavlova or lemon sorbet. In the main dining room, they had creme brulee or ice cream.
Best Gluten-Free Food at Disney World (Poll Results!)
It’s a treat to relax on vacation, rather than constantly chase down gluten-free food. For the safest dining experience, Maureen recommends eating all meals in the dedicated space reserved by Celiac Cruise; however, other venues on the ship also offer gluten-free accommodations. In the dedicated gluten-free dining area, many foods and desserts are labeled dairy-free, which Maureen says is their guests’ most common co-allergy with gluten. If you have other food allergies, it’s essential to discuss them with the staff.
Is Disney Still a Good Gluten Friendly Destination?
I've said it once and I'll say it again - one of the best ways to feel less alone in this diagnosis is to connect with others that also eat gluten-free or have celiac disease. It's why I created a Gluten-Free Support Group - to help provide a place where other celiacs can feel seen, vent their frustrations to those that get it, and get advice for common challenges. You can learn more about the Support Group right here. My Mom and I went on the Mariner of the Seas Celiac Cruise sailing from March 31st - April 5th, 2022. We had 5 days total on the cruise - one half day, two full days at sea, and two days for shore excursions at Coco Cay, Bahamas, and Cozumel, Mexico.
Shared Venues with Gluten-Free Dining Options
Norwegian Encore Dining: Restaurants & Food on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
Norwegian Encore Dining: Restaurants & Food on Cruise Critic.
Posted: Thu, 13 Jul 2023 00:51:08 GMT [source]
The training happens before every Celiac Cruise, given that staff can change and people forget from one week to another. The cruise proved to be a frustrating and challenging experience for many reasons, which I detail in my article, The Ultimate Gluten-Free Cruise Survival Guide. Simply make a note of your gluten intolerance or any other nutritional restrictions when booking your trip.
Cruise lines should take note of this when working towards creating a more inclusive environment for all their food-challenged guests and their families. Although buffets will have gluten-free items, the chances of cross-contamination are quite high. You also can’t be certain if flour was used in any of the sauces offered on protein dishes. We suggest the main dining room or even fresh grilled items by the pool as an alternative to eating at the buffet. If you go to the buffet, find a chef and have them walk you through their gluten-free options for the day.
As anyone who is gluten-free knows, beer is loaded with the stuff and finding a gluten-free beer isn't always that easy. It's even more difficult on a cruise ship, where the brew selection is pretty limited to begin with. Carnival and Royal Caribbean were the only cruise lines we found that offer a gluten-free beer (Estrella Daura for both) without any advance notice. With advance notice of no less than 30 days prior to sailing, cruisers sailing on Norwegian Cruise Line can preorder a case of Redbridge gluten-free beer. Buffets are the hardest dining venue on any cruise ship to do gluten-free.
We wondered if there were other off-menu items she should be considering, but no one could give us a good answer. After the first night, we switched dining times and dining rooms, and our knight in shining gluten-free armor became Jason from South Africa. My mom filled out the MSC special needs form, indicating that she had celiac disease and could not eat gluten.
Once again, Miss E and I could not find anything compelling enough to leave the fabulous, dedicated gluten-free dining room. The gluten-eaters in my family dined there one night, and my husband said the food in our Celiac Cruise dining room was better. To be clear, you can eat in these non-dedicated dining rooms, but there is certainly no need to. Nothing trumps a dedicated gluten-free dining room, so we personally opted to skip these non-dedicated dining rooms on the Celaic Cruise, in favor of the ease and safety of the Solarium Bistro.
She or he will then set up nightly meetings between the passenger and either a waiter or a chef to go over the next day's main dining room menus to pick out what can be prepared in a gluten-free version. For the strictest gluten-free options on any mainstream ship, all meals will need to be eaten in the dining room (unless it's closed), and possibly select specialty restaurants. On upscale and luxury lines, you'll be able to get gluten-free meals in most of the specialty restaurants as well. Check in with the maitre’D, head waiter, and dining staff about safe gluten-free choices. I have Celiac and want to feel “normal,” especially on vacation. When I stop being embarrassed or frustrated by my condition and talk to the chef, 9 times out of 10, it goes better than expected.
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