Carnival Needs to do this!!

I have to be gluten free and dairy free....many people have other dietary restrictions such as needing to be soy free....On RC the main dining room menu's are all labeled which items contain certain items and they have icons next to the item to label whether that particular item is gluten, soy, dairy free and vegetarian.

Doing this really makes it easy for the passengers to know what they can have and can't and surely saves a lot of time by not needing to ask the waiters many questions and taking up their time and the time of other passengers waiting to give their orders and waiting for their food to come.

How come Carnival doesn't do this? It makes so much sense to label the items to let passengers know what they can have and not have.

Upon boarding DD orders her first night's meal at the MDR.

Then each night either the hostess or your waiter will take the next day's order.

The special request meals are prepared in a different section of the galley to avoid cross contamination.

Many items on the buffet are labeled but there's always the possibility of cross contamination.

I have to be gluten free and dairy free....many people have other dietary restrictions such as needing to be soy free....On RC the main dining room menu's are all labeled which items contain certain items and they have icons next to the item to label whether that particular item is gluten, soy, dairy free and vegetarian.

 

Doing this really makes it easy for the passengers to know what they can have and can't and surely saves a lot of time by not needing to ask the waiters many questions and taking up their time and the time of other passengers waiting to give their orders and waiting for their food to come.

 

How come Carnival doesn't do this? It makes so much sense to label the items to let passengers know what they can have and not have.

It does seem like it would make ordering faster and more convenient. Carnival is good about accommodating special dietary needs though if you just let them know what your needs are.

Carnival does list its standard gluten free options on their website if you want to familiarize yourself with them before your cruise.

http://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs/dietary-needs.aspx

Maybe they will in the future, it costs alot of money to make changes for a very few people. The overall 99.9999% that don't need gluten/dairy free don't care about this, so it is not a high priority. Besides, where does it end? If you labled menus for everybody and everything, you'd have a 20 page menu. it is really up to the customer to know what they should have and/or ask.

Yes your correct Carnival servers are EXCELLENT with this. It just be nice not to bother anybody.

Thank you for that link!

Maybe they will in the future, it costs alot of money to make changes for a very few people. The overall 99.9999% that don't need gluten/dairy free don't care about this, so it is not a high priority. Besides, where does it end? If you labled menus for everybody and everything, you'd have a 20 page menu. it is really up to the customer to know what they should have and/or ask.

That's so true. Salt, pepper, tomatoes, peanuts, sugar, gluten, fat, soy, caffeine, egg, pork, mushroom, cheese and on and on. It would be a huge menu covered with icons. And most folks just don't care.

Yes your correct Carnival servers are EXCELLENT with this. It just be nice not to bother anybody.

 

 

 

Thank you for that link!

DD hates the attention also but they'd rather help you than you getting sick.

No, Carnival doesn't need to do that.

That's so true. Salt, pepper, tomatoes, peanuts, sugar, gluten, fat, soy, caffeine, egg, pork, mushroom, cheese and on and on. It would be a huge menu covered with icons. And most folks just don't care.

And for some folks, avoiding a particular food ingredient could be a matter of life and death. For an unknown reason, food allergies are on the rise. My sister was diagnosed last year in her forties with a crustacean allergy. In her forties! Now she has to carry epipens on her person at all times. She cannot eat shrimp, crab, lobster, or crayfish. These are foods she's eaten all her life, and now all of a sudden eating them could potentially kill her. Also, I work for a somewhat upscale restaurant, and we use icons in our menu for many things, and it takes up very little space as the icons are small and the legend is on a single page. We also encourage our guests to inform us of their dietary restrictions. Guest safety is one of our greatest priorities at my restaurant.

And for some folks, avoiding a particular food ingredient could be a matter of life and death.

Those who need to avoid a particular food ingredient as a matter of life and death know to speak up. Some restaurants refuse you from ordering without first speaking to a sous chef, should your reservation be noted with a dietary restriction. Of course, they excel at guest relations.

And for some folks, avoiding a particular food ingredient could be a matter of life and death. For an unknown reason, food allergies are on the rise. My sister was diagnosed last year in her forties with a crustacean allergy. In her forties! Now she has to carry epipens on her person at all times. She cannot eat shrimp, crab, lobster, or crayfish. These are foods she's eaten all her life, and now all of a sudden eating them could potentially kill her. Also, I work for a somewhat upscale restaurant, and we use icons in our menu for many things, and it takes up very little space as the icons are small and the legend is on a single page. We also encourage our guests to inform us of their dietary restrictions. Guest safety is one of our greatest priorities at my restaurant.

I understand what you are saying, but doing it for 50 menus at a private establishment as opposed to Carnivals thousands upon thousands of menus would cost a fortune, and benefit the few, rather than the majority. You have to remember, Carnival uses a new menu for each dinner day, and for breakfast/brunch/lunch too.

If there are foods that could potentially kill someone, I would take the initiative of asking and not relying on a menu icon that is most likely wrong.

I was on the Liberty in November and watched them use the same gloves to grab the chicken, shrimp, and beef on the Burrito bar... Glad I saw it, as my GF is allergic to shellfish. However, we always watch... The same thing at the Mongolian Wok, they would grab the fish behind the chicken or beef and it would drip onto chicken/beef or they would use the same spoon to dip in the sauces...

YOU have to be proactive and no rely on anyone else.

You saw them doing that ugh nomore mongolian for me hearing what they did turned me completely off as I don't even want the taste of shellfish on my food, thanks for the heads up.

Yes, I have been in many restaurants that have the icons next to the item on the menu it really helps me as I need to stay away from gluten and dairy..for those who have specific food allergies its totally common to mention it to the server and sometimes the chef comes out to speak to you about what you can't have then makes something for you up...happened to me on a number of occasions usually in 4/5 star restaurants now I am finding they have the icons.

I understand what you are saying, but doing it for 50 menus at a private establishment as opposed to Carnivals thousands upon thousands of menus would cost a fortune, and benefit the few, rather than the majority. You have to remember, Carnival uses a new menu for each dinner day, and for breakfast/brunch/lunch too.

 

If there are foods that could potentially kill someone, I would take the initiative of asking and not relying on a menu icon that is most likely wrong.

 

I was on the Liberty in November and watched them use the same gloves to grab the chicken, shrimp, and beef on the Burrito bar... Glad I saw it, as my GF is allergic to shellfish. However, we always watch... The same thing at the Mongolian Wok, they would grab the fish behind the chicken or beef and it would drip onto chicken/beef or they would use the same spoon to dip in the sauces...

 

YOU have to be proactive and no rely on anyone else.

I never stated how big my employer is, but the company I work for is a chain with more than 40 locations. Also, I realize that one cannot and should not rely only on icons, rather my point is that it would not be that difficult for Carnival to do. If my company can do it, and if RCI can do it, Carnival surely can. In my experience, icons can help to start the conversation between guest and server. So, they are very useful, but by no means are meant to be a substitute for guest queries regarding ingredients and potential cross-contamination----queries that, in my restaurant, we take very very seriously. Now that a member of my family has an allergy, allergies are something that, personally, I am very attuned to. I, myself, suffered from an outbreak of hives and puffed-up face that required a trip to the hospital a few years ago. But, I believe that my allergic reaction was due to an additive in the food rather than the food item itself. Regarding the Mongolian wok: My sister can no longer eat there as the method of food preparation intrinsically involves cross-contamination, and it is clear to us that it would be infeasible for them to accommodate a crustacean allergy at that particular venue.

And for some folks, avoiding a particular food ingredient could be a matter of life and death. For an unknown reason, food allergies are on the rise. My sister was diagnosed last year in her forties with a crustacean allergy. In her forties! Now she has to carry epipens on her person at all times. She cannot eat shrimp, crab, lobster, or crayfish. These are foods she's eaten all her life, and now all of a sudden eating them could potentially kill her. Also, I work for a somewhat upscale restaurant, and we use icons in our menu for many things, and it takes up very little space as the icons are small and the legend is on a single page. We also encourage our guests to inform us of their dietary restrictions. Guest safety is one of our greatest priorities at my restaurant.

You seem to think this it unusual. It isn't. If you asked for an Epi in the dining room, you would get a couple hundred.

It isn't just seeing on the menu that the dish usually does not contain your specific allergen, it is also making sure there is neither cross contaminant nor added as a extra ingredient. No one with a food allergen should trust a menu notation.

You seem to think this it unusual. It isn't. If you asked for an Epi in the dining room, you would get a couple hundred.

It isn't just seeing on the menu that the dish usually does not contain your specific allergen, it is also making sure there is neither cross contaminant nor added as a extra ingredient. No one with a food allergen should trust a menu notation.

Huh? Please re-read my post and subsequent posts. You mistook what I said.

I still want icons next to the items on the menu, RC does this and I never have to ask questions to my server, now if I had other allergies I would have to speak to the waiter but there are many people that just can't have gluten or dairy....the icons allow me not to ask questions and bother the server who happens to be very busy and allows me not to bother the server and go ahead peacefully in ordering my meal.

You seem to think this it unusual. It isn't. If you asked for an Epi in the dining room, you would get a couple hundred.

It isn't just seeing on the menu that the dish usually does not contain your specific allergen, it is also making sure there is neither cross contaminant nor added as a extra ingredient. No one with a food allergen should trust a menu notation.

It's not unusual. That's the thing. Every other person seems to have a food allergy these days. Either people suffered before and doctors didn't know it, or some type of phenomenon is going on.

You can't denote every food allergy. I wouldn't trust it anyway as you said. Speaking with your server and contacting special needs in advance is best. We sat at a table with a teenager that had 2 different food allergies. She got better, more prompt service than any of us. The waitstaff took excellent care of her.

I believe its what they doing to our crops, the cattle and all our food, pesticides, herbicides, arsenic, hormones, steroids, gmo's, etc. I am 51 NEVER in my life have I had any allergy to any type of food, the past two years lets just say I can't have gluten, dairy and anything that has eggs in it ugh.