Gluten free on Harmony of the Seas

The gluten free bread on Harmony is the best ever! I wish that I had their recipes!

The gluten free bread on Harmony is the best ever! I wish that I had their recipes!

I was sorely disappointed by the gluten free bread selection on the Adventure after having what I consider to be the best gluten free breads I've ever had on the MSC Divina. So spongy, like the gluten laden stuff.

However we are appreciative of its availability as well as many other choices. On my survey I did express these same thoughts. Thanks for providing this service but have a RCI employee cruise with MSC and steal their recipe.:D

Dave

Still laughing about "all kinds of extra food treatments" and "pampering".

"It doesn't affect me so it must be dumb!"

I feel bad for the OP and the others who had to suffer from these issues. I do not have Celiac disease, but have a few friends who suffer from it.

 

 

 

I am only posting this so everyone here understands.

 

 

 

Celiac is an autoimmune disorder it is like an allergy, it is a very serious condition for those who suffer from it.

 

 

 

Now there are quite a few people who have a gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity. This is different. these people may have a stomach ache or get a little nausea if they eat gluten but it is not as serious as Celiac. Because of these people, and its not their fault either, wait staffs have not taken "Celiac" as serious. They see every day when people who request Gluten free menus reach over and eat their spouses roll that isn't gluten free and etc. etc. etc. So eventually they start to feel that when someone says the have to have a gluten free meal its not that big of a deal.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, if you truly have Celiac Disease, it is a huge deal. Many do not realize that even cross contamination is a big deal. If you slice gluten bread with a knife and then slice gluten free bread with the same knife, this may be enough to make a person with Celiac Disease violently ill when they eat the Gluten Free bread.

 

 

 

I hope you can find a solution that you can live with so you can keep cruising. Education is the key but is seems not enough is being done with both the wait staff and the chefs.

Thank you for writing this. My youngest daughter has CD and it is very frustrating when people just do not understand how important it is to eat safe.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I hope they seriously start charging people that need all kinds of extra food treatments!

THAT would be a good move to offset the revenue they loose buy pampering those needs...

So sorry you went through this :(. I have a friend who has a serious sensitivity to a bunch of foods, including corn and gluten. I was with her at a restaurant where the waiter insisted that the chicken breast was plain (just fresh chicken, no seasoning, no sauce, non of that stuff some chicken is packed in or pumped with). Within a very short period of time my friends face and neck got red, and she started cramping up. A few minutes after that the waiter runs out to tell us that they had put a very light glaze in the chicken that had corn starch in it. My friend had stomach problems for a few days after that :(

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

I hope they seriously start charging people that need all kinds of extra food treatments!

THAT would be a good move to offset the revenue they loose buy pampering those needs...

Well I can't eat the lobster (along with about 70% of all the other food they serve) so hopefully that offsets some of the cost for you :rolleyes:

In fact, on my last vacation (all-inclusive resort), I could only eat boxed cereal the entire week, so they saved a ton of money there.

We will be sailing on the Vision in October and I'm crossing my fingers that I have the same experience I had on the Serenade this past March. The GF food was fabulous and the bread was so delicious. My experience lately confirms that it is safer to cruise on the smaller ships.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Well I can't eat the lobster (along with about 70% of all the other food they serve) so hopefully that offsets some of the cost for you :rolleyes:

 

In fact, on my last vacation (all-inclusive resort), I could only eat boxed cereal the entire week, so they saved a ton of money there.

Wonder if that equation really works?:confused:

Why should the extra food service that is requested be free?

Wonder if that equation really works?:confused:

 

Why should the extra food service that is requested be free?

Should disabled passengers pay more for their larger cabins? This is a medical condition you know.

And besides, it's not really that much extra work. You can be sure that there is more than a handful of people who need gluten free food on any given cruise.

Should disabled passengers pay more for their larger cabins?

Sure!

Sure!

Wow.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Why should the extra food service that is requested be free?

So how far would you take that? Should we all just have one choice at a meal? Should all steaks be cooked the same, maybe medium because doing all different temperatures are extra work and coordination after all.

What did you do before celiac disease? Celiac is fairly new and I'm sure you didn't have that reaction every time you ate gluten prior to the prevalence and gluten free menu options. Is that a possibility when you cruise, whatever it was that you did?

 

Sent from my SM-G935V using Forums mobile app

What did I do before Celiac? Well for years I was sick, sick, sick and misdiagnosed by a parade of specialists starting in the late 1950's.

One Gastro said it was IBS, another at the University of Pennsylvania actually said my intestines were too long.

A Neurologist apparently thought my migraines were from a lack of caffeine and prescribed Cafergot and totally blew off the fact that I could not walk a straight line.

One dermatologist thought I must have dermatitis and another swore it was guttae psoraisis. Both must have thought I suffered from a lack of steroid cream by the number of prescriptions for it.

Multiple GP's chimed in with their theories over the years, all of which were wrong!

I was dragged to specialists by my parents starting at age 7. I did not receive a correct diagnosis until I was 54. I actually went to see an orthopedic surgeon about the neuropathy in my hand and he knew it could be a sign of a gluten problem because his wife is Celiac. So, once he ruled out anything orthopedic, it was off to a Celiac specialist that he recommended.. Finally after a lifetime of suffering, I was diagnosed Celiac. My ever present rash was actually dermatitis herpeteformis (celiac disease manifesting in the skin), and my inability to walk straight was gluten ataxia. It has been 10 years now, and except for being glutened at Quattro in the Four Seasons in Houston and on the Navigator of the Seas, I have been fine for the past 10 years. Just the complete cessation of migraines (and all headaches) has been a cause for celebration, but I am so thankful to not have any digestive issues and I don't have to walk around with a rash that scares people anymore. Over these past 10 years, my gluten ataxia has hardly improved at all, but that is because I had it so long the neurological damage is permanent. I look at my diagnosis date of January 4, 2007 as the first day of the rest of my life.

While the Gluten free fad has been helpful in bringing GF food to the marketplace, it has hurt those of us who really need to be Gluten Free to have a decent quality of life. It was not so bad 10 years ago. I have a doctor who really wants us to live grain free and also free of processed foods. At home I use almond and coconut flour for baking, and I am one of the 50% of Celiacs who react to Casein, so no dairy products either. We use almond and coconut milk at home. On a ship, that thinks Creme Brulee or GF cheesecake is the answer, I am out of luck. I live on eggs, meat, salad, vegetables and fruit when on a cruise. I expect when they tell me the sauce on the meat is GF that they really mean it and when they tell me there is nothing on the vegetables, I expect that to be so. But, that is what has gotten me both times on cruises. I also have to skip the ship's GF bread because once again like many Celiacs, I can't have yeast of any sort.

There is nothing new about Celiac Disease. What is new is that people are finally being diagnosed. It takes an average of 11 years until most people are diagnosed. It took me 47 years to find the answer. Heck, probably 1/3 of you have non-celiac gluten sensitivity and don't know it, and likely don't want to know it!

By the way it is a genetic disease, so the rest of my family got tested. My sons have it. My DIL decided to get tested too and she has it, as do both of my grandsons.

I have only used one cruise line because I had a wonderful experience on each ship when it came to my gluten free meals. I was able to order the next evening's meal while I waited for dessert.

I'm considering going on an Asian cruise with RCCL, but the number of people who talk about having issues with gluten free meals on the ships makes me reconsider.

What did I do before Celiac? Well for years I was sick, sick, sick and misdiagnosed by a parade of specialists starting in the late 1950's.

 

There is nothing new about Celiac Disease. What is new is that people are finally being diagnosed. It takes an average of 11 years until most people are diagnosed. It took me 47 years to find the answer. Heck, probably 1/3 of you have non-celiac gluten sensitivity and don't know it, and likely don't want to know it!

 

 

Thank you so much for writing this so well! My stomach has always given me issues- even from age 3 I can remember it! My dr's always recommended bland food, you know dry white toast? ugh. And until I finally went GF I had no idea that's where my frequent headaches were coming from. I do hate that there are some who do it for "diet" reasons (although I don't know why) instead of medical. When ordering somewhere I am somewhat insulted when asked if it is for diet reason or allergy reason. And those who don't suffer really can't understand what it's like- for example I get asked frequently "oh don't you just want to cheat?" ummmm, no thanks, I don't want excruciating pain and having to spend all my time in the bathroom for the next few days!

I have only used one cruise line because I had a wonderful experience on each ship when it came to my gluten free meals. I was able to order the next evening's meal while I waited for dessert.

 

I'm considering going on an Asian cruise with RCCL, but the number of people who talk about having issues with gluten free meals on the ships makes me reconsider.

There is nothing guaranteed. If the itinerary and price is good for you then I say go RCCL. There are ways to be proactive, as I'm sure you already are, and I refuse to let this condition keep me from traveling.

I have only used one cruise line because I had a wonderful experience on each ship when it came to my gluten free meals. I was able to order the next evening's meal while I waited for dessert.

 

I'm considering going on an Asian cruise with RCCL, but the number of people who talk about having issues with gluten free meals on the ships makes me reconsider.

HippieMama,

Which cruise line has given you consistent gluten free dining options? I am on a search.

Thanks.

I realize this is an old topic, but I had to step in when even those with CD have misconceptions.  What I have can best be described as silent Celiac.  I rarely have symptoms from consuming gluten, but it still causes damage to my body that could ultimately shorten my lifespan by causing cancer.  I only experience the traditional symptoms when I have had a larger accumulation of gluten over a short time frame.  It frankly makes it harder for me to accept because I don’t have that immediate feedback that says gluten is evil for my body.  Add to it that I’m embarrassed that I have special needs and it makes it tough for me to stand up and insist I need GF, even with my own family.

In case anyone is curious, I did not self-diagnose.  I went in for an endoscopy due to acid reflux and my biopsies pointed to it.  They followed up with blood work that also supported the CD diagnosis.