Gluten Free Experience on Celebrity Anyone?

Hello, I have Celiac Disease and am going on my first Celebrity Cruise in December on the Silhouette, and would love to hear others experience with Gluten Free on the ship. Tips, favorite foods or things to avoid. This will be my third cruise since my diagnosis and I have had great experiences with the other Cruise Lines. Thank you.

If you do a search on this forum, you will get a number of threads about this. EM

Thank you, I will! New here, so I appreciate your help! :)

My son is in the process of being diagnosed with celiac disease. I posted about it a couple of days ago. Can you tell me what lines you have had a good experience with? We have a Royal Caribbean cruise scheduled for 2017 but also have a deposit down for Celebrity and just haven't decided which one to keep.

There is a place to contact them about special needs (I think it is in your cruise planner).

Just let them know you have celiac & CANNOT have any gluten--they are very accommodating. MDR/Blu menus are labeled. It seems the buffet did also but I don't remember.

I am wheat sensitive & just avoid things that have wheat flour as a major ingredient. I did ask for GF bread each night as I like escargot every night & like to dip the bread in it. It was nothing special but did the job (although one night it was cinnamon raisin bread!)

Hello, I have Celiac Disease and am going on my first Celebrity Cruise in December on the Silhouette, and would love to hear others experience with Gluten Free on the ship. Tips, favorite foods or things to avoid. This will be my third cruise since my diagnosis and I have had great experiences with the other Cruise Lines. Thank you.

We accommodate special dietary needs including gluten-free and dairy-free. Guests can consult with the Head Waiter or Restaurant Manager at other venues to discuss their dietary needs once onboard.

For complex food allergies and/or needs, please contact the Access Department at (866) 592-7225.

Welcome to the boards. :)

Click here for a recent link which really set my mind to rest.

Thank you all so much. My wonderful Travel Agent already alerted them to my having Celiac Disease and the need for a gluten free menu. I am so excited for this Cruise and want to be healthy the whole cruise. I was wondering if there was gfree options outside of the Main Dining Room. So if I go for coffee or the buffet it would be nice to have gfree options. I have been on Carnival and Disney and always had a great gluten free experience. I have heard so many wonderful things about Celebrity Cruises Dining and I am looking forward to next months sailing. Again, thank you for all of your comments! :)

Thank you, I will make sure to speak to the Restaurant Managers in other areas than the dining room. :)

I have sailed on Carnival and Disney since my diagnosis. With kids, Disney, hands down of the two. My four kids loved it and we did too! No issues at all and they were very well informed about Gluten Free Dining. We are not taking the kids on the Celebrity Cruise, going with 3 other couples and are very excited to have some adult time. I will post back here afterwards and let you know how my experience was with dining gfree. :)

First, check out the online guide noted in my signature. There's a chapter in there on communicating clearly with staff that's probably most important, since you've been on other lines and know the big picture stuff already.

In general, Celebrity is pretty good compared to other lines we've traveled, but haven't done Disney (no kids), who I'd assume would be awesome.

More non-celiacs eating gluten-free these days is a mixed blessing; on the plus side, greater awareness and availability of options, but on the down side less awareness of how the tiniest trace of gluten can have a severe effect on someone who is celiac which isn't always the case with others (myself included in the latter category; if a few bread crumbs were in something I'd definitely notice it, but not become ill like with a larger amount).

In other words, be suspicious that the person who smiles and nods "oh yes gluten free" doesn't quite know what they're talking about, and don't be scared to ask to talk to someone more senior.

My son is in the process of being diagnosed with celiac disease. I posted about it a couple of days ago. Can you tell me what lines you have had a good experience with? We have a Royal Caribbean cruise scheduled for 2017 but also have a deposit down for Celebrity and just haven't decided which one to keep.

I have had better luck with Celebrity than Royal Caribbean regarding celiac dietary restrictions and food choices. I have gone through the special dietary needs notification process with both cruise lines and worked with chefs and waiters. Some comments:

If you are celiac you may well have to avoid dairy. Both Celebrity and Royal will work to accommodate you, but your choices may be limited.

Royal Caribbean - Windjammer staff often had to search out GF bread and offer to bring it to my table. There were no GF cookies during my 15 day 2015cruise. GF and dairy free desserts were limited to fresh fruits and jello. Fish had to be specially ordered as most fish was prepared with a light dusting of flour (not a breading) to enhance "servability" (per the chef). GF pizza and pasta was available as a special order item and took up to 20 minutes. In the dining room our waiter helped me pre-order a special meal for the next evening. A bright spot on our recent 15 day cruise was the Chef's Table, a multi-course gourmet meal with wine pairings. All the courses were specially prepared as GF and dairy-free and were superb. It was a wonderful meal. If you are carb-focused and GF I would recommend that you bring some favorite snacks in your luggage. GF instant oatmeal packets would also be a good choice so you can vary your breakfasts.

Celebrity - We mostly cruise Celebrity in Aqua Class, which means eating in BLU for lunch and dinner. BLU chefs and waitstaff have done an excellent job in providing tasty, varied, and high quality meal choices. The bread choices were limited to two or three, but over the length of the cruise, there was some variety. Again, no GF cookies, but the fresh fruit offerings were very good. I did not try the special order pizza on Celebrity, but it was available. Celebrity's casual dining buffet seemed to have more choices for me and was a little less heavy on the fried foods, mashed potatoes and gravies.

Cruise lines have done a better job of educating their chefs and waitstaff on GF and other dietary needs. However, language is sometimes a barrier as some staff have limited English vocabulary. Have patience as you communicate your dietary requests. Smile and be prepared with a "thank you" as a busy staff persons takes time away from their current tasks to find your special food items. Be prepared to be happy with more limited choices than at home. Bring packaged snacks that will work for you when ashore. I have some favorite snack bars that are travel staples. Sometimes you will have a nice surprise. While visiting a small seaside village in southern England we stumbled into a small café. Their lunch hour was nearly over, but the chef had prepared a GF soup lunch and baked items that were superb - a very nice surprise! The prepackaged snack bars went right back to the ship that day.

I have traveled extensively via land travel as well as cruising, and find that, especially in Europe, cruising is easier for celiac food choices.

When we cruised a year ago there were many items clearly labelled incorrectly or would be gf until a staff member "fancied" up the garnish. After bringing this to the attention of the hotel manager we were able to get better service but apparently the labeling and training isn't standard. We were able to get special treats delivered to our room for tea time which was quite nice of the hotel manager but which the service was correct the first time so extra special measures weren't needed.

There are gf cookies in Cafe al Bacio. Maybe not every day, but they have some coconut ones that are wonderful. They're like those no-bake ones made with sweetened condensed milk. Mmm.

I don't need to eat gf but one daughter has Celiac so I'm aware of what it entails. Talk to the Cafe people and ask that there be some, but gently remind them about cross contamination. They will be sitting in a separate container from the regular offerings, but if they use the same hand to put regular cookies in or serve them, then the gf cookies aren't "good" anymore.

You know, stuff you already instinctively know but that people who aren't affected really don't always "get." They may understand the rules and procedures about keeping separate everything, but it's not on their radar all the time, and one misstep of pulling out a regular sugar cookie, then with the same hand reaching in to pull out a gf cookie will contaminate the entire gf cookie container.

Cross contamination is always going to be an issue, as you obviously already know in your life. I know my daughter has had to "educate" people in the food industry (waiters) who think that if they remove the croutons from a salad if they're inadvertently put on, that it's still gf. She tells them that no, they've poisoned her salad and it's inedible for her.

I think more and more people are understanding it's not just a choice, it's a medical necessity and is serious like all auto-immune diseases. I think you're going to have a wonderful cruise but you'll have to still be vigilant and proactive in it, like you are every day in your life.

It would probably be a big help to others if you would report back here after your cruise. Let people know how eating gluten free is/was for you on Celebrity. It's near and dear to my heart, now that I have a daughter who has to eat that way and whose son may also be.

Curious how your experience with Celebrity was. I invite you to visit "Cruising Gluten Free" Facebook page and share your experience with others. Cruising Gluten Free is a community page all about gluten free where people can share experiences while on different cruise lines. https://www.facebook.com/Cruising-Gluten-Free-1168324309904061/

Actually the Facebook group can be found here:

.facebook.com/group/236610086793548/

I have had better luck with Celebrity than Royal Caribbean regarding celiac dietary restrictions and food choices. I have gone through the special dietary needs notification process with both cruise lines and worked with chefs and waiters. Some comments:

 

If you are celiac you may well have to avoid dairy. Both Celebrity and Royal will work to accommodate you, but your choices may be limited.

 

Royal Caribbean - Windjammer staff often had to search out GF bread and offer to bring it to my table. There were no GF cookies during my 15 day 2015cruise. GF and dairy free desserts were limited to fresh fruits and jello. Fish had to be specially ordered as most fish was prepared with a light dusting of flour (not a breading) to enhance "servability" (per the chef). GF pizza and pasta was available as a special order item and took up to 20 minutes. In the dining room our waiter helped me pre-order a special meal for the next evening. A bright spot on our recent 15 day cruise was the Chef's Table, a multi-course gourmet meal with wine pairings. All the courses were specially prepared as GF and dairy-free and were superb. It was a wonderful meal. If you are carb-focused and GF I would recommend that you bring some favorite snacks in your luggage. GF instant oatmeal packets would also be a good choice so you can vary your breakfasts.

 

Celebrity - We mostly cruise Celebrity in Aqua Class, which means eating in BLU for lunch and dinner. BLU chefs and waitstaff have done an excellent job in providing tasty, varied, and high quality meal choices. The bread choices were limited to two or three, but over the length of the cruise, there was some variety. Again, no GF cookies, but the fresh fruit offerings were very good. I did not try the special order pizza on Celebrity, but it was available. Celebrity's casual dining buffet seemed to have more choices for me and was a little less heavy on the fried foods, mashed potatoes and gravies.

 

Cruise lines have done a better job of educating their chefs and waitstaff on GF and other dietary needs. However, language is sometimes a barrier as some staff have limited English vocabulary. Have patience as you communicate your dietary requests. Smile and be prepared with a "thank you" as a busy staff persons takes time away from their current tasks to find your special food items. Be prepared to be happy with more limited choices than at home. Bring packaged snacks that will work for you when ashore. I have some favorite snack bars that are travel staples. Sometimes you will have a nice surprise. While visiting a small seaside village in southern England we stumbled into a small café. Their lunch hour was nearly over, but the chef had prepared a GF soup lunch and baked items that were superb - a very nice surprise! The prepackaged snack bars went right back to the ship that day.

 

I have traveled extensively via land travel as well as cruising, and find that, especially in Europe, cruising is easier for celiac food choices.

We cruise both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. On our most recent Royal Caribbean cruise, Sept 2016, Explorer of the Seas, the Windjammer had a dedicated gluten free station, a total serving island, all gluten free. I also have the Windjammer head chef give me a tour around the serving stations. Several times the chef has suggested specifically prepared entrees and had them delivered to our table. Sometimes there is a bit of a wait, but I haven't ever been disappointed or had a difficult time eating in the Windjammer. It is much easier now and staff is more aware.

I'm updating an earlier post. Hope this helps.