stateparent

We will be on Allure 6/26 in Star Class and will share our experience when we return.

I have dairy and ground pepper allergies. I notified RcCL ahead of time and they asked me what I needed ( almond milk and parve margarine) and they provided me with what I needed. We had anytime dining and were given the same wait staff each night so that I didn't have to worry. I was given the menu the night before and was able to pick what I wanted and so it was prepared the way I could eat it. They had a head chef walk me through the buffet so I knew what to avoid.

I notified RCCL last week, and though they were concerned and helpful, I wasn't asked about what we needed; however, our cruise is not until June, so it may be too far out yet. So did they actually have almond milk available for you? I mentioned milk alternatives, and she indicated soy was the prevailing option....

I will be phoning them again in a month or so and see if we can make a request for coconut milk.

Thanks to everyone who has posted information -- I appreciate all the comments and advice.

Honestly, my son is only five and is not an adventurous eater. The plain protein, potato and vegetable are a perfect meal for him.

For breakfast, they had dairy free pancakes and waffles but he did not like them because they were different from what he is used to. He had grits, oatmeal, bacon and fruit for most breakfasts, but that is what he usually eats. Lunch and dinner consisted of meatballs, chicken, steak, baked potatoes and French fries. They were constantly trying to make the food more adventurous and interesting for him, but he chose not to have the fancier foods. They even gave him meatballs on skewer sticks to "jazz"it up for him. They felt bad that he wouldn't eat fancier food, but I can't blame him since trying new things is scary for him so we didn't push him when we aren't at home.

They did have dairy free margarine that they can use for sauces. They had soy milk. One year, we brought juice box style cartons of coconut milk.

My son had an anaphylactic reaction at a popular vacation spot (not on a cruise) when they gave him gluten free bread instead of egg free. Because of this, we stay away from bread items.

 

 

 

From what I could tell, they will go above and beyond to give you creative meals. You need to have a good Head Waiter, if you feel like the one you have is not meeting your needs, do not hesitate to ask to speak with someone else.

On our cruise last year, our Head Waiter had another allergy at the table next to us. At the later seating, he had six allergy needs. It is something they face every day and as long as you have a diligent head waiter, you will be in good shape.

Having the room cleaned is a great idea. When my son was two, we found a peanut on the floor of our cabin (not a Royal ship) when we were doing our usual sweep.

Thank you -- very helpful info. It sounds as though we will be fine with the number of choices. She is very observant, and it can be challenging when she thinks everyone else is getting something she is not -- typical 2 year old. Plus, she just plain loves to eat!

My five year old son is allergic to milk eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish. We have cruised on Explorer and Liberty with the allergies, and both experiences have been phenomenal. We choose to cruise because of how well the allergies are handled. Although we haven't been on Allure, I am happy to share our experiences with you.

 

We choose to eat in the MDR and gave an early seating so that we have the same Head Waiter and staff each night. Through our experiences, it is always our Head Waiter that arranges all of my son's meals. Each night, we would plan the next day's meals with the Head Waiter, then when we would arrive for breakfast or lunch, he would be called and would bring out my son's food.

 

Make sure you contact Special Needs weeks before you leave.

When you board, head to the MDR and make sure that the allergies are documented.

We have learned that the dairy allergy restricts the dessert options (Jell-o). I try to bring special desserts, a batch of homemade cookies and some favorite candies to have throughout the week.

I also bring some factory sealed snacks with us to take off of the ships when we are in ports. I am uncomfortable finding safe options in other countries. I'm

We also bring a few boxes of cereal from the MDR with us when we leave.

We bring lunch with us for embarkation day. The ship is so hectic and there aren't many options besides the buffet.

On the ships that we have sailed, we have needed to eat at the MDR for all of our meals. A few days that the MDR has been closed, we have had the pre-arranged meals brought to the buffet. Since eating in the MDR takes a long time and we have two young, active boys; this year we would pick up their safe lunch from the MDR and bring it back to our room to have a more relaxing lunch.

 

Cruising has been a wonderful way for us to travel with food allergies. I am happy to answer any other questions you may have.

Your son's allergies encompass all those of my granddaughter, and then some! I'm glad to hear you have had mostly good experiences. I'm curious what kind of choices your son had -- were there options other than the "plain protein", baked potato, vegetable? Did they try to create sauces, etc. for the protein on the current day's menu?

We've found many meats are pre-marinated, usually with some dairy ingredient, and wondering if that was an issue? How about bread?? Did they have a milk substitute, such as rice or coconut?

Thank you for your help!!

My wife has a daily allergy and we have been cruising twice a year for the past several years. During this time our experiences have varied greatly depending on the ship/head waiter and chef involved.

 

As others have stated contact special needs beforehand AND contact the maitre d and hopefully the head waiter once you board.

 

The one thing to remember is that in order for this to work you need to make sure to place your order the day before. The ship staff refer to there orders as an AVO.

 

Doing this will ensure that your allergy needs are met and the food will be safe to eat. Where our experience has varied greatly is how tasty is the food that they bring you. A dairy allergy is extremely challenging and the chef can either do the bare minimum or really go above and beyond and make it a great experience.

 

A lot of times they take the simple way out...a plain piece of protein, baked potato and steamed broccoli with jello or berries for dessert. Blah..tasteless. When you have a great head waiter and a chef that has the time they can create a number of dairy free sauces and provide tastier alternatives than a plain baked potato and dry veggies. Desserts are a challenge it one that can be done dairy free is the pavlova (baked merangue) with some fresh berries and a fruit sauce. My wife requests this the first day and they make enough so that she can have this every night.

 

We find that a lot of times the chefs are stumped when it comes to how to cook tasty meals for people with some allergies. We take a list of things that my wife likes and some simple recipes for dairy free sauces and give these to the chef.

 

Because of what we have found to be hit or miss MDR experiences we have statprted doing more and more specialty restaurants where they have been absolutely fantastic about creating exciting, tasty dishes for my wife.

 

Our worst experience was having my wife served a cheese omelette at the Diamond breakfast with an officer after telling the waiter that she was allergic to dairy. After taking a bite and realizing what had happened and bursting into tears the moron for a cruise directors only comment was "she's not going to keel over on us is she". She ended up spending the rest of the day in bed after taking a large amount of Benadryl and pain killers.

 

One of our best experiences was 3 weeks ago on the Oasis. The first day my wife went to Cafe promenade to get a specialty coffee and the staff recognized her from her picture that they had in the back room letting them know of all the guests that had allergies. Pretty impressive for a ship with over 6000 guests.

 

Make sure that you advocate for yourself and if something is not right bring it to their attention.

You addressed what we've found other places -- the "plain protein", baked potato and salad routine...I hope we get a chef who will work with us. We usually find people genuinely want to be helpful, but some are more creative in their help than others.

I did call the C&A line, and they seemed cognizant of the seriousness. She included the allergies on our reservation, and as some have mentioned, indicated we need to go to Guest Services immediately after boarding.

They also are going to do an extensive environmental clean of our stateroom, at the C&A representative's suggestion, which was not something I might have thought of. Especially with a 2yo whose allergies are contact as well as dietary, this is a very, very good idea.

Has anyone with dietary allergies had experience traveling with RCCL?

We will be on the Allure in June, traveling with a toddler who has an anaphylactic reaction to milk/dairy, and severe allergies to tree nuts and peanuts/chickpeas. We will be in a suite, and so Coastal Kitchen, where meals are prepared to order, may be a good option?? Buffets are out, due to cross-contamination possibilities. Her parents often take their own food for her, though that would be difficult for a full week.....and is that even permitted by the cruise line??

I will phone RCCL, but also wanted personal insights from anyone who's already had experience....thanks!

Stateparent

I had heard the prices had been raised, though at the moment they appear to be $395 for BB on our sailing....which still is kind of ridiculous, for a few hours of shade at the beach. However, having had melanoma, it's not an option for me.

Any particular advice about which cabana to rent (or which to avoid) with a toddler in mind?

Hello! We will be on Allure in June 2016 with our adult children and grandkids, ranging in ages from 9 months to 12 years....we've rented cabanas on Labadee before at Barefoot Beach, and had planned to do so again this time, however, when I looked at the cabanas online, there is a note that the minimum age requirement is 4 years old.

Last time we were there, the youngest granddaughter was 7, so age was not an issue. This time, in addition to the 9 month old, there will be a 2 1/2 yo.

We will have to rent 2 cabanas, regardless, as there will be more than 12 of us.

Obviously, the family with the infant and toddler won't be sitting still in the cabana very much, but it would be a good place for them to stow their belongings, feed the infant, and get into the shade periodically. Will RCCL let them use it, if they have wristbands? Or will the children's ages prohibit any use of the cabanas?

Advice, and/or opinions and suggestions, please, fellow cruisers?

Thanks!

Stateparent

Its about 40 miles

So I'm guessing 40mi. on Jamaican highways would be a "stretch" at best to say 45 minutes?? More like the 1 1/2hr. other posters have indicated?

SP

Can you tell me how long a ride it really is from Falmouth to DRF? I have been corresponding with Peat Taylor, and he indicated it is only about 45 min. Is this "Jamaica time"?

Thanks!

SP

We were also down the hall from you--9603 and 9536!

Thanks for writing such a comprehensive review--now I don't have to! :)

By the way, you must have gotten off the ship at the ports...in contrast, at least part of our large group remained on the ship, and it turned out to be a great time for both the Flo-rider and the zipline--no lines whatsoever! (though the hours were limited to 9-11am and 3-6pm)

I am happy that I can help! :) Let me know if there's anything else I can scope out for you! Our group ranges from 4-91 in ages....so we're likely to be trying a bit of everything!

Njmomof2: I'll be happy to try to get pictures of how the two cabins connect...and the pullman. It's actually my elderly dad's room. We put him there to be close to the elevator, and he was trepidous about having a balcony (worries like crazy about everything), but we wanted him to have more room than an interior. This was the perfect solution for him.

The only other cruise he has ever been on, we had some rough seas, and he still to this day insists the waves were "up to his porthole". So a window w/o an ocean view, works just right!!

Some of our other family members have adjoining large interiors, and I will get pics of those to post as well.

DH and I have an OV balcony--just couldn't give up the idea of relaxing on the balcony, watching the waves go by. Only 42 more days!!

Yes, thanks! Also what I was looking for!

SP

Hi--We've got 9579 and 9603 booked for June 19, so I will take pictures and post upon our return! Also, go to oasisoftheseas.com and select the webcam section, then select CP...they are the rooms below the balconies! It appears the view will be minimal, but at least it's a window and will greatly add to the light in the room!!

SP