cruznut1111

Best reason to go in rainy season if you are asthmatic is the clear air. During the dry season the copra fires are everywhere.

The rains are not that bad or that long, but the one thing that worried me was the number of folks in the water during a lightening storm. That storm was the only time we stayed out of the water in our 20 rainy season days.

Well, to be clear I got Most of them stopped. I was told it would take a couple months and it did, but finally it eased.

The ones that still come are generated by my travel agent. I can live with that.;)

Hi again. I saw a note about how old this thread is, but hopefully most of the advice is still helpful. We have all put a lot of time in this trying to save others from the problems we have had over the years.

My most recent cruise was in late May on the Regent Navigator. The night before we were at the Pan Pacific. Much has changed, but problems are still with us. I happen to react to foods that are legally gluten free. The 20ppm has too much gluten and I do react. Can also happen if I have too many under 20 in one meal. So view my comments accordingly.

I had one blimping after a wonderful gf meal at Pan Pacific. I think it was from the quinoa dish. Quinoa itself is fine, but some mixes ( one from Costco) have cross contamination.

For our second meal I got a fantastic chicken breast on salad from a restaurant across the promenade. (Opposite side from Starbucks). I think it was called something french... not boulangerie. Red awnings. Very happy and safe.

On board was okay after the first awkward buffet until I found maitre 'd.

I was able to find some BBQ skewers on the pool deck one day, but most days I was confined to the dining room and it was adequate, but BORING and not what I felt I was paying for.

After a xc in the dining room I decided to take my chances at the other venues. They were just fine and a lot more fun. I just followed the practices I've recommended here.

Best treat of the trip was the crab feast and boat trip in Wrangell. Fully gluten free and yummy.

Yes! Do check in with the Maitre D' when U get in the first day. He can confirm or add the details for you and give you the names and locations of your contact person.

For safe buffet mornings hardboiled eggs are always a good choice. I check the cold cuts and cheese as well. Maybe safe- maybe not. I stick with fruits that can be peeled. Now this is my secret backup for early Breakfast.....a couple ounces of leftover meat from dinner. Of course this only works if I have a fridge but I already know it is safe for me.

Cheating. Is the pleasure worth the pain? Half of my cheating came from saying Yes too often until I got unmasked and figured out how much damage I was doing. The other half came from ignorance. Time and pain change this over time.

I wouldn't say essential, but they can be zipped and unzipped in different ways without becoming shorts. My favorites can be unzipped on the sides but snapped at the bottom so they aren't flapping. I have one pair that unzips to capri length for a change.

Check REI outlet and Sierra Trading Post for inexpensive options.

I hope this thread is still helpful to all of you. There were a lot of miserable days learning to watch for all the little horrors that could creep into my food.

The cruise lines are all pretty amazing compared to 5 years ago, but this is when overconfidence can overtake carefulness and waiters not as well trained as they think they are. I have been glutened way more often by folks assuring me they know what to do than by those who know nothing but want to help.

BAKCD, it was great to read you got your gluten free beer. I got a chuckle remembering how hard I had to work for that first delivery. They made me purchase the whole case... I think there is a thread on it somewhere.

I'll be back on board for the first time since 2010 so I will report on what I find on board and in Alaska.

I took this adventure a few years back and it is still one of my favorite memories. This is a wade-in snorkle so had time to adjust and learn the wet suit. Anemones, many forms of starfish and a magical swim through a kelp forest stand out.

The joy of having someone pour warm water down my suit while a second helper handed me hot cocoa was a nice end to the snorkel.

The biggest problem I remember was trying to operate my camera with the gloves on. Practice this at home with your bulky gloves when deciding which underwater camera to bring.

I wore my Snorkel Alaska T-shirt in Thailand, Tahiti and Australia to many thumbs-up. I should have gotten two.

Seven cruises to Alaska with two little bags. Dressy, swimwear, casual, warm and four pair of shoes.

I wear the heavy pieces to travel. That includes jeanlike pants, walking shoes, coats (a liner inside the raincoat).

My advice is to have One perfect outfit for each type of activity and a second dual purpose outfit. So the dress pants could sub during the day with a casual shirt, the swim suit also acts as "spanks" under the dinner dress. Dress shoes are plain enough to be worn during the day. Three thin shirts will be warmer than one bulky sweater.

My all time fave is a set of Silk longjohns from REI. The top is pretty enough for the nicest evening. A couple silk scarves take no room. I also carry walking sandals in my personal bag. A pair of shower shoes go in the carryon with the dress shoes.

The real answer is to Think before you pack. I used the same two bags for 90day trips to Europe and Asia. Those of us who pack light had our trips overpacking. I kept my packing sheets out one trip and we marked it each time we wore an outfit. So many items were only worn once during two weeks. Never again.

It can not just be done light. You can do it and look great for every occassion. BTW.. don't miss the snorkling in Ketchican.. great bragging rights!

I was able to log on today for the first time in forever so even though this news is not exclusive to cruising with gluten problems, I wanted to share. The relationship between gluten and mood problems came to the forefront back in the 60s, but then got lost for several decades. New research seems to be bringing back the idea that for some the reactions to gluten may be mental as well as physical.

Given that on board everything can be topsy-turvy and diets not always followed as well as should be, mood changes might occur. In our situation we are noting the big differences in the one family member who doesn't have the physical symptoms.

GAR-FAVA flour is wonderful for pasteries.

Gracie- I think you mentioned something about "less than stellar" gluten free pastries. See if you can find some different Gar-Fava flour mixes. Of course, even better is finding a baker that uses it. I had gone so long without any pastery, I had to ask my husband to check if it was as good as I thought..... 1/2 a pie later he decided it was pretty good.

ThermaCare heat wraps for the back can be wrapped around the belly to help ease the pain.

I used this trick on one of our recent cruises, but forgot about it until last week when I had to use it at home. On the precautions side (I do seem to love those) do be sure to wrap over a tee-shirt to keep from burning the skin.

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I make sure I have enough wraps for every long flight (for the back- once I'm through security it goes on) and a few to spare in case I get a major gluten reaction.

I didn't realise that Belgian chocolate had flour in it. Do you mean the hand made type or the boxed varieties?? Is it for dusting the moulds? I am pretty sure that Guylian Belgian choc. is gluten free but the boxed variety might be different to the hand made choc that you would find in Belgium.

We were at the Guylian store- on the street running parallel to the water where the Holiday Inn and Rocks market are- in Sydney back in 2009 when I tried to get chocolate and they alerted me to a problem and advised me not to eat it. Before that I thought only Godiva had the flour.

Here is what they say on their website-

Is there gluten or barley malt in Guylian chocolate?

We cannot guarantee that Guylian chocolates are gluten free. The following Guylian products contain traces of gluten:

Chocolate truffle seashells and extra dark seashells

Guylian's Temptations, Individually wrapped chocolate truffle seahorses

Guylian's Temptations, Individually wrapped milk chocolate truffle seahorses

Guylian's Temptations, Individually wrapped extra dark chocolate truffle seahorses

La Trufflina

Opus

Solitaire

No Sugar Added chocolate bars

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Oh, snickerdoodles are soft sugar cookies with cinnamon on top. A very old fashioned cookie, probably from Europe.

We were going to go to Grom in Florence but I forgot the address and we coudn't find it. We ended up going somewhere else that made their own. As you said if they make their own gelato it is usually okay, but if they buy it in from somewhere else that is when you can strike trouble.

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Oh my, I can certainly see how you came to that conclusion after going back and rereading what I wrote. Thanks for pointing it out. What I meant was - IF you can find a place that makes it on the premises and can assure you they are using good GF ingredients, and IF you and they can converse well enough, and IF they say they know enough about GF that you are comfy about it and IF they show by their actions that they really do.... then go for it!

All of the shops I went to were small, but my results really varied. Asking a shop to do a GF serving is time consuming, so we always buy a scoop no matter what. My DH ends up eating a lot more gelato than he intends this way. Except when we go to GROM we only order one serving because we never know if I'll be able to eat it. If we don't like what we see, it's his. If we do, he "changes his mind" and orders one as well.

My Gelato tip - stick with GROM to be very safe. The one in Florence is one street down from the front of the duomo on the right side on a little street jutting off from the bell tower. The alley is only about 4 businesses long and the line into GROM is about half of that.

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No, I have no interest in this company except for how impressed I was with their understanding and extra care.:D

Gelato in Italy sounded like heaven, so when we went in 2008 I had practiced all my phrases like "sono celiaca" and "sans glutin" and was ready for major indulgence.

In Naples I had great success at a little shop on the way to the museum. The woman went to the back, got a clean scoop, scooped from the front instead of the back and I was a happy camper - no problems.

Got to Florence, went through the same routine, but- big miserable problem. In Rome- 1st shop - a Mom and Pop- great. 2nd day, new shop and despite all their care- big problems. I decided to give up and regroup. I just can't take chances like that. The pain is not worth the pleasure for me.

When we went back in 2010 I knew from all my reading I wasn't alone in having problems with the gelato, but didn't have a clear idea why. But I did find out about Grom and knew that there was a company that would assure me of a safe experience. So for me, why bother risking it.

In Paris I found a great looking gelato chain shop where they understood GF. One of the workers had an aunt who was GF. They would only let me have sorbet, but couldn't give me any detail. Just that her aunt couldn't eat anything other than sorbet. Well, the sorbet was wonderful so no problem. The next day - of course we went back- the manager was there and explained to me that the ingredients were "supposed to be" gluten free, but they weren't always and they never knew what was "actually used." He said that if I had only minor problems, perhaps it would be worth a try, but they had lots of reports that there were problems. He suggested I stick with little shops where they made their own gelato on site and could tell me what they had used.

Now we are talking vanilla in all cases where I ate gelato.

I know better that to risk chocolate. (In Belgium I went to 9 chocolate makers asking if anyone had heard of making the chocolate without flour. Got 9 "nos". As one explained - "if it doesn't have flour, it isn't Belgium chocolate."

Dee

Hello again,

 

I am sorry if my posts upset or bothered you in any way.

"No worries, mate."

 

I just got back from the gluten-free bakery & market - blueberry pie, snickerdoodles, scones and chocolate brownies. When our local baker found himself needing to be GF, he came to a great solution and started a new business. I'm trying to be supportive, but it is packing on the pounds. Never had that problem in the '90s when everything tasted like cardboard.

I want to take a little space here to relate what the best current science and experts were saying back in the late 1940s and the 1950s.

"There was no way the mac and cheese/ muffins/ bread pudding/etc. could be making my stomach hurt." "I was a 'picky' eater who needed more discipline." "I should be made to eat every bite." I should not be allowed to leave the table and run to the bathroom." "Celiac was only found in 1 in 100,000+ and we had no family history." "I was just trying to get out of doing the after dinner cleanup." "I was dramatizing to get attention." Oh yeah! If I sound a little bitter when I find science that disagrees with my personal knowledge and experience, I have a long history of how much damage can happen.

By the time the 1960s came around I was fully "masked" and could eat glutens all day long with no problems... except for the cramps and anemia and the hidden damage. The 1970s, 1980s and most of the 1990s passed with no problems - except for lots of illness.

Then one day in the late 1990s, after all the doctors, dentists and assorted specialists had looked at me for decades, a physical trainer looked at me and said "no way your lean body weight should be this light. Have you had a bone density test?" All those years of eating gluten gave me more than washboard fingernails and a "thick waist." They also gave me hollow bones. In my 50s I had the bones of an 80 year old.

So to wrap this little piece up. My first point is "Trust your kids." Nutritional science has come a long way over the past 60 years, but in another 60 they will know things they never thought were important now. If there is a conflict, consider going with the "rumors" rather than the science.

The second thing I need to say to all you parents of celiacs and gluten sensitive kids is "Good for You!" Your efforts on your childrens' behalf will save them years of pain.

Now for your tip - you can set your Google alerts to send you all the latest news about gluten / celiac every day.

I am really surprised that you had a reaction from being near the toaster. You actually have to ingest gluten for it to have an effect. Are you sure it wasn't something else keeping in mind that it takes at least 20 minutes and usually more than an hour for for a reaction to happen as the gluten needs to travel to the gut first.

Why do you think that all gelato except for the sorbet has gluten in it? In my experience the majority of gelato is gluten free in most cases except for those that obviously have wafers, biscuits, cake etc mixed in. Is it the glucose syrup from wheat you are concerned about that is sometimes used in ice cream? Glucose syrup from wheat is gluten free as there is no detectable gluten due to the processing. Having said that I do always ask and check and did so in Italy. The majority of gelato was gluten free even the non sorbet variety with a few exceptions. I found this to be the case in at least 6 places that we visited in Italy. Sorry I am not trying to sound like a smart a**e but I work for the coeliac society so I am very up to date with information related to coeliac disease.

I've had a hard time forcing myself to come back to this thread, so obviously (to me) on some level I had real problems with these posts, much as I tried not to. So let me start with a the most important tips I can give - more generic than ship related - then I'll see if I can get into a little more depth and then help bring this back on topic.

The "experts" on celiac/ gluten sensitivity/ intolerance are the unmasked guts of the people who have the problem. If your child or gluten-sensitive friend says "I have a reaction to XYZ" -believe them. Don't let anyone tell them they are wrong/ making it up/ not in accordance with someone's reading or differing from the current level of science of the day.

No matter how well meant, reading about the reactions is not the same as actually having them. Use all the gluten-free sites, stay up on the current science, read the different POVs (including mine) but only use them as a guide.

We all have many symptoms and reactions we share, but we also all differ. (One of the latest research trends suggests as many as 15 different variants.) Time will tell.

There is a lovely line in a Buffett song about "the pleasure being worth all the pain" and that is certainly true when it comes to dealing with gluten issues. Most of us have played the "eat it anyway" game at some point after we became aware of our problem. This will change for each person over their years of living with the reactions. For me, after 12 years of conciously dealing with this, my gut is getting nastier and I am finding less and less is worth the pain.

My second tip on this line of thought -

Do everything you can to get your child or celiac "unmasked." This might mean avoiding that favorite snack once in a while to make sure it is still okay. Until the gut has been well rested and safe for a while it may not react and give warning when it should.

"to be continued"

I am really surprised that you had a reaction from being near the toaster. You actually have to ingest gluten for it to have an effect. Are you sure it wasn't something else keeping in mind that it takes at least 20 minutes and usually more than an hour for for a reaction to happen as the gluten needs to travel to the gut first.

Well hello Graceinmelbourne! I had come back to comment on the message from Irish and found oodles of questions. It might take me a while to get all the answers, but let me get started.

First let me say how impressed I was with the work of the Celiac groups when we were in Australia. Loved going to restaurants and seeing the GF by the menu items. Some places like Sydney and Melbourne were really on the ball. Still, I found it was best if I only used the GF as a beginning and then still asked all my questions and then listened for some of the "hidden" problems.

Now, to the question of the toaster. Yes, I have read the 20-60 minute rule according to some of the Celiac Groups and I would love for that to be true for me, but it isn't. My best guess is that I'm not alone on this. I have had reactions as short as 5-7minutes with some types of gluten and as long as 45-60 on others.

On the question of "ingestion" - Yes, I get it. It is really easy to think of "ingestion" as just eating, but it really isn't. If I had kept my mouth shut I may not have had a problem, but I was chattering away, having a good time and really didn't think about all the particles in the air. In both occassions I was in the area close to 30 minutes. I don't think there would have been a problem if I had just been walking through.

When I wrote the original comment, I knew it was the first time it had happened on ship and was thinking it was the first time ever. A couple weeks ago I had to go into a local bakery and had a similar reaction. Talking about it with my DH, he reminded me that it had happened @12-15 years ago in a bakery in Canada that had a high level of flour in air.

Having someone staying up to date on all the new research is really great. Any time we can learn without experiencing pain I call it a big win.

However, there are those of us who have sadly been on the cutting edge of gluten knowledge and learned a bunch of things the hard way. I'm sure the research is coming, but my gut doesn't wait. It reacts now... and it really hurts. As all of us with gluten problems have learned -YMMV.

Oh, hate to leave without a hint.

Ask your waiter to use the Salamader when he toasts your bread. This will eliminate the cross contamination from regular bread going thru toaster.

I have to get back to work, but I'll come back in a few days and we can talk gelato. (Sadly, I do have to stand by what I said- wish I didn't!)

DEE

Hi all!

 

Reading all of the stories and information has been very helpful. My boyfriend is not GF but he does have a lot of stomach problems. So he doesn't eat anything with sugar in it and no spices or marinades. Will NCL be able to accommodate that? Like if we want to have a steak for dinner they can only put salt on it when they cook it. Does that make sense? Are they that accommodating? Thanks for any help in advance.

 

-aimee-

They are SO accommodating! Do have your boyfirend get on the list with Special Needs before the cruise and then meet THE diet asst maitre 'd when you get on board. There are many asst maitre 'ds, but only one is in charge of diets. That is the one you want to find. I do think he will have a better experience if he can trim down "spices" to the specific ones that give him a problem, but needs musts. They will find a way for him to enjoy himself.

Thanks so much to everyone for this information - my dad has just been diagnosed and is having a HORRIBLE time adjusting to the GF lifestyle (just a few days ago I had to explain to him that no, Girl Scout Cookies are not GF, even if you can't "see" the cookie under the chocolate.) He is so bummed and feels so deprived, no matter how much GF stuff Mom tries out, so it will be a relief and a pleasure to know that he can eat like a king and not spend time in pain/discomfort paying for it. Thank you!!!

I remember that feeling of deprivation well. Ten years ago GF was another word for cardboard.

Nothing will sub for those Girl Scout chocolate mints, but here are some names of some really good cookies. Pamela's (all, but especially the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip - get more than you think you need 'cause you will be fighting your nonGF friends for them), Lucy's cinammon, Crimble's macaroons from England, Glutinos wafers, Mi-del ginger snaps and animal crackers. There's more, but that should fill his snack wagon for a while.:)

If I knew how I would post the thread, but I haven't learned that yet.

So here are two other ways...

You can click on my name and from there click on "all posts"

I think the GlutenFree tips will be @ 5 or 6 down.

Or - go to "message boards" - 'cruise conversations' "foodies" and then scroll down to "Gluten-free tips or (Allergies = PIA)"

I hope this isn't too silly of a question, but we will be sailing on the Gem in a month or so (booking it tomorrow), and this thread is super helpful! Just wondering how do they track me down as the "gluten free one" if it's free style cruising? We haven't sailed NCL before, and I'm used to sitting in the same seat at the same table each night for dinner with the same waiter. But, since it's freestyle, will I have to tell each new waiter and each meal that I can't have gluten? How exactly does this work?

 

Sailed Celebrity last year expecting for the gluten-issues to be handled 100% and they totally and completely dropped the ball (and I'm a HUGE fan of Celebrity). Hoping for a better experience this time around.

We were on the Gem in Oct and the X Connie in Nov. Yes, on Celebrity GF is a lot harder if you don't have a good waiter. On NCL, every ship has an assistant maitre 'd that is assigned to those with special diets and there is one chef who does all the special diet meals.

With GF you do lose a wee bit of flexibility, but not too much. Make sure to introduce yourself to your "new best friend" as soon as you can after boarding. There will probably be a letter waiting in your room. If you are eating lunch before going to your room, ask for directions to th main dining room (they always try to send everyone up to the buffet, so gently persist).

If your guy isn't there, you will still be able to eat safer than at the buffet.

I usually arrange specialty restaurant dining for the first night because with the more limited menu they usually know what they can and can't do GF. Just let your "BF" know where you will be and he will see that you have the following night's menu after you finish your dessert and you can order for the next night.

If you need more info, check out my "Gluten Free Tips" thread on the Cruise Foodies board..

Bon Voyage and

Bon GF Appitite

Anyone have a child that has a Gluten, casein corn nut & soy allergy? Need advise as i'm cruising soon on the NCL dawn

No, but you are on one of the most "with-it, they-get-it' lines cruising. Just be sure to call the Special Needs department soon so they can get special plans lined up for your child.

Ampere-

Thanks for adding a much needed facet on this thread. With tweens there are other aspects of special dining to be considered.

I know that RCCI is one of the harder lines for me on the GF, so it would be interesting to hear how Tween GF works on NCL or Oceania. Hope you and your son had a wonderful time.

Dee

Thanks for those websites and your great idea about gathering information for the teens. I'vebeen worried about the possibility that the thread would die like some of the others, so it is wonderful to see three posters.

Our cruising time has wrapped up for a while, but I will be coming back to visit CC and this thread. Looks like it is in good hands.